Novatel MiFi Portable 3G Hot Spot – Still Not As Good AS WiFi
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novatel-mifi
There’s a big fuss over Novatels new MiFi device as the next big thing in mobile communications and maybe it is but it still uses sucky 3G to enable the connection to other mobile and WiFi devices. Now call me impatient or just plained spoiled but I hate 3G. As far as I’m concerned, it is just WiFi’s younger immature brother that needs to grow up quick.
With 40 hours standby and 4 hours of use from a single charge of the battery, you shouldn’t ever be without 3G wherever you are, but, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, I can do without 3G wherever I am. In fact, unless I’m desperate to get on-line, even if 3G is available I would pass on the opportunity until I get to a WiFi hotspot.
For those of you who think I’m knocking the Novatel MiFi too much, have you seen how Apple were made to pull their iPhone adverts touting ‘super fast internet over 3G’? The platform just doesn’t deliver and has been oversold.
If you are really desperate for 3G on the go then the Novatel MiFi Portable 3G Hot Spot will be available from net year from whichever carriers Novatel decides to partner with (think At&T and extortion).
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While I agree that 3G is woefully inadequate to supply broadband for anything more than “browsing” and email…
I also claim that WiFi is nowhere near fast enough for a genuine dedicated broadband connection for a laptop.
indeed, only Wireless N can even supply Verizon Fios subscribers with a wireless transmission rate that can utilize their full bandwidth (Fios speeds reguarly top 6 megabytes per second download, whereas wireless G tops out at about 5-6 megabytes per second in real world tests, despite the simple 8:1 bit:byte ratio, other bottlenecks bring real world transmission rates to 10:1 or slightly slower)…
if you genuinely use services that lag enough with 3G to hamper your productivity, then you are in for a rude awakening:
4G aint going to do much better.
and even then, these are services that CLEARLY utilize enough bandwidth to quickly fill a data cap…
“but wait, the 4g plans are unlimited!”
read the TOS and contract for 4G data plans. the providers have wised up…
they will never again allow you to “lock yourself in” to an unlimited plan…
4g plans have language guaranteeing the provider the right to change the data cap at a later date.
they are only unlimited NOW, and only as a marketing tool…
no one actually expects 4g to replace hard line broadband, because it simply isnt fast enough.
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