Electronics & Computers Deals here!Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 (Sprint)
Manufacturer: Novatel Wireless Inc. Part number: NV2200WFDO
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you can afford the service plan and stay within the required data limits, the Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router is a great way to access the Internet on the go.
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CNET editors' review
Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 (Sprint) price range: $0.00
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Edited by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 07/28/2009
The good: The Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router is an excellent mobile Internet solution for a single user or a group of up to five people. It's tiny and offers instant Wi-Fi Internet access and GPS point-of-interest function anywhere there's Sprint coverage.
The bad: The Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile has a few shortcomings, including support for only five clients at a time, the lack of support for the Wireless-N standard, and a limited and expensive data plan.
The bottom line: If you can afford the service plan and stay within the required data limits, the Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router is a great way to access the Internet on the go.
The Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router shares the same hardware as the Verizon Wireless MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot with different branding and slightly different service and pricing.
At $100, the device is actually more expensive than it seems when you factor in the required data plan by Sprint. The plan costs $60 a month with a 5GB data cap. If you go over 5GB, you'll have to pay an extra $0.05 per megabyte. This is similar to the top plan offered by Verizon for its MiFi 2200. However, unlike Sprint, Verizon also offers another two tiers of service where you get a smaller quota per month but pay more for the device itself and for each megabyte that's over the limit.
Data plans aside, as a mobile broadband router, the Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 is great product. It's tiny and offers instant Internet access the moment you turn it on and works with up to five Wi-Fi devices. Considering the fact that one can have more than one device nowadays, for example a laptop and a smartphone, five is a rather limited number. Unlike the Verizon version, it also has built-in GPS so you can search for points of interest near your current location as long as you have cellular coverage.
Design
The Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 is compact and thin enough for you to slide into your pocket or even keep in your wallet, and the minimalist design means there isn't much to learn as far as operation.
There's big round button on the face of the device that turns the device on and off and also doubles as an indicator light. The light is solid green when the device is on, red when the battery is low, and flashes red when it's charging. There's another tiny LED on the side of the device that shines solid green when the device is connected to the Internet and flashes green when there are data activities.
The mobile router comes with a charger that connects to its Micro-USB port on the side and a carrying pouch. Unlike its counterpart from Verizon, the Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 doesn't include a USB cable for you to connect it to a computer.
Setup is a snap. Sprint activates the device, and once you receive it, all you have to do is turn it on and you have yourself a wireless network--that's it.
Features
Once turned on, you can use a laptop or any Wi-Fi-enabled device to access the Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200's default network name, which is "Sprint MiFi2200 F68 Secure" and the default encryption key. These default settings might vary from one unit to another, but you can change the router's settings to your liking.
To do this, you just need to log in to the router's Web interface via the default IP address 192.168.0.1, which is similar to the way most regular-size wireless routers work.
Given its tiny size, we were impressed with what the MiFi 2200 offers via its Web interface. You'll find regular features including the ability to change the SSID, the encryption key, the default gateway IP address, and so on. Other than that, we also found advanced features such as Port Forwarding, which allows you to set up special Internet applications, such as FTP server, HTTP server, or remote desktop connection. The Web-interface itself was well-organized and responsive, and works with various browsers.
The router also has built-in GPS that allows you to find points on interest, such as restaurants, banks, hotels and, of course, Sprint stores, near your location using the Web interface. This actually is a very useful feature, especially when you are in a new town or unfamiliar territory.
For security, the MiFi 2200 features both WEP and WPA encryption. It also gives the option to filter wireless clients via their MAC address. This is convenient when using handheld devices, such as VoIP phones, where you don't want to have to fiddle with typing in the encryption key.
Performance
The Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile is not a regular wireless router; therefore we didn't stack it against others. However, we did put it through similar set of tests and were generally happy with it.
Featuring the older Wireless-G standard that caps at 54Mbps, the MiFi 2200's wireless LAN throughput performance was around 2Mbps, which was slower than the 5Mbps of the Verizon counterpart. This speed means you don't want to use it as a reliable way to transfer a decent amount of data between devices. However, it's still fast enough to share the Internet connection.
In our Internet connection tests, Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 offered around 550Kbps for both download and upload speeds. These are in line with what Sprint claims, but lower than the 1,000Kbps of the Verizon unit. Nonetheless, in tests where we streamed live video, the Sprint Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 did very well. Overall the device offers a decent Internet connection, comparable to a low-end DSL line.
The Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router's battery life is about the same as the Verizon's counterpart. During heavy use, it lasted for about three and half hours but could last much longer with just intermediate use. The device takes a couple of hours to fully charge from completely dead.
We tried the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router around the San Francisco Bay Area, both indoors and outdoors, and the coverage was consistently good. We didn't run into any dead zones.
The Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 has a range of about 30 feet, which is short but long enough for a close proximity such as a car or a van.
Overall, we were happy with Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile router's performance, though we wished it were faster and supported more devices at a time. However, considering its physical size, what it has to offer is already very impressive.
User reviews
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This thing Is seriously Awesome. My favorite toy now.
by gordonliu on October 30, 2009
Pros: No connection issues:
xbox 1.0 (wireless adapt.), HTC kaiser PDA phone, archos 7 and laptop simultaneously!
FTP over (Laptop to xbox) peak = 6 mBYTE/s, sustained 4 mbyte/s (YES BYTE)
battery life is plenty
HAS GPS YEAHHH!!
Looks cool (seriously)Cons: might eventually run into a situation where longer battery is useful (maybe on an actual hike or camp trip)
MIGHT (unlikely) need more than 5 connections (i highly doubt this, though). unlikely 5 seperate people need simultaneous access.Summary: Super cool toy, especially if you have a lot of devices that utilize wireless connections.
