Posted 17 October 2017

Is there a way to add ethernet to MIFI device?

I am aiming to move abroad in a few months so don't have home broadband any more. I have instead been using a 4G MIFI device with a 30 day data SIM and it is great for my laptop, tablet and mobile. However this MIFI device doesn't have an ethernet port and I would like to connect a media streaming device via ethernet rather than WIFI for a smoother service. One answer seems to be buying a TP-Link router type device but even used ones are over £80 which is too expensive for me. Is there a cheaper way to achieve my goal? Any suggestions welcome, many thanks

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17th Oct 2017
You can get a Nano router from TP link, such as this, which could connect to your MIFI and route to the Ethernet port - £24.99. I have the earlier version which is USB powered and is great for ad-hoc connectivity in hotels or data centers.
However, you say you want a 'smoother' service for streaming - regardless of connecting directly to the MIFI or via a router you are still using the MIFI wireless and the 4G uplink for your internet connection, so I can't see it making any serious difference.
Author
17th Oct 2017
Ar460rn17/10/2017 09:12
You can get a Nano router from TP link, such as this, which could connect …You can get a Nano router from TP link, such as this, which could connect to your MIFI and route to the Ethernet port - £24.99. I have the earlier version which is USB powered and is great for ad-hoc connectivity in hotels or data centers.However, you say you want a 'smoother' service for streaming - regardless of connecting directly to the MIFI or via a router you are still using the MIFI wireless and the 4G uplink for your internet connection, so I can't see it making any serious difference.

Many thanks for your suggestion. I was thinking along the lines of putting my data SIM directly into a TP-Link type device which has ethernet connections which I can then connect to my media device. This looks like it acts like a 'bridge' instead, would that be correct?
17th Oct 2017
Yes, it would be bridging the WIFI on to the ethernet port. Very versatile little boxes.
ColonelFlagg32 m ago
Many thanks for your suggestion. I was thinking along the lines of putting …Many thanks for your suggestion. I was thinking along the lines of putting my data SIM directly into a TP-Link type device which has ethernet connections which I can then connect to my media device. This looks like it acts like a 'bridge' instead, would that be correct?
17th Oct 2017
Yeah, your two options are to get something that can act as a wireless bridge or buy yourself a different 3G/4G router that does have ethernet ports.

That latter can be had for a lot less than £80 even if TP link is your preferred brand, especially if you don't need a battery for mobile use. Something like the TP-link TL-MR3420 is around £30.
Author
17th Oct 2017
Thanks guys :-)
18th Oct 2017
you need to be very careful here, went thru some research on this myself recently for a friend but many routers advertised as 3g/4g like the one endless waves pointed to are actually telling lies, they have no inherent 3g/4g capability and still need 3g/4g modems to work, usually usb ones but that adds to cost and complexity.
there are a few mifi devices with built in sim capability and that is what you need to look for.
similar to this
ebay.co.uk/itm…2lt
Author
18th Oct 2017
maddogb2 h, 11 m ago
you need to be very careful here, went thru some research on this myself …you need to be very careful here, went thru some research on this myself recently for a friend but many routers advertised as 3g/4g like the one endless waves pointed to are actually telling lies, they have no inherent 3g/4g capability and still need 3g/4g modems to work, usually usb ones but that adds to cost and complexity.there are a few mifi devices with built in sim capability and that is what you need to look for.similar to thishttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ZTE-MF28D-4G-LTE-Sim-Card-Modem-Broadband-Internet-Router-/152511692934?epid=759380305&hash=item238267c086:g:eLoAAOSw~rpZU2lt

Very interesting, thank you :-) All this is a new area for me and as you suggest its easy to get confused when one is not familiar with it all. The LTE device you have mentioned certainly looks more like what I originally had in mind....
28th May 2021
I have a 4G MiFi dongle Connected to a TP-Link TD-W9970 Wireless router thru the USB port and it works quite well. Only problem is that the internet drops and then reconnects almost immediately. This can happen every few minutes, every few hours or not at all all day. Anyone know why? I have a Three Unlimited Data Sim in the EE MiFi dongle..