I know, it's all wow-ee-wow-oo-oo, but I'm still not impressed. If you're on the road a lot and can justify the extra cost of cellular access, yes, it's very cool. For everyone else, not so much. I just can't pay for a home plan and a wireless plan or multiple wireless plans for myself and my family. It's a luxury I can't justify.
We've got phones that are palmtop computing devices, internet access devices, phones, cameras, video cameras, and music/video players all in one. Device makers are embracing the mantra of integration. Is it that the wired arms of the telcos can't vertically integrate home and wireless access into affordable bundles due to anti-trust concerns or is it that they currently see that keeping them separate maximizes profit because the market just isn't demanding "internet anywhere" convenience at a workable price point?
On a side note, WMWifirouter has been able to do this on Windows Mobile smartphones for a while now. It's constantly being worked on and the speeds are definitely acceptable. The link for it http://www.wmwifirouter.com/ [wmwifirouter.com]
Very cool. One teeny tiny problem: using a cell phone this way without a special (very expensive) plan is probably against your terms of service. Don't know what the odds are of getting caught, but if you are caught, you'll get a bill itemizing every packet you sent this way. We're talking thousands of dollars.
The delay in integration is because spectrum and construction costs for wireless broadband are still high enough to allow it to compete economically with wired alternatives. Wireless broadband has been and still is a product for people more concerned with ubiquity and convenience than cost or bandwidth.
The delay in integration is because spectrum and construction costs for wireless broadband are still high enough to allow it to compete economically with wired alternatives. Wireless broadband has been and still is a product for people more concerned with ubiquity and convenience than cost or bandwidth.
No, wireless broadband depends heavily on not having too dense of a user population within a cell. For instance, try using a data connection in Disneyland with thousands of phones making little data connections constantly. It just won't happen. If everyone in the area started using the service, they'd be lucky to get dialup speeds, and there's not a darn thing they can do about it. It's all shared bandwidth, and there's only so much spectrum to go around (which is why spectrum is so expensive).
Heck with that.. I can't justify a cell phone. I have one that work supplied. The only personal use is for the occasional pick up a gallon of milk call.
If you're on the road a lot and can justify the extra cost of cellular access, yes, it's very cool. For everyone else, not so much.
Uh, yeah. That's true for this kind of internet connection in general. That's not exactly news.
This is one important difference: you can go on a plan where you only pay for access on the days you actually use it. That means you have to pay full price for the router, but it still would work for a lot of people who travel sporadically. Or an office where one person is often on the road, but not always the same person.
Huh? $15? If I was on a business trip, I'd spend a lot more than that just avoid having to search for a hotspot every time I needed to go online.
Yeah, it's way too expensive if you just randomly need internet access. That's not the use case. Why do Slashdotters keep insisting that what they need is all that anybody needs?
My data plan is $20/month for unlimited usage. I can tether my phone via USB and use it as a modem.
I wanted to upgrade my phone recently. Surprise surprise, they don't offer my current data plan anymore. Seems to be $25 for 5 GB and $35 for unlimited (or something). And they mention shit like "get email from up to X email addresses". Really? You mean you're going to limit (or try to?) how many email addresses I can clap on my phone? Or is this through your shitty email software/service (as opposed to the p
Self- or un-self-centeredness is beside the point. This isn't about your personal issues, it's about economisc. In a market economy, $15 for something is "reasonable" if that's the right price point for maximizing profit.
I agree that the way we pay for bandwidth in the U.S. is totally insane. But that's a systemic problem, not particularly connected to this one product.
Here in the UK, there are 3G PAYG tariffs from 2 GBP (~ $3.30 USD) per day (with no minimum charge per month). No idea if there's a pocket router available on any of these plans, but a cheap HSDPA USB stick modem is now cheaper to use (and obviously much more flexible) than many pay per day wifi hotspots.
Which wired arm of T-Mobile would you want to integrate their wireless service with?
