Netgear has joined forces with Ericsson to produce a new device that could become incredibly popular over the coming months. The MBRN3300 is the not-so-catchy name given to its latest creation, a wireless router for 3G networks.
The new router looks pretty standard on the surface. It includes four Ethernet ports for standard connections, as well as an AC adaptor to plug into the mains. However, the secret is hidden inside with its integrated 3G HSPA module. Users can now use one single device to connect via a standard Ethernet connection as well as through a mobile broadband connection.
3G is the connection used by mobile phone companies to provide mobile broadband across their networks, as opposed to a WiFi router which transforms a standard internet connection into a wireless signal. With the growing popularity of mobile broadband, the only problem for many users is that they cannot share one connection in the same way as they can with a standard WiFi connection.
This device will be ideal for those who want to share their mobile broadband signal across multiple devices. It will also be ideal for business travellers who find themselves staying in hotels or waiting at airports without WiFi access. Now they can just switch on their router and connect a number of devices to their very own WiFi hotspot.
The router is going to be on display at the GSMA Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. The vice president of mobile broadband modules for Ericsson, Mats Norin, said that “mobile broadband connectivity over HSPA in routers opens up new opportunities in yet-untapped home, SOHO and semi-nomadic user scenarios.”
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