10 Ways to Improve WiFi Reception

Enhancing Your WiFi Experience: 10 Ways to Improve WiFi Reception

China Mobile Free WiFi Hotspots

Exploring China Mobile Free WiFi Hotspots: Access and Benefits

As mobile internet usage continues to rise, China Mobile is at the forefront of providing connectivity solutions through free WiFi hotspots across the country. These hotspots play a crucial role in enhancing access to the internet, particularly in urban areas, public spaces, and transportation hubs. In this article, we’ll explore the availability, benefits, and impact of China Mobile’s free WiFi hotspots on users and the broader community.

What Are China Mobile Free WiFi Hotspots?

China Mobile, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, has established an extensive network of free WiFi hotspots throughout China. These hotspots are strategically placed in various locations, including:

• Public Parks: Many parks in urban areas offer free WiFi to visitors, allowing them to connect while enjoying nature.
• Shopping Malls and Retail Stores: Major shopping centers often provide free WiFi to enhance the shopping experience and keep customers connected.
• Transportation Hubs: Airports, train stations, and bus terminals frequently feature China Mobile’s free WiFi, making travel more convenient for passengers.
• Educational Institutions: Many universities and colleges partner with China Mobile to provide students with free internet access on campus.

How to Access China Mobile Free WiFi Hotspots

Accessing China Mobile’s free WiFi hotspots is simple and user-friendly. Here’s how to get connected:

1. Find a Hotspot: Look for signage indicating the presence of China Mobile’s free WiFi in public areas.
2. Connect to the Network: Use your device’s WiFi settings to scan for available networks. Select the “China Mobile Free WiFi” option.
3. Register or Log In: Depending on the location, you may need to register with a mobile phone number or log in using a provided guest access method. Some hotspots may not require any registration at all.
4. Start Browsing: Once connected, you can enjoy free internet access for browsing, streaming, and social media.

Benefits of China Mobile Free WiFi Hotspots

The introduction of free WiFi hotspots by China Mobile offers several advantages:

1. Increased Accessibility

• Free WiFi hotspots make internet access available to a larger population, especially in areas where people may not have reliable mobile data plans or home internet connections.

2. Support for Local Businesses

• By providing free WiFi, China Mobile encourages foot traffic in shopping areas and cafes, benefiting local businesses. Customers are more likely to stay longer and make purchases if they have internet access.

3. Enhanced User Experience

• Free hotspots improve the overall user experience for travelers and residents, making it easier to navigate, communicate, and access information in real-time.

4. Community Engagement

• Free WiFi hotspots foster community interaction by providing a space for residents and visitors to connect online, share experiences, and engage with local content.

The Impact of Free WiFi on Urban Development

China Mobile’s free WiFi hotspots are part of a broader initiative to enhance urban infrastructure and digital connectivity. The benefits include:

• Smart City Development: Free WiFi is a stepping stone toward smarter urban environments, where residents and visitors can access information and services seamlessly.
• Educational Opportunities: Students and educators can utilize free WiFi for research, learning, and collaboration, bridging the digital divide in educational settings.
• Economic Growth: Improved connectivity leads to increased online commerce and innovation, contributing to local and national economic growth.

Conclusion

China Mobile’s free WiFi hotspots play a vital role in enhancing connectivity across the country, making the internet accessible to millions of users. By providing free access in strategic locations, China Mobile supports local businesses, fosters community engagement, and contributes to the development of smart cities. As mobile internet usage continues to grow, initiatives like these are essential for ensuring that everyone can stay connected in an increasingly digital world.

What is the difference between 4g mobile towers and 5g cell?

The main difference between 4G mobile towers and 5G cells lies in their underlying technology and capabilities. Here are some key distinctions:

5 Reasons Why You Must VPN for Private Web Browsing (VPN)

A Virtual Private Network is a secure tunnel established between your PC and a VPN server and all your web traffic is encrypted and sent through the tunnel. When you use a VPN connection, your actual IP address is masked and it becomes difficult for eavesdroppers to track your online activity since the entire traffic is encrypted through the VPN tunnel. Though using a VPN connection will slow down your bandwidth by 30-40%, there are several advantages of using a secured VPN tunnel for private web browsing as listed below.

