What is MiFi?

Tethering looks a far better option, unless technology in the MiFi makes a better quality of connection than you would get from a cellphone.

Who wants extra devices and extra accounts?

Do you have an article on how to tether a mobile phone to a laptop with a USB cable? That sounds like something that I would use!! I don't think I'd need the MiFi since I'm just a single user wanting occasional access when I'm on the road.

Users can find good deals on the MiFi hardware by not purchasing directly from wireless carriers. BuyMiFi.com updates daily with the best deals available.

I'm with Derek and digital. I have verizon and data service for my pda, and I would like to be able to grab the internet a half dozen times a year when on the road. I'd love to know how the tether option works.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In a nutshell, you connect your cell phone to your laptop with a USB cable, then use it as a dialup modem to connect to the Internet. The specifics are different, depending on your phone and your mobile provider. Some providers charge a fee to use tethering, and you may also be charged extra for exceeding a certain amount of data bandwidth. I recommend you start by asking your mobile provider about tethering options for your phone.

For my last vacation, I called up my cell phone provider (Sprint for anyone who is wondering) and set up a tether option for that week.

I of course used my laptop for the tethering option, but then for my iTouch and for the rest of the family who wanted wifi internet access, I reverse broadcast my laptops signal as a secured wifi spot so others could connect and use my tethered internet too.

We did this at the airport that didn't give free wifi. And just as Bob says, it was horribly painful, but possible, to share a cell phone's internet connection.

Luckily, once we got to our hotel, we found out we received free landline internet, so I used my laptop to broadcast the landline signal and everyone was overly happy that they didn't have to fight over using the one laptop for internet, and everyone's wifi devices all worked whenever and at the same time. For the week change for my cell phone tethering option was about $25. much better than the $15 a day. Just a little more work in setting up and taking down.

Instructions on how I turned my laptop into a wifi access point were found on cnets insider secrets. http://cnettv.cnet.com/make-your-laptop-hot-spot/9742-1_53-28619.html

This is not for me. I would consider making the investment in a wifi phone quicker.

I am still trying to find broadband tel @ an affordable price - I have been through 2 services in the past mo majicjack (don't get me started) and callcentric (big hassle and billing probs).

ONLY $15 a day? You're kidding though? With monthly contracts as low as $12 a month for 8 meg? Who on earth is gonna pay $15 dollars for one day access????

Tethering vs. MiFi is really an either/or proposition. If you prefer tethering then it will be the best option for you. I have been tethering for quite some time and liked it until I got really into mobile connectivity. Suddenly, I wanted to share my connection with my iTouch, my laptop and use my phone simultaneously. The MiFi allowed me to stop somewhere and talk on my phone (difficult to do while tethered via USB and a battery hog when tethered via bluetooth), look up contact info on my iTouch (or make free VoIP calls ...ahem...) and use my laptop simultaneously All with one connection that I can turn on instantly.

From a cost perspective a smart phone with a data plan is definitely the way to go. From a flexibility standpoint though the MiFi gets high marks. I'm an IT pro so doing stuff like pushing my tethered mobile connection out through my laptop as wifi is certainly feasible for me.

I've found my mobile nirvana in a combination of Blackberry Storm, Verizon MiFi (both with data) and an iTouch. It allows me to move freely and get'r done with high efficiency.

if you are a casual user it may not make sense, just pick your fav and go with it. I'm a power user and a business user and I use the mem card slot all the time to share docs with people I meet with. It's really slick to say, connect to my wireless signal and download X docs. Clients love it.

Also, consider this. I am a wifi hotspot. I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting somewhere working and people wonder how I'm connecting and I pull my mifi out of my pocket and they are simply blown away. Nor can I tell you how many times I have been asked to share my connectivity for a few quick emails at airports and in shared taxis.

It's a game changing option. If you like one, use it because the best solutions are the ones that make sense to you. If you are ready for a new level of mobile experience and flexibility then give the mifi a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I've had mobile broadband for nearly 3 years now, and I love it. My wife and I are full time RVing and she has to have her TV and I have to have the Internet. I've been with Verizon the whole time and therefore I've grandfathered in with no limit even though it says 5GB. I've been over 7GB with no extra charges, but I do not make a habit of it. Anyway when MiFi came out, I double and triple checked Verizon that my plan would not change before getting MiFi. My wife now has a netbook and wanted to get Internet access which is why we went for the MiFi. We've been extremely happy with the MiFi. Granted its not super fast but it works for me. My GPS updates have been large, and it took about 4.5 hours to download a 2.1GB file.. but it worked! Imagine trying that on dial up!

I have used my mobile phone as a modem before. It seemed when I used the phone as a modem, the pages loaded a lot faster than it did on the phone itself. I currently pay for a broadband card, and I don't have any issues with it. I recently purchased Mobile Broadband Wireless Router that supports my broadband card and it works great. It has a cat 5 connection and wireless (B&G). We use it as our primary internet connection, and it is great that we can take it with us on the road too.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The reason for faster page loading is probably the speed of the device, and it's ability to render the pages on your phone's web browser.

I just ordered such a device to share my Verizon Mobile Broadband connection with my wife. We live in a remote area and have been using a satellite Internet connection. The Verizon connection is MUCH less frustrating. We can not get a Sprint signal here, and the AT&T signal is very weak.

If I place my broadband modem in a window upstairs in the house, and connect it to my laptop (or to this new device when it arrives) via a long USB cable, I can get enough signal to make Internet use bareable. (We moved here to rural Vermont from the Chicago suburbs a few months ago, and left behind a fast DSL connection.)

I cannot tell you how great the MiFi is. I have Verizon, which is the best of all the other providers. My husband & I were truck drivers for 13 years and Verizon was the only provider we could get a signal all across the United States.
We are grandfathered into the unlimited plan and it is perfect for our situation as we cannot get cable/dsl here. I leave it plugged in most of the time so I do not use the battery. Sometimes I need to turn it of and back on after it has been on for a few days.
Granted it is not super fast, but it is way better than the Hughes Net satellite we had.
We play online poker with 4 computers @ the same time. Plus I can use my laptop @ the lake, on the road, when & where I want. It is the best alternative if you cannot get hi speed cable/dsl.

does the MiFi work with the playstation 3? Can I play online with it?

is there a way to get a better signal strength from the tower ? Iget good connection in the house but the signal from the tower isnt good ?