The Chinese word for Challenge also means Opportunity. I kept this in mind when my cable modem Internet connection stopped working today. Fortunately, I have a review unit of the Novatel MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. It's basically a wireless 3G modem. I was planning to seek out a remote location to test it. But suddenly not having any Internet here in the suburbs proved to be an opportunity to test out this device in the comfort of my own home, and get some work done!
The Novatel MiFi 2200
The unit is compact and fairly well-designed, with a faux metal front and a single button for power. It goes well with any mobile Apple product, and that works out because the MiFi can bring the Internet to your non-3G iPad as well as 4 additional WiFi clients, simultaneously. You can create a mini LAN and piggyback off the MiFi's 3G connection. There is a small bit of setup, basically identifying the SSID of the unit and entering the password. My unit had that info on a sticker on the bottom, but the SSID was wrong. Fortunately, my iPad found the SSID when it did a search and within seconds I was connected and back in business.
There are some downsides to the MiFi approach. You have yet another device to carry around, albeit it tiny. The MiFi is about the size of eight credit cards and weighs just 2 ounces. Also, the microUSB charger is another device to carry. You have to remember to charge the MiFi and turn it off when not in use. The battery lasts about 4 hours or 40 hours on standby. You can use it indefinitely when it's plugged into the wall, or computer users can plug the MiFi into a USB port but then only that computer can go online. Verizon offers the MiFi for as little as $50 with either a $60/month 5GB data plan or a $40/month 250MB data plan and a two year contract. Sprint goes even further and offers the MiFi for free with a two year contract but their only plan is $60/month for 5GB.
There are alternatives to the MiFi that are worth a look.
Alternative #1: iPad 3G
The MiFi presents an attractive alternative to a 3G-equipped iPad. I didn't buy an iPad 3G because I didn't like the idea of spending too much on an iPad. I knew I would upgrade to the next model as soon as it came out. So for $500 I bought the WiFi iPad and next year, I can get the next generation iPad for another $500 and hand down the old one to my kids. But at $1,000 for the cheapest iPad 3G ($630 plus $360/year with the unlimited data plan) I'd be less likely to upgrade. When AT&T eliminated the unlimited plan, I was even more sold on the WiFi model. Yes, you can turn the plan off and on, but you lose the unlimited option assuming you had it in the first place and if you're not using 3G at least once a month, you paid a $130 premium. Finally, unlike the MiFi unit, the 3G data plan for the iPad only applies to that device. You cannot share your iPad 3G bandwidth with a laptop.
Alternative #2: Tethering with AT&T
AT&T now supports tethering your iPhone but you will have to use a non-unlimited data plan and pay a $20/month surcharge just for the option to tether. Finally, you can only share the bandwidth with one client at a time. The MiFi allows my MacBook and my iPad to access the Internet and has room for 3 more devices. Note that AT&T-based tethering requires a Bluetooth or USB connection between the iPhone and the tethering client, and this is currently not supported with the iPad.
Alternative #3: Jailbreaking
Other users have "jailbroken" their iPhones to allow tethering over WiFi, but I don't recommend jailbreaking. There was a time when Apple hadn't made many features available, such as multitasking, wallpapers, etc., but that gap has narrowed and there is less reason to jailbreak an iPhone. In the early days, I had jailbroken my original iPhone because it was the only way to run apps. One day the iPhone malfunctioned (it wouldn't turn off and became burning hot). I don't know if the failure was related to jailbreaking, but when I brought it in to the Apple store, I was worried I might not be able to get it serviced. Fortunately, they swapped it out at no charge. I would rather stay "kosher" and not have to worry.
Alternative #4: Non-Apple smartphones
There are competitors to the iPhone that offer a built-in WiFi hotspot capability. As much as I appreciate and recommend the iPhone, this is an attractive option as well. If you always have your phone, and you're paying for data anyway, it would be nice to use that plan for the different devices you use. Imagine if you had to pay more for each TV hooked up to your cable signal, even if the TV sets are all cable ready. The HTC EVO 4G from Sprint acts as a Mobile Hotspot for up to eight WiFi devices, out of the box. And Sprint's offers unlimited 4G service although 4G is only available in a few areas, so the 5GB limit for 3G service may be your effective limit.
