I’ve been using a MiFI 2200 as my sole internet connection (living where I do this is my best option) and it has severed me well for a couple years. However the battery is totally shot and I need a new “Something.” I’m going to be living out of my RV for a few months and also need some type of cell phone. So I’m considering getting a Verizon mifi 4620le or maybe a Samsung S3 (or similar) and use that as a hotspot and phone. I realize using a Smartphone as a hotspot will really drain the battery but most of the time I can leave it plugged into the laptop’s USB port. If I don’t get a phone/hotspot I’ll probably buy some minutes on my tracfone and just use that.

What do you think, mifi or phone/hotspot?

If you think a phone/hotspot will work any recommendations on a phone?

..or just a datastick for the laptop.

That might work but the wife and I both have tablets and other wifi PC's. The MiFi currently powers the entire house with internets.

I envision sitting on the beach in Florida this winter casually checking my work email on my tablet while occasionally going for a swim. Plus when I get back to real life this will be the house’s sole internet connection.

I would get the mifi otherwise no one could use the internet unless you are home with the phone.

Good point, and I thought of that, but I work from home and hardly ever leave home, when I do I take my $5.99 a month tracfone with me, just in case I have an issue. So, I think having cell/hotspot wouldn’t interrupt the family. Right now I have an office phone (landline) and a mifi.

My main concern is that a Smartphone/hotspot might not be as good as a mifi. All a mifi does is be a hotspot so it might do a better than a phone, maybe not???

Make sure to see how much power the S3 will draw from a laptop USB port. It's possible it may not be enough to keep it charging and running as a hotspot over LTE. Perhaps with the screen off, it may be okay. But you are still talking 3 radios active (WiFi, 3G and LTE).

A wall plug would be a safer bet to keep it running over a long time.

I have a 4G mifi for work that replaced a 2200 mifi. I could have a tethering data plan instead, but I don't for 3 reasons:

1. Cellular data chews batteries. The mifi has changeable batteries, my iPhone doesn't. Using the mifi for data means longer iPhone battery life for phone calls, which is important given how much time I spend trying to work in airports, and how incredibly inconvenient it can be trying to charge up in an airport without a Delta sky club.
2. Multiple people can use the mifi simultaneously. Maybe you can do this now with tethering, but I couldn't get it to work when I tried it a few years ago.
3. You can have different networks on the devices. My iPhone is AT&T (simultaneous voice and data) and my mifi is Verizon. If one has crappy reception where I am, I can usually get emails and calendar updates using the other network.

I travel a ton, and i make my living using the phone, so these factors are critical to me.

Be aware that 4G data is outrageously expensive if you use very much of it. If I was spending my own money I would stick with the 2200 3G and just buy a replacement battery. I have two you can have, if you want them.

Jim

"Tethering" these days usually means "WiFi Tethering", which ought to work fine with multiple client devices. Dunno about iPhones, but my Galaxy Nexus handles that situation.

Yea the iPhone does this ok, but the phone gets quite hot and the battery doesn't last long! I normally tether the iPhone over USB as it seems to like it better.

The range over WiFi is also pretty bad.

Cheers

Cris

USB doesn't share easily, though, as discussed above.

I did some speed tests with my own handset here a while ago, trying out the various tethering methods.

Wifi was the fastest, by far.
USB came second, dunno why. Or did I only dream I tested it?
Bluetooth a very distant, far away, hardy existent, third.

Cheers

Thanks Jim those are good points. I think you and others have convinced me that I better stick with a mifi device. Since I use if for the entire house it does need to have a good wifi broadcast range and just plan work. I was wondering if anyone would mention range (thanks Cris). Currently the 2200 sometimes needs to be restarted if a wifi device “goes to sleep.” I think the 2200 doesn’t release the IP’s and once the 5 IP’s allotted are used up it can’t assign a new IP. Also when connected to the laptop via a USB cable it will not act as a hotspot. I had this fixed with a custom setup file but when I updated the software at one point they locked me out of the setup file. I hate when an upgrade really downgrades you. I think if I’m picky about these points there will probably be a lot more issues with a hotspot phone.

Do you like the 4G mifi replacement better than the 2200? Also why did you mention 4G data costs more? I thought it was just faster with Verizon and not more money.

If I sign up for a 2 year contract with Verizon the 4620LE is free. While I hate contracts I don’t see my internet access changing in the next two years. I just need to make sure if my job finally gets outsources to India I can downgrade my monthly allotment of data without voiding the contract.

The company I work for currently pays for my home office phone and internet. As long as I keep costs reasonable I think they will continue to pay for them no matter how I configure my phone and internet. So, I think I’ll go with a new mifi and port my landline to a cell phone. That should come in around $140 a month. Currently I average that right now with what I have.

Thanks a lot for the 2200 battery offer. I totally forgot that the mifi has a changeable battery. Everything seem to be throwaway now, I hate that.

One other alternative if you need longer WiFi range is a router that accepts the USB cellular modems.

Thanks, I wonder if there is a device that would just amplify the current wifi signal without plugging it into anything via USB. Or maybe there is a device that I could plug the mifi into via the USB and then the "device" would send out more "wifi's." It would be nice to have the wifi reach the barn and garage.

Take a look at the Cradlepoint CTR35. I have one in my car with a Virgin Mobile USB stick. But, it can also do WiFi as WAN (redistribute a WiFi signal)

Thanks, nice, 350 feet range, wow. You guys do know the stuff. I didn’t even know what to Google for to find something like this.

This is going on my Christmas list. It mentions it does tether to my mifi 2200 but nothing about the 4620LE. But it does redistribute wifi so that should do the trick.

Looks like no battery though.