mobile broadband router
A device that turns 3G/4G cellular service into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Instead of plugging the cellular air card, which is the 3G/4G transceiver, into a laptop, the air card is plugged into the mobile broadband router. Small mobile broadband routers that can be easily packed in a laptop case are called "portable routers," "personal routers" or "travel routers."
Routers Vs. Femtocells
Mobile broadband routers tune into the wide-area, wireless 3G/4G network and create a local, wireless Wi-Fi hotspot. In contrast, femtocells perform the conversion the other way around. The femtocell connects to a wired or wireless LAN with Internet access and creates a short-range 3G/4G wireless network that functions like a mini cell tower. See
femtocell and
air card.
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| Broadband Mobile Router - Internal Hotspot |
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| Broadband mobile routers turn 3G/4G service into a local hotspot for laptops and other Wi-Fi mobile devices. |
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| Femtocell - Internal 3G/4G Network |
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| A femtocell provides the opposite function, taking cellular data from the Internet and creating a mini cell tower in the building. See femtocell. |
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| Failover Protection |
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| Many retail establishments use the Internet for credit card approval. If wired Internet access goes down, this Cradlepoint mobile broadband adapter automatically switches point-of-sale terminals to 3G/4G service to keep the business running. (Image courtesy of Cradlepoint, Inc., www.cradlepoint.com) |