These days most of the devices that we are carrying are Wi-Fi enabled. Still, when you are traveling, be it for business or pleasure, it may be difficult to connect to the Internet, especially when you plan to use several devices that need access at the same time.

The good news is that portable Wi-Fi routers are here to stay, and each new product generation has a bigger signal range, a greater autonomy and other useful features. If you buy a portable Wi-Fi router, you will be able to create a hotspot, allowing all your devices to connect to the web.

Right now, most portable routers have the size of a credit card, but their features can range from basic to very complex. Read on to discover the things that really matter when it comes to buying a pocket Wi-Fi router.

1. The number of simultaneously connected devices

I have mentioned that you can connect “all” your devices to a portable router at the beginning of the article, but the reality is that even standard, big sized routers have a limit. Most portable devices allow up to five connections, which should be more than enough for most people’s needs. Make sure to read the manual before making the purchase, though.

2. High speed Internet / 4G support

We’ve all enjoyed Internet at 3G speeds, but it’s time to say good bye to it. Standard 3G connections can only provide up 7.2 Mbps, while 4G can easily reach 50 Mbps. Need I say more? Go for a portable router that supports 4G data cards, even if your current Internet provider only supports 3G speeds for now. You will thank me later, when they’ll update their infrastructure. Or when you change your Internet provider…

3. Boot time

You want to purchase a router that boots up really fast, especially because you don’t want to waste precious battery juice waiting for things to happen. It is known that some providers optimize their routers, managing to get boot times of under 4-5 seconds.

4. Connectivity

Some routers allow you to plug in pen drives, and then are able to share the content on all the connected devices. If you need to share files on the go, be sure to pick a portable Wi-Fi router that has native support for external storage devices.

5. Signal strength

Portable routers are small, so their internal antennas are small as well. And a small antenna size leads to a small gain, and thus a weak Wi-Fi signal. Still, some manufacturers allow you to connect an external, high gain antenna using an RP-SMA extension cable. Sure, if you go this route you are sacrificing portability somewhat, but this is the perfect setup when you need to stream video to your devices on the go, for example.

6. Other accessories

Portable routers include small sized batteries. Someday, a clever engineer thought about making a router with a larger battery, with the goal of providing power to other devices as well. And this is exactly how routers that double as power banks were born. If your phone battery is empty most of the time, you will certainly benefit from purchasing a portable Wi-Fi router that offers this extra feature.

Armed with this information, you should be able to purchase a good router that ticks all your boxes. As always, don’t forget to ask your friends’ opinion, and even borrow a router that’s similar with the one that you intend to purchase – if it is possible to do so, of course.

 

 

It looks like Apple, which has previously used only chips from Qualcomm, is now making a move towards Intel, whose processors will power at least some of the next generation iPhones.

According to Bloomberg, Apple will use Intel’s modem chips in the iPhones that will be sold to AT&T. It may look like a small win for Intel, but the reality is that the CPU maker has been struggling for quite some time now, in an effort to sell more of its chips. It’s also good news for the shareholders, who have been unhappy with Intel’s profits lately.

So how will this move affect Qualcomm? Well, it looks like the business will continue to grow for them, mainly because they are also selling chips to Samsung, and the North Korean giant is doing better than ever, especially due to its fantastic smart phones. Some analysts suggest that Qualcomm’s modem chips are better than Intel’s chips.

Things aren’t working that’s fine for Nokia, though. The company may fire over 10,000 people in the near future, according to Reuters. Nokia has already fired close to 3,000 people in Finland and Germany a few months ago.

Nokia employs over 100,000 people worldwide, and is now trying to cut its losses to a minimum. According to them, the Alcatel-Lucent deal has led to redundant R&D and sales teams. The company has reported a decline in revenue, which was characterized as disappointing by Nokia’s CEO.

Let’s move on with some positive news, though. Spotify has grown to over 100 million monthly active users. Sure, you would expect it to have a big number of users, because they are also offering a free service. But a big surprise comes from the fact that about 30% of the users actually pay for the service.

According to Mobile World Life, Spotify is the music service with the largest paid subscriber base. Surprisingly, its losses continue to exceed its income. Spotify has recently introduced its “discover weekly” feature, which provides custom music recommendations.

Apple does not intend to make significant changes to this year’s iPhone, according to Wall Street Journal. This will discourage some of its fans, who were eagerly waiting for a new iPhone each year. Apple has a two-year product update cycle, so it may have kept some goodies for next year’s update, which marks iPhone’s 10 years’ anniversary.

What we know so far is that Apple will eliminate its own you out plug, routing the audio to the lightning port. This way iPhones can be made thinner and water resistant, a feature that some of its competitors have been able to implement years ago. Also, it looks like Samsung high-quality displays will make it into next year’s iPhones.