Smartphone as Tab router?

[TheBrick]

I have worked with the Practiscore program at other clubs in FL where cell phone reception is everywhere and none of them use a smartphone to sync the tablets at the range. They all used a router to make a hot spot.

Here in PA, the club Tech guy used the smartphone to sync and opted not to get a router.

Pros or Cons to this?

[NMBOpen]

Routers are cheap, can be a club asset. Dependent on the individual to be available with personal equipment otherwise. No real functional difference relative to PractiScore sync functions. Internet access not need to sync, just for upload/download with PS website.

Edited March 25, 2016 by NMBOpen

[jdphotoguy]

I personally like the router option, because it is always at the range for any of our four matches a month.

[Ken N.]

I prefer routers because some phones limit the number of connections, say to 5 or 10 devices. We do use smartphone hot spots from time to time. The other downside is that if you want to synch to a non-club device, they need your hotspot access password, which isn't secure to do.

Routers are cheap, longer range, are faster, and can handle hundreds of devices. My travel kit always has one, plus an inverter, to power it from any 12 volt DC source.

Ken N.

[RaylanGivens]

Our Android PractiScore tablets don't have cellular capabilities... and our range doesn't have Internet access... I've used hot spots from my cell to update PractiScore tablets at the range... Saves me having to take all the tablets down to the clubhouse...

Plus... Using your own router is free... Cellular hot spots are not free... Updating our seven tablets uses a little over a half a gigabyte of data...

[TheBrick]

Thanks for all the information.

I did think the router was the best way to go.

Tech guy got back to me and said that they used the smartphone because the router was not yet available but never was meant to replace the router.

[kamikaze1a]

You can use a mobile "hotspot" and it does not need to be active. I was able to sync my Nook to my iPad with my hotspot with an expired SIM even though it was not connected to any service.

You should be able to use someone's old wireless router for sync'ng. A G or N router should offer much better range than a mobile hotspot or phone in tethering mode.

Edited March 29, 2016 by kamikaze1a