The results
It's important to keep in mind that 3G, while ubiquitous, is slower than your typical WiFi connection. When WiFi is available, you will want to use that. I ran the free Speedtest.net app on my iPad and the web service for my MacBook to compare WiFi speed with my traditional cable modem (when it came back online) and the MiFi.
| MiFi 3G (Sprint) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Macbook Pro | 18.29Mbps download 920kbps upload | 940 kbps download 650 kbps upload | |
| iPad (WiFi) | 11.3Mbps download 945kbps upload | 528 kbps download 559 kbps upload |
iPhone 4 users might like the ability to use FaceTime anywhere they can get a 3G signal, instead of seeking out a WiFi connection, but the download speeds might make that impractical. Then again, if you can't get an AT&T signal, you could use Skype or another VoIP app to make phone calls using the MiFi with 3G service from Verizon or Sprint!
In conclusion, the MiFi delivers a wireless connection just about anywhere for your iPhone, iPad plus a variety of devices in a compact, versatile package. The monthly fee may be more than the alternatives but if you think you might use the MiFi with more than one device, it could be worth it.
Virgin Mobile MiFi
Todd,
When I read your article this morning I walked away feeling informed, yet much surprised to read that the Virgin Mobile MiFi was not included in your report. It is identical (minus logo) to Verizon’s Novatel MiFi 2200 product but sold without a contract. I bought one last week for $150.00. There is no other expense except a Broadband2Go data purchase (gift card), ranging from $10.00 to $60.00. I bought $20.00 worth, which when added to an account, is valid for 30-days and according to the advertising, is good enough for 15 hours of web browsing or 25,000 emails, or 284.95 MB.
There are some drawbacks. My connections seem to fluctuate in quality and on several occasions I’ve lost connection altogether. But that seems to be a fault with the Verizon 3G network and not the unit. Aside from that, the only negative about this pay-as-you-need approach, is that at the end of 30-days, any remaining credit is erased from your account. Furthermore, if you add more MB’s to your account before the time is up, any previous balance is first removed before new credit is applied. Totally unfair!
The 4-hour battery life is limiting but my portable charger (compatible with all my mobile devices)addressed that issue quite nicely.
Aside from these minor hiccups, I love the Novatel MiFi device and the mobile internet connections it provides. When combined with my iTouch, I can now send text messages and make phone calls anytime and anywhere (using my TextFree and Skype accounts). So, in a sense, I now have a Quasi-Franken-Smartphone (I suspect it should provide the same flexibility to the wifi enabled iPad). More importantly, I no longer have to find a wifi spot while on the road. And best of all: NO CONTRACTS!
Here’s a final note. Since I’m going on vacation at the end of the month, I wanted to know how my daily usage (including watching videos) impacted the $20.00 worth of data I purchased. So I check my account daily. However, the balance remaining hasn’t changed since day one. Whether this is a virtual or actual accounting error I don’t know, yet have no intentions to complain. Let’s see what happens when day 31 arrives. If I stay connected, then I know that I’ve managed to pick up a very special bargain indeed.
Thanks for the update and the
Thanks for the update and the notes from your personal experience. Yes, last week (June 29th), Virgin made the MiFi available (it had not been when I received my review unit) and Novatel's PR folks contacted me with this info as well! The pay-as-you-go option adds some nice flexibility, if you think you won't use it that much or every month. If you do expect to use it for two years, and spend $60/month then a subsidized device from Sprint (free) or Verizon ($50) could end up being a better deal, but I like the idea of no long-term contract. Two years is a long time and 4G or other technologies could come a long way.
I thought you cant tether the ipad to the iphone
I read you cant do that. That the ipad has the bluetooth to do that but its shut in the the os.
Right. I was discussing
Right. I was discussing tethering in general (Macbook, etc.) but I'll add a line to make it explicit. This might change when the iPad gets iOS 4.x, but for now, the iPad would need one of the other solutions to borrow a wireless signal.