And that's why I asked if there were potential anti-trust problems preventing such integration by Verizon, AT&T, etc. If they offered "internet anywhere" packages that bundled wired and wireless service, wireless providers without wired solutions could not compete on that playing field.
I use my Sprint wireless service as an "alternate" ISP while at work. I completely avoid the company routers, etc. Sure, I'm probably violating a policy or two, but whatever. I don't surf NSFW - generally - but I also don't care to give the company a say in where I go, or let them know where I've been.
These things are great - could almost say life savers - for field service reps sent out into the wild. Try downloading a NIC driver for a NIC that's not working, yet. With my laptop and wireless modem, no
Ironically, the device even improved the experience of using the iPhone, making it usable for surfing where its native network (AT&T) doesn't even connect.
It's not. The submitter just doesn't understand what the term irony means. Popular misconception seems to be that people think that irony means something that is incongruent.
Hmm. Getting a signal for one wireless network but not another may not be "ironic" but it's not exactly "incongruent" either. It's not like all networks use the same towers. I think the best we can do here is "interesting".
Ironically, word usage is often incongruent. Isn't that interesting?
Note the Oxford English Dictionary on ironic: "happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this." That a Verizon device makes an iPhone more usable than AT&T's own network is precisely that.
I mean to say Oxford American English Dictionary. The grand OED itself says:
2. fig. A condition of affairs or events of a character opposite to what was, or might naturally be, expected; a contradictory outcome of events as if in mockery of the promise and fitness of things. (In F. ironie du sort.)
It goes on to note this usage has been around since at least the 17th century.
I have a treo which does 3g on AT&T's (first cingular's) network. I would use the mobile test from dslreports.com on my treo to check my speed from various locations, just to play with my new toy. I got a pretty good feel for how fast it would go at my workplace, at my favorite lunch spots, etc and in different kinds of weather. The iphone came out and i saw a 25% drop in speed, the iphone 3g came out and i saw another 25% drop in speed. It seems like on most networks, if you want to get your advertised speeds, get away from where everybody is using it and attach to a cell tower without too many people attached. While these mifi tests may test the theoretical-realistic speeds (data transfer speeds in real world situations), if this catches on, users will experience realistic-realistic speeds (data transfer speeds in real world with real world congestion).
Standard disclaimer may apply, a single user's empirical tests do not cover even a fraction of a percent of the real world. Please feel free to post your anecdotes which prove or disprove my anecdote.
On the other hand, carriers can (in most cases) reduce congestion by splitting cells when the traffic justifies it, just as they do with voice traffic.
No, this is all true. There is only so much spectrum to be used in a wireless cell. Go to someplace like Disneyland and the data portion of your cell phone will be entirely useless. Newer wireless technologies are working on more efficient ways of transferring large amounts of data, but I don't see any way they can keep up with the rate that data usage is increasing at.
I'll probably go out and buy one before long. Despite the expense, the 5GB monthly cap, and the onerous contract terms, the only broadband choices where I live are EVDO and an older wireless system using Alvarion [alvarion.com] gear. I got my Alvarion setup five years ago and have been gladly paying $44 a month for, at best, 320kbps, using a rooftop parabolic antenna pointed at the nearest tower. I have a laptop with an EVDO setup but still have the Alvarion gear for other household members. I would love to get rid of it.
Aside from people like me who can't get cable or DSL, devices like this work well for occasional users who are more concerned about convenience of installation than blazingly high speeds or the ability to download mountains of data. Clearwire [clearwire.com] has been selling similar services for quite some time.
Um, let's see, you suggest perpetrating MITM fraud using a service that requires a 1 year subscription and a credit check in an area where "free public wifi" is already available for you to use as a backhaul?
Oh, I get it. The embedded platform of the MiFi router is easier to write MITM exploits for than your laptop.
What are you talking about? Every hotel I stayed at on my trip up and down the west coast and then out from CA to TN and back had free internet wifi AND ethernet jacks in lamps in the tables, and they're all different companies!
