#Mobile Hotspot vs Home Router

75 messages Ā· Page 1 of 1 (latest)

sacred plumeBOT
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@edgy anvil has a question:

negazinani_sok_46651

Could someone give me some advice about this?

We currently use a router for our home internet, which has been fine so far. However, my family is considering switching to a mobile phone plan and using my phone as a hotspot to share the internet with my computer and other devices.

The plan costs 20 euroes per month and includes:

  • 50 GB of high-speed internet in my country
  • After 50 GB, the internet still works but is limited to 2 Mbps
  • 50 GB of hotspot data
  • 300 minutes of calls
  • 300 SMS messages
  • 1 GB of roaming data in the European roaming zone

Do you think this would be a good replacement for our current home router, or would it be better to keep the router? What would you choose and why?

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<@&987246964494204979> please have a look, thanks.

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Here is an AI assisted attempt to answer your question šŸ¤–. Maybe it helps! In any case, a human is on the way šŸ‘. To continue talking to the AI, you can use </chatgpt:1108714622413963314>.

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TJ-Bot
Could someone give me some advice about this? We currently use a router for our home internet, which has been fine so far. However, my family is considering switching to a mobile phone plan and using my phone as a hotspot to share the internet with my com

Using a mobile hotspot instead of a traditional home router has pros and cons depending on your needs:

  • Mobile Hotspot

    • Pros: Portability, easy setup, can use anywhere with cellular coverage.
    • Cons: Data caps and limitations, potentially higher cost, might have less stable or slower connections, and limited device connections compared to routers.

  • Home Router with Fixed Broadband

    • Pros: Generally faster, stable, and unlimited or large data plans; better for multiple devices and smart home setups.
    • Cons: Less portable; tied to one location.

If your family primarily needs internet for casual browsing, social media, or light streaming, a mobile hotspot on a good cellular plan could work. But for heavy streaming, gaming, or multiple device households, the traditional router with fixed broadband typically offers better performance and cost efficiency over time.

Also, consider network coverage quality where you liveā€”mobile data speeds and reliability vary greatly by location.

Useful links:

- AI generated response using gpt-4.1-mini model
winter jackal
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opening ports on mobile hotspot is generally not possible
also if you use a phone for this you will need something to cool off the phone

tulip fulcrum
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Sounds like a terrible idea. My mother in law has a 4G/5G router and her internet is terrible.

edgy anvil
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also im a CS student and I plan to work in the IT industry in close future but didn't really know how to explain or justify my concerns to them

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I can't say that it's a terrible idea without explaining why I think that šŸ™

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they want to hear my opinion and I dont know, I dont have a job yet and I've never studied via hotspot

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The plan would only be for me, if I didn't mention that before

winter jackal
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only for you, like they keep the router and you can only use your mobile hotspot ?

edgy anvil
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they want my internet source to be that package not the router

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I wouldn't share that with anyone they say

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I dont know what to think bc I've never heard that someone who works with a computer switched to this way of using the Internet for a long time

winter jackal
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and how do they plan to have access to internet if they don't have a router anymore ?
i guess if they want to use a mobile hotspot for themselves it could be ok

edgy anvil
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there are 4 of us in the family, they want every phone to have this package

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they only watch facebook and youtube, nothing more than that and chagpt of course

winter jackal
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the biggest problem you will have

  • it can degrade your batterie life
  • you will need to buy something to keep your phone at normal temperatures
  • no port opening. if you have need to open a port for a game or for a project you will need a VPN like Hamachi

if you have decent mobile bandwidth it could work out i guess.

when i was a CS i had to use my phone as a hotspot for 1-2 years

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for it to be a good idea it really depends a lot on how much bandwidth you will get
5G has generally a lower bandwidth than fiber optics

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also if you do gaming you will have lags
if you do fps or competitive games it can become unbearable very fast

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if you want an excuse to keep the home router
you can simply say that you need to do some network stuff that can only be done with a home router. (the port opening part)
and if they ask if there is alternative simply lie and say there is none.
it's not even a complete lie
because some things cannot be done with using a VPN to open ports

edgy anvil
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As far as I understand this would be a worse change, but not necessarily a terrible one?