1. Downloading and Uploading of P2P Files without Getting Tracked

Virtual private networks are essential if you wish to enjoy unrestricted access to the internet along with total protection. It is illegal in many countries to download pirated content such as movies, music, TV from Torrent sites. By using a VPN tunnel you can share files with your friends using a P2P (peer-to-peer) connection securely. You can hide your IP address and location using a VPN connection and it will be difficult to trace your online activities.

2. Using Public Wi-Fi Securely

We always feel uncomfortable while using free Wi-Fi available in hotels, airports, shopping malls, and coffee shops, etc. since we are doubtful whether it’s secure and if anyone will eavesdrop on us. Since these Wi-Fi connections are open and your web traffic is not encrypted, it can be easy for hackers to eavesdrop and steal all your confidential data. Any person with access to the same public Wi-Fi can intercept all your web traffic using a simple plugin Firefox tamper data and steal your passwords, contacts, credit card information, and all your confidential data. By using a secure VPN tunnel for browsing, you can make it impossible for hackers to eavesdrop since all your data will be encrypted.

3. Access Geo-Blocked Content and Bypass Content Censorship

When it comes to online streaming, every country has its own rules and regulations which make it difficult to watch your favorite TV shows and music broadcasted by companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, etc. outside the United States. Due to certain copyright agreements, even some videos on YouTube are blocked in certain countries. Using a VPN service helps to masquerade your IP address and change your location as if you are browsing from the US or a different country. This can help you bypass content censorship and watch your favorite videos online. Even some popular services like Gmail, Facebook, and other Google services are blocked in certain countries like China. By using a VPN connection, you can bypass such restrictions and access these services through a secure VPN tunnel.  

4. Search securely without your data being logged

All the popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo will log all your web search history which is linked to the IP address of your PC. By using a VPN service, you can hide your IP address and hence there won’t be logging related to your search history which allows you to maintain your privacy during web browsing.

5. Secure your VoIP calls

People use Skype, Google Duo, Lync, and other services for online chatting through VoIP calls. Hackers can eavesdrop on your Voice-over-IP calls easily using certain promiscuous monitoring tools. Hence, you should secure your VoIP calls using a VPN tunnel so that all your voice data will be encrypted and sent through the tunnel. This ensures greater privacy and protection of your sensitive information.

A VPN connection can also be used to bypass any restrictions made by the network administrator in your workplace or school. There are VPN products available in the market and you should compare the pros and cons of each product before you decide to purchase it. There are comparisons available for different products like the article Expressvpn vs Nordvpn which describes the performance, features, customer service, and pricing of both products.

What is Zero Rating?

Zero rating has become the center of the net neutrality debate. Toll free data or sponsored data is the practice of mobile network operators (MNO), mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), and Internet service providers (ISP) who do not to charge customers for data used by specific applications or internet services through their network or is limited or metered.

Zero rating plans exempt particular data from counting against a user's data cap, or from accruing any excess usage charges.  A zero rating may provide an unfair advantage to the provider of the content that is zero rated, compared to other content providers or potential new entrants. 

India recently decided to reject zero rating plans such as Facebook's Free Basics, while in the United States carriers push boundaries with zero rating experiments such as T-Mobile's Binge-On plan, as well as AT&T's Sponsored Data, Verizon's FreeBee, and Comcast's Stream TV.  Read more. 

The nation’s two largest wireless carriers have told the FCC to ease up on its probe of zero-rated mobile data policies. But the issue may soon be moot anyway under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The commission recently sent letters to both Verizon and AT&T warning that their policies for zero-rated content could harm competition and consumers. The model enables users to consume specific types of video and other content on mobile devices without incurring wireless data charges.  AT&T zero-rates content from its recently launched DirecTV Now for its wireless customers; Verizon does the same with its Go90 offering.  Read more.

Critics claim zero-rated data policies violate net neutrality principles because they give some content providers an advantage over others. The issue has become increasingly contentious as wireless carriers expand into media, enabling them to offer their own content to customers at no cost.

How to Search Database by Date Submitted?

How to Search Database Dead Zones by Date?

Our database has been around since 2001.  However, we only have data from 2008-2015 on the map published as of today.  You can now search the entire live database by date.  See the example above.  

