The MiFi Mobile Hotspot: Your Trusted Travel Companion
Realizing the Benefits of Mobile Hotspots for Business Travel
It's funny how the definition of "Business Travel" has changed in the past 10 years. Back in 2001, many on the forefront of business strategy and thinking were predicting the virtual disappearance of business travel (as it was known), especially with the "expected advent" of video conferencing, real-time group collaboration, and virtual presence.
Fast forward to 2011: The reality did not quite match the prediction, but for one thing - the need to stay connected to "the pulse"... the company - the customers - the market ... has grown in ways never before predicted. Business travelers needing to carry multiple devices are looking for simple solutions for managing their internet connectivity.
What is the best and most cost efficient way for today's business travelers to stay ahead of the curve and under budget?
With the advent of cloud computing, social media and networking for business, and a general "always on" attitude by today's customers, high quality Internet connectivity for the business traveler and his companions is just as important as any other aspect of business travel including transportation, lodging and logistics.
Back in 2009 the MiFi revolutionized the concept of a mobile hotspot by packaging an easy to setup, and even easier to use all-in-one mobile broadband device that allowed five users or five separate devices to connect to a single high-speed data plan over high speed 3G wireless broadband.
The MiFi stepped up to the plate again with it's newer generation 4G mobile hotspots in 2011. The new generation of MiFi hotspots not only keep up to the pace of today's business demands, but also puts the hotspot owner ahead of the curve. The MiFi 4G enables world-class leading broadband network performance, up to 15 Megabits per second download speeds in hundreds of locations across the country.
Mobile Hotspots have replaced the old favorite of business travelers, the wireless broadband data card, a USB plug-in data modem that was almost exclusively for use in laptops. Sure enough, these workhorses were able to satisfy the most hard-core road warrior with almost cult-like obsession. But with the dawn of new technologies that allow businesses to connect to their offices and customers in new ways, broadband data cards fell by the wayside around 2009, being replaced by the up-and-coming technology offered by mobile hotspots. The days of connecting by USB were drawing to a close, and the preferred way to connect was the easiest of all - wirelessly through WiFi. After all, when was the last time you saw a USB port on anything else other than a PC or Laptop?
Today's business traveler rarely travels with just a laptop anymore, but rather with their entire digital arsenal, which includes their smart phone, and often a separate "business only" BlackBerry, but will also include the iPad Tablet, e-book readers like the Kindle, and other electronics that have Wi-Fi capability.
How Mobile Hotspots Help Business Travelers
Mobile hotspots offered the opportunity to enable every device the business traveler is in tow with to easily and quickly get online without the need for configurations, cables, docking stations or other device-specific methods. Today's mobile hotspots are under 4 ounces and have the dimensions of approximately a stack of 7 or 8 credit cards. (less than 1/2" thick). Just set up the hotspot once, and all of the travelers devices will be ready to go, simply by entering the WiFi network password that the traveler assigned to his mobile hotspot.
Today's hotspots, like the MiFi 4G from Novatel wireless support state-of-the-art battery technology that will allow the hotspot to operate up to four hours with continuous use, and very often an entire eight hour workday with typical use, given a normal workday that entails breaks and some downtime between sessions. This makes the hotspots perfectly matched for the battery capabilities of most of the devices that will be connecting through them. In other words, the hotspot will usually need recharging at the same time as your laptop, tablet or smart phone.
The MiFi and other mobile hotspots can also save frequent business travelers significant sums of money. They quickly paying for themselves and their data service in just a few trips. Given the fact that most hotel chains have stopped offering free unlimited Internet several years ago, the prospects of having your own personal cloud of Internet connectivity in your room, without needing the overpriced hotel Wi-Fi (or old-fashioned plugin RJ-45 cable connections...Yuck!) is another reason that a mobile hotspot is a worthy investment, not just a nice-to-have toy.
Long-term costs associated with owning a Wi-Fi or mobile hotspot comes down to the type of data subscription plan and provider you select. "Byte-for-Byte", the monthly costs of high speed mobile broadband have actually fallen by quite a large amount over the past 3 years, sometimes as low as a penny per megabyte.
As of 2011, all four major wireless providers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) offer the popular "5 GB for $50 to $60 per month" subscription plans. If your business usage falls under the 5 GB per month threshold, $50 is a small price to pay for the added convenience and opportunity to stay connected wherever and whenever your business takes you. Reclaim your time spent needlessly searching out WiFi connections while at your travel destination, and put it back to work making money instead.