It does exactly what it's supposed to, it's tiny, fast, and very simple to administer. It's a shame that 5GB/month costs what it costs, but if you can put out one serious server fire or interact with a customer in a way that saves a deal, it's worth every bit of what it costs.
I bought one on a Friday night, and it paid for itself and earned its monthly keep before lunchtime on Saturday.
Interestingly, it seems to be far more sensitive to Verizon's local RF signals than my phone is. Which is nice.
It's pretty cool given the size of the device, but bridging cellular and WiFi networks is nothing new. I'm sure it's been done long before; personally I recall doing this in 2006 while working at Cal-IT2 (a research institution at UCSD). I was with a group of engineers stuck in barracks at Moffett Field with no WiFi or TV. We did have a Soekris board running Debian, a Verizon PCMCIA broadband card, and PCMCIA WiFi card which worked with hostap; and we ended up with a WiFi access point serving cellular broadband.
These days I can do the same thing using my Samsung Saga and ICScontrol to share connection over WiFi. Or I can tether to my phone to my laptop running Gentoo, place my laptop's WiFi card in ad-hoc mode.
It's the size and convenience. None of your mentioned solutions offer anything close to the MiFi form factor. Try fitting your Soekris board in your pocket.
Actually you're mistaken. The program I referred to, ICScontrol, runs on my Samsung Saga. My Saga is about the size of the MiFi (if not smaller). Also if I'm going to use the MiFi, I'm going to have a computer with me anyway (otherwise there's no point). So both solutions (running the Internet sharing app directly on my phone or tethering then sharing via Ad-Hoc) both apply.
Your other option instead of waiting for a Mi-Fi, or if you want the portability of a USB cellular modem, is the Kyocera KR-2 [kyocera-wireless.com] Mobile Router. I use this with Verizon and it has the added benefit of being network-neutral, and also allowing for using another (faster) network and reverting to the cellular connection as a backup. The downside? Not as portable.
Yeah, with averaging only 160MB a day, seven days a week, there's just no way you could run some RDP sessions, check your mail, do some business, upload some JPGs to Grandma, read the news, and call it an hour's work until you get back to a WiFi hotspot of your home/office broadband. Yes, just plain useless. None of that is "using the internet," huh.
As others point out, it isn't a revolution in communication. It is, however, a very elegant implementation of a useful service at a price that is (for my needs) reasonable.
I've been using it a week or two now, here's what my take:
Summary: It does what it says it does, in the way it promises, without the slightest hassle. For electronics, that's a hell of an endorsement.
The GOOD:
1. Size - it's damn easy to carry It really is as small as the ads make it look. 2. Replaceable Battery - I have a spare right with it (spare was just under $40) 3. Runs on USB charger, laptop USB, or Battery 4. Good - maybe not amazing - battery life (2-3 hours in reality) 5. Micro-usb connector is compatible with my phone charger so I carry fewer blocks 6. Performance -> It out performs the EVDO Rev A. Mini-PCI card that I had in my laptop. 7. Reception -> Better than my best cell phone ---- Also, in poor reception areas like some hotel rooms, I can put it over by the window where the signal is good, and use the network anywhere in the room! 8. Ubiquity -> I don't have to pick what device I bring with me based on my connectivity needs. 9. Multi-Device support -> Laptop, Hand-held game, netbook, kid's laptop in the car, etc. 10. No need to use the crappy Verizon connection software on the laptop (or worse, Dell's bastard stepchild version)
Less Good / Room to Improve
1. It needs a signal level indicator on the outside surface. To check signal, you have to hit the router's config page with a browser. 2. The data sheet on this says it has a connector for an external antenna. I have yet to see such a thing. Maybe it is hiding. 3. It seems to be powered up any time you plug it in to charge. No way to charge with the wifi part off (you can tell it not to connect to the cell network)
Overall, I'm really impressed with this thing.
Sure, I could run a linux vm on my laptop and share the internal card over the wireless; I could get a router that's compatible with another evdo card, or some other solution -- but this just works and works well.