In the future, we will be logging dead zones on a month-to-month basis and selling reports to carriers who want only recent problems.  However, we all know that dead zones and coverage problems can persist for a long time and that is why continue to publish the data until a carrier can confirm that the problem has been fixed.  

If you are interested in reporting coverage areas that have improved please read the previous link?  

We also publish date-based heat maps of the coverage problems reported so you can see the reports evolve over time.  

How WiFi Offloading Affects Cellular Leases

Cellular 4G LTE vs WiFi

To cope with the exponential increase in data demand since the introduction of the Smartphone, many wireless carriers have been trying a variety of solutions to help meet the needs of their customers. In some cases, these service providers find themselves with a troubling choice: they can either offload their cellular traffic to public, unlicensed WiFi networks or risk losing customers to their competitors. It is understandable that most would choose the former, but the increasingly widespread practice of WiFi offloading has many cell site owners concerned about the implications. Could this offloading practice take business from cellular providers and site owners, or worse– render them obsolete?

Experts think not. In fact, the practice of WiFi offloading isn’t nearly the threat to cellular service that it might seem at first glance. While there are certainly issues with this practice that will require a bit of patience, flexibility, and extra preparedness from cell site owners and renters, there are still several challenges in the wireless industry that make cellular service a necessity. In fact, issues particular to WiFi capability not only ensure cellular services’ secure position in the wireless data industry, but could also prove a boon to savvier investors.

Meeting Hotspot Requirements

No matter their size, any given WiFi access point will have limitations in both service radius and number of users that can be supported at once. Hence, the growing demand for WiFi hotspots, and the access points available at each, has many wireless carriers scrambling to develop new cellular sites and improve those already in existence. This means more investment opportunities for cell site owners and renters alike.

Even with their best efforts, there are still significant gaps to be found in WiFi coverage, particularly in more rural areas. As a result, customers continue to utilize cellular coverage as a more reliable option. Since WiFi planning and development often take several years to process and implement, cell tower owners in these areas are particularly secure from any threats that could be posed by WiFi offloading.

Interference

On the other side of the coin, more population-dense areas are facing an over-saturation of data access points in WiFi hotspots. This overload of competing access points creates interference between WiFi carriers, which diminishes both security and quality of user experience. In these scenarios, cellular service provides an access point with greater security and protection from interference, enhancing the user experience on all points.

As a result, a large percentage of users continue to rely on cellular coverage even in thriving WiFi hotspots. Those owning or renting cell towers in these areas may do well to upgrade their sites to keep up with evolving WiFi technology, but maintaining the quality of cellular technology on the site will also be crucial to the property’s value.

Meeting the Demands of High Call Volumes

Along with its limitations in terms of radius and user capacity, WiFi also faces challenges in terms of high call volumes. Most WiFi access points can only handle 15 calls simultaneously, and this number decreases in areas of high interference. As long as people continue making voice calls, the need for reliable cellular towers will remain constant. This is especially true in areas that experience higher call volumes, such as neighborhoods rich in multifamily housing and city business districts. 

Ensuring Seamless Connectivity

Currently, most WiFi access points require users to sign in at least once to be able to use the network. This inconvenience is strongly felt by those in transit, in the midst of a conference, or for those handling time-sensitive matters over the network. As such, most users opt for cellular service for hassle-free access to their data network. While steps are being taken to make WiFi access a smoother process for users, it will require protocol development and technological updates that will take several years to implement. The process will also require additional partnership and cooperation with cellular service providers, creating a potential benefaction for cell tower owners.

Maintaining Continued Security in a Changing Industry

With WiFi service providers facing challenges that only cellular providers can overcome, cell tower owners can take assurance that their property is certain to maintain its value in the years to come. However, there are steps that cell site owners and renters can take to not only ensure this security’s longevity but to increase property value in the interim. By practicing savviness and adaptability, cell site owners can ensure the continued worth of their investment for many years to come. The consultants at Lease Advisors are prepared for such contingencies and are ready to help cell tower owners make the most of the changing times. By offering their expertise and insight, they can help turn this potentially worrying trend into a long-lasting advantage for you and your investment.

How to Watch Live TV on a Mobile Phone?

