Mobile Hotspots - Anyone Use Them?

[quantumdude]

I am interested in getting a T-Mobile Mobile Hotspot and I was wondering if anyone else uses one. I am also wondering about signal strength and range. Also, in my apartment building the signal strength of T-Mobile's 4G network drops to zero on my smartphone. Does anyone know if a mobile hot spot would fix this? Or would that also fizzle in my building?

 

[turbo]

Hey, Tom! Long time no see. I'm not familiar with that particular device (been out of the cell-phone market for years), but here is something to consider: Is this device secure? If other tenants near you can get their PCs to lock onto your hot-spot, you could be in for trouble. A couple of years back, I had a wireless/Ethernet DSL modem that I hadn't secured properly, and found out that a neighbor's daughter had been accessing my connection through a lap-top. She engaged in risky behavior (IMO) including postings on Facebook, Myspace, and other sites that attract predators. I encrypted the access to the modem, and she had to resort to driving down to Tim Hortons or other places that offered Wi-Fi so she could get access. At the time, her parents didn't even have a land-line, so cheap cell-phones were the only way to get to them.

 

[quantumdude]

The website didn't say if it was secure, but I would imagine it would have to be, as the data plan limits you to 5 WiFi-enabled devices. It wouldn't be much of a product if 5 of my neighbors could gobble up the 5 device limit before I even got started. I plan on going to the T-Mobile store Monday morning to ask more about it. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with these things. It sounds like a great gadget though! Especially because I spend time tutoring at colleges where I don't have an internet account. It would be terrific to be able to bring one with me wherever I go!

 

[turbo]

It sounds like a great rig, Tom. If it can be secured, grab it.

If it can't be secured properly, be aware that people have been raided by the cops for downloading kiddy porn, when they were actually hijacked by neighbors using their WiFi connections.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/24/unsecured-wifi-child-pornography-innocent_n_852996.html

 

[quantumdude]

Thanks for the tip, I will ask the T-Mobile rep about that before purchasing!

 

[quantumdude]

Well I'll be damned. My phone *ALREADY IS* a mobile hotspot! I just found the documentation for data sharing, complete with instructions on how to secure the device.

http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2317

I still want to look into the dedicated mobile hotspot device though, because of the lousy service at home. If that device can boost the signal I'm going to go for it. If not, I'll go with what I have.

 

[turbo]

Go for it! Pick a password that is unlikely to be hacked, just for safety's sake.

 

[mdemonion]

Turn your smartphone into a mobile hotspot with the Smartphone Mobile HotSpot service..You can also connect your laptop or netbook to your phone’s Internet connection using a USB cable or Bluetooth..