Sprint and Verizon Launch MiFi Wireless Router
The Novatel MiFi 2200 Personal Hotspot and Router
May 31, 2009
As a growing number of people begin to access the Internet from mobile devices the desire for constant connectivity continues to rise. The MiFi personal wi-fi hot spot is an attempt to make such access as easy as pressing a single button, and at speeds rivaling those of many traditional broadband carriers.
In essence the MiFi is a wireless gateway to the Internet, operating via either the Verizon or Sprint wireless cell phone networks and providing a connection that can be used anywhere that there is 3G or Edge service available on those carriers.
The Mi-Fi goes beyond being a simple wireless modem however, adding convenience features that attempt to make it more appealing while justifying the rather exorbitant price tag for the monthly service.
What Does the MiFi Wireless Router Do?
The MiFi is a small wireless modem that serves as a wireless wi-fi enabled router to serve up to five different users at the same time. Unlike other wireless Internet cards the MiFi is completely independent of the computers that it routes traffic for.
Roughly the size of a credit card (but three times as thick) the MiFi has a single button that is used to turn the unit on and off. When it is activated the battery powered router connects to the Verizon or Sprint wireless network and begins to function as a router, complete with security features that one would expect from such a device. When fully charged the MiFi can run on its own power for up to four hours or remain in standby mode for up to forty hours.
To make use of the wireless Internet connection a computer, iPhone, iPod Touch, or any other wi-fi enabled device connects to the MiFi using standard wi-fi networking protocols. The device has a range of up to thirty feet in ideal conditions.
As New York Times columnist David Pogue points out one of the many strange yet potentially beneficial aspects of using such a device is the possibility of using the wi-fi connection to turn the iPod Touch, iPhone, or other device into a Skype enabled cellular phone without having to have an actual voice plan with Sprint or Verizon.
What Are The Downsides To The MiFi Wireless Router?
Although there are several potentially negative points of discussion that people have made about the MiFi on other forums, perhaps the biggest obstacle to ownership of the MiFi is the price. While rebates and incentives keep the initial purchase price down to around $100, the monthly service fees can be quite high.
Remember that the user of this device is essentially paying for a wireless broadband connection that can go almost anywhere in the country. For this convenience Sprint customers can expect to pay $60 per month. While this may not seem too bad, remember that the service also has a 5 gigabyte monthly cap on bandwidth usage.
Any data usage above an beyond that 5GB cap costs extra, and as any computer user knows, it is very easy to go over such a cap even while using the Internet for normal daily business. Add to this the router aspect of the MiFi and the user can whittle away at that 5GB very quickly.
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