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Mifi and iPad

ZBoater said:
Netflix streaming and the 5GB cap of the MiFi just dont mix... ;)
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Ah yes true! Hadn't even factored that issue into the equation. But MAN the math would look so much more attractive if I could pull my cable modem. As it is I'm contemplating pulling cableTV after The Pacific airs...
 
MiFi on iPad???

Can anyone can give us some reviews on using MiFi 2200 from Verizon?

I was at first going to wait for the iPad 3G, but now I may just get the MiFi.

Thanks
 
I'm using a mifi with my iPad and it works great! No issues whatsoever.

the fact that I already had a mifi pushed me from the 3g to the wifi and I have no regrets.
 
Pros
-No App store download cap
-Use with other devices
-In my neighborhood at least, Sprint 3g seems to have much lower latency than AT&T 3g

Cons
-$60/mo for 5gb
-takes a minute to boot and connect
-much much shorter battery life compared to the ipad
-yet another device to take along
-yet another device to charge every day
 
I have a Verizon MiFi which I have been using for about a year, and which I have been using with my wife's iPad for the past week. I am still getting the 3G iPad for myself.

1) I am trying to determine if the iPad will be "good enough" as my personal machine when traveling. The jury is still out... but it will save over 1/2 of the weight over my MacBook Air.

2) If #1 turns out to be yes... then I will cancel my MiFi, and substitute $60/month with a $30/month plan.

3) I dislike having the "extra device" of the MiFi. It is better than my old solution of an aircard... but by the time you add in the extra wall charger etc... it is extra bulk that I do not want to carry.

4) I really dislike the "setup" required. I brought my iPad to work yesterday because some co-workers wanted to try it out. I had to dig out my MiFi and wall charger, crawl under my desk to plug it in. Otherwise it would have gone dead during the day. I do use the internal battery for shorter connections (such as at an airport)... but I would estimate that I plug the MiFi into the charger more than 50% of the time.

At the end of the day... I decided that the first time I am someplace with just the iPad and I want to connect... that i would be pissed at myself for not spending the extra $130. When you throw in possibility that the iPad *might* be good enough on its own... then I have the potential to save 1/2 of my aircard bills.

Finally... for those who will recommend JB of the iPhone, running a goofy app to make a hotspot... BTDT and it is the worse possible solution... for which I would gladly get a MiFi and pay the $60/month to circumvent.

/Jim
 
I'm waiting for Sprint to roll-out 4G in my area and then may get the Overdrive (4G mifi-like device).
 
Nebrie said:
Cons
-$60/mo for 5gb
-takes a minute to boot and connect
-much much shorter battery life compared to the ipad
-yet another device to take along
-yet another device to charge every day
Click to expand...

All these reasons make the MiFi not a very attractive solution to mobile internet for an ipad. Who wants another device that gets a much shorter battery life? Also, $60 a month seems way too high, considering the iPhone data plan is half that. You probably could get a palm pixi with a wifi hotspot data plan and even a voice plan for not that much more than that.
 
I'm using the mifi and iPad together and it's great.

Much better than iPad only because you can also use it on the road with your laptop, phone, and even share if you need to.
 
I'm using Sprint Overdrive 4g right now in Chicago on my Macbook Pro. I have my iPad sitting here and it works flawlessly on that as well.

The speed is good. It seems slower than my LAN connection. But, it might be more noticeable because I am inside a building near downtown. I can't wait to try it at home.

At this point, it's fast enough to do everything I want to. So, I will be canceling cable I think. Giving Comcast the boot will feel soooooo good.

I really like the fact that I can use 3g when not in a 4g area. That's huge to me.
 
OK, I've moved the Overdrive to another room here at work and next to a window. The signal is now 40% (was 20%) and that makes a difference. Much snappier now.

This is really a neat little device. The charge is only good for 3 or 4 hours, but I just plug it in.

I saw someone with a MiFi when I was at drill (National Guard) and it was fantastic because five people could hook up to it and get some work done online. This is even better because of the 4G option here in Chicago. I'd say that this is really looking like a cable modem replacement. Comcast internet is around $60 per month without cable tv channels. So, for the same price as I am paying with cable I get mobility at the sacrifice of a little speed.

I have 30 days in which to return this and cancel if it doesn't work out. We'll see...
 
Mifi and iPad Work Seemlessly

I had the same debate but decided to stick with the MIFI. I use the Mifi with my MacBook and the ability to use one broadband card for both iPad and MacBook was the decisve factor. If I was only using the iPad, I would go with the 3G. I have a grandfathered plan o funlimited usage for $60/month and I could not justify the additional monthly expense for the iPad 3G. I am just still searching for the perfect ipad folio that lets me keep the Mifi card with the folio. I much prefer the folio cases (Apple, InCase, Sena) to any other style.

Good luck.
 
