Just about anywhere you go these days there is a Wi-Fi connection somewhere nearby, and generally it offers great speed and reliability, not to mention most places offer Internet for free. So, why in the world would you need to use your data plan to check your mail or make a quick tweet? I understand that there are many places in which your data plan might be your only option, but unless you need to be constantly checking your e-mail in the middle of nowhere, it just seems silly. I have many mobile devices that I use day to day and most of them operate full time on a Wi-Fi connection. I can refresh my inbox and download the latest updates for my news apps and just read them on the go. I guess at times you could say it’s a bit like filling up at the gas station and heading out on the road.
Let’s face it, data plans today suck. The price hardly justifies the usage and if you’re not on an unlimited plan, using your phones network to access anything could be a stressful task. Data over cellular just is not what it should be, our smart phones have clearly outgrown their networks. To look even deeper into this, think about how this could affect cellular providers.
Why use it at all? Some communities have Wi-Fi everywhere you go. Going into this even further, you realize that some companies could end up competing with themselves. If only you could break off completely from your data plan in these areas, but wait you can’t. You can’t get that awesome phone with out a data plan and perhaps this is part of the reason why. Remember it’s all about the dollar, broadband prices would skyrocket if there was a universal adaptation to Wi-Fi.
There are many arguments to whether or not Wi-Fi is actually the better option and cellular data has come along way from what it was. Major issues can arise from using Wi-Fi networks especially unsecured networks. How do you know your data is safe? Did the business who is providing your Wi-Fi connection properly set up security features to protect you ? Is someone in the corner of the cafe just gobbling up all your good personal information? These are some of the potential drawbacks of using public Wi-Fi.
It would seem that for now a hybrid of both networks is still the best option but I definitely do not need to subscribe to a premium data service with all wireless broadband floating around out there.