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Verizon Mi-Fi or something else

B

brainwave89

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
476
8
I have an original wi-fi only iPad and need a device such as a Verizon Mi-Fi device to get online. I was wondering if there was better/cheaper/easier options other than the Verizon Mi-Fi devices.

Thank you for looking.
 
I used to like the virgin mifi device. Only problem I that now if you use more than 2.5GB your speed is throttled. Not sure if it's throttled 3G or a kick down to 2G. If it was 3G and slower speeds it would be more bearable than 2G.
 
Verizon Mifi

I had the Virgin Mobile and for the price to get unlimited, it was great. Then they changed and only the first 2.5 gb are normal 3G speeds, then throttle it back. I got the Verizon Mifi and for $35 I get 3GB at 3G speeds and the coverage has been great. Even in the wide open spaces of Utah and Arizona.
 
If you have LTE in your area, Verizon miff that's LTE comPatible is best, the speeds are great but you need to check if you qualify for discount, my bill comes out to $41 after taxes for 5gb a month which isn't too bad for the speed and flexibility I get with it.

You could also try a clear mifi, they sell them in best buy, and they're the same price but run on wimax and offer unlimited plans.

T-mobile, sprint, and AT&T also have mifi's but I belive the monthly plans are more expensive but do give you more data. Also I wouldnt do any 3G mifi's from a cmda carrier (sprint, Verizon, virgin) because their 3G is just too slow. Anything 4g is fine, and 3G from AT&T or t-mobile is good too.
 
Fernandez21 said:
Also I wouldnt do any 3G mifi's from a cmda carrier (sprint, Verizon, virgin) because their 3G is just too slow. Anything 4g is fine, and 3G from AT&T or t-mobile is good too.
Click to expand...

Not sure your expectations aren't a little wonky. I get 2mb+ down from my Verizon Mifi on a consistent basis... In areas where GSM carriers relegate others to 100kbs if they are lucky.
 
Is it worthwhile to consider selling your iPad for an iPad with 3G, they're going pretty cheap for the iPad 1 with 3G. Also the data plans are often cheaper.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
Not sure your expectations aren't a little wonky. I get 2mb+ down from my Verizon Mifi on a consistent basis... In areas where GSM carriers relegate others to 100kbs if they are lucky.
Click to expand...

All I know is that on my Verizon mifi, when it's on LTE I get like 10mb down, but when it's on 3G I'm lucky to get 1mb and loading websites take forever. I figure sprint and virgin would be the same since it's the same tech. My iPad though when it's on AT&T 3G though gets 2-3mb and websites load fast enough, and since t-mo is supposed to be a little faster I included them too.
 
Fernandez21 said:
All I know is that on my Verizon mifi, when it's on LTE I get like 10mb down, but when it's on 3G I'm lucky to get 1mb and loading websites take forever. I figure sprint and virgin would be the same since it's the same tech. My iPad though when it's on AT&T 3G though gets 2-3mb and websites load fast enough, and since t-mo is supposed to be a little faster I included them too.
Click to expand...

I get around the same speed on 4G LTE on my Verizon mifi... depending on location, but 3G is a little inconsistent. Most of the time, 3G is okay 1 to 2 mbps... but sometimes it's so slow that it is unusable. When I'm connected to 4G LTE... it feels like my iPad is connected to my home wifi... especially when streaming Netflix, Hulu+, etc...
 
i use the samsung mobile hotspot and it works great with the ipad 2 wifi. im in a 4g area and get speeds ~10mbps.
 
IMO, you also have to consider where you are going to use it the most and thus what carrier gives you the best coverage. I have Sprint (an EVO) and I use the hotspot feature. What's nice about it is I can turn the hotspot on/off during the month and Sprint only charges for the days I use it. Also, with mifi plans on Sprint, all 4G data is unlimited. So while Sprint's hotspot data plans look a little more than Verizon's, 4G data is unlimited on Sprint. I am taking a job soon that will require national travel so I am looking at Verizon for the best overall coverage, but if Sprint has good coverage for you (and 4G WiMax in your area), I would give it a look.
 
Another vote for the VZW MiFi. I bought one for management to share at my job, and it's been great for them. I've had the opportunity to borrow it a few times, and other than Maps taking forever to load, overall surfing & light downloading has been terrific.
 
I have the 4G Mi-Fi and love it... its fast but especially becasue I can tether it to my laptop and AT&T iphone when service is spotty/ lagging... with out having to turn on my ipad and drain its battery.
 
Why don't you just tether from your Smartphone?

I have nothing against Verizon's Mi-fi, but it's additional contract, device and monthly bill you have to deal with.

Tethering is the way to go.
 
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