This week's review is a 2-for-1! (Well, sort of.) I tested the Sprint and Verizon versions of the Novetel MiFi 2200. It's a mobile hotspot that fits in your pocket. It's easy to use -- pretty much just have to charge it, turn it on, and then your nearby mobile devices will be able to connect to the Internet at broadband speeds. Up to 5 devices can tap into it at once.
What impressed me was when I used Verizon's MiFi to connect to Xbox Live and play a game with a friend AND watch streaming videos on a laptop -- and it worked great! There was a little lag in the game in the beginning, but not for long.
Sprint connected to Xbox Live also, but it was having a few connection hiccups -- although I'm sure there were other factors involved (could have been an Xbox Live problem or coverage problem -- hard to say). Sprint worked great when I used it to connect online with my computers. Sprint also has this GPS feature built into the MiFi, but the interface isn't intuitive to use and it kept saying I was in Boca Raton when I was in Cooper City... which are about 33 miles apart. Not really sure if many people will get value out of a GPS inside the MiFi. (Shrug.)
There were two things I wasn't a fan of. Verizon's instructions say you should hook it up to your computer and it download MiFi software to manage your wireless connections. It was glitchy and unnecessary software! Bah.
And Sprint doesn't have a complicated password printed on the back of the device like Verizon does. Sprint has this 54321 default password. I can see folks having trouble with that if they wanted to change it. And then if you change it, it better be something you can remember easily if you want to share it.
Download your 'Fins iPhone application
so you just plugged in your aircard into the mifi 2200 and plugged in the wifi network adaptor to your xbox connected?
Posted by: reagan | July 22, 2009 at 12:53 AM
Reagan -- No, you don't have to plug the MiFi into anything. Just turn it on and the Xbox (or any device) will see it as a wireless connection.
Posted by: Bridget Carey | July 22, 2009 at 11:25 AM
I just noticed that you changed your avatar's outfit to match your own, haha!
(And yes, I am sitting here on a Saturday evening browsing your videos - I hope you choke on a Casey's hotdog up in Disney!)
Posted by: Amanda | August 08, 2009 at 06:38 PM
no way!!!!! how many bars did u have wen u were using xbox live????
Posted by: jo | November 19, 2009 at 06:26 PM