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A WiFi dongle is a device you can use to get your gadgets online when you’re away from home or other WiFi networks.
So if for example you’re on a train or in a hotel, you might use a WiFi dongle to get your laptop or tablet online.
WiFi dongles connect to mobile networks and create their own WiFi network using that connection. So for example, a WiFi dongle with a Three SIM card in it would be able to get a signal wherever Three can, and could convert that into a WiFi network to get other devices online.
But there are multiple kinds of WiFi dongles, so we’ve detailed the option below, followed by taking a look at why you might want one.
What is a battery-powered dongle?
A battery-powered dongle is the most common kind of WiFi dongle. This is essentially a small box with its own battery, which can then beam out a WiFi signal to multiple other devices.
So you can think of it a bit like a home broadband router, except rather than using fibre broadband, it connects to mobile signals, and rather than needing to be plugged in, it can be used wirelessly.
That makes it extremely portable as you don’t need a socket, just a charged battery and mobile signal in the area.
This is a great choice if you want to get multiple gadgets online, or if any of the devices you want to connect to the internet don’t run Windows or macOS. But if you just want to get a single laptop or similar online, consider a laptop dongle (explained below).
What is a laptop dongle?
A laptop dongle works in a similar way to the dongles above, except rather than being battery-powered, you plug these into the USB port of a computer, and the computer itself powers them.
As such, they require a device with a compatible port and operating system (typically a USB port paired with either Windows or macOS). Also, once connected they in some cases only bring WiFi to the device they’re plugged into – though others can also beam out a WiFi network.
Not requiring a battery means they’re even more compact, typically looking a lot like a standard USB stick. Plus, you don’t need to worry about charging them, but their reliance on a USB port makes them more limited.
What are the advantages of a WiFi dongle?
A WiFi dongle can be hugely beneficial if you ever want to get your gadgets online when away from home or the office, as it all-but-guarantees the availability of a WiFi network, since all you need is mobile coverage.
Of course, public WiFi is quite widely available now, but it’s still far from everywhere, and it can also be both slower and less secure than the connection you’d get with a WiFi dongle – not to mention meaning you avoid the hassle of having to sign up every time you use a new public WiFi provider.
And a WiFi dongle is also a better option than tethering from your phone, as while this can achieve a similar result, it potentially uses a lot of battery in the process, as well as eating into your phone’s data allowance.
