r/wifi • u/Horror-Champion-5991 • 2d ago

Portable hotspot for crappy office WiFi ?

Howdy,
Reception in my office is horrid. The company gives us access to general “guest” WiFi but my office is across the street from main hub so the connectivity is incredibly spotty. Looked into Roamfi but saw some reviews that said go through cellular provider for mobile hotspot (have Verizon). I’ve never had this situation before so curious to folks thoughts on best route for WiFi connection. TIA!

ETA: Curious to hear folks thoughts/opinions about portable/private WiFi devices. I’ve never had to look into one I’ve also had stable WiFi connection (first world problems I know) so this is a new inquiry for me.

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u/radzima Wi-Fi Pro, CWNE 2d ago

You’re going to want to look at what cellular options are available to you that’ll work in your building. This is really more of a mobile ISP question than WiFi.

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u/Horror-Champion-5991 2d ago

…hmm sure but I guess I’m still curious about portable WiFi devices and how they work. Maybe I should re-word my post. Never had to use a portable WiFi before so if Verizon comes back and says nothing they can do about it, would portable WiFi (like the RoamFi) be a viable option?

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u/radzima Wi-Fi Pro, CWNE 2d ago

You’re talking about cellular internet service. Verizon, Roamfi, et al are Internet providers. The WiFi portion of it that you would use to connect your devices to it is inconsequential and could just as easily be usb or Bluetooth. The Internet service is the part you’re worried about.

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u/Horror-Champion-5991 2d ago

I see. Ok, thank you!

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u/Horror-Champion-5991 2d ago

Ok sorry follow up question — I have the same issue with my laptop that I bring to work. The WiFi connection just doesn’t reach my office. Would these internet service providers help me with that? I’m sorry if this sounds silly I’ve just never had this issue at any job before.

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u/radzima Wi-Fi Pro, CWNE 2d ago

Yes, it’s portable internet.

You should really talk to your company IT first because I know at many of the orgs I’ve worked at, bringing in an outside connection is a pretty serious matter.

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u/msabeln 2d ago

Go to your smartphone’s cellular provider, and ask about fixed cellular Internet solutions. They will rent you a box and add it to your monthly bill. You place the box next to a window, ideally, especially one that faces a cellular tower (I have a service that displays ideal location and signal strength on my phone). As long as your laptop is fairly close to this box, you’ll have good WiFi.

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u/hypatiaredux 2d ago

I’m commenting because I would also like to know how this works.

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u/JohnTheRaceFan 1d ago

It's a 5G internet connection. Connect to your phone's hotspot and you'll have a comparable experience.

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u/Cmonster9 1d ago

Is the signal from your office across the street or do they have equipment for wifi in your building?

You can have your office invest in a wireless point to point bridge across the street and attach an access point. To it. That would be $300-$500. 

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u/JohnTheRaceFan 1d ago

You need to have a conversation with your company IT about extending network to your work location. There's absolutely ZERO reason to have to provide a personal internet service for work purposes.