A cellular to Wi-Fi converter that is available as a stand-alone device, such as Novatel's MiFi, or as a feature of a smartphone. A cellular hotspot can serve several laptops and other devices with built-in Wi-Fi; however, it provides the throughput of the cellular service, which is considerably slower than a Wi-Fi network. Sometimes incorrectly called "tethering," which is an English word that means attached by rope or cable (see cellular modem).
Just like a smartphone, an account with a telephone carrier is required to provide the 3G or 4G cellular service. See MiFi, Wi-Fi and cellular modem.
|