Mobile phones can do everything these days – they are the ultimate device for convenience. Smartphones allow people to watch all kinds of stuff from the palm of their hand including TV shows. There are some services that charge you a monthly fee for this privilege – but did you know that you can stream live TV feeds without having to pay for it.

If you are connected to Broadband or Wifi – normally this should be quick enough for you to access it from your phone. Simply by using your internet browser you can hit services like TVcatchup.com where you can view some satellite channels that you may not be even to access on your TV at home. There are certain apps that you can get like MobileTV Pro, where you can have all of this at your fingertips.

With this application, you will have over 200 live stream TV channels at your disposal. Normally for a service like this you would need to pay in the region of $10 a month and get the software separately, however, you can’t deny how handy having that would be. You only need to buy the software once and it can be used on all Windows phones. There are channels to suit every kind of theme, so whether you like the shopping channels, movies, sports etc you will find something that tickles your fancy, The software is super easy to download and there is very easy instructions that you can follow.

With this application, you will have over 200 live stream TV channels at your disposal. Normally for a service like this you would need to pay in the region of $10 a month and get the software separately, however, you can’t deny how handy having that would be. You only need to buy the software once and it can be used on all Windows phones. There are channels to suit every kind of theme, so whether you like the shopping channels, movies, sports etc you will find something that tickles your fancy, The software is super easy to download and there is very easy instructions that you can follow.

MediaPortal is another app you can use on your phone that comes with a plug-in (free) that’s known as the iPiMP. This will allow TV channels from your PC to be accessible from your phone. The beauty of this is that you can have a scan and flick about the channels and view them on your mobile phone. The idea is that it gets streamed from the computer to your phone from the internet.

There is more where that came from folks – Slingmedia is another popular one. For this you need a Slingbox that should be installed on your TV. The software is really easy to install on your phone and once set up it will allow you to control everything that is transmitted to your phone from the internet. It’s only compatible with IOS phones, though so don’t purchase if you have another kind of Smartphone.

Android apps with similar features can be found on Google Play – one of the most popular being Yupp TV. It’s’ completely free to download and allows you to stream Indian channels live anywhere from your phone. After you have installed the app, you can register at the site to get yourself a username and password and you are good to go! This particular app was set up for Indian users so that wherever they are in the world they could enjoy their favorite Indian TV channels.

Something else that has been generating some interest is the surge of mobile casinos – in fact some of them even have live dealers that give you that real-life casino experience wherever you are. There are some fab mobile casinos no deposit applications that can be found compatible with most phones that will allow you to try them out before spending your hard-earned cash! You can play the likes of Roulette, Blackjack and slots anywhere you are! Who would have thought 20 or 30 years ago that mobile phones could be so handy!

Which Cable Companies Share WiFi Hotspots?

Cable Free WiFi Hotspot Consortium 

A group of major U.S. cable companies has joined forces to offer a new Wi-Fi network that will allow each other's high-speed Internet customers to use their Wi-Fi networks across the country.  A group of 5 cable providers announced plans to partner on the deployment of 50,000 “metro Wi-Fi” hot spots under the “CableWiFi” brand. The service will allow customers of Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable to access the Wi-Fi networks when roaming outside of their home cable provider’s footprint.

The cable providers' partnership is similar to how cell phone carriers allow their customers to roam on other networks when traveling. That's intentional: The cable companies say they are looking to compete with mobile carriers' new 4G networks that make broadband-like speeds available everywhere.

"We believe that Wi-Fi is a superior approach to mobile data, and that cable provider is best positioned to build the highest-capacity national network offering customers fast and reliable Internet connections when away from their home or business broadband service," said Kristin Dolan, Cablevision's executive vice president of product management and marketing

For years a number of cities throughout the U.S. have floated the idea of vast Wi-Fi zones offering free Internet access, but the results have been spotty at best, often hindered by complicated business issues and even political considerations.  The roaming partnership comes as the cable industry is seeking to differentiate its offerings from rival phone and satellite companies—and when the entire pay-TV industry is trying to keep up with consumers watching greater amounts of video on mobile devices.

