If you’ve seen the latest mobile broadband device from Virgin Mobile, you’ll be aware that this technology was launched to help you make your home into a wifi hotspot for the family. It allows multiple users to connect to the internet via one mobile broadband connection.
Previously running a device that allowed your family members to share a connected was not encouraged by some ISPs as they saw it as a loss of revenue (most likely due to the loss in fees from a 2nd or subsequent connection). Now it seems that gadgets which allow all your friends to use your mobile broadband connection are seen by providers as a way to ‘add value’ and thereby attract and retain customers.
The Wifi launched by Virgin Mobile a few months back is. This is what the site says:
The need to keep swapping USB modems between your PCs is over! With the new Virgin Mobile WiFi Modem you can now share your broadband with your very own WiFi hotspot, connecting up to 3 PCs without wires. If you need flexibility with your Broadband sharing, this hot Huawei E583X hotspot should hit the spot! A light, powerful, compact unit bundled with a monthly Broadband package is the perfect solution for the family, or anyone who wants a WiFi modem that’s perfect to leave in your laptop bag or on your desk while you surf the net.
But the usefulness of such an item could soon be surpassed, as the technology is now being incorporated into laptops, in particular in the shape of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7.
While other computer manufacturers – notably Intel – have been working on integrating the sharing technology into their laptops and netbooks, it seems that Microsoft is first past the post with a software layer in the Windows 7 OS which enables ‘virtual WiFi’. The new software, which is currently still in beta testing, will allow users to group WiFi connections together to increase coverage and speed.