runic oar
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If you do this, actually get a edge router than can have a sim card in it

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you keep the home network as it is, but internet come from Sim card

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also, I would limit the speed

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it can work if you never watch YouTube anymore

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1 video can be 1 to 3gb

edgy anvil
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bruh

runic oar
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wait, from your phone?

edgy anvil
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I don't understand why people would do this at all, why they simply won't leave the router at home bc its stable and secure

edgy anvil
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I will definitely "fight" to keep the router lol

runic oar
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one thing I can say is it will destroy any effect of speed as it add latency

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so it will lag a lot for computer

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but let ask @halcyon flame what he think

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he know

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he use that setup

halcyon flame
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Hey @edgy anvil, I'd like to know what the current wifi plan is offering and at what cost?

edgy anvil
runic oar
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hey, you got windows?

edgy anvil
runic oar
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for fun, go in your network setting and limit your speed to 2 mbps

halcyon flame
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Well, there are things you need to consider:

  • A phone won't be at home all the time.
  • A phone won't have a wide range for connectivity. It may satisfy if the rooms are close, but it definitely won't work at different floors.
  • A phone's charge will drain faster.
  • A phone will heat more.
  • A phone will need to be taken out with you leaving no connectivity at home.
  • A phone will be connected to the internet wirelessly, resulting in unstability (not always, but during certain weather conditions). Let's say if you wanna do light gaming.
runic oar
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and check out if you can actually use it

runic oar
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this way you will all test it

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and all know what you will get

edgy anvil
runic oar
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no surprise this way

edgy anvil
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ooo

runic oar
edgy anvil
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I didnā€™t know that was possible thank you

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then we can compare what the package is supposed to provide with what weā€™re actually getting right now

halcyon flame
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These were some limitations of the phone. But now let's talk about the plan:

  • 50 GB isn't anything in today's generation of internet surfing.
  • Your options are using high speed internet for the first 1-2 week and then shift to 2mbps.
  • Conduct Lucky's experiment and see for yourself how long you'll be able to hold up.
  • Also, make sure you understand the different between 2megabits/s or 2mbps and 2megabytes/s or 2Mbps.
  • The WiFi may cost more but what you pay for is "Peace of mind." or "Convenience" than the actual unlimited/more data or high-speed.
edgy anvil
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i will have to simplify all of these messages into language that everyone can understand, especially people who arenā€™t familiar with technology

runic oar
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mega bits is not mega bytes
a byte is 8 bits

halcyon flame
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From personal experience, i have used the mobile internet but my plans are way better than yours to make me feel any difference. I got unlimited 5G data on my mobile plan scaling from 100mbps to 700mbps. But i didn't actually need that much except for installing games on PC but the struggle began after installing the games. The network instability resulting in bad ping and bad experience while gaming. Apart from this, no major cons except that when I go out, my mom can't use her internet also, my mom's room is 10 steps far so she had to come to my room to use internet through hotspot.

runic oar
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I would actually choose 30mbps unlimited over fast but after 50gb 2mbps

runic oar
halcyon flame
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But ever since I shifted to wifi connection, I didn't feel any difference because ofc it's unlimited but capped at 40mbps. And I don't really need high speed internet so 40mbps is fine. And this 1st Oct my wifi recharge is due so I am using my phone's internet again and I have 20 GB data only and ever then and now I have to check if i am exhausting my data fast. :p Hehe. I'll get back to wifi once I get rich again in a week.

halcyon flame
runic oar
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thing is, maybe they don't use internet at all

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many will not

halcyon flame
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Yeah, possible. There is no harm in trying and see if it's sustainable or not. Once you do, you'll know if you can sustain or want to get wifi back.

runic oar
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@edgy anvil do you have an actual router?

edgy anvil
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why?

runic oar
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because you can limit speed in the router so that every devices in the home feel like it would be at 2mbps

edgy anvil
edgy anvil