MiFi internet

chris1804

I've been thinking about getting a mifi, can someone tell me how it works, is it just a router that you put a usb 3G dongle in it and it makes a wireless connection? Reason I ask I want it for my tablet and don't want a phone line

PlutoinCapricorn

I was wondering about this myself: I am always looking for a better deal!

As I understand it, you use this if you need to connect more than one laptop to mobile broadband at the same time - this saves you getting two dongles; you can also use it for some devices without USB ports.

I may have got this all wrong - others may give a better answer.

SAHD_Jim

Pretty much as described above. It is like having your own mobile wifi hotspot.

chris1804

So its just a plug and play thing, I've seen them in argos, so if I brought o/ne from argos and a pay as you go dongle I can plug the dongle into the mifi and I'll have internet,

NiftyDigits

chris1804 wrote: »

So its just a plug and play thing, I've seen them in argos, so if I brought o/ne from argos and a pay as you go dongle I can plug the dongle into the mifi and I'll have internet,

You don't need a dongle. The SIM goes directly in to the MiFi unit.

PlutoinCapricorn

That's just what I thought Nifty:

if you have 3 PCs at home, you can either get 3 dongles or 1 Mifi;

if you have a device (with no built-in mobile BB )with no USB port you can't use a dongle so you get MiFi;

you also may choose MiFi over a dongle because it is (alleged to be) faster.

SAHD_Jim

chris1804 wrote: »

So its just a plug and play thing, I've seen them in argos, so if I brought o/ne from argos and a pay as you go dongle I can plug the dongle into the mifi and I'll have internet,

this explains it quite well

http://www.buymobilephones.net/mifi-for-ipad.php

Peter999_2

Just thought I'd add that I've had a MiFi for 3 years now and it works really well.

As above, you just install the SIM card (you get one with the MiFi) turn it on and it connects to the internet. I really like it and find it very useful when in a hotel as you can put it on the windowsill and get a better signal that in a 3G dongle in the bedroom.

I also use it for other things, couple of examples below:

1) If I'm in a hotel room and want to watch movies, I plug a USB hard drive into my laptop and connect the laptop to the MiFi. I then connect my iPad to the Mifi and can watch the movies.

2) I was at a presentation with a director of the company I worked for and he was demonstrating an app for the iphone and was going to pass an iPhone round the room. I suggested it would be better if he showed the iPhone screen on the projector instead. I connected his laptop to the MiFi, then the iPhone to the MiFi and used VNC to display it on the projector. He was very impressed with this.

Just to give you an idea that you can use it for a variety of uses as well as internet.

DD1966

Can anyone tell me if you can use a pay monthly sim only phone sim card into one of these devises? the reason i ask is that 3 offer all you can eat data on their phone sims, but not on their broadband dongles! just a thought!

woody2234

I know sim cards all look the same but a phone sim card will not work in a dongle because a phone sim is registered on the network as a phone sim and or the dongle can tell if the sim is dongle 3g sim or a phone sim.

also those thinking of buying MIFI box to use with playstation 3 ive heard and read that the ps3 does not like mifi boxes.

espresso

woody2234 wrote: »

I know sim cards all look the same but a phone sim card will not work in a dongle because a phone sim is registered on the network as a phone sim and or the dongle can tell if the sim is dongle 3g sim or a phone sim.

Rubbish! Have done this many times with various different network SIM's