When most people think of broadband, they probably think of a fibre connection to their home – and that’s almost certainly the most common way to create a Wi-Fi connection, but it’s far from the only one.
Whether you’re looking for a long-term solution or something temporary, and whether it’s for your home, office, or when out and about, there are quite a lot of alternative options that may in fact suit you better – and most of them rely on mobile networks.
Below, we’ve detailed these options, so you can make an informed choice about what the best way to get Wi-Fi is.
4G and 5G home broadband routers
The most direct alternative to fibre broadband is 4G or 5G home broadband, as from a user perspective this is almost identical – as with fibre broadband, you have a router plugged in at your home or office, and this beams out a permanent Wi-Fi network that you can use to get your computers and other gadgets online.
But unlike fibre broadband, a 4G or 5G home broadband router will be picking up mobile network signals, just like your phone would, and it’s these that it then turns into a Wi-Fi network.
There are lots of advantages to this, including no need for a landline, and the plug-and-play nature of these routers – meaning you don’t need to wait for an engineer to come and set one up.
Plus, depending on what fibre options you have where you are, you might find that you have better mobile coverage. Costs can be very competitive too, as can speeds – especially on 5G.
Mobile Wi-Fi dongles
If you’re looking for either a temporary solution or a way to get Wi-Fi wherever you go, then the best option is likely to be a mobile Wi-Fi dongle.
As with the routers described above, these use a 4G or 5G connection to beam out a Wi-Fi network that your other devices can use to get online, but these don’t need plugging in.
Instead, they’re battery powered, meaning you can take them with you anywhere (especially as they tend to be pocket-sized), and turn on a Wi-Fi network on the train, in the car, in a hotel room or coffee shop, or just about anywhere else – just as long as the dongle can connect to a mobile network.
With one of these, you have more assurance that you’ll be able to get your gadgets online when away from home or the office, and a mobile Wi-Fi dongle also offers a more secure – and often faster – connection than public Wi-Fi will.
Laptop dongles
Laptop dongles are a form of mobile Wi-Fi dongle, but rather than having a battery, these plug into a USB port on a computer and are powered from the device they’re plugged into.
This has the advantage of meaning they can be even smaller and lighter – looking much like a normal USB stick. It also means they don’t need charging.
However, in most cases they need plugging into a device running Windows or macOS, which limits what you can use them with. And while some will then beam out a Wi-Fi network that other devices can connect to, others will only provide internet to the computer they’re plugged into. So make sure you buy one that does what you need.
Tethering
The final option for Wi-Fi using mobile connectivity is to tether from your phone – sometimes referred to as a personal hotspot.
This means toggling on a mode in your phone’s settings that essentially turns it into a mobile Wi-Fi dongle – so it will start broadcasting a Wi-Fi network using its own data connection.
As an occasional thing, this can work well, since it doesn’t require any additional investment. But it’s likely to drain your phone’s battery fast, and also use a lot of data – which is worth being aware of if you don’t have an unlimited data plan.
Some networks also have restrictions on the types or number of devices they allow you to tether your phone to, so it’s worth checking the small print of your plan if you plan to make heavy use of this.
