WiFi Prepaid Style!Going WiFi Prepaid Style! So now that you know what WiFi is and how it's used, you may be wondering how it relates to prepaid WiFi! Well, in terms of having your own network at home to connect to the Internet connection you already have, or connecting to your printer, it's completely unrelated! Where WiFi prepaid does come into play is some recent entrants into the market that have hot spots all over the country or even across countries. If you live, work, or travel in areas where these companies have WiFi hot spots, you can buy prepaid WiFi access that will allow you to connect to and use your minutes up only when you are connected to them! Unlike Wireless Broadband, prepaid WiFi is an alternative that is usually less expensive. However, your ability to travel and to be "always on" is extremely limited. But for some, it's an option that might meet your needs. Click here to compare prepaid WiFi plans. Conclusion Prepaid WiFi allows a cheaper, and often faster alternative to accessing the Internet, while prepaid broadband allows you to access the Internet from anywhere where your cell phone would normally work. Think of it as hot spots here and there, versus always on connectivity. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. What does the future hold? The future is actually now! Companies are currently building out a new type of WiFi network technology called  WiMAX.
The largest
player is a company called Clearwire, which is a partnership with
Sprint Nextel, Comcast, Google, Intel, and Time Warner. In
December 2008, Clearwire actually changed its name to just "Clear."
That definitely seems like a much better fit, since,
afterall, WiMAX is all about being wireless, so having "wire" in the
name doesn't really make much sense! These are
some pretty heavy hitting companies that have teamed up to build
out WiMAX, which is essentially the same idea as
WiFi,
however, on the same
national scale/coverage as cellular networks. It's basically
a
WAN or Wide Area Network. Because it's based on an open
standard
technology, the thought is that you'll be able to have speeds that are
much faster than current 3G networks (WiMAX would be referred
to
as 4G), and at a much lower cost that other proprietary network
technologies.The service that Sprint launched is called Xohm, and it's still being rolled out, so coverage is still not where it needs to be to be fully compelling; however, the future of this technology is bright. Sprint actually canned the Xohm name following the merger with Clearwire, and will just be going with the "Clear" brand. I expect that sometime in the future prepaid WiMAX will be offered, and even potentially replace WiFi prepaid; we'll see! UPDATE - Prepaid WiMAX is now available! Learn more about 4G and Prepaid WiMAX.
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