The MiFi 2000 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot is a mobile hotspot that works with the Virgin Mobile network and provide the 3G internet connection shared with different Wi-Fi supporting devices. It comes with a minimalistic simple design and has no much options to play with on the external surface, but has a capability to connect to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices using it’s own 3G connectivity to Sprint’s 3G networks.
The MiFi hotspot can be used to connect with devices that are around 30-40 feet away from it and the device can run for up to 4 hours with the 3G connection running, on its battery not connected to the charger. Unlike the other 3G and internet devices, the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot doesn’t come with any contracts or plans that you compulsorily need to choose, but you are limited to the Virgin Mobile network.
To use the 3G network, you would need to pay according to the usage of data. As soon as the device is connected to the computer, either in the Windows or Mac OS, the software installation prompt comes onto the screen and you can install the drivers for the easy connecting later on. Switching the network on is pretty simple, with a single button on the device that would start the network and instantaneously you can connect to the device through Wi-Fi network.
The MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspot comes with a WEP password initially which comes printed on the back of the box, but this can be changed anytime from within the software. The Driver section in the OS has a few options that the user can change – The Network SSID name, the WEP Password, the type of network i.e. 802.11 b or 802.11 g or both the networks together. At a standard network the 3G speeds when checked, would reach around 2Mbps but with sharing the speed gets a bit lesser to the individual devices. The advantage with this device is that the battery life isn’t an issue. The device gets charged while it’s connected to the computer through the USB cable connection.
This device is by Novatel and is one of the best 3G Wi-Fi devices around comes with an option of connecting with a USB wire so that it doesn’t clutter the space around your laptop, and it can be kept at a small distance away from the laptop. Connecting can happen with mobile phones, laptops, cameras etc. and it simply distributes the data through the 3G network it gets from Sprint.
The price officially is $149.99 at Virgin Mobile USA but if you check at Amazon you can get the device at prices of around $60. As it is available without any contract, you can buy it at Amazon and then subscribe to any plan with Virgin Mobile which would offer you the 3G service of Sprint at various packages, that depend on the amount of usage and the time of usage.
If you are looking for something more advanced when it comes to the network, there are 4G devices from Samsung too available for prices around $99.
MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile HotSpot by Virgin Mobile – Review, Price