2

What benefits does a traditional router and modem grant over the same functionality from a modern smartphone?

I consider things such as reliability, accessibility and speed as major reasons to disregard smartphones as a sole use for my own purposes. Can things such as ports to games come in the way for a smartphone? Even though settings for wifi from smartphones are often simplifies, I've rarely required even a third of all functionality a router can give me.

So the question; What makes a router and modem worth keeping or purchasing with todays smartphones around?

slhck
  • 223,558
  • 70
  • 607
  • 592
Robin Castlin
  • 123
  • 1
  • 7
  • This question *is* focused on specific countries and individual situations. First, you cannot get flat rate mobile data plans everywhere on earth, and there are areas where mobile data transmission is not even possible – or only with very limited speeds that do not reach the levels you can get through phone lines or cable. Of course, if it's a viable option for you, go for it, but then again it draws power on the cellphone, you might need to charge it, can't leave the house without your wife losing internet connection, et cetera. – slhck Aug 28 '13 at 11:27
  • The prices and availability aside, I'm more curious about the downsides if the solution is presented. I guess drawing battery and others losing connection are some of it. – Robin Castlin Aug 28 '13 at 11:31
  • 2
    Maybe you can reword your question a little to ask for the technical reasons for choosing a (traditional) router over a tethered phone. This would focus the post on questions that can be answered with specific expertise. – slhck Aug 28 '13 at 12:26
  • I tried changing it now. Hope it's more globally useful now. – Robin Castlin Aug 28 '13 at 13:15

1 Answers1

2

This is a very subjective question. You are comparing an unspecified router against an unspecified phone, not to mention ISP's and carriers. However, I think some more obvious points can be highlighted:

  • A reasonable router is almost always going to have better wireless range and performance because it's designed specifically to do what it does. Those antennae aren't just for show. I don't know what range you can achieve with your phone but I'm guessing it's not great.

  • A decent router can operate multiple networks types simultaneously - this enables modern/high-end devices to get maximum speed on the LAN whilst still allowing older devices to connect. For instance, a router may support 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n simultaneously, and it may support dual-band to run 802.11n at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The advantage of using a 5GHz mode is that there is typically less interference as there are fewer devices using the frequency.

  • Some routers now support 802.11ac which is a new much faster standard starting to gain popularity (e.g. on the MacBook Air). Of course this is not really relevant at the moment as you probably don't yet have a device that supports it or a need for those kind of speeds.

  • Ping times/latency could be poor using the kind of setup you are talking about. This will be down to a combination of the hardware (i.e. an old phone may make things worse) but also the nature of the specific mobile network you are connecting to and quality of reception.

  • A router will also have wired Ethernet ports. Those with Gigabit Ethernet allow a max. speed of around 100 MBytes/sec which may prove beneficial in some cases, e.g. transferring large files between two machines on the network.

  • Unlike say, a cable connection, a 3G internet connection is not going to get its own IP address. This only becomes a problem if you need to connect externally.

  • Some routers have extra features, like the ability to share files on an attached USB hard drive / memory stick. Some go even further with NAS type features and support things like DLNA streaming.

  • Most wireless routers can have dozens of wireless clients connected simultaneously. Most mobile phones don't seem to allow more than 5 connected devices.

  • A mobile phone used continously as a Wi-Fi hotspot may damage its battery over time. High temperatures and high current drain are a great way to reduce the life expectancy of a battery.

  • You are basically wasting a mobile phone - if you decide to use it as a mobile phone again then your home network is gone when you leave.

James P
  • 11,206
  • 5
  • 43
  • 50