T-Mobile wants to turn your house into a cell tower. Here’s why you should think twice.

[Commentary] T-Mobile has begun giving out miniature cell towers to customers in an attempt to create little hotspots of LTE where the carrier's network is weak or nonexistent. So should you get one? In some individual circumstances, maybe, but for the vast majority of consumers, you might be better off using plain, old, boring Wi-Fi. Here's why.

T-Mobile's CellSpot doesn't provide an Internet connection all by itself. It has to be plugged into an existing wired broadband connection, the kind of service you might buy from Comcast or Verizon. That requirement ultimately makes the CellSpot impractical for many consumers. Think about your current home Internet provider. Chances are, the company included a Wi-Fi router with your installation, and if it didn't, you likely went out and bought your own. Not only does the CellSpot effectively duplicate an Internet access technology already present in many people's homes -- it comes with other drawbacks. The CellSpot's data speeds are only as fast as your fixed broadband connection, so it's not as though you can plug the device into a 10 Mbps service and suddenly be surfing at 60 Mbps. What's more, using the CellSpot drains your T-Mobile data plan, whereas surfing on Wi-Fi is completely free (except in places where wired Internet providers have implemented data caps themselves).