My Internet comes to me via a dongle that I plug into an empty USB port on my laptop. It lights up, I get a little window where the connection is negotiated, and voila I’ve got fast reliable 4G Internet. What I want however is to connect the dongle to a separate wireless router so I can use my tablet to surf and transfer files back and forth between it and my laptop (in addition to using my laptop’s wireless capability to do the same thing). Is there a wireless router with a female USB input where I could plug the dongle into it that would allow me to do this? Or is there a female USB to male Ethernet adapter out there that would do essentially the same thing?
It appears to be what I’m looking for. However, I don’t see a price nor any way to order it, nor do I see 4G support listed in the specs. I’ll investigate the site further. Thanks!
Yikes - 110 Euros for the thing, not including shipping. George blinks at the light when I open my wallet as it is - got to be a cheaper alternative out there.
If I’m understanding your needs correctly, I can see two different solutions.
The solution you appear to be seeking is a “mobile hotspot” or a “mifi” connection. It won’t be a wifi router with a female USB, but a device tied to your 4G service provider’s account, and it will connect to the internet through 4G, and share that connection using wifi to your immediate surroundings.
A potentially cheaper option is to simply get a cheap wifi access point to network your laptop and your tablet (both have wifi, I assume). Then you can just enable “internet connection sharing” on your laptop (assuming Windows, though I’m sure there are comparable solutions for macs and linux). Under that scenario, your laptop would use the 4G dongle for the internet connection, but it would share that connection across your wifi network.
The second option would be preferable (I’m always down for cheap). The Dovado router that Fear Itself found for me probably isn’t going to be practical as I can’t find that it offers 4G support of any kind in the documentation, and it is cost-prohibitive to boot. And yes I have Windows 7 on the laptop although my tablet (a jailbroken Pandigital Novel white case) has an Android OS. Both have a WiFi card.
Is the “cheap wifi access point” a standalone device? Or can the WiFi card in my laptop be set to broadcast a WiFi signal?