Get Connected with a NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot

With school, sports, and after-school activities back in session, I feel like I’m never at home. As a blogger and very involved mom, it is sometimes hard to stay connected and get work done during the school year.

As a 2013 Sprint Ambassador, I will be sharing with you the latest in technology and service offered by Sprint. One such device is the NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot, it is designed to keep you connected securely, no matter where you are.

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Sprint. I received product samples to facilitate my review.

Staying Connected with NETGEAR Hotspot

I was thrilled to check out the NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot and extra thrilled at the time I saved and work I got done as a result of it. It is as small as a cell phone, so I keep it in my purse with me all the time. It measure 4.3″ long and weighs less than 4 oz. I arrived early at my kids’ orientation meeting last week, so I was able to check my email and surf the web with my Kindle Fire before the meeting began.

Before I go any further, I need to say that when I am with my kids, engaging with them, my phone, laptop, tablet, etc is off. My kids are my priority. I want them to know that they are #1 priority – not a text, tweet, or facebook update. It pains me to see moms glued to their electronics while they are with their kids at the playground, a show, movie, etc.

That being said, there are many times that I do need to be connected to the Internet while I am out and about, even with my kids. I am very involved with my kids’ schools from lunch mom to room mom. Sometimes, I’ll be at one or both my kids schools two times a day. When I have only one or two hours between my school involvements, I typically will go shopping or try to find a Wi-Fi spot to connect. The only problem with this is that it isn’t secure. Now, I can find a place to sit and work on a blog post, check my email, or even chat on a Skype conference call no matter where I am!

Instead of wasting 45 minutes at the car dealership – or risk using their public Wi-Fi that is unsecure, I’m able to get work done, check my email, and even participate in a twitter party while my van’s tires are getting rotated and oil changed. I feel so productive!

I attend every practice and every game my kids are involved in. Mainly, I do it because I love it. I love supporting my kids and being there for them. However, when the practice is 1-2 hours a night, there are times when I need to check in to put out any fires and respond to emails. I bring my Kindle Fire or laptop, depending on what kind of practice or day it is!My son is on the swim team which means 1-1/2 -2 hours of swimming nearly every day. Even though he is 8, he still likes mom to watch him at practice. I bring my tablet and my NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot at every practice. He knows that I am watching most of the time but he also knows that I am going to try to get a little work done during practice. I may clear through emails, write a blog post, work on social networking, or even find a recipe for dinner during this time. Last year, I couldn’t do anything because their Wi-Fi didn’t reach the pool area. With the hotspot, I’m connected at 4G! I can even connect my friends with the NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot – up to 10 devices (laptops, tablets, eReaders, portable gaming systems, and more.) My kids have used this function on car trips by using it for our tablet and InnoTab.

As you can tell, it didn’t take long for me to integrate the NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot into my life this school year. It has saved me time and has helped me stay connected while not at home. I love that it is a secure 4G LTE connection that is password protected too – it is so much safer than using public Wi-Fi!

It comes with advanced mobile security protocols like a NAT Firewall, VPN pass-through, and a password-protected administration user interface to keep your connection secure!

We have even used the hotspot at home! My husband and I both work from home. When the Internet is down, we can’t work. This morning, our Internet service went down as it always does with the wind and rain. My husband hooked up the NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot and it worked! It saved him 2 hours of work time this morning before our business connection Internet service was back up and running. It was a life saver today!