Seeking Advice About MyFi

Rosemarie44

Hi Guys

I recently enquired at Vodafone, EE and Three about their Myfi service. The best deal was with Vodafone: 30-day contract, £45 upfront for the device and £20 p.m. for 20G. Is this good?

If you've found a better deal then I'd appreciate you letting me know. Thanks!

poppellerant

Just make you check coverage where you plan to use it. Trying to use a 2G connection on a computer is no fun.

Rosemarie44

They're all offering 4G but I can try it for 14 days and get a refund if there's a problem.

Rosemarie44

Thanks Nifty. That's very helpful.

I'm not a techie so have no idea about how to unlock devices. I agree that £45 is expensive. If I ask Currys if theirs is locked will they tell me the truth? I do travel abroad regularly so would like that freedom. It's something that I'd use long-term if the service is really good.

Rosemarie44

Thank you again Nifty. I will definitely look into that because I want to get the best deal possible without being tethered. :-)

NiftyDigits

Whilst the 20GB for £20 is ok, £45 for their R216 is too much....and it will likely be locked for use with that network's SIM only. Not useful if you want to utilise it for travel abroad at times.

My choice would be to buy the MiFi separately, for less, then to perhaps use a Vodafone SIM only plan here

Three (via Currys) have a better MiFi here for £19.99. 20GB is £23. You might have some success in negotiating with them for a better price if and when you choose to cancel.
Their MiFi can connect to more devices at once(Ten to the R216's five) and to a wider range of frequencies....But... I would only purchase this if the MiFi is not locked. If it is, it wouldn't be my choice either. Actually I could unlock it myself, but perhaps not so easy for you.
As to Currys, they could put in a SIM other than a 3 SIM in order to check.

Personally, I would go the Osprey route if either the 3 or Vodafone MiFi is network locked.

Also, to be considered is for how long you intend to run the contract.

Alternatively, you can pick up the EE Osprey on a one month contract for £14.99 here and pair it with their £11 30 day contract....remembering to give your 30 day notice once you've activated the contract. £1 to unlock via eBay for a total cost of £26.
Then you can pair the unlocked MiFi with any data SIM of your choice. It is very easy to unlock the Osprey. Even you can do it. You can buy one outright via eBay for £32 and unlock it for £1. Guide here

Also bear in mind that you will be able to use Feel At Home with 3 SIM. But of course you can even use a PAYG SIM for that.

Edited to add more detail.

forgotmyname

They are offering 4G but can you actually get it and at a decent signal strength?

When i upgraded i didnt opt for the dearer 4G plan but over time they gave 4G for free, except i dont remember actually being connected yo 4G anywhere i went.

Rosemarie44

Thanks Forgot. That's a good point.

paddyrg

If you aren't planning on using it from your pocket or on the go,

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/tp-link-archer-mr200-4g-lte-wi-fi-router-with-sim-card-slot-a54xu (other suppliers are available)

These are actually rather good. 2.4 GHz plus 5GHz bands, basic partitioning and throttling of guest networks, etc. I ran an office of 15 people off the back of one 4G connection (not ideal, obviously, but the only option), with the ethernet printer shared using it, etc. May not suit your use case, but at least you know it exists ;-)

[Deleted User]

That looks pretty neat paddyrg.

Just one question.

Is it unlocked, or tied to one network?

Chino

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Is it unlocked, or tied to one network?

This is one of the questions asked about the product, for which the response from Maplin was "This is not a locked router".