FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - communication focused electronics market primer
Old Aug 7, 2012 | 4:21 am
  #4  
moondog
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Originally Posted by trueblu
Great entry md. However, being the luddite that I am, what are items 2a and 2b? Are these similar to a mifi? Do I need one (odd question I know, since if I don't know what it is, how can I be missing out!). I take it that this is more for visitors that don't have a data plan...in which case, more than happy with my unicom prepay data plan and my samsung.

tb
I don't know the technical term for it, but it's basically a wireless router. There are several different varieties; the guys at the computer market tell me that Unicom WCDMA is the best, and I have no reason to dispute this claim (China Telecom is NOT good on the train).

Many smart phones have tethering functionality, but having a dedicated router tends to permit slightly better performance.

On a related note, my balance hit zero this morning so I decided to go to the Unicom store in order to recharge. In retrospect, this was a HUGE mistake; one should never, ever set foot inside a Unicom store!; either recharge at the bank (you need to know the "phone number" attached to the card in order to do this), or simply buy a new card... same price as the recharge.
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