A similar roaming agreement was announced in 2010 by Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner Cable but it has had limited impact. The hot spots appeared on customer's devices under the separate brands of Cablevision's Optimum, Time Warner Cable's Road Runner, and Comcast's Xfinity. The service wasn't fully built out in some of the denser areas—like Manhattan—and some customers reported difficulty signing on and getting decent Internet speeds. Cablevision's hot spots have been around since 2008, but only 30% of its broadband customers have used them. Cablevision said that about 250,000 customers use its Wi-Fi every day.

The bulk of the hotspots are currently located in New York City and the surrounding tri-state area. A handful of other markets, including Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Tampa are also included from the onset. The cable companies expect to add more coverage and availability over time.  Cable operators say they will continue to increase the number of available hotspots, particularly in high-traffic locations such as parks, beaches, shopping areas, malls, cafes, restaurants, and sporting and concert arenas.

Wireless carriers are increasingly relying on Wi-Fi technology to help offload traffic from their oversubscribed networks, particularly in crowded areas. But new "femtocell" technology may give carriers an edge over their rivals. Though many carriers are aggressively deploying Wi-Fi hotspots on their own, cable companies would like a piece of the action.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless already offer something similar. AT&T has for years given its smartphone customers free access to AT&T-run Wi-Fi hotspots. AT&T owns more than 20,000 of them in the United States, many of which are located in Starbucks coffee shops and the like. AT&T also has a huge number of hotspots operating in the Times Square and theater district of Manhattan. It put this Wi-Fi network up years ago in part to help reduce the capacity crunch on its cellular network in that area. AT&T has made it seamless for smartphone subscribers to connect to Wi-Fi. As long as they are using an AT&T device, it automatically authenticates with the available AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot.

A new standard called "Passpoint" coming this summer from the Wi-Fi Alliance governing body will allow carriers to automatically switch customers to their Wi-Fi hotspots in crowded areas, without requiring any authentication from the user. That kind of seamless transition will make Wi-Fi a much more appealing option than it is currently for cellular customers.

How will it work? Subscribers will use their log-in credentials for their service provider through a new website called "CableWiFi.com." The credentials will allow them to gain access to the Wi-Fi hotspots run by their own provider, as well as those operated by the other four providers.

Cell Phone Reception for Indy Super Bowl

Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are getting ready for the huge influx of Patriots and Giants fans for Super Bowl weekend in Indianapolis.  The whole area will experience and huge increase in extra cell phone traffic.  Lucas Oil Stadium holds 63,000 people and it is highly likely there could be 25,000+ iPhones simultaneously trying to share pictures all at once.  The big question is can the carriers 3G and 4G LTE networks handle the capacity?  We will be at the Super Bowl in person to find out and share with you our experiences.

Last years Super Bowl in Dallas it was reported that numerous fans complained about the cell coverage inside Cowboy Stadium for the Super Bowl.  Most networks just don't have the capacity to handle the traffic all at once.  It still surprises me that stadiums have not installed their own Free WiFi networks inside the stadium for fans.  Carriers often partner with the stadium to install WiFi / DAS networks in venues like this in order to enhance wireless connectivity.  We would love to see more PR on this issue from all the sports leagues including the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.

AT&T has made concerted efforts to enhance the network in Indianapolis.  Not only are they upgrading the network but they are actually showing customers on a pretty map they call AT&T MicroSites.

One of the other things Patriots and Giants fans will see are these "cells on wheels," which are also called COWS.  They are trucks with portable cell towers on top of them. You'll may also see devices hidden in parking garages and other places that will also boost cell power.

Months of planning have gone into the upgrades. "Over the last year, we've made more than 500 improvements in our wireless network alone here in the Indianapolis-metropolitan area," said George Fleetwood.

AT&T isn't the only wireless provider upgrading its network ahead of the big game. Verizon has spent $159 million on upgrades in 30 locations around Indy. Sprint has also beefed up its coverage with several cells on wheels along with major added capacity inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

Offloading Cellular Data in the Wrong Direction

Are Consumers Offloading Cellular Data in the Wrong Direction?

