Recommendation for a MIFI hotspot?
 

Hi,

Am interested in purchasing a mobile unlocked GSM hotspot, into which I'll insert a local prepaid SIM card every time I travel abroad.

I'm aware of the ZTE MF80 which supposedly supports 4G and is rated for high data speeds.

I'm also aware of several Huawei models.

Don't know about the comparative quality.

I'd appreciate any recommendations.

Note it has to be unlocked GSM.

Thanks.

Another option you may want to consider is to use an unlocked Android smartphone. Android has a built-in WiFi portable hotspot capability. You'll need a local prepaid SIM that supports voice and data. This way you need only a single SIM in your phone to provide service both to the phone as well as all connected devices.

I prefer not having to deal with Android and keep life simple with a dedicated device.

I use a Huawei E587u-5. It's a pentaband HSPA/quadband GSM puck. Cost in Canada is roughly $150.

Taking into account that I intend to upgrade my iPad2 to iPad5 and my iPhone 4S to iPhone 6 or whatever, and world LTE deployment (I know that there are several "types"), should I go for advanced 4G/LTE 42mbps models or 3G 21mbps models?

The price difference (about 30$) is not significant for me as I'm looking for a long term solution (I plan on holding this device for several years).

1. You can use your iPhone as a personal hotspot ,so you don't need to upgrade to Android. And it is available to you without further expenses.
2. Using an Android phone (or an iPhone) as a hotspot is easy - one of my sons uses it on a regulad basis (his phone is a Nexus S and he connects an Android tablet and a Windows notebook).
3. If you are interested in LTE wait until deployment details for Israel are published - there are several frequency bands and it is not yet known which will be used.
4. Generally LTE deployment is quite limited and HSPA+ networks are reported to provide similar speeds ,so if you do not use it frequently don't bother to buy the dongle - it will be obsolete by your next trip.

Sperial,

I wrote above that I want an independent device.

So if the options I'm considering are an ZTE MF80/Huawei E5776 or ZTE MF60/E5331, which one would you recommend?

A possibly slightly bulkier idea, but how about a router which you plug a dongle into, then the dongle could be replaced when it was deemed necessary?

I have a Draytek VoIP router which I picked up very cheap, and there's a software update to enable using a dongle in the USB slot, though I haven't actually used it yet.

Another potential point is which Mifi devices have a socket to allow using a better aerial if that would be helpful

Andy.

Bulkier indeed, besides adding an unnecessary component.
Am aware of the additional aerial socket option.

Just an idea, and they aren't all as big as the one I mentioned.

I just picked up a Huawei E587u-5, it has more frequencies and is meant to be faster than other devices out there.
But... I had a hard time getting it going, and even now I have it configured, it seems to have a harder time getting connected to my sims (Roamline, Abroadband, Tru) than my older wifi Zoom We3g or my old Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, which still is the easiest option for a wifi hotspot.
The Huawei can take 4-6 mins to find the network, will say connecting for ages, then disconnects and tries again.

(My S2 won't work unless I pay for the tethering plan, and I've tried Foxfi and other apps, but none work, only USB tethering)

tried out my new E587u-5 on a Baltics cruise, I do like the info it gives you on the LEDs compared to my older Zoom We3g. It was fine for Roamline and Broadband, though slow to initially get going.

But for the O2 sim I was using for data, my old Samsung Vibrant Galaxy S was better, as I got texts telling me when to pay another 2 pounds for another 15MB. The Vibrant worked everywhere from Russia to European countries, with speed adequate even for VOIP.

I agree with Andy's suggestion. I have a TP-Link router with a USB port. The router is pretty tiny and runs off USB power or off AC. No battery, but I find I always run off AC so I don't want a battery to be deteriorating.

I can put in any data stick I like that it supports and off I go.

Recently I just updated my data stick from HSPA+ to LTE and it was just plug and play. No reconfiguring necessary, even. It just worked.

As a bonus, my router has a wired port too which is nice to use if I work close to the router. You could hook it up to a switch if you needed more ports.