WiFi Ready vs WiFi Built-in Blu-ray Players
The advance in computing technologies has really leapt forward in the last couple of decades; and these technologies have gone beyond the computer and into mobile phones, TVs, and even media players. Many Blu-ray players have access to the Internet nowadays and some can even connect through WiFi. The biggest difference between Blu-ray players that are WiFi ready and have WiFi built-in is the presence of the WiFi hardware. WiFi ready means that the player is able to use WiFi but all it has is a slot where the WiFi card goes. If you want WiFi functionality, you need to purchase a separate WiFi card. WiFi built-in means that the hardware needed is already built into the device.
It might seem like buying a WiFi ready Blu-ray play is cheaper as its price is lower than those with built-in WiFi. But when you add up the cost of the separate WiFi card, which can cost up to $80, the total cost would often equal, if not exceed, the price of an equivalent player with built-in WiFi. Of course, if your budget is not enough or you do not intend to use WiFi, opting for the former is definitely cheaper.
There is also another problem with WiFi ready players. Although this does not really factor as one of the differences between the two, it can help in the decision in buying either one. The WiFi card needed by these Blu-ray players is different for every brand and even for every model. If you are planning on buying a WiFi ready blu-ray player then getting the WiFi card much later, you may get a nasty surprise. Because of the non-conformity of these WiFi cards, there is a chance that the specific card used for your player would be hard to find.
Because of all these factors to consider, it seems that forking over the extra cash for built-in WiFi is the more reasonable option. That, or opting for a model that doesn’t have WiFi and just wire it up with Ethernet cable.
Summary:
1. WiFi Ready players have a slot where you can insert a WiFi card while WiFi Built-in players already have the WiFi card inside
2. WiFi Ready players can cost more in the long run compared to WiFi Built-in players