Buy a Wi-Fi/4G access point

by Vinh Khoa Ton

Introduction

A Wi-Fi/4G access point is a location that provides users wireless network. Nowadays, most electronic devices are equipped with a wireless adapter (mobile phone, laptop, tablet, watch, etc.), the demand for wireless connection increases rapidly. The Wi-Fi hotspot could be found usually in public areas such as airports, post offices, coffee shops, or fast food restaurants while the 4G hotspot could be found almost everywhere you go. The 4G access point is a portable device that give you Wi-Fi access.

Cost and Range

Wi-Fi hotspot is quite affordable offered by most major network carriers. AT&T offered Wi-Fi on the spot with $3.99 to $7.99 per session. However, Wi-Fi hotspot is limited only to public areas that offer the service. The track field that we need to have Wi-Fi access does not have a Wi-Fi hotspot nearby.

4G hotspot (or mobile hotspot) has more coverage range and gives more flexibility for outdoor internet usage such as hiking, camping, biking at some remote areas. A hotspot device usually works well within 50 feet and could support up to 5 users at the same time.

For example, FreedomPop offers 500 MB of 4G data free every month and charge $0.02 for every extra MB used.

However, the drawback is that cost for the portable hardware is expensive, ranging from $50 and up to more than $100.

Conclusion

The Wi-Fi hotspot provides a pay-as-you-go option that suits our need for a short project demonstration but lacks the flexibility in coverage range. The 4G hotspot could provide the needs in coverage range but the cost is too expensive. As the reasons above, we does not choose this method as our solution because it does not meet all of our requirements.