My interest in the MiFi is three-fold:
- A backup home and mobile internet connection, which I can switch to if my primary 3G or home connection fails or is unbearably slow. Without having to fiddle with SIM cards on my phone or plugging in a mobile dongle into a PC. A backup reliable 3G+WiFi connection.
- A 3G+WiFi device that I can use to take my WiFi only devices out to play. The iPod Touch immediately comes to mind and that is what seems to be 3's target market, for now. But if you don't fancy a mobile dongle sticking out the side of your netbook/laptop, the MiFi is perfect.
- iPad. We already pay a hefty premium for an Apple product, on top of which we pay a premium for being an early adopter if we get one now. Tech blogs tell us that as early adopters, our best bet is to get the base model and upgrade in a year or two's time when the product has matured to the level we would have wanted to begin with. Which means we go for the WiFi only model. But then no taking your iPad to browse the web on the train/tube and no A-GPS, no geolocation, no geotagging, no fun. Again the 3 MiFi perfectly serves the purpose in more ways than one as I found out.
My impressions:
- Setting up - There might have been an issue with the unit I received, in that the previous tester might have changed the settings and converted it from a secured WiFi connection to an open one. Three include the connection settings in the box, so you should be able to pop in the SIM, start charging and be ready to connect straight away. However, I found my unit to be unsecured and that meant securing it first. You can do so by installing the 3 WiFi Manager software stored on the device itself. Connect the device to your PC with the supplied mini USB cable, drivers get installed (might have to reboot - I had to on Win7 64-bit Professional Edition) to get the drivers install properly. Up pops the 3 WiFi Manager installation dialog box. Here's the catch : its Windows only. There is no Mac OS X version, which means if having to secure your MiFi before using it is standard (doubt it, but do check before buying) then you need access to a PC. Also there is no WEP security, if that's an issue (seems Nintendo DS uses WEP only and hence won't play nice with the E5830). Once secured, its the usual procedure to connect devices - its a WiFi spot as far as everything is concerned and you find it, type in the password and connect. I was able to simultaneously connect 2 iPod Touch 1Gs, a Macbook pro (running Windows or Mac OS X), iPhone 3GS and an Android handset (Huwaei U8220) and the Three MiFi seemed happy with all the attention.
- Indoors - am on an O2 contract with my iPhone. Which means I have no usable 3G connection to speak of. Inside the flat or out in the open. So the first thing to do was run speed tests in as close to scientific conditions as possible on 3's MiFi:
- Windows 7 - Google Chrome Browser - http://www.speedtest.net - 2.25 Mbps down, 1.07 Mbps up.
- iPhone 3GS - OS 3 - SpeedTest Native App - 1.42 Mbps down, 1.49Mbps up.
- iPod Touch 1st Gen - OS 3 - SpeedTest Native App - 0.47Mbps down and 0.79Mbps (am sure the 1st Gen hardware must have had a say in this, because the iPhone 3GS was giving me 1.29 down and 0.40 up at this point)
- Android T-Mobile Pulse/Huawei U8220 - Android 1.5 - 1.08Mbps down and 0.75Mbps up.
- Outdoors - Tried the MiFi on the overground parts of the tube in (outer) London and out and about in the Strand area. Whereas O2 has at least 4 extended blackspots on my 20 min above ground journey, 3 had one minor blip. Sure O2's network is over utilized and 3's maybe not so much, but that doesn't make a difference to my monthly mobile bill, so more annoyed with O2's excuses. Some photographic evidence
Non existent O2 connection, happily browsing with the MiFi.
An exciting thing about the MiFi is that in a way its mobile networking for your WiFi devices because they will be all on the same subnet. Not sure whether the WiFi feature necessarily works if the MiFi is not able to find a mobile signal/3G connection, but it should. What this means is that you can use cool apps like the DSLR camera remote, which allows you to remote control your camera while its tethered to your laptop (running the server software) from your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. So, networking.
Remember what I said about the assisted GPS stuff on the iPad, which will be missing in the WiFi only version? Now in the brief time I got to test the MiFi with an iPod Touch, there was another revelation. Geolocation and maps will work on a non-GPS enabled device with the MiFi to the same extent as triangulation using mobile towers does. Sure, it might not be able to pinpoint like a true GPS device, but for most city dwelling and use purposes that is good enough, right? We don't get a GPS fix in the midst of all those buildings anyway, its usually triangulation using the mobile towers. While in a taxi on the A4 to Heathrow, I was able to near pinpoint (accurately) my location on the iPod Touch, WiFi-ed into the MiFi. Geek gadget heaven! So, maps.
What else does WiFi give you? Skype calls! Over 3G. On your iPhone or iPod Touch (you'll need a handsfree kit), which the native Skype app still doesn't allow. Tried it, it worked. And with reports that some apps are not playing fair with the iPad 3G, the MiFi is a cure for many ills. Also it means that you will not be at the mercy of iPad 3G data pricing (and micro SIM prices, though you can fashion your own microSIMs from standard SIMs) from other networks. Though its unlikely that, with 3's MiFi around, networks will be able to get away with exorbitant charges. So, calls and texts (either through Skype or the 3 WiFi Manager App for Windows, which allows you to send and receive text messages in tethered mode from the MiFi).
Finally, if present and near future proofing your iPad or any new WiFi enabled mobile gizmo purchase is important to you, then a MiFi is pretty much your only bet. LTE/4G are not that far away and I have no idea what kind of hardware changes those technologies will demand. So if having to upgrade your essentially perfectly fine kit just to use the latest connectivity is likely to annoy you, the MiFi is your friend.
Of course, you will find more uses for the device as the possibilities click in your mind. Like leaving the MiFi on the window sill for the best signal, while you roam around inside. You and your partner can both engage in "must look that thing up that I must look up now" activity while on the tube/bus/train and maintain radio silence. Bliss...
So, what are the downsides?
It is churlish to try and pick faults with this star, but there are a couple of things, one of which should and can definitely be sorted out.
Inevitably, battery life is a major downer. And having another wall charger and another cable will lead to some utterance of profanities at some point. And it does misbehave at times. Especially, when it drops its connection and tries to reconnect etc.
But the main and only real issue I have with the device is the lack of a proper admin console (the 3 Wifi Manager isn't enough) to tell you what devices are connected to your MiFi, how much data you've used etc. There are hacks available on the web to do all this, but that is besides the point.
Conclusion
Get it - its a no brainer really. The E5830 is fantastic and though there is Novatel's much more expensive MiFi 2352 (and possibly other MiFis that I am unaware of) and the alternative of using software/app based MiFi functionality, the pricing and the coverage of Three's offering are just right.