As far as the cost: If you travel on business and end up paying for hotel wifi, this quickly pays for itself. Better yet, is the ability to pop open the laptop or handheld pretty much ANYWHERE and pretty much ANYTIME and get connected. Airport baggage claim, taxi cab, doctor's waiting room, and most important at the park waiting for one of my kids to finish soccer practice. You could just find an open wifi, but I like knowing what I'm connected to.
As it happened, I bought the MIFI at the same time I gritted my teeth and dove in headfirst on the BB Storm (which it turns out, I actually like -- though I can see where others may not). Both use the new Micro-USB connectors, and I'd purchased a car charger and second home charger for the phone (I keep one in my briefcase for travel). Now, between the two devices I have cables and plus wherever I need them. Synergy working for me for a change.
A similar service in Hong Kong: Vodafone's home broadband [smartone-vodafone.com], which uses a router that connects to the HSPA 3G network, combining a 4 port ethernet router, Wifi, an IP phone line. It's specifically NOT mobile, locked to a particular cell, but on paper seems good deal. HK$148/month for unlimited usage (about US$19), supposedly 7 MB/s. Just been introduced so no idea how it actually performs.
According to T-Mobile's site, You'll be able to use your phone in Japan, South Korea and Mexico just fine, T-Mobile has a presence in Europe, so it'll work fine there too. It'll cost you an arm and a leg++ to do anything, but it will work. Check http://www.t-mobile.com/International/RoamingOverview.aspx?tp=Inl_Tab_RoamWorldwide&WT.mc_n=ILDCoverage&WT.mc_t=onsite [t-mobile.com] to see the prices of any country you want.
As for the phone, T-Mobile happens to sell the G1, which has many excellent programs for email a
Apparently pre-paid data SIMs in Europe don't really exist. They bill you up to $31/MB in equivalent charges, which empties your pre-paid pretty quick. Not to mention crossing borders and finding out your pre-paid is all of a sudden 'foreign' and charging you for incoming calls. Darn.
Damn, but it figures. Even the Europeans see data as a cash cow. And they are so right. Plan on using hotel WiFi and putting up with marginal service and no VOIP.
The Dial-Up Networking profile on most current VZW phones is enabled, so in theory you should be able to set up a connection through Bluetooth. This isn't officially supported, though, which means you're on your own setting it up. There's a BT profile compatibility chart at http://www.verizonwireless.com/bluetooth [verizonwireless.com].
Sounds great... if you can justify the cost (Score:5, Insightful)
We've got phones that are palmtop computing devices, internet access devices, phones, cameras, video cameras, and music/video players all in one. Device makers are embracing the mantra of integration. Is it that the wired arms of the telcos can't vertically integrate home and wireless access into affordable bundles due to anti-trust concerns or is it that they currently see that keeping them separate maximizes profit because the market just isn't demanding "internet anywhere" convenience at a workable price point?
Re:Sounds great... if you can justify the cost (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:Sounds great... if you can justify the cost (Score:5, Funny)
Mod parent down.
He talks about an actively-developed, real-world, useful, cheap Windows Mobile application and doesn't shit on it.
This is not the slashdot way.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
There are similar for other phones too, for example http://www.joiku.com/index.php [joiku.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Very cool. One teeny tiny problem: using a cell phone this way without a special (very expensive) plan is probably against your terms of service. Don't know what the odds are of getting caught, but if you are caught, you'll get a bill itemizing every packet you sent this way. We're talking thousands of dollars.
Re:Sounds great... if you can justify the cost (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
This wireless broadband service in Hong Kong:( http://www.smartone-vodafone.com/jsp/mobile/home_broadband/english/faq.jsp [smartone-vodafone.com] )is US$19/month for unlimited usage, slightly cheaper than standard ADSL services, a
Re: (Score:2)
No, wireless broadband depends heavily on not having too dense of a user population within a cell. For instance, try using a data connection in Disneyland with thousands of phones making little data connections constantly. It just won't happen. If everyone in the area started using the service, they'd be lucky to get dialup speeds, and there's not a darn thing they can do about it. It's all shared bandwidth, and there's only so much spectrum to go around (which is why spectrum is so expensive).
