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Article in the Dallas Morning NewsMiFi transforms 3G data signal into Wi-Fi12:00 AM CDT on Friday, August 21, 2009Finding decent Wi-Fi when you're on the road can be tough sometimes, but Novatel Wireless' new MiFi 2200 lets you take a hot spot with you. The little machine basically sucks in a 3G data signal – I tested Verizon Wireless' version – and spits it back out as a standard Wi-Fi network. You can have up to five Wi-Fi devices connected simultaneously to the Internet through one MiFi. It's ingenious and flawless and so cool you'll almost laugh with delight the first time you connect. It's also expensive. The MiFi is surprisingly small – no bigger than half a dozen credit cards stacked together – and the internal, rechargeable battery makes it so portable you could leave it in your shirt pocket and barely notice. First-time setup is a breeze, although I did have to download an update for the configuration software. Once I was latched on to Verizon's network, the MiFi's Wi-Fi showed up on every Wi-Fi-compatible device I tested. Apple and Windows laptops connected without a hitch. I was even able to access Xbox Live on my Xbox 360 video game console. I didn't expect blazing speed, but I was pleasantly surprised with the 1-megabit-per-second-plus speeds I did get. That's not as fast as most regular DSL or cable modem connections – much less my Verizon FiOS fiber-optic service – but it's real broadband. The biggest benefit to the MiFi is that you can connect multiple devices at the same time. If you're traveling alone and just need to connect your laptop to the Web, a standard wireless card that plugs directly into your computer probably makes more sense. But if you're traveling with a team of co-workers, or if you're going on a car trip and you want to provide everyone in your clan with Wi-Fi so you can drive for five minutes without being pestered by the peanut gallery, the MiFi's five-on-one capacity is unbeatable. In fact, you might want to get your fellow Wi-Fi users to chip in to pay your bill. The MiFi itself costs $99 and requires a two-year contract at either $39.99 per month (250-megabyte monthly download cap) or $59.99 (5-gigabyte limit). Most people are going to want the 5-gig plan, but the equipment and plan prices seem high, particularly given the download limits. And you don't have a lot of options right now. For example, Sprint also sells the MiFi 2200, but it also charges $99 with a two-year contract for the hardware and only offers the 5-gig, $59.99 monthly plan. But if you absolutely need Wi-Fi where there isn't any, this thing delivers. |
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