The wireless telecom marketing machines have brainwashed the mainstream media into thinking that the term "offload" data is best for consumers.  I hate the term "offload" because it implies it's ok for YOU the customer to subsidize YOUR wireless operator's network deficiencies.  3G and 4G networks have hit the wall with consumers using too much data and WiFi is becoming the only solution to access video and rich content on your phone.  Mobile phone operators should be PAYING YOU or subsiding your data plan if you offload data away for them.  They should not be allowed to simply get away with this criminal marketing activity.

Sophisticated phone users know that WiFi-only phones and devices are best and use the 3G and 4G networks only if they have to.  It is now possible to easily travel in New Zealand, Europe and many other countries around the world without ever using a 2G or 3G network.  Making phone calls on WiFi with VoIP is very easy and accessing your data over WiFi is even easier.

Mobile consumer users should be offloading data TO 3G when WiFi is not available and not the other way around.  Why are wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon getting away with convincing their customers to offload their cellular 3G data they cannot handle without any compensation of subsidy.  Let's face it the carriers are starting to hit a wall with the amount of data capacity they can provide on their networks.  The wireless carriers' only solution is to start imposing data caps to encourage their own customers to use their service less while charging you more.  This doesn't make any sense and the reason a WiFi revolution is upon us and consumers need to start getting smart about where, when and why they access and use 3G and 4G networks.  Consumers are fed up with buying 3G and 4G devices that only work some of the time and would prefer to use more cost-effective WiFi-only iPads whenever possible.  WiFi-only iPads are selling more than 3G and there is a good reason why.  

Why China Has $10 Per Month iPhone Service Plans?

China Has Fair Competition & U.S. Has Corruption

China Unicom is trying to grab additional customers before its exclusivity with the iPhone ends. The wireless carrier is starting a new promotion that drops the price on its lowest iPhone plan to 66 yuan (US$10) a month.  That's $120 per year and very cheap.  This comes two years later after China Unicom (CHU) was offering free iPhones to customers who had the most expensive data plans. China Unicom is the only carrier in China to offer the iPhone with a service contract and it added 1.82 million 3G subscribers for a total of 20.4 million in April of 2011. China Unicom lagged behind the 29.4 million 3G users for China Mobile, whose total customer base of 606 million is almost double Unicom’s 324 million. China Telecom is the country’s biggest fixed-line carrier and is in talks with Apple to offer a CDMA version of the iPhone. Read more on Business Week.

It makes you wonder about the crooks AT&T and Verizon who charge $200 for GSM or CDMA iPhone and still charge $100 per month for data plans.  This has to make you question if the US has fair competition if Verizon & AT&T are paying shareholders $5-$10 billion dollars per year in dividends?  We think ad-supported wireless is coming in a big way to the world and that the used $100 iPhones market will start feeding the rest of the world.  Handset manufacturers and carriers will be giving phone and wireless services away soon.  China Mobile plans to add 1 Million Free WiFi Hotspots.

How Much Do Cell Towers Cost?

Most cell towers cost between $75,000 and $200,000 depending on where it is located. The average tower cost is between $100,000 to $150,000 and could take years to get zoning approval and the attention of a carrier.  The cell tower lease rates could gross between $18,000 to $90,000 per year depending on the number of carriers who piggyback on the tower location.

Here are the cell tower lease rates by State.  Cell tower stocks should be concerned about the growing WiFi trend and need to start thinking about WiFI locations as a threat.  At Boingo's market capitalization of 425M, each hot spot site is worth $1,300.  You figure each WiFi hot spot has multiple WiFi antennas so your average cost is far less than $1,000 and provides better coverage indoors.   Pretty cheap and economical if you ask me.   We think that 4G LTE networks are going to implode on themselves and cause wireless armageddon.

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Free WiFi Hotspots Growing 5X Faster than Cell Towers

Did You Know This About The iPad 3G?

Wi-Fi Only Tablets Selling More Than 3G

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#1) Did you know that that WiFi, not 3G/4G/LTE is taking most of the traffic from iPads?

#2)  Did you also know that carriers are looking to offload 30-60% of traffic via WiFi?  

Carriers plan to secretly do this through femtocells and WiFi landlines and won't give their customers any transparency that what they are paying for is actually free. Carriers say WiFi could double their effective capacity on their bloated, expensive and congested data networks.  So why are hyping and spending so much money on their LTE 4G networks?