Just like my Archos 7, this thing has surprised me. it is super easy to ...Summary: Super cool toy, especially if you have a lot of devices that utilize wireless connections.
Just like my Archos 7, this thing has surprised me. it is super easy to use, super handy and, honestly, it is well worth every penny I spent on it.
The only unfortunate thing is that I am sure I am going to kill the battery (eg maximum number of recharges that is an inherent quality of every and all lithium ion batteries, even those in a prius!) before very long because I will use it so damn much.
this is the type of thing I would not leave the house with:
keys? check, wallet? check, phone? check, Mifi? Check.
I know how cheesy this sounds but I am totally stoked on this thing. I AM USING IT NOW!!
it is now an integral part of my electronic "toolkit" (my archos 7, my laptop and my pda phone). Now I can connect em all wherever I am (pretty much).
The only real competition for this device is to use a laptop connected with a conventional air card as a hot spot.
I have tried this and it is a royal pain in the ass. it is a hassle to get set up, it destroys the battery on the host laptop, you really cant even use the host at all, and it is difficult to connect more "imbedded" (so to speak) devices than other computers.
I tried this once with a laptop identical to mine (a HP dv8333cl). we got it working, but (even though the battery was new at the time) the battery only lasted for 1 hour with no programs running (we even shut down a bunch of background processes) and the lid closed.
we determined that you basically couldnt even use the host laptop because any CPU use would DRASTICALLY slow down the connection speed (it would go from full speed to 28k modem in a microsecond)
I tried connecting it to my PDA phone, which worked OK (the phone interface is kind of crappy to begin with)..
I tried connecting it to my Archos 7. THAT was a huge pain. I had to call tech support, it took 45 minutes (THAT is how we figured out that the battery only lasted an hour, we sat on tech support for 45 minutes before we even got that device testing)
I am gushing. I know how cheesy and stupid it sounds but I am seriously like a little kid again, opening that bad ass toy that I always wanted.
I highly recommend it.....
considering the costs associated with it, it is not for everyone.
I guess it is best if you ALREADY plan on getting a data plan...
if you do, it is a total no brainer.
aircards are pretty expensive to begin with. even if an aircard is half the price, you might as well get the MiFi....
it does the same thing, but for 5 different computers.
you actually save money!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Horrible,Horrible,Horrible...................
Pros: Concept,30 day free trial
Cons: Could not stay connected
Summary: I could stay connected. I spent more time trying to get on the internet then I did on it.
I had it for 2 weeks and returned it to sprint.Summary: I could stay connected. I spent more time trying to get on the internet then I did on it.
I had it for 2 weeks and returned it to sprint.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Card worked for about 4 months then battery died
by jsimpson44 on November 24, 2009
Pros: The ability to connect 5 devices at one time
Cons: Battery died after 4 months
Summary: Battery died after 4 months and couldn't be recharged, but I did like the fact you can connect several computers and wireless periphials at one time
Summary: Battery died after 4 months and couldn't be recharged, but I did like the fact you can connect several computers and wireless periphials at one time
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They need to work the "bugs" out. SLOW! $59.99/ MO!
by lord99m on October 9, 2009
Pros: It's shiny silver!
Cons: It's SLOW and hard to get connected. EXPENSIVE monthly amount $59.99. I wouldn't mind if it worked...
Summary: It's a great idea poorly executed. I'm sure the technology will improve and hopefully the price will be reduced as well.
Summary: It's a great idea poorly executed. I'm sure the technology will improve and hopefully the price will be reduced as well.
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Great product
by lxa374 on October 6, 2009
Pros: Portable, fast internet, and easy to use. If you're comparing this to high-speed Roadrunner Turbo, then obviously this is slower, but you can take this anywhere, and even use it while driving at Highway speeds. Now that's real service.
Cons: 5Gig data limit.
Summary: This is a no-brainer purchase for me. Having the internet virtually anywhere in the country is a great deal.
Summary: This is a no-brainer purchase for me. Having the internet virtually anywhere in the country is a great deal.
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VERY IMPRESSED!!!!
by kruff10 on September 24, 2009
Pros: FAST, VERY PORTABLE, STYLISH, COMPACT
Cons: LIMITED DATA PLAN ONLY 5 GIGS PER MONTH
Summary: I like this product very much, if it were not for the limited data plan of 5 gigs i would like it even further, but the only way ur onna ...
Summary: I like this product very much, if it were not for the limited data plan of 5 gigs i would like it even further, but the only way ur onna go over 5 gigs is if u start downloading movies with i plan on not doing, so if u want a MOBLIE WIRE LESS ROUTER then go get this one.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Novatel Wireless Inc.
- Part number: NV2200WFDO
- Description: MiFi delivers the ultimate in personal freedom. With the simple push of a button, wirelessly access the Internet from virtually anywhere with any Wi-Fi enabled device. And because it supports multiple users, you can share your high-speed connection with friends, family members and coworkers. The world's first Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, MiFi is the fastest and easiest way to get online on the go - and it even fits in the palm of your hand. MiFi is your own cloud of connectivity: great for personal and business use providing instant access to email, download large files, and surf the web with your laptop while simultaneously allowing up to five computers or personal devices to be connected.
General
- Device Type Wireless cellular modem
- Enclosure Type External
- Width 3.5 in
- Depth 2.3 in
- Height 0.4 in
- Weight 2 oz
Modem
- Connectivity Technology Wireless
Networking
- Type Network adapter
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Slots Total (Free) None
- Compatible Slots None
Power
- Battery 1 x Lithium ion
Manufacturer info
- Novatel Wireless Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Novatel Wireless Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.novatelwireless.com/
- Phone: 888/888-9231
- Email: http://www.novatelwireless.com/feedback.htm (form)
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