Wednesday, July 19, 2023 – Tip for scanning old family photos – Take a portable WiFi network with you when you travel

If you travel frequently you probably spend a lot of time seeking out usable WiFi networks when you’re away from home.

The thing is, public WiFi networks like the ones found in coffee shops and restaurants can be dangerous due to a lack of encryption and other effective security measures.

But guess what? You can actually take your own portable WiFi network with you while you’re traveling.

These portable WiFi networks are called Hotspots, and they are generally pretty easy to set up.

One way to create a hotspot is to use your existing smartphone in “tethering” mode to share your phone’s cellular data connection with your other devices via WiFi.

Tethered connections typically work quite well as long as you have a strong cellular signal at your location, but depending on the carrier the fees for using one can really add up.

Another option for creating a mobile hotspot is to use an actual hotspot device that either comes with its own dedicated data plan or shares the same data plan that your phone uses.

The prices for these hotspot devices range from just a few bucks to several hundred dollars, depending on its brand, model and capabilities.

If you go the tethering route you won’t have to purchase (and carry around) a separate device for your hotspot. Your phone is the only device you’ll need.

If you have an iPhone you’ll find instructions for setting up a personal hotspot right here.

Android users will find instructions here.

If you prefer using a stand-alone hotspot device (or if your cellular carrier doesn’t allow tethering via your phone), you can contact your cellular carrier and ask which hotspot device options are available to you.

If you’d prefer to not go through your carrier to get a hotpot device you can buy something like a Straight Talk hotspot at your local Walmart or on their Straight Talk website. Other retailers have similar options as well.

Tech news that caught my eye…

• FCC wants to help you pick secure smart devices with new label

• USB 4 docks arrive with enough bandwidth for two 4K 120Hz displays

• Twitter to support long-form articles with mixed media

• An email typo has reportedly sent millions of US military messages to Mali

• Google is deleting some old Hangouts photos soon, so backup now

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Your tech buddy,

Rick Rouse
https://www.RicksDailyTips.com