If it were up to the carriers they would never include a cheap WiFi chip in the devices that Apple and HTC sell.  The WiFi offloading percentage goes up very quickly as consumers realize their 3G and 4G networks are likely congested around them. So when Mr. Stankey of AT&T, Ivan Seidenberg of Verizon and Humm of Deutsche Telekom say they have a video offering it will be highly dependent on WiFi. They have a plan their engineers are confident will handle it for many years.

Mobile data offloading is used to complement a 2G, 3G or 4G network for delivering data. The offloading rules triggering the data offload action on the handset or tablet can either be set by a subscriber or an operator. For mobile phone users the purpose of data offloading is to save money so you won't get a huge bill for streaming huge files. For carriers, the main purpose for offloading is to relieve the congested cellular networks.

The best solution, if you must have your iPad connect to the cellular network, is to simply tether your iPad to your 4G phone. 

Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, MetroPCS 4G Pricing Compared

4G is getting a bit out of hand with regards to misleading 4G marketing claims and speeds.  Sprint is using Wimax, T-Mobile & AT&T are using HSPA+, Verizon and MetroPCS are both using LTE.  AT&T is not charted above because they refuse to say how fast their network will be.  Here is another chart comparing 4G & 3G network speeds.  Every carrier but T-Mobile seems to have data pricing wrong and don't realize that their customers are increasingly using Wifi for data offload and this is free.

Will AT&T's New Faster HSPA+ Network Result in Fewer Dropped Calls?

Will HSPA+ Help AT&T Improve Coverage or Should they Jump to LTE

AT&T said that it would be its HSPA+ rollout this year but will that mean improved data congestion and fewer dropped calls. AT&T CTO John Donovan said have upgraded 80% of the network to HSPA+, which will offer noticeably higher data speed rates that the 3G network speeds. AT&T CTO also said that data growth rates have actually slowed over the past few months. Is this because iPhone users are all offloading data to WiFI now and fed up with the 3G network?  We happen to think that the carriers have hit a wall and wireless Armageddon will soon be upon us and the WiFi revolution will be in full tilt. 

Smartphone Apps WiFi Only Option

If you are like the typical smartphone and cell phone user you are getting ripped off paying too much for your cell phone service plan.  Why, because the pricing plans are rigged and no matter what you change or remove from your plan you will always be paying $50-$100 per month.  Or worse yet you are overpaying for data and received bill shock. Even worse the carriers try to make it as difficult as possible for you to understand how much data you are using and want you to go over your data limits. Consumers who go over their data plans are not warned and often get shocked when they see their cell phone bill.

I am proposing that every application built on Android, iPhone and Windows be more transparent about whether you want it to access the carrier network or Wifi.  Also, it should track the amount of data it uses on the 3G, 4G, or LTE network.  Mobile apps fear data caps and carriers need to mandate this going forward for each application. Lawyers will be all over this with class-action lawsuits in the future if developers don't take it upon themselves to provide consumers with solutions that help them understand the amount of data they are using.  The most ethical developers will actually measure your usage and then tell you when are reaching a threshold.

If you are the typical consumer you are likely using 50% of your voice minutes, more text messaging and more data.  It's kind of crazy that 70% of your monthly bill is comprised of talk minutes yet you probably use data on the phone 90% of the time.  Another thing that is crazy is that you are likely uploading and downloading most of your data on your home Wifi network.  You are already paying for this data access and your cell phone company does not provide you with any transparency of how much data you are using on the 4G network.

With all of the problems the carriers are having getting their data networks in order.  They should be helping their customers use their 3G and 4G networks less and encourage customers to offload data via WiFi.  I think the future of 3G and 4G or LTE networks will be as a last resort and Wifi will be the standard now that hotspots are growing 5X faster than cell phone towers. AT&T was the first carrier to do this by removing all you can eat plans.

