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Why Schools and Nonprofits Are Embracing Wi-Fi Hotspots

This article was published on:
December 28, 2020
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How does anyone get work done without the Internet? That’s a good question that carries even more weight than ever these days. With hybrid learning schemes in place, how do students get assignments turned in from home when their families don’t have Internet access? How do community workers get data or access services when they’re not at their desks?Mobile Hotspot Device

Now that so much work and learning must happen outside of traditional settings, there’s a lot to appreciate about the power of Wi-Fi hotspots. Not only do these little pocket-sized devices provide high-speed, secure Internet to students and on-the-go workers and volunteers when it’s needed, they can do it more securely than public Wi-Fi spots can.

For these reasons and more, Wi-Fi hotspot device demand outstripped supply in late spring 2020. Fortunately, the supply caught up and the scramble simmered down. That’s good news for schools and nonprofits still hoping to give their students, workers, and volunteers the connectivity they need.

Five Reasons Behind Hotspot Device Popularity

So why have so many schools and nonprofits already embraced Wi-Fi hotspot devices? Ask around and you’ll hear many reasons, but here are some of the most important ones:

1. Wi-Fi hotspots have historically been one of the most flexible options if you want to share web access with a lot of devices, with some mobile hotspot devices able to connect as many as 16 Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time. New 5G devices are capable of connecting up to 30!

2. Great for people on-the-go, hotspots can provide reliable connections anywhere there’s coverage on the network that is providing service. This is invaluable since hopping into libraries or coffee shops to use their Wi-Fi isn’t as easy as it used to be.

3. More generally secure than a public Wi-Fi connection, mobile hotspot devices can protect users from outside threats thanks to built-in encryption.

4. It is possible to enable content filtering that can block unwanted or inappropriate content on many mobile hotspots devices, including those offered by Mobile Citizen.

5. Mobile hotspots are capable of delivering faster speeds and greater range than many other devices, and can connect to almost any Wi-Fi enabled device, including iPads and Chromebooks.

One Small Way to Bridge the Digital Divide

More important than the technical features of the Wi-Fi hotspots are the results that can be achieved with them. Students who don’t have Internet access at home can still take part in remote classes, complete homework assignments and get the help they need to make progress in their coursework. Administrators and teachers can benefit too, using wireless Internet to manage their work remotely, acquire educational certifications, prepare lessons and run virtual classroom sessions. Those are big returns for such a small device!

For nonprofits, it’s all about flexibility and enablement. With the help of Wi-Fi hotspot devices, they can take care of operational, administrative and management needs remotely and facilitate important field work and data collection.

Schools and nonprofits have a couple important things in common: big hearts and tight budgets. That’s why Mobile Citizen offers low-cost mobile Internet devices with unlimited data plans exclusively to nonprofit organizations, schools, and social welfare agencies nationwide. We believe that making Internet access available at an affordable price advances social equity. To get started, please contact our experts in the Mobile Citizen Customer Service Center at 877-216-9603.