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Mobile Wi-Fi Hot Spot
bsharma writes to let us know about a little goodie that we will be able to buy starting May 17: a battery-powered, rechargeable, cellular, Wi-Fi hot spot that you can put in your pocket. "What if you had a personal Wi-Fi bubble, a private hot spot, that followed you everywhere you go? Incredibly, there is such a thing. It's the Novatel MiFi 2200, available from Verizon starting in mid-May ($100 with two-year contract, after rebate). It's a little wisp of a thing, like a triple-thick credit card. It has one power button, one status light and a swappable battery that looks like the one in a cellphone. When you turn on your MiFi and wait 30 seconds, it provides a personal, portable, powerful, password-protected wireless hot spot. ... If you just want to do e-mail and the Web, you pay $40 a month for the service (250 megabytes of data transfer, 10 cents a megabyte above that). If you watch videos and shuttle a lot of big files, opt for the $60 plan (5 gigabytes). And if you don't travel incessantly, the best deal may be the one-day pass: $15 for 24 hours, only when you need it. In that case, the MiFi itself costs $270." The device has its Wi-Fi password printed on the bottom, so you can invite someone to join your network simply by showing it to them.
One Advantage of the MiFi unit is that the performance is better than that of a standard datacard. Laptop Noise is an issue with usb sticks especially in low coverage areas.
Disclaimer: I work for the Manufacturer.
And what do you do when you no longer want to let them have access?
I use joikuspot.
This will be great once someone figures out your wifi password and starts torrenting. $0.10 per megabyte? Should be a pretty impressive bill when it comes.
Someone forgot about the battery powered Cradelpoint systems. They're at http://www.cradlepoint.com/ and aren't tied to one system or another: You provide a USB dongle for it. It provides everything else. The PRS300 or the CTR350 has been around for years now.
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# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
Just what I've always wanted, a mobile wi-fi hotspot sitting in my pants pocket microwaving my genitals all day long.
I don't see the big deal in this. For those of us who run Symbian based phones, Joikuspot has a free version which allows you to use your phone as a personal wifi hotspot with encryption. I use my E71 on ATT for an instant 3G hotspot wherever a 3G connection exists.
"...you *cna* put in your pocket."
Most Singularity-research should be done on high-speed landlines. Also, the iPhone can do this. The iPhone will seem silly post-Singularity.
I've been doing this for months. http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/
With the story yesterday about the car-centric mobile network, and now this today... it's great to see.
As most of you know, the Internet is at risk of being restricted. Imagine a free, global Internet mesh, where the likes of RIAA and Big Brother couldn't reach. It would be a great boon to freedom of the Internet and to humankind.
Of course, naysayers would probably say they will always find a way to strip our freedoms... but we can all dream, can't we?
Post-singularity, it will be an electrical switch in the "brain".
So wait... The telco's won't allow my iPhone/G1/Crackbery/etc to use VOIP over their network unless I buy one of these first?
~/ One man's opinions is a lifetime of pain.
Wait until after the Singularity? This is not an artificial scarcity.
Data will be better understood then, and better handled. You can try to use VOIP whenever you have IP, but latency or other problems may arise. Bandwidth is just one variable.
Any Symbian S60 phone will do this with Joikuspot (a $20 software add-on).
It's occasionally useful; most of the time, Bluetooth or a USB cable are better, because they drain the battery less.
but it is 15gig for £15 ($23), and the Huawei d100 is about £75 ($115). Admittedly the modem uses a mains a/c supply - but I am certain it is fairly easy to make a portable supply for it.
If you think that is aggressively priced - you even get a third off if you are already a customer... If I had excellent reception here - I would have not bothered with a landline/adsl..
I am not actually an RF engineer so my thoughts/explanation may be completely ludicrous(it would not be the first time). My expertise is basically layer 3 through 5 of the OSI model
During the system test phase, a large number of measurements were performed to isolate the impact of Wifi Noise on 3G and 3G Noise on WiFi. It was found that there was actually minimal impact of Wifi on 3G and vice versa.
Its rechargable, does 802.11a/b/g, does GPRS and edge and lets me make voice calls without using some POS VoIP app that sounds like shit regardless of how much bandwidth you give it (looking at you skype).