Wired doe
Re: (Score:2)
Heck with that.. I can't justify a cell phone. I have one that work supplied. The only personal use is for the occasional pick up a gallon of milk call.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If you're on the road a lot and can justify the extra cost of cellular access, yes, it's very cool. For everyone else, not so much.
Uh, yeah. That's true for this kind of internet connection in general. That's not exactly news.
This is one important difference: you can go on a plan where you only pay for access on the days you actually use it. That means you have to pay full price for the router, but it still would work for a lot of people who travel sporadically. Or an office where one person is often on the road, but not always the same person.
Re: (Score:2)
Huh? $15? If I was on a business trip, I'd spend a lot more than that just avoid having to search for a hotspot every time I needed to go online.
Yeah, it's way too expensive if you just randomly need internet access. That's not the use case. Why do Slashdotters keep insisting that what they need is all that anybody needs?
Re: (Score:2)
My data plan is $20/month for unlimited usage.
I can tether my phone via USB and use it as a modem.
I wanted to upgrade my phone recently.
Surprise surprise, they don't offer my current data plan anymore. Seems to be $25 for 5 GB and $35 for unlimited (or something). And they mention shit like "get email from up to X email addresses". Really? You mean you're going to limit (or try to?) how many email addresses I can clap on my phone?
Or is this through your shitty email software/service (as opposed to the p
Re: (Score:2)
Self- or un-self-centeredness is beside the point. This isn't about your personal issues, it's about economisc. In a market economy, $15 for something is "reasonable" if that's the right price point for maximizing profit.
I agree that the way we pay for bandwidth in the U.S. is totally insane. But that's a systemic problem, not particularly connected to this one product.
Re: (Score:2)
Here in the UK, there are 3G PAYG tariffs from 2 GBP (~ $3.30 USD) per day (with no minimum charge per month). No idea if there's a pocket router available on any of these plans, but a cheap HSDPA USB stick modem is now cheaper to use (and obviously much more flexible) than many pay per day wifi hotspots.
Re: (Score:2)
Which wired arm of T-Mobile would you want to integrate their wireless service with? I don't think DT is coming to America any time soon.
Just sayin'...
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
And that's why I asked if there were potential anti-trust problems preventing such integration by Verizon, AT&T, etc. If they offered "internet anywhere" packages that bundled wired and wireless service, wireless providers without wired solutions could not compete on that playing field.
Re: (Score:2)
I use my Sprint wireless service as an "alternate" ISP while at work. I completely avoid the company routers, etc. Sure, I'm probably violating a policy or two, but whatever. I don't surf NSFW - generally - but I also don't care to give the company a say in where I go, or let them know where I've been.
These things are great - could almost say life savers - for field service reps sent out into the wild. Try downloading a NIC driver for a NIC that's not working, yet. With my laptop and wireless modem, no
Irony (Score:4, Insightful)
Ironically, the device even improved the experience of using the iPhone, making it usable for surfing where its native network (AT&T) doesn't even connect.
How exactly is that "ironic"?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Irony (Score:4, Interesting)
Hmm. Getting a signal for one wireless network but not another may not be "ironic" but it's not exactly "incongruent" either. It's not like all networks use the same towers. I think the best we can do here is "interesting".
Ironically, word usage is often incongruent. Isn't that interesting?
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
The use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, now that is irony.
</Bender>
Re:Irony (Score:5, Informative)
Note the Oxford English Dictionary on ironic: "happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this." That a Verizon device makes an iPhone more usable than AT&T's own network is precisely that.
Parent
Mea Culpa on Re:Irony (Score:4, Informative)
I mean to say Oxford American English Dictionary. The grand OED itself says:
2. fig. A condition of affairs or events of a character opposite to what was, or might naturally be, expected; a contradictory outcome of events as if in mockery of the promise and fitness of things. (In F. ironie du sort.)
