As a work-at-home dad who has been shuttling between working part-time from home while taking care of our daughter for the past seven years, among other tasks, I’m constantly on the lookout for things to make my work life better. A mobile hotspot is at the top of my list.
I’ll get into the reasons why in a bit, but the main reason is to simply get out of the house. We have great Wi-Fi at home, and I could work in the back yard if I wanted to and write all day while sitting in a comfortable and cushy lawn chair. But as anyone who works from home knows, the benefits of working at home (T-shirt, shorts and a chance to work on your own schedule) can feel a little cramped after awhile.
Mobile hotspot envy
Now, after waiting almost a year after I ordered a mobile hotspot called Karma Go, I’m awaiting delivery. After many delays by Karma, shipping is starting in mid-July to its first customers (me!) and my mobile hotspot should arrive soon. Yay!
As luck would have it, however, I’ll be away on vacation during the expected shipment time, so I won’t likely get the mobile hotspot until I return from vacation and will then have to track down a FedEx office to retrieve it. I’m supposed to get an email from FedEx whenever delivery is imminent, so checking my phone during vacation for a delivery I won’t be home for seems like some sort of cruel punishment that I’ll have to deal with.
When I finally get my hands on the Karma Go, I’m looking forward to trying it out far and wide to see how well it works and if the mobile hotspot will help me be more productive. I’ll follow up with a review in September, provided delivery goes as expected.
What I was looking for in a mobile hotspot
The reason I chose Karma back in October 2014 was because — on paper — it beat every other wireless hotspot for the features I was looking for. It didn’t come with a monthly or annual contract, the data I bought was mine to use forever, I didn’t have to enroll in a recurring payment program, and there weren’t extra fees tacked on.
Other mobile hotspots I was looking at back then didn’t allow unused data to be rolled over to the next month. With Karma, any data I bought was mine to use whenever I wanted to and didn’t expire.
Karma was also $100 when I bought it on sale, a $50 discount from the current price. So for not much of an investment, I could buy a mobile hotspot that would let me buy data as I needed it and work anywhere. 5G sells for $59.
Even before the Karma Go went into production, I was interested in its Internet service because it gave users free data if someone else nearby logged in and used their Wi-Fi signal — thus the “karma” in the name. Unfortunately, Karma wasn’t available in my area until a year or so later.
Will it work?
How reliable this thing will be is the big question. Its coverage map is pretty full in my area, but I won’t know until I try it out if it’s better than what I can get for free at my local library or Starbucks.
It has to be better than any Wi-Fi reception I’ve used at airports. I’ve never had luck getting good Internet connections at airports, and the Wi-Fi that airlines provide in the air is worse. Karma isn’t supposed to be used on an airplane, so I won’t be trying that out, but anywhere on the ground is open for a tryout.
Productivity expectations
My main hope with a mobile hotspot is that I’ll be more productive away from home, although being an ergonomic geek with posture issues, I’m fine in my home office with my desk and chair set up at a specific height and angle.
I like to write in peace, and get a lot of work done in the morning when the rest of the family is gone for their day of school and work.
But there are distractions: The dog. The dog barking when squirrels are out back. The dog barking when the mailman arrives. Laundry. Groceries. A weekly farmer’s market trip. School pickup. Keeping the kid busy. Reading the newspaper. Cooking dinner. More chores.
Some days, getting out of the house for a few hours seems like the best solution. I need somewhere quiet, but not totally quiet like a library so that I can conduct phone interviews if necessary. But not too noisy like Starbucks where the white noise would be a distraction. Do I sound like Goldilocks looking for a bed to sleep on at the bears’ house?
I’ve looked into renting a desk/cubicle at a nearby office center, but that seems like an extra expense that isn’t worthwhile.
So sometime in August — fingers crossed — I’ll have a mobile hotspot in hand and can go out in the world to see what working away from home is like again. It has been a long time, and I may come running back home.
I’ll return with an update in September. Until then, tell me your thoughts on improving productivity with a mobile hotspot.
One Comment