Would you buy a Wi-Fi router just to use your cell phone indoors? T-Mobile hopes so

T-Mobile is making Wi-Fi calling more accessible for all of its customers. Part of that strategy involves selling only phones that are capable of making Wi-Fi calls from here out (existing customers are eligible for an early Jump upgrade to get a new phone if they wish) -- but the other piece of the strategy is a humble wireless router.

Don’t let the name fool you -- the Asus-built T-Mobile Personal CellSpot has nothing to do with the company’s cellular network. It’s not a FemtoCell, but a dual-band, 802.11ac router (it also works with the older b/g/n protocols) that the carrier is giving away to any customer who wants it and puts down a $25 deposit. Plug it in, and you can make Wi-Fi calls that promise to sound better, without having to worry about how good your T-Mobile cell signal is. The new device is not a requirement for using T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi calling features. In fact, as long as your phone supports it, any Wi-Fi signal will work just fine. But T-Mobile says its CellSpot is better than most Wi-Fi routers out there, and that it’ll be a piece of cake to set up.