Wireless and High Speed Broadband connectivity would facilitate sophisticated and private internet access. Many of us would have heard about the upgradation of 3G and 4G mobile networks. 3G (3rd generation) is a standard that is implemented in the mobile networks and allows broadband access at a speed of up to 14.4Mbps. 4G (4th generation) is the standard of the future mobile networks which can improve speeds to unimaginable levels. The minimum expected speed would be 100Mbps. Recent innovation in the 3G broadband is the inclusion of WiFi and mobile broadband.

The elements required for today’s communication are seamless connectivity, privacy and multi tasking. These features are accomplished by using a mobile broadband with WiFi access. At present the average mobile broadband speed across UK is 3.6Mbps. Though this speed holds good for a single device, there are also areas in UK where the speed limit reaches up to 7.2Mbps. Also the mobile broadband providers are in the process of upgrading the networks to boost the speed to a maximum of 14.4Mbps. So these speeds available in a MiFi (mobile WiFi) router would serve as a private hot spot for any devices that is capable of accessing a wireless 802.11b/g network. Moreover these devices are powered using a lithium battery that can hold good for at least 5 hours of browsing.

Example of Devices enabled with wireless 802.11b/g access: Laptops and note-book computers with an inbuilt wireless card, Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, Smart phones etc.

However these routers do not allow file sharing between the devices connected to the network, since it does not support wireless 802.11n access. Also any wireless device is vulnerable to interruptions like thick walls and glasses. Using multiple devices to access the MiFi router might bring down the performance of the battery and the speed of the network.

These challenges are expected to be rectified in the future, especially after the implementation of the 4G networks. 4G features seamless global connectivity, powerful broadband penetration, smooth handoff between networks, etc. Updation of the Mi-Fi routers in to powerful devices providing wider range of access will definitely make it a complete wireless solution.