What is Mi-Fi Technology?
Looking back a few decades ago, there was a time where individuals and society as a whole were not dependent on mobile devices or even the internet. As mobile computing and computing on the go gets more popular, there is a need for a consistent and constant connection to the internet either for work-related or personal interests. Regarding the technology itself, not many individuals are aware of it nor even use it which could be due to its obscurity as well its use-cases for these devices and is part of the story behind this article which is to bring awareness to the Mi-Fi technology.
Mi-Fi is a small router, which is connected to the Wi-Fi, that is portable and acts as a medium that allows mobile hotspot, otherwise known as cellular data, to connect to any devices at the same time rather than relying on public internet connection. This device is as large as a phone and can be carried around in your pocket.
Who Should Be Using Mi-Fi
The use of Mi-Fi is a convenient tool that allows users to be able to access the internet access from anywhere and is generally targeted towards:
- Travelers: Individuals who travel frequently due to business or personal reasons and need access to Wi-Fi where mobile hotspot is not available.
- Indirect Phone Usage: Using cellular data means that your device would be consuming more energy, which is why individuals with poor battery life on their smartphones should consider Mi-Fi.
- Data Consumed: Extensive internet usage without an unlimited data plan could result in extra charges if overused. Mi-Fi interface allows you to see how much data is left on plan compared to a mobile device
- Multiple Devices: One of the advantages of using Mi-Fi is that it allows multiple devices to be connected at the same time while maintaining it’s speed, which is hugely advantageous, compared to sharing multiple connections on multiple devices that can impact data transfer rate.
Netgear Nighthawk M5
The Nighthawk M5 is a device that was released by Netgear in 2020 and essentially acted as a portable router that users are able to use while traveling or use wherever there was a lack of mobile hotspot connectivity. Although there are tons of over Mi-Fi devices, this article will solely go over the aspects and give a heuristic evaluation of the Nighthawk M5. It is a 5G device capable of supporting connections with up to 32 devices.
Heuristic Evaluation
The idea behind heuristic evaluation is that it focuses on finding the usability problems in a user interface design so that they can be attended to as part of an iterative design process. Regarding the Nighthawk M5, there are a few aspects to evaluate it:
- Visibility of the System: The simple design of the device makes it incredibly easy to operate as there is only one button. Although the device may be a large bulky which makes it unable to be fitted into pockets on the pants, it can definitely fit in the user’s bag and jacket pocket, if need be.
- Aesthetic and Minimalist Design: When operating the device, there is a button below the screen which is to indicate power button. The GUI interface when accessing the menu of the device shows the estimated data usage, the Wi-Fi name as well as the password, and the days left on the plan. In addition, data is updated in real-time so that the user can plan out usage and severe connections if need be.
- Help and Documentation: During the unboxing process, it should come with a user manual, a quick start guide to operating the device. If the user also were to check online, they should come across a help and documentation guide on Netgear’s website regarding specifications, how to operate, and additional information such as common troubleshooting techniques.
- User Control and Freedom: In terms of access control, the user can determine who directly gets access to the Mi-Fi with up to 32 devices and can remove a connection at any point. In addition to that, the device owner can also change the password as well as additional granular access features.
- Error Prevention: To prevent an accidental over-use and additional charges, Netgear has implemented a safety feature within its Nighthawk M5 model that warns the user when they are about to hit the limit for their data usage.
- Flexibility and Efficiency of Use: Once the user is connected to the device, they are able to stay connected as long as they are within the range of Mi-Fi signal and the device remembers the connection.
Although the Nighthawk M5 from Netgear is a powerful device able to connect up to 32 devices at one time, it is not ideal for those who are on a budget with its base price at $399.99. There are relatively cheaper options such as the Glocalme U3x Mobile Hotspot which is 4G compatible that can support up to 10 devices at a price of $119.99. There are many other options such as Verizon Jet MiFi 8800L, which costs $199.99 that uses 4G LTE and can last up to 24 hours. Mi-Fi devices all have similar design frames that allow them to be carried via pocket, increasing the portability factor.
Regarding Mi-Fi as a whole, it is a very convenient tool that anyone can purchase along with a plan that allows mobile cellular connection even in the most obscure places where internet connectivity is weak, particularly the countryside, small towns, or buildings that unintentionally block Wi-Fi connection. One ideal use case for a Mi-Fi device would be that if a group of individuals get together to study and none of them are able to connect to the internet, it would cause them to scramble together another idea or to resolve the problem.
However, with Mi-Fi, they are able to connect to the internet without having to be reliant on public internet connection, which is a huge advantage. When connecting to public Wi-Fi, the user’s connection and data is unsecured which means that this data from the user can be intercepted and captured, exposing private information, which can ultimately lead to the data being compromised. That public connection can also allow the user to be exposed, which can lead to them being hacked.
Unfortunately, as we connect to and use the internet more, third-party software such as Google Chrome, collects data on its users to analyze for business-related purposes and stores that data for a length of time. This information can be personally identifiable depending entirely on the application or third-party collecting it. If that organization gets breached by a threat actor or an organization with malicious intent, it can put us at risk of our information being used and sold.
Since the topic of unsecured connections came up, there are possible vulnerabilities in regards to Mi-Fi technology that allows the connections to be hacked. At a DEFCON 27 talk, it was revealed by Pen Test Partners that command injection and remote code execution is possible within popular 4G hotspots and Mi-Fi routers made by ZTE, Netgear, TP-Link, and Huawei. Unfortunately, around the time of writing that article, it seems that many of those vulnerabilities went unpatched as it was around the time that 5G was about to be released.
However, a solution would be to use a VPN which encrypts your data. This ties into security and privacy as a whole because who is really responsible for the data in terms of security? Would it be the user who should be aware of their own data and take measures into their own hands or would it be the business that developed the technology to prevent and resolve the issue? As for privacy, the only way we can control what data others can potentially see is if we don’t use the service such as online banking, if applicable.
As technology, particularly mobile computing advances, there is a higher need for connectivity to the internet and technology that support mobile computing such as applications and hardware like Mi-Fi. Looking around and seeing how everyone carries at least a phone with them is the norm, as quoted by Weiser, “…these hundreds of computers will come to be invisible to common awareness. People will simply use them unconsciously to accomplish everyday tasks. “ where it perfectly describes how we interact with technology today and that there is a dependency on connecting to the internet.