WeFi is a WiFi hotspot location service that works on a netbook, laptop, Symbian and Android platforms. The company helps members find nearby hotspots, complete with maps of their locations. There are also Symbian and Android mobile apps to work with WeFi on the go. The company collects anonymous data from devices that connect to a hotspot via the service, along with general information like how many devices are connected to a particular hotspot. With a population base of over 5 million users and a database of 60 million hotspots globally, the statistics show big changes in Wi-Fi usage. 50% of all Android devices analyzed consumed more than 500 MB of data per month each through Wi-Fi hotspots, and 20 percent of those Android owners flew through more than 2 GB of data over the month. That surprised me to see all of the free Wifi web usage and carriers need to change quickly as AT&T Wifi only has 20,000 free locations and this needs to change quickly for them to keep up.

Mobile Cloud Computing Demands Wifi Data Offload

 

Mobile cloud computing subscribers was 42.8M in 2008, (approximately 1.1% of all cell phone subscribers) and is expected to reach 1 billion subscribers in 2014 (almost 20%). Mobile cloud applications have been driving this adoption moving data storage away from mobile phones themselves and into the cloud, bringing apps and mobile computing to not just smartphone users but a much broader range of mobile subscribers. Will the carriers be able to handle this additional data traffic over their new congested 4G networks or will users demand data offload through Wifi?  As cloud computing creeps into the home and onto other electronic devices, into the car, games and music devices it demands data offload to Wifi.  Why? Because very few cellular networks actually provide in-building coverage and ever will.

Companies like Dropbox for iPhone users and Google's various email, calendar and contact services that are the primary applications driving the growth.  Enterprises have been much slower to adopt than small businesses but this is expected to change as companies like Blackberry catch on. One of the benefits of owning a smartphone and being a heavy Google user is to have everything backed up in the cloud.  There are many benefits to this including the ability to change phones on the fly and contact, calendars, files are automatically synced.  This saves a tremendous amount of time for anyone who uses a laptop and a smartphone every day for work.  Syncing data in the cloud might be one of the biggest productivity enhancements for the business world in this decade.  If you are like me and don't like to waste time you will especially like the features of having all your emails in the cloud.  This will enable you to delete your inbox or read emails during downtime or while you are in traffic.  I find myself spending far less time in front of my laptop answering emails because I have typically deleted them during breakfast or on my commute (shhh!).

T-Mobile 4G HSPA+ Femtocell or Mobile Hotspot?

Is T-Mobile testing a 4G femtocell or mobile hotspot combination device that will connect to your home broadband line and route your voice and data traffic over this line?  We might not have the right terminology for the device but it sounds a lot like a femtocell.  Apparently, the device offers Wifi as well and we presume this will offload data from the network. This is designed to fill coverage gaps and/or relieve the macro network or outdoor network.  A T-Mobile femtocell would be a major breakthrough for the company if they do roll this out to its customer base.  T-Mobile has the reputation of having less than stellar coverage in many rural areas throughout the US and this would certainly help many of these customers fill in those gaps for their home or office.

Discovering this device has sparked our curiosity because T-Mobile has always maintained their stance that they don't believe in femtocells and will stick with a Wifi strategy.  The Bandluxe device is priced at $249 which similar to Verizon who sells their femtocell for $250, AT&T sells their MicroCell for about the same and each comes with a monthly data subscription.  We think it would be quite disruptive for T-Mobile to subsidize the costs of these devices made by BandRich and also offer them without a data subscription.  The device is called HSPA+ WLAN Pocket Router.  We would appreciate any clarification about the type of device, data subscription, and its functionality or launch date. Will this device work on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network today?

Are Smartphones Secure on Wifi Hotspots?

Smartphone Security on Open Wifi Networks

Are smartphones secure on open wifi networks or are they vulnerable to attacks like PCs and laptops are?  As mobile phone users start preferring to offload data to wifi will security be the fear factor sales pitch? Hotspot shield has garnered lots of attention around the world and still remains one of the most downloaded applications for laptops.  However, is the threat the same for using on iPhone or Anroid phones?  My gut tells me its still a conspiracy similar to all of the large anti-virus companies who have benefited from the worms and viruses.  I still have yet to hear about one concrete example of a phone user getting hacked while using a smartphone at a hotspot or while offloading data from an application.  We searched for "hotspot shield" in the Android marketplace and didn't find anything.

Can smartphone users connecting to unencrypted Wi-Fi hotspots be compromised by attackers using an existing tools?  Can usernames and password combinations be captured?  We would like to hear from industry experts if this is true and we would like to see some examples or video.