Hate to sound like an iPhone fan boy, but really this isn't impressive unless they pay me to buy it and cut the monthly cell data charges down to $40/month for unlimited usage like I get with my iPhone. Otherwise its just dumb to waste your money on it if the iPhone is an option.
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
This isn't that revolutionary. I have an AT&T Tilt that can share its 3G connection via WiFi using a program called WMWifiRouter. Since my data plan is "unlimited" and only $15/mo, it's a way better deal than this "new" tech.
or else!
Can we at least get our spam run through a simple spell checker? that you cna put in your pocket honestly...
Not to mention that this functionality has been possible for a decade now
I use this on my winmo htc titan. Cricket in Colorado 60/month unlimited everything, ftw.
Obviously not useful to relay cell phone to wifi but a good thing to carry in the laptop bag. Not much larger than a power adapter, you plug it directly into the wall and run a line to the ethernet and it gives wifi. Also has a printer and a stereo port but probably not useful in this case. Heck of a lot cheaper than the MiFi too, $99
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
When these get small enough to be implanted in my scrotum with the UI implaned in my penis, no thanks.
observer: 'Dude! Are you playing with yourself?'
me: 'Nah, just...dialing...long...UrghhhAahhhh...distance! Oops, sorry about the 'pinkeye surprise', should of blinked!'
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Since your the ISP if your sharing, how do the p2p lawsuits work?
Firstly, these aren't new... they've been around for 2 years at least, and are becoming relatively cheap now.
Secondly.. 2 year contract? $40 a month for 250MB? WTF?
I pay $7 per month for 1GB, and that isn't limited. On a 12 month contract. I could go to $14 a month for 5GB, but haven't needed to.
I know things are more expensive in the US, but that is an *insane* difference.
Why are we not on VoIP over 3g? Seems like the industry is fighting that. My VoIP connections sound far better than any other connection, land line or cell.
That's just an overpriced 3G+ card.
And where I am, you get unlimited 3G+ for less than 40 dollars per month.
Oh yeah, and the carriers are giving out those cards for free when you subscribe.
anyone could have done this...i have been doing it for two years...with now special equipment... I would plug my moto Q into my laptop, share the connection with my laptops wifi, turn on Internet connection sharing and create a portable Ad-hoc network. It didnt work well with PSP's and DS's, but laptop's and other computers could connect with out any problems...I even used to take it to the next level and run it to the LAN and then straight to my router and create a full blown 3G in home network that anything could connect too. anyone with a little ingenuity could have done this years ago. I would have months on Sprint where my total traffic would exceed 30GB's a month.
they say it is often more relevant then the comment above, all we know is its called the Sig!
Similar devices have been around for years that support 3G networks other than Verizon's, and that don't require a data plan that can only be used by the wi-fi base.
Full disclosure: I work for Clearwire, and I am also not authorized to speak for the company.
http://gizmodo.com/5192430/review-clear-spot-portable-wimax-wi+fi-hotspot
Beats hauling around a bulky CPE device and WiFi router everywhere.
The only downside is that WiMax coverage isn't in many markets yet.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Now you can share your 3G or EVDO wireless connection with strangers! Last week a guy racked up $62K in data roaming charges http://www.mobilewhack.com/download-wall-e-while-in-mexico-for-just-62000/. Sounds like a good idea for the cell phone companies who charge by the kilobyte. Consumers are in for a nasty surprise unless they have an unlimited plan. Personally I prefer to use my BlackBerry as a private tethered modem.
http://wmwifirouter.com/
Which works like a charm. Main uses I have for it is to get my iTouch online when there's no wifi about, or when a few of us are stuck in a ransom office somewhere with no/firewalled net access.
Main issue isn't getting a wifi available over a 3G backhaul (however you want to do it), but rather the quite horrific cost of doing so.
The overall application layer throughput is heavily dependent on a number of factors. The overall 3G Network is limited to 3.1 Mbps.
Does Clearwire have Mobility enabled yet?
The MiFi is a fully functional 3G (EVDO) modem with a few additional features. There is an HSPA cousin as well.
Long-term-evolution seems more ready to become a global standard. Well, it's all pre-Singularity anyway. After the Singularity, we won't need standards.
