Thursday, May 21, 2009

All about MiFi

In case you haven't heard yet, there's a VERY cool new gadget/service that Verizon just introduced and Sprint will soom be introducing called "MiFi." The naming seems to come from this being a personal ("my") version of of WiFi.

As described, the MiFi "mobile hotspot" consists of a cellular modem and a "micro" WiFi router that supports up to five devices.

The Verizon version has been announced, and information is available at:
http://b2b.vzw.com/broadband/mobilehotspot.html

The Sprint version sould be announced soon.

I've written a couple of newsletters that will post next week on Network World's WAN newsletter that give an overview of the product/service and also propose some cool uses. In the meantime, I'm waiting for an evaluation unit to give it a try myself.

One of my initial questions about MiFi, and the answers from Verizon, was:

Q: The pricing seems to be the same as the current data service for the 5 GB service, correct?

A: The difference in the data pricing is in the overage charge and the allowance on the $39.99 plan. The $39.99 plan now gives you 250 MB instead of 50 MB with 10 cents per MB for overage versus 25 cents per MB for overage. The $59.99 plan give you the same 5 GB of service but now charges you 5 cents per MB for overage versus 25 cents per MB.

Some questions that I'm interested in learning more about are:

1) What are the major differences between the Verizon and Sprint services? In what ways are these significant?

2) I am assuming, but do not have confirmation, that the five devices may communicate with each other locally and that there is no usage charge for that communication.

I'm sure there will be more to come.

If you would like to do some further readign about this product, I've also found interesting information at the following sites:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/take-your-wi-fi-hotspot-road-new-verizon-wireless-mifi-2200-intelligent-mobile-hots-0
http://www.xchangemag.com/hotnews/verizon-does-mi-fi-rhymes-with-wi-fi.html
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-follows-verizon-mifi-game/2009-05-13
http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/13/verizon-mifi-2200-review/

Looking forward to your comments and further discussion!

steve
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9 comments:

  1. Steven TaylorMay 21, 2009 at 4:49 PM

    I've invited both Verizon and Sprint to comment on how one would choose one service versus the other.

    Is there a significant price or feature difference?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 26, 2009 at 11:59 AM

    You should check out the Cradlepoint MBR1000. It mates 802.11n with cellular modems.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steven TaylorMay 26, 2009 at 12:05 PM

    Hi Robert!

    Thanks for the info.

    Do you work for Cradlepoint? Do you have a URL?

    ReplyDelete
  4. EdMay 28, 2009 at 1:53 PM

    Check out the Kyocera KR-1, KR-2, Junxion Box, Linksys WRT54G3G-ST. Or you could do this with a pcmcia card and Squid.

    Also google "fixed wireless terminals" for info on Telular, Ericsson and a host of other manufacturers that embed the technology in routers without need for an external card.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rich HMay 28, 2009 at 8:06 PM

    As an owner of a Verizon MiFi one of the important factors with MiFi is the very small size. This makes it practical to carry around with you and have it available at all times. I have three devices that communicate have wifi capability and whenever I need to get online away from home or the office I just turn on the MiFi and I'm online.

    ReplyDelete
  6. EdMay 29, 2009 at 12:39 AM

    As Robert pointed out, the Cradlepoint has already been doing this well. The CTR500 is a nice compact, battery powered unit.

    Ah well, irritating marketing spin aside, the bright side is we are getting closer to real personal area networks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Steven TaylorMay 29, 2009 at 9:42 AM

    I think both the MiFi and the Cradlepoine are iteresting options. MiFi certainly has the current marketing edge.

    On the other hand, Cradlepoint can use your existing cellular modem without having to negotiate for a new contract.

    I'm hoping to test both.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Steven TaylorMay 29, 2009 at 9:44 AM

    Btw, this weekend would have been a great time to test these devices. I have a meeting of a volunteer board, and lots of members have WiFi notebooks but do not have cellular modems. The meeting location does not have public WiFi.

    Seems like the perfect opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Steven TaylorJune 3, 2009 at 9:33 AM

    Recent NWW newsletters that discuss MiFi can be found at:

    http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/frame/2009/052509wan1.html

    http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/frame/2009/052509wan2.html

    and

    http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/wireless/2009/060109wireless1.html

    Please note that you may have to cut and paste the URLs - unfortunatly...

    Cheers!

    steve

    ReplyDelete

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