It goes on to note this usage has been around since at least the 17th century.
Parent
Re:Irony (Score:5, Funny)
The use of words expressing something other than their literal intention; Now that is "irony!"
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Dammit I just posted this!
Ebony and irony (Score:2)
Load tests? (Score:5, Informative)
Standard disclaimer may apply, a single user's empirical tests do not cover even a fraction of a percent of the real world. Please feel free to post your anecdotes which prove or disprove my anecdote.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
No, this is all true. There is only so much spectrum to be used in a wireless cell. Go to someplace like Disneyland and the data portion of your cell phone will be entirely useless. Newer wireless technologies are working on more efficient ways of transferring large amounts of data, but I don't see any way they can keep up with the rate that data usage is increasing at.
For those who can't get cable or DSL (Score:4, Interesting)
I'll probably go out and buy one before long. Despite the expense, the 5GB monthly cap, and the onerous contract terms, the only broadband choices where I live are EVDO and an older wireless system using Alvarion [alvarion.com] gear. I got my Alvarion setup five years ago and have been gladly paying $44 a month for, at best, 320kbps, using a rooftop parabolic antenna pointed at the nearest tower. I have a laptop with an EVDO setup but still have the Alvarion gear for other household members. I would love to get rid of it.
Aside from people like me who can't get cable or DSL, devices like this work well for occasional users who are more concerned about convenience of installation than blazingly high speeds or the ability to download mountains of data. Clearwire [clearwire.com] has been selling similar services for quite some time.
OH MAN! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Um, let's see, you suggest perpetrating MITM fraud using a service that requires a 1 year subscription and a credit check in an area where "free public wifi" is already available for you to use as a backhaul?
Oh, I get it. The embedded platform of the MiFi router is easier to write MITM exploits for than your laptop.
Re: (Score:2)
What are you talking about? Every hotel I stayed at on my trip up and down the west coast and then out from CA to TN and back had free internet wifi AND ethernet jacks in lamps in the tables, and they're all different companies!
Got one. Love it. (Score:5, Informative)
I bought one on a Friday night, and it paid for itself and earned its monthly keep before lunchtime on Saturday.
Interestingly, it seems to be far more sensitive to Verizon's local RF signals than my phone is. Which is nice.
Nothing new (Score:4, Interesting)
It's pretty cool given the size of the device, but bridging cellular and WiFi networks is nothing new. I'm sure it's been done long before; personally I recall doing this in 2006 while working at Cal-IT2 (a research institution at UCSD). I was with a group of engineers stuck in barracks at Moffett Field with no WiFi or TV. We did have a Soekris board running Debian, a Verizon PCMCIA broadband card, and PCMCIA WiFi card which worked with hostap; and we ended up with a WiFi access point serving cellular broadband.
These days I can do the same thing using my Samsung Saga and ICScontrol to share connection over WiFi. Or I can tether to my phone to my laptop running Gentoo, place my laptop's WiFi card in ad-hoc mode.
Re:Nothing new (Score:4, Insightful)
It's the size and convenience. None of your mentioned solutions offer anything close to the MiFi form factor. Try fitting your Soekris board in your pocket.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Actually you're mistaken. The program I referred to, ICScontrol, runs on my Samsung Saga. My Saga is about the size of the MiFi (if not smaller). Also if I'm going to use the MiFi, I'm going to have a computer with me anyway (otherwise there's no point). So both solutions (running the Internet sharing app directly on my phone or tethering then sharing via Ad-Hoc) both apply.
Another Option: Kyocera KR-2 (Score:3, Informative)
Your other option instead of waiting for a Mi-Fi, or if you want the portability of a USB cellular modem, is the Kyocera KR-2 [kyocera-wireless.com] Mobile Router. I use this with Verizon and it has the added benefit of being network-neutral, and also allowing for using another (faster) network and reverting to the cellular connection as a backup. The downside? Not as portable.
