With Spotty Wi-Fi, a Hotspot Works Only for So Long for Remote Employees

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Does your Internet glitch during an important business meeting? You wouldn’t be alone. According to telecommunications search engine Whistle Out, over a third of people who work from home say weak Internet interferes with their workdays. 

A mobile hotspot might stand in for a lacklustre router when Wi-Fi lets you down. Nearly half (43%) of people surveyed by Whistle Out say they fire up a hotspot to get around bad connections. 

A mobile hotspot lets you access your phone’s data via another device, piggybacking on your phone’s plan to connect with the Internet. Setting one up is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get back online, so you can jump back on a video meeting or access Goole Sheets without your boss noticing your absence. 

While a hotspot can fill in for Wi-Fi in emergencies, it isn’t viable in the long-term. Hotspotting every Monday through Friday from nine to five has consequences. 

Data Limits and Speed Caps

While you may have an unlimited plan when you’re watching Netflix on your phone, things change when you’re providing a hotspot. Most carriers place a finite limit on the amount of data you can share via a hotspot. 

Once you go past this limit, your carrier will most likely reduce the speed of your hotspot’s Internet significantly, enforcing a chokehold on kilobytes. Some carriers even apply a fine for going over these limits, depending on your contract. 

Reaching these limits happens faster than you might expect. A data-hungry activity like video conferencing plows through data in no time. Just one group call uses up to 2.475 GB every hour. 

Limited Connectivity

Connecting your laptop to your mobile hotspot can interfere with other device-to-device communication. You might find it challenging to connect to Bluetooth headphones or other smart devices. 

Phone Damage

Frequent use of a mobile hotspot can eventually damage your phone. Hotspots consume a lot of power, so you’ll notice your battery drains quickly. You’ll have to charge your phone more often to keep up the power supply.

Constantly fluctuating between charging and draining your battery does damage to your phone’s battery. That’s because most smartphones come with a finite limit on charge cycles before they degrade. 

The average Android owner won’t see this wear and tear until 300 to 500 cycles, or two or three years into owning a phone. However, frequent hotspotters will blow past these cycles much faster. After you pass this threshold, your battery will keep a charge for less and less time until it’s basically useless.  

Keeping your phone plugged in all the time isn’t a solution either. Charging your phone past 100% will degrade the battery just as fast. In fact, some people advise you to pull the plug when your battery reaches 80 to 90% to preserve its health, never letting it dip below 20%.

While this battery degradation won’t immediately kill your battery, it will interfere with your phone’s functionality. Eventually, an overburdened battery won’t hold a charge, and you’ll have to replace it or get a new phone. 

Mobile Hotspots Are a Last Resort

Overusing hotspots can damage your phone’s battery, and it can eventually stymie your workday, as carriers enforce strict speed limits and data caps. But let’s be honest — these consequences are only guaranteed when you consistently rely on a mobile hotspot over your home Internet. Using them here and there won’t immediately brick your phone or productivity. 

Say a significant storm wipes out the Internet in your area on an important day chock-full of meetings, you can set up a mobile hotspot without worrying about killing your battery. However, if you run into connectivity issues every day, you should look into alternative solutions.

How to Improve Your Internet without a Hotspot

Chronic bad Internet is a problem too big for a hotspot to solve. Sure, they can help you stay connected, but they’re a Band-Aid solution that doesn’t get to the real reason why your Internet is so bad. To help you answer that question, here are some ways to troubleshoot your spotty Wi-Fi.

Reboot Your Router and Modem

The router and modem are two important gadgets that help you connect to the Internet. Problems with either of these machines will cause issues with your Wi-Fi. 

Have you tried turning them on and off again? As clichéd as this instruction is, it’s one of the first steps to determining your connectivity problem. You’ll want to turn each machine off separately, waiting at least a minute before you reboot. Patience here is a virtue. It ensures the modem and router power off properly, so residual energy doesn’t interfere with the process. 

Setup a New Router or Modem

If connection issues persist, try using a wired cable to connect to your router. If you get Internet this way, then the issue stems from the router. 

At this point, you’ll have to call your carrier. They can check your work, diagnosing your connectivity issues to the source. They often recommend replacing your router and modem, especially if these devices are over five years old. These devices have a lifespan just like any other tech today.

Replacing both machines at the same time comes with a steep price tag. You’ll pay a couple hundred for both, although you may pay more for models that promise greater Internet stability.

If a new router and modem aren’t in the budget this year, contact your employer. They may compensate you for the partial or full cost of replacements. If no such stipend exists, you can visit a site like MoneyKey to learn about a line of credit. If approved, a line of credit gives your finances some breathing room. You can cover emergency expenses while paying off your credit line over time. 

The Takeaways: 

Spotty Wi-Fi is the scourge of remote work. Without reliable Internet access, a whopping 83% of people can only work for about half a day before running into problems. 

If bad Wi-Fi causes the occasional problem during work, a mobile hotspot provides a convenient, short-term solution to your connectivity woes. But if you consistently encounter issues with your Internet, you need to look beyond your phone for answers. 

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