Lenow said:
I had the same debate but decided to stick with the MIFI. I use the Mifi with my MacBook and the ability to use one broadband card for both iPad and MacBook was the decisve factor. If I was only using the iPad, I would go with the 3G. I have a grandfathered plan o funlimited usage for $60/month and I could not justify the additional monthly expense for the iPad 3G. I am just still searching for the perfect ipad folio that lets me keep the Mifi card with the folio. I much prefer the folio cases (Apple, InCase, Sena) to any other style.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Do you find the 5GB of date per month enough?
 
tedhogan said:
I'm using Sprint Overdrive 4g right now in Chicago on my Macbook Pro. I have my iPad sitting here and it works flawlessly on that as well.

The speed is good. It seems slower than my LAN connection. But, it might be more noticeable because I am inside a building near downtown. I can't wait to try it at home.

At this point, it's fast enough to do everything I want to. So, I will be canceling cable I think. Giving Comcast the boot will feel soooooo good.

I really like the fact that I can use 3g when not in a 4g area. That's huge to me.
Click to expand...

How much actual 4G coverage is there within the US?
 
My MiFi Plan is Unlimited

Sorry, can't answer that. My plan is unlimited for $60/month.
 
teerexx52 said:
How do you get unlimited for $60. Best I've seen is for 5GB from Sprint or Verizon.
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I'm not sure about him, but my mifi is unlimited as its part of a large business account. We have confirmed and have in writing from sprint that this is the case as it is with all our data only plans (we have quite a few as part of a yard management system).

Some of the biggest advantages are being able to move the mifi for better signal. There have been numerous hotels with crap internet that could only get a decent signal with the mifi in the window (or even on the balcony).

Mifi charges off the same cord as my blackberry and plantronics headset so I always have a cable handy.

Mifi allows my pc and the wifes pc and my daughters touch and the ipad, ect to connect when at places that dont have wifi (which outside of metro detroit is just about everywhere).

Biggest advantage for me is i dont pay for the mifi. But if I did, i would still probably go the mifi route. I have more then enough content to not need wireless all the time, and the 4 hour battery of the mifi is long enough to get me between charges.
 
supermanx said:
I'm not sure about him, but my mifi is unlimited as its part of a large business account. We have confirmed and have in writing from sprint that this is the case as it is with all our data only plans (we have quite a few as part of a yard management system).

Some of the biggest advantages are being able to move the mifi for better signal. There have been numerous hotels with crap internet that could only get a decent signal with the mifi in the window (or even on the balcony).

Mifi charges off the same cord as my blackberry and plantronics headset so I always have a cable handy.

Mifi allows my pc and the wifes pc and my daughters touch and the ipad, ect to connect when at places that dont have wifi (which outside of metro detroit is just about everywhere).

Biggest advantage for me is i dont pay for the mifi. But if I did, i would still probably go the mifi route. I have more then enough content to not need wireless all the time, and the 4 hour battery of the mifi is long enough to get me between charges.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Sounds good. I am going to check again and see if I can get unlimited.
 
Sprint overdrive + iPad

I have the 4G Overdrive from Sprint and I love it. I verified the data plan yesterday and it is unlimited for 4G but capped at 5GB for 3G.

I actually bought my iPad while on vacation and used it with the overdrive and the wifi on the plane and performance was excellent. I used it all day for a cross country flight and even connected to 4G in Atlanta and downloaded a movie in about 15 minutes from the iTunes store. It was blazing fast. Battery on iPad was 55% at the end of the day.

One important recommendation when using the overdrive - disable WEP security and enable Mac filtering. It's actually more secure and allows you to specify the users who can access your overdrive. It also gets around any possible issues with the iPad wifi when it constantly prompts you for a password. Now that I've made this change, I'm very satisfied with my choice to go with the wifi version of the iPad. I didn't see any reason to get hit with another data plan when my overdrive can connect up to 5 users and is compatible with all of my devices. I even have my son's iPod touch set up to use my overdrive!!

Sandy
 
I also have the mifi and love it since it allows be to connect up to five devices. I also use my eris android so I'm happy with my decision of wifi only.
 
Alicia4065 said:
I also have the mifi and love it since it allows be to connect up to five devices. I also use my eris android so I'm happy with my decision of wifi only.
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Why would you use the MiFi on your Eris? They're both connecting to Verizon; the MiFi won't be any faster than the data connection on your phone?

I have a MiFi as well, and it's very handy for connecting laptops as well as the iPad and sharing the connection. If all I needed was the iPad, it would be one thing, but with multiple devices, it makes more sense to me to pay for only one data plan.

On top of that, I use a Motorola Droid which I've rooted (jailbroken) and installed a wifi hotspot app. I've used it with my iPad several times now. Perfect.
 
I don't use my mifi on my eris, I use my eris when I don't have my mifi with me which is rarely. The eris is rooted so I tether it to the iPad.
 
sandydlc said:
One important recommendation when using the overdrive - disable WEP security and enable Mac filtering. It's actually more secure and allows you to specify the users who can access your
Click to expand...

How do you determine the Mac address of your iPad?
 
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