Why Using a Wi-Fi Portable Router is Better than Tethering

A Wi-Fi Portable Router? When would I find myself in need of one of those? Many of you may be thinking hmmm, can’t I just use my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Yes, yes you can, but there are definitely some pros and cons you’ll want to think about before doing so.

Q: What’s the point of a Wi-Fi Portable Router considering that most phones can tether? (Well, depending on the phone contract)

That’s a great question. While tethering can be an option for some users to use their smartphone’s 3G/4G connection and create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot there are some cons to consider.

• Some carriers do not offer a tethering capability or charge extra fees for tethering your smartphone.
• Tethering can gobble up the mobile data plan usage if not managed carefully.
• While the mobile 3G/4G is secure, there is not the added benefit of router/firewall security (and that’s definitely important when connecting to public Wi-Fi, I get into those dangers in another post).
• You can only use a mobile 3G/4G connection and it does not have an Ethernet port or the ability to take advantage of an existing Wi-Fi (free) connection.
• Tethering can impact battery life of your mobile phone unless you turn it on/off which can be an issue, especially if you forget to turn off or use often.

Using the Wi-Fi AC750 Portable Router and Charger (DIR-510L) provides you with several benefits, that certainly outweigh most (if not all) of the cons you’ll be considering above.

• You’ll have the ability to use a Free Wi-Fi hotspot and create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot (that does not use your 3G/4G data plan).
• You can use an Ethernet cable and create a personal Wi-Fi Hotspot using a wired connection (great for hotel rooms or locations with a wired connection).
• It includes a 4000mAh battery to charge mobile devices.
• You’ll have full router/firewall features for additional security and capabilities — 11AC Wireless for fast dual band Wi-Fi (tethering using Wi-Fi in your smartphone is not very fast).
• There’s a USB port so users can utilize a USB 3G/4G modem or stream media from a USB flash drive to mobile devices using the free mydlink SharePort app!

Q: What’s the point unless it’s on Gigabit WAN? Unless you’re transferring locally it will just bottleneck to Wan speed.

• The Wi-Fi Portable Router is most commonly meant for usage while traveling, most connections will be with Wi-Fi enabled devices and the broadband connection (if Ethernet based) will be the bottleneck.  Therefore, a 10/100 Ethernet port connection will be more than sufficient for an Ethernet connection from a hotel room. Did you know the average home broadband connection speed is 10Mbps (or less)? Yup, so don’t stress you’ll be more than covered with D-Link’s Wi-Fi Portable Router and Charger..

So, travelers, this one’s for you. Enjoy device connectivity, next generation 11AC Wi-Fi, simultaneous Dual Band, file sharing AND a mobile power station. I don’t think I need to continue.