Call me when the price drops. (Score:5, Interesting)
Let's talk when this can be used for using the internet. Until the price/GB drops, this is pretty much useless.
Re: (Score:2)
Have this as well - it is an outstanding product (Score:5, Informative)
As others point out, it isn't a revolution in communication. It is, however, a very elegant implementation of a useful service at a price that is (for my needs) reasonable.
I've been using it a week or two now, here's what my take:
Summary: It does what it says it does, in the way it promises, without the slightest hassle. For electronics, that's a hell of an endorsement.
The GOOD:
1. Size - it's damn easy to carry It really is as small as the ads make it look.
2. Replaceable Battery - I have a spare right with it (spare was just under $40)
3. Runs on USB charger, laptop USB, or Battery
4. Good - maybe not amazing - battery life (2-3 hours in reality)
5. Micro-usb connector is compatible with my phone charger so I carry fewer blocks
6. Performance -> It out performs the EVDO Rev A. Mini-PCI card that I had in my laptop.
7. Reception -> Better than my best cell phone ---- Also, in poor reception areas like some hotel rooms, I can put it over by the window where the signal is good, and use the network anywhere in the room!
8. Ubiquity -> I don't have to pick what device I bring with me based on my connectivity needs.
9. Multi-Device support -> Laptop, Hand-held game, netbook, kid's laptop in the car, etc.
10. No need to use the crappy Verizon connection software on the laptop (or worse, Dell's bastard stepchild version)
Less Good / Room to Improve
1. It needs a signal level indicator on the outside surface. To check signal, you have to hit the router's config page with a browser.
2. The data sheet on this says it has a connector for an external antenna. I have yet to see such a thing. Maybe it is hiding.
3. It seems to be powered up any time you plug it in to charge. No way to charge with the wifi part off (you can tell it not to connect to the cell network)
Overall, I'm really impressed with this thing.
Sure, I could run a linux vm on my laptop and share the internal card over the wireless; I could get a router that's compatible with another evdo card, or some other solution -- but this just works and works well.
As far as the cost: If you travel on business and end up paying for hotel wifi, this quickly pays for itself. Better yet, is the ability to pop open the laptop or handheld pretty much ANYWHERE and pretty much ANYTIME and get connected. Airport baggage claim, taxi cab, doctor's waiting room, and most important at the park waiting for one of my kids to finish soccer practice. You could just find an open wifi, but I like knowing what I'm connected to.
Re: (Score:2)
As it happened, I bought the MIFI at the same time I gritted my teeth and dove in headfirst on the BB Storm (which it turns out, I actually like -- though I can see where others may not). Both use the new Micro-USB connectors, and I'd purchased a car charger and second home charger for the phone (I keep one in my briefcase for travel). Now, between the two devices I have cables and plus wherever I need them. Synergy working for me for a change.
This is great... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Your solution involves tethering which might be illegal with a wireless provider. Not the same.
Re: (Score:2)
While it may thought of like a breach of contract, I don't think your use of "illegal" is correct in this case.
Immobile phone in HK (Score:3, Informative)
For a family on the go w/ a bunch of ipod touches, (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Apparently pre-paid data SIMs in Europe don't really exist. They bill you up to $31/MB in equivalent charges, which empties your pre-paid pretty quick. Not to mention crossing borders and finding out your pre-paid is all of a sudden 'foreign' and charging you for incoming calls. Darn.
Damn, but it figures. Even the Europeans see data as a cash cow. And they are so right. Plan on using hotel WiFi and putting up with marginal service and no VOIP.
Re:Isn't this what bluetooth was supposed to handl (Score:2)
The Dial-Up Networking profile on most current VZW phones is enabled, so in theory you should be able to set up a connection through Bluetooth. This isn't officially supported, though, which means you're on your own setting it up. There's a BT profile compatibility chart at http://www.verizonwireless.com/bluetooth [verizonwireless.com].