eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Sprint added two 3G/4G mobile broadband routers to its lineup Aug 5. The Personal Hotspot PHS300S supports up to four simultaneous Wi-Fi connections and the Cradlepoint MBR1000 broadband router for business supports up to 32 simultaneous Wi-Fi connections.
Used in combination with Sprint mobile broadband devices, the routers can simultaneously connect Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, laptops, MP3 players, cameras, gaming devices and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the Sprint 3G and 4G networks. The routers provide access to the Sprint 4G network as it continues to roll out.
Both routers will support all of Sprint 3G and Sprint 4G mobile broadband USB devices and require Sprint data plans ranging from $39.99 to $79.99 per month. The PHS300S is priced at $159.99 while the MBR1000 costs $249.99.
“These mobile broadband routers provide an unprecedented bridge to high-speed network performance for multiple Wi-Fi devices or multiple users,” Todd Rowley, vice president of Sprint 4G, said in a statement. “The addition of these mobile hot-spot products offers even faster connectivity speeds to Wi-Fi users without the need to find a Wi-Fi hot spot. These two new products can potentially connect the Sprint 3G and 4G networks to the hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi-enabled devices in the U.S. today.”
Sprint currently offers 4G service in Baltimore and will launch the high-speed wireless service in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Portland, Ore., in August. Other markets targeted for 4G rollouts in 2009 are Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Seattle and Charlotte, N.C.