Verizon MiFi review

Brian Ambrozy 28 Jan, 2010 at 6:42pm ET Article published in Tech

The oft-heralded “Internet everywhere” that WiFi promised a few years back is still a pipe dream for most. Getting a WiFi connection in most places involves paying for hotspot access, along with the security and performance compromises that come with it. For those who travel a lot, having to maintain hotspot accounts with companies like T-Mobile or Boingo can become a mess of passwords, fees and annoyance. One could also get a 3G card for their laptop, but that’s usually an expensive and complicated process.

Having hotspot access in a hotel or airport is one thing, but what if you need to work anywhere and you don’t want to (or can’t) utilize 3G cards for your device? What if you want to share with a co-worker or friend? Verizon’s answer to those questions is the MiFi. We’ll just say this now and get it over with: When Icrontic covered CES 2010, it saved our asses.

Performance

Verizon has a strong 3G presence in Las Vegas, but we tested this device in what is probably an extreme usage scenario: five people concurrently using it to browse, check Twitter, get email (including attachments), upload video to YouTube and instant message. With more than two people, it gets pretty slow; with all five on, it barely works.

If you’re the only one using the MiFi, however, you should have no problems, provided you have a strong 3G signal. I uploaded a 118MB clip to YouTube and it took 28 minutes, or only slightly slower than most normal home broadband connections.

At no point during our testing were we unable to get a signal, but I do wish there were “bars” on the MiFi to indicate signal strength. It’s an ubiquitous symbol that people are used to, and there’s really no reason not to have it on a 3G device.

When we did have connectivity issues, however, we had no reason to think: “Hey, that steel pillar is in the way, I can just move it three feet to the left and get a bar.” There were also a few times I had to reboot the MiFi to resolve some speed problems but, considering how hard we were pushing the thing, I don’t consider that an issue.

Cost

Having a mobile WiFi hotspot is critical in certain situations, for sure—but is it worth the cost? You can probably find the MiFi 2200 for free with a bundled data plan, but those plans can be expensive: $39.99 for 250MB a month, or $59.99 for 5GB.

I think most of us can agree that 250MB is a pretty low bandwidth cap. It wouldn’t be hard to blow through that in a month and, with bandwidth running 10 cents a meg after 250MB, it’s a quick trip to StickerShock World™. With that in mind, we’re of the opinion that you need a 5GB cap if you need a device like this at all. But then it becomes a question of pure economics: this thing is a lifesaver if you need it but, like any essential device, you pay the price for the privilege.

Final thoughts

Because of the cost, the MiFi will likely remain a niche product. Even at the lowest rate plan, this is not something for the mass market. If you can afford it, however, the MiFi will bring an enormous amount of convenience to your mobile lifestyle and increase your productivity by enabling you to be connected anywhere.

Added bonus: you get the stink-eye from other journalists who are dead in the water while you bust out your little MiFi and get to work…

Comments

28 Jan 2010 ~ 9:27pm BuddyJ the MiFi is good WeeFee.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 9:31am photodude I Just as I thought MiFi is verizon code name for "my fee" or expanded "verizon, taken the fees to the bank device"

I do agree the MiFi is very useful just like internet on a smart phone. MiFi is also a lifesaver for some specific uses like journalism and business but a waste for many other uses.

and the bandwidth cap of 250MB....really, really. either verizon is after fees or they have no concept of multimedia consumption on the internet.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 12:04pm chrisWhite Out of curiosity, why weren't you guys just tethering with your phones?
29 Jan 2010 ~ 12:48pm Thrax Because carriers don't like it when you tether and haven't paid for it. The traffic patterns are very obvious.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 1:41pm chrisWhite Right, I guess that would have worked out to be more expensive then the MiFi then?
29 Jan 2010 ~ 1:46pm Thrax Right, tethering is more expensive than the MiFi because you need to purchase tethering on TOP of a data plan. This is true of any carrier out there. If you want WWAN, an aircard or something like the MiFi is by far the cheapest option. I use "cheap" loosely.
29 Jan 2010 ~ 5:31pm chrisWhite I understand that tethering costs more above and beyond your data plan, but the MiFi costs more beyond your cell phone data plan too assuming you all had Android phones. I'm surprised the MiFi is significantly cheaper, is that because you only needed one of them for the five of you?

MiFi, that's some clever branding on Verizon's part.
31 Jan 2010 ~ 11:52pm ardichoke Heh... T-mobile didn't seem to notice my tethering that I was doing for weeks as I moved into my new house. Rooted android ftw.
20 Jul 2010 ~ 10:24pm Teresa Beware! I have had the Verizon 5gb mifi for about a year and recently ran into a very costly problem. Recently Verizon ran an update that will allow any computer who has a stored mifi password to automatically connect to the internet anytime the computer is on. For those customers who use their computers for work and play and keep at least one operating at all times, this can be a problem. Most Microsoft, Skype, Java, etc. will stream their updates continuously, so that the Verizon mifi is downloading most all the time. The only remedy we have found and the one recommended by Verizon tech service is to turn off auto update on every computer or to constantly turn the mifi on and off everytime you want to get on the internet. Not an option for those of us who work from home. By the time we discovered the problem and got to the cause, our bill was over $1250.
20 Jul 2010 ~ 10:40pm primesuspect eep! Thanks for the heads up
9 Mar 2011 ~ 2:51pm Penney I had a similar problem, thot must be my usage was more that I was in fact using. My bill for Sept and Oct added up to over $10,000! I am currently fighting with the company and am going to call a lawyer tommorrow (told them that) and I am thinking that this warrents a class action suit! Hope you didnt pay that bill!