Is MiFi the way to go?

stevec59

A dear friend of mine has a normal Wi-Fi network with a hub, it’s costing her quite a bit per month, I could look at reducing the monthly cost, but I’m wondering if MiFi would be a cheaper option, I don’t really know a lot about MiFi, is it as secure as a normal network router thing? I don’t think speed matters too much because she only uses it for banking, so security is a big issue.Does Mi-Fi have download limits or is it to do with the Sim? I’ve looked on the Ofgem website for data coverage in her area and it doesn’t say a lot about indoor use mainly outdoor therefore should I avoid it and look to get her a better Wi-Fi deal? Finally, is there a Mi-Fi that has a ethernet port on it as this might be useful to connect to a TV,some TVs have an ethernet port but they do not cater for Wi-Fi. The MiFi would need to come with a power supply rather than replace batteries. A while ago BT messed up our Internet, so they sent us a 4G mini hub and that seem to work reasonably well, I think it ran on batteries

Many thanks for your help. Steve

QrizB

stevec59 said:

A dear friend of mine has a normal Wi-Fi network with a hub, it’s costing her quite a bit per month

She has wired broadband? Which supplier, and what product? Wired broadband starts in the mid-£20s a month and goes up to £100+ depending on your chosen package.

stevec59 said:

I could look at reducing the monthly cost, but I’m wondering if MiFi would be a cheaper option

Unlimited wireless broadband starts at about £15 a month (a bit less if you get a contract with some sort of joining bonus or discount) but you need to buy your own router and coverage depends on your location.

stevec59 said:

... is it as secure as a normal network router thing?

Yes.

stevec59 said:

Does Mi-Fi have download limits or is it to do with the Sim?

Depends on the SIM.

stevec59 said:

I’ve looked on the Ofgem website for data coverage in her area and it doesn’t say a lot about indoor use mainly outdoor therefore should I avoid it and look to get her a better Wi-Fi deal?

Does she get reliable mobile interenet indoors on her smartphone? If she does, mobile internet is likely to work for her. If not, she can try a different network but might find that none of them are viable.

stevec59 said:

Finally, is there a Mi-Fi that has a ethernet port on it as this might be useful to connect to a TV,some TVs have an ethernet port but they do not cater for Wi-Fi. The MiFi would need to come with a power supply rather than replace batteries.

Most of the devices intended for permanent household use have ethernet ports and mains power adapters.

stevec59

She has wired Broadband as in it’s got a plug on it to 5he phone line, she’s with TalkTalk, not 5h3 best, but she’s happy. I think she’s paying about £40 including the phone, but she’s talking about ditching the phone as she has a mobile phone and uses that.

She doesn’t have a Smart phone, so no internet use on her phone, if I’m there, I connect to her router / hub thing, and the phone signal is about 4 bars, so fairly good, I guess I could get her a MiFi and connect her and myself to that for a mo th and see how it goes.

Thanks for the other answers. If MiFi and normal internet is about the same price, the she’ll stick with normal Internet

QrizB

Next time you visit, turn off wifi on you phone and see how well you can use the internet over mobile data from various places inside her house. ou could even try a speed test site like https://www.speedtest.net/ to see what mobile data speeds you get.

Compare that to what you get with wifi switched on, and connected to her broadband.

I've told the story of my son and his student flatshare on this forum several times:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81206075/#Comment_81206075

Or if her use is light enough that she doesn't need "unlimited" broadband, this might work:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81533800/#Comment_81533800

Good luck!

Daz2009

Three 4G or 5G broadband is an alternative if the signal is strong......and it's cheap, there's always a new customer offer on and even more off going through a cashback site. My Three 5G contact averages £15 per month over a 2 year deal.
You get a conventional router with ethernet ports