What is the difference between a MiFi and a WiFi routers? It’s a question that a number of people in South Africa have been asking. In today’s world, you will often here people saying they want to buy MiFi routers. You will be wondering about the difference between that particular device and a normal router. We are going to answer all your questions in this article.
What is the Difference Between MiFi and WiFi
The following are some of the differences between MiFi and WiFi routers;
- The biggest difference between MiFi and WiFi routers is portability. MiFi routers are highly portable. You can carry yours wherever you are going. Meanwhile, ordinary WiFi routers are not portable. You can only use yours while in a fixed capacity.
- MiFi routers come with inbuilt batteries. That’s the major reason why they are portable. On average, these batteries can last up to 7 hours. Meanwhile, WiFi routers mostly do not have batteries. You need to connect them to fixed power outlets.
- Another thing is that MiFi routers come with SIM card slots similar to what is found in your phone. That’s how they get internet connectivity. In South Africa, some MiFi routers are sold locked to a particular network, while others come open, meaning they can be used on any network. On the other hand, normal WiFi routers do not mostly have SIM card slots. Most of them get connected via Ethernet cables. To be fair, there are some that have SIM cards, and that are used in a fixed capacity.
- MiFi devices are also much smaller than normal WiFi routers. We have already noted that you can fix one in your pocket. In the above point, we noted that some WiFi routers have SIM card slots, similar to MiFi routers. This is where portability becomes the major differentiating factor. MiFi routers are designed to be used while on the move, while WiFi routers are meant to be used in a fixed role.
MiFi are WiFi devices
That’s the difference between MiFi and WiFi routers. But does that mean that MiFi routers are entirely different devices using different technologies?
The answer is no. In actual fact, MiFi routers are WiFi devices. So, in this regard, the two are the same. MiFi use WiFi technologies.
The only difference lies on how the technology is applied. In the case of MiFi routers, there is a thrust towards portability. We have already noted that these devices come with SIM cards and they come with batteries.
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Summary
In this article, we showed you the difference between MiFi and WiFi routers. It was noted that MiFi devices are actually WiFi devices. However, in ordinary use, MiFi is used to describe devices that are small, have SIM cards and that can be used in a portable capacity. So, that’s something to keep in mind. MiFi routers are great in that you can use yours while on the go. It’s the reason why they have been growing in popularity.