mifi...what is it exactly?

ianbar0

hello, i have heard of this mifi thing...what exactly is it? it almost sounds like your own personal wifi bubble?

DatabaseError

that's pretty much what it is, a mobile broadband (sim card etc..) based wireless router, allowing wireless broadband (to your laptop/ipad etc..) without the need for a landline.

If you have an android phone with a decent data plan you can root it and use that as an access point, getting the same benefits without the extra expense

thescouselander

DatabaseError wrote: »

that's pretty much what it is, a mobile broadband (sim card etc..) based wireless router, allowing wireless broadband (to your laptop/ipad etc..) without the need for a landline.

If you have an android phone with a decent data plan you can root it and use that as an access point, getting the same benefits without the extra expense

Yes, and if you have Android 2.2 or above I think you don't even need to root it to to use the access point feature.

ianbar0

oh right i see. and does it get the signal off basically mobile network then? im kind of thinking of when were out and about for days out or weekends away and wether it is a good option for internet access in hotel or just about generally.

Darksun

ianbar0 wrote: »

oh right i see. and does it get the signal off basically mobile network then? im kind of thinking of when were out and about for days out or weekends away and wether it is a good option for internet access in hotel or just about generally.

If you just have one laptop needing access to the internet, you may be better off with just getting a mobile broadband dongle, the MiFi is only really useful when a dongle isn't an option (e.g. getting internet on an iPad or other tablet device without USB, or giving multiple devices access to the same internet connection)

happykayaker

Darksun wrote: »

If you just have one laptop needing access to the internet, you may be better off with just getting a mobile broadband dongle, the MiFi is only really useful when a dongle isn't an option (e.g. getting internet on an iPad or other tablet device without USB, or giving multiple devices access to the same internet connection)

Or if you have an android 2.2 + or iPhone with the latest OS, you can tether the phone to the laptop and use your phone in place of the MiFi - I have an iPhone and my wife has an android phone. We can both turn our phones into wifi routers using the mobile network - not sure on my wifes, but I'm with Vodafone and the extra cost per month is the same as the 3G dongle I used to carry around. Certainly worth looking into.

DatabaseError

happykayaker wrote: »

....but I'm with Vodafone and the extra cost per month is the same as the 3G dongle I used to carry around. .

extra cost? Maybe the networks don't approve/support the feature, but turning on the access point on my phone costs nothing extra, though I am still limited to my "unlimited" 1Gb/month that I have on my phone contract (3). I suppose I could always pay more if I told'em

RobTang

DatabaseError wrote: »

extra cost? Maybe the networks don't approve/support the feature, but turning on the access point on my phone costs nothing extra, though I am still limited to my "unlimited" 1Gb/month that I have on my phone contract (3). I suppose I could always pay more if I told'em

All contracts I have seen usually exclude this kind of traffic in the T&Cs
Technically theres nothing stopping you but one of the US networks have recenty begun monitoring for tetherd deveices and automatically upgrading to the relvant plan, I can eventually see somthing like that heading to the uk

GeordieLad_2

Have just got a MiFi dongle myself (Huawei E585) from 3 – though Vodafone do something very similar – so here’s my twopennyworth:

Build quality: cheap and basic, but perfectly fit for purpose, i.e. just keeping in your pocket.

Setup: easy to set up and use. I use it for a laptop and an android smartphone.
I’d previously just had a laptop and used a standard 3 dongle in a USB port, but there was always the inconvenience of plugging it in and worrying if someone would break it by brushing against it on the train – or I’d do it myself! Now I’ve a smartphone too so I use the MiFi device in my pocket as my WiFi access point for that as well.

Battery life: it seems to last about four or five hours for me, but I use it commuting between work and home, so generally charge it via my computer’s USB port or a power point at each end of the journey.

Obviously everything also depends how good the provider’s signal is, if there’s no signal it won’t work, plus the battery life seems to decrease noticeably when it has to struggle to find a signal or stay connected.

But personally I’d recommend it if you’ve a couple or more devices (up to 5) and want to connect them simultaneously.

ianbar0

oh thats very good thank you (geordielad) will probably look into it more. pricing seems strange thought you might be able to load it up when you needed it but seems almost on a contract?

GeordieLad_2

Re pricing, another possible money-saving option, thereby avoiding contract tie-in, is buying a PAYG MiFi dongle from a reseller on e-Bay and then also buying discounted pre-loaded data SIMs on there. (Search for ‘PAYG dongle eBay’ on these forums for some links/suggestions)

You could probably get the MiFi dongle for around £30-40 and a 3GB data card for under £10. The 3GB data would automatically expire after three months maximum, or sooner if the data ran out first. You could then top up or just buy another SIM.
(All prepaid/topped up data expires after a preset period from first use, except for some older Vodafone non-expiring prepaid SIMs, which are now discontinued, but can still occasionally be found from resellers.)

Obvious drawbacks, among others, are the reliability of the sellers and the fact that the dongle would be locked, so that you’d be tied to a particular phone company data provider, 3 vodafone, or whoever.

I’d already got a contract with 3, hence was able to get the MiFi from them as an upgrade to my existing dongle, so I couldn’t recommend anyone to buy from, but maybe someone who has gone down the above route will be along to advise