Using a Mobile WiFi (Mifi) device with a router

[sj33]

I currently use a Mobile WiFi (MiFi) device as my internet connection, which is basically a little portable pocket-sized wireless broadband internet connection that you can carry around with you. It works rather well, except for the lack of Ethernet ports and, more importantly, the lack of Wireless N support.

I haven't really bought a router in years, but is it possible to buy a regular wireless router that supports Ethernet and Wireless N, and make that use the MiFi as it's internet connection (rather than a wired connection to the modem as would normally be the case)? If not, can anybody think of a workaround?

I'm primarily doing this in preparation for the PS4's Remote Play support, which will presumably work best when using a Wireless N network.

Ethernet is not essential, if this makes things easier.

[smouty]

Some of the Draytek routers support 3G dongles.
They are not usually cheap though - http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/3g_solutions.html

You could probably use some form of Internet connection sharing from a PC/laptop.

[charlesr]

Won't you still have the problem that the MiFi is still G? So addin an N router won't speed anything up.

[sj33]

Well i was thinking that for the purpose of connecting the Vita to the PS4 for Remote Play, I could bypass the MiFi entirely. The MiFi would only be relevant for internet connection after all, not LAN.

A closer look at the information for my MiFi on the website suggests that it might actually support N, So why is nothing connecting at N speeds? I need to have a fiddle.

[sj33]

Sorry to double post, but I've been doing a bit of looking into it.

The MiFi does appear to support N, but my laptop will only connect at 65mbit. I'm more inclined to believe that this is the fault of the MiFi than the laptop - anybody who has used one of these things will know that they're pretty cheap and basic as routers (the only reason I use it is because it's free with my apartment).

If I can get some kind of external N300 network set up, I should be good to go. The cheapest solution would be to buy a USB dongle for my laptop and set it up as an access point. Which is nice and cheap, but requires me to keep the laptop on to use that network, Do all USB dongles support this functionality?

Alternatively, some kind of router/access point that would be able to wirelessly utilise my MiFi as WAN would probably be a decent investment.

[smouty]

65mbit is N
Anything over 54mbit is and as long as it is faster than your internet speed then where is the issue?

For best N speeds you really need a 5ghz wifi but for 2.4ghz make sure you use WPA2 only for encryption (or none).

[sj33]

I guess 65Mbit is N. :P Still, it's not 'N' enough for me!

Obviously it's not a bottleneck in terms of my internet connection, but for using PS4 Remote Play on the Vita then a LAN operating at 300Mbit (or even 150Mbit) is obviously going to be better than 65mbit! It's primarily the Vita-to-PS4 connectivity that I'm concerned about.

[charlesr]

Vita is only 900x500ish. I can't see that being very taxing on the network.

Although I suppose the point of remote play is that you can use it while other people are hogging the TV for netflix which might also be using the network.

[EvilBoris]

I guess 65Mbit is N. :P Still, it's not 'N' enough for me!

Obviously it's not a bottleneck in terms of my internet connection, but for using PS4 Remote Play on the Vita then a LAN operating at 300Mbit (or even 150Mbit) is obviously going to be better than 65mbit! It's primarily the Vita-to-PS4 connectivity that I'm concerned about.

The Vita will connect direct to the PS4 providing you are using a wired connection for the PS4 itself.

[sj33]

Which I'm not! But that does have me thinking, maybe a simple solution would be a wireless network adaptor that connects into the PS4 Ethernet port?
I may as well wait and see how Remote Play performs first anyway, but still.

[randombs]

65Mbit is probably just the speed at which it's connecting to the laptop but your throughput will likely be quite a bit less.

I haven't come across any consumer routers that can connect wirelessly over the WAN end(I mean sharing a wireless connection, not WWAN in the 3G sense) but if you're dead-set on having a regular router setup with your Mifi, here are some options:

1) Buy a wifi-ethernet adapter/client.I have an Asus WL-330g access point. It's tiny, has an ethernet port, runs off 5v and the jack is the same as the one for PSP so I can power it over USB. It has a switch to choose between access point and client mode. It was about a tenner from CeX years ago but I think I've seen similar ones(possibly the same type but with N support) in Yodobashi/etc. Also, have a look at this. Most of them seem like they won't do what you want but it mentions the N-version of the Asus I have, which sounds like just the ticket.

2) Buy a router that supports dd-wrt and set it up as a wireless client. It'll be the same as (1) but take up more room and there's more faffing about, plus you'd still need another router to act as the main one

3) Share the laptop's wifi connection and connect it to the PS4 via ethernet if your laptop has an ethernet port

4) Try some of the programs mentioned here(Bzeek, ZoneRider, Connectify) which apparently let you share your connection over the same wifi adapter. I imagine the performance hit would bring your speeds in line with what you're getting in your current setup, or slow things down even further

5) Buy a wifi-usb dongle. Connect one wifi adapter(either the laptop's internal wifi or the dongle) to the Mifi and share it, then connect to the laptop from the PS4 via the other adapter.

6) (probably the most expensive option) buy a router designed for 3G/LTE use that can share your connection. Smouty mentioned Drayteks already. We used those at my last company. They're rock-solid but you'd have to find a USB dongle that works with your ISP's sim. Is it E-Mobile?

[sj33]

Cheers for the advice! I've been considering doing number 5 already, and is the most likely one I will opt for as a cheap opt-out solution. I only use the current MiFi setup because it comes with my apartment. It's not really very good - only 5mbit down/1mbit up, and being a public service the speeds fluctuate all over the place (and sometimes grind to a halt when everybody is watching their tentacle porn). The only reason I persist with it is because it's free and thus I cannot really justify upgrading at the moment.

It is an emobile, this device in fact. http://emobile.jp/products/gp02/ MiFi seems like such a great idea until you realise how awful the battery life is - you end up running the thing plugged into the wall anyway, and wish you just got a more stable and faster traditional connection. There's also much less flexibility with these devices, namely the lack of any ethernet connections whatsoever.

I should probably wait and see how well the PS4 Remote Play actually works on the setup that I already have before investing in anything, though.

[randombs]

Yeah, wait and see. I expect the picture quality should be fine and lag won't be much of an issue. The Wii-U manages just fine, although I've just read a DF article on it which says it was spiking at around 25-40Mb/s with around 3Mb/s average(they only measured video, not audio) and that the pad connects to the console over 802.11n.

[EvilBoris]

Which I'm not! But that does have me thinking, maybe a simple solution would be a wireless network adaptor that connects into the PS4 Ethernet port?
I may as well wait and see how Remote Play performs first anyway, but still.

I'm sure you can et regular routers that allow you to connect generic 3G dongles to them

[randombs]

that does have me thinking, maybe a simple solution would be a wireless network adaptor that connects into the PS4 Ethernet port?

If you do that you'll have to make an adhoc connection between Vita and PS4, otherwise you'll just be connecting to the mifi spot and see no speed increase at all.