"What if you had a personal Wi-Fi bubble, a private hot spot, that followed you everywhere you go? Incredibly, there is such a thing."
Yeah, it's called a phone!
If you have a Windows Mobile phone with an internet plan, you could use WMWifiRouter(the most advanced of the pack), which has been available since 2007, and was the very first app to do this.
If you have a Symbian phone, you could use JoikuSpot, which has been available since 2008.
To continue, for iPhone you could use PDANet. For Android there are also several programs available as well!
Why would you use something like this and get another data subscription when all you need is already in your pocket? Aside from the internet plan which you are likely to have already, all of these software are available for a small one-time fee - likely lower than one month of the data package itself.
Funny thing, none of those apps ever made it out of the firehose when I posted them. What makes this (very expensive and limited) product so special?
No but wait, his Iphone lets him make phone calls (and apparently supports 802.11a), so it's as good or better than any other product on the market, no mater what that device does.
That's right! The iPhone really IS better than any other product on the market, regardless of function! No matter what task comes to hand, the iPhone will see me through.
Why, I use my iPhone to puree tomatoes all the time. And it's SOOO handy when I want to brush my teeth. And just ask my girlfriend what she thinks of its penis enlargement capabilities. Truly, the iPhone is the pinnacle of technological development!
Sounds like paid (or unpaid?) dvertising to me. -1, it's probably not as good as it's it sounds. For $60 a month I can get 80 GB with my ISP and this is, what, 5GB?? -2 to that...
Realistically, a USB WiMax device can see upwards of 4 megs/sec AND given the cost of dongle and clearspot, is cheaper than the MiFi device. Faster speeds are possible, as evidenced by the Gizmodo article here: http://i.gizmodo.com/5174718/exclusive-wimax-uncapped-speed-tests
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
I read this and thought the same thing. Have been enjoying WMWiFiRouter for a couple of years now. Binds your Windows Phone's 3G signal to the WiFi and re-broadcasts it for association by clients over WiFi or Bluetooth. Interestingly, attached clients score a higher bandwidth (~130%) of the phone's browser running a similar speed test (~1 Mbps). Obviously CPU limited. It amused me in the days before there was a 3G iPhone to let my 2G iPhone friends associate to a Windows Mobile phone using WiFi to accelerate their web browsing.
I have used this to downloaded GBs of torrents to my laptop. For $30/month to Sprint for phone and unlimited texts and internet it's an awesome deal.
Da Blog
yes i'm too lazy to log in. I've found though with a standard windows mobile based phone and a simple cheap software called WM Wifi Router, you can do the same thing and NOT have the limitations that i'm sure verizon have imposed on the device.
Probably won't be as useful. Intelligence will have to find its way into even projectiles.
that you cna put in your pocket.
Really?
One word: Joikuspot
Turns your mobile into a wifi hotspot.
I've only tried with Nokia models but it works great (N82, 5800). The free version only allows port 80 and gives you a nagware screen the first website you go to but thats it. The paid version allows all ports/protocols with no nag screen.
Beats this device hands down - you always have your phone with you . Of course your carrier charges may be another story...
I don't see the big deal in this.
I see two points:
$40/month for 250 megabytes and $60/month for 5 gigabytes.
Well, that sure makes sense.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I have checked out every last cell phone carrier's data plan, this one is no exception. You agree that the first 5 GB of data download costs you $60. The second 5 GB of download for that month cost in excess of $1,200. Only a fool would sign a contract that has no upper limit to how much it can cost you. If you sign such a contract then don't go bitching to the carrier when you get your first multi-thousand dollar bill.
The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
Something similar, and I believe Autonet currently taps Verizon's network for access. The device itself is a small router that can be plugged into a 12V port in your car, or hardwired. It has a pretty decent range too for a hotspot. Up to 100 Feet.
www.autonetmobile.com
I really don't understand the point of this device. i've been teathering my laptop to my 3g phone for years. if you have a 3g phone and bluetooth on your laptop (everybody should in 2009) then you have a fast, encrypted connection. why waste money on crap like this?
From the article:
You can get ... a U.S.B.-stick version, which cries out to be snapped off by a passing flight attendantâ(TM)s beverage cart.
Personally, I think that would be pretty funny.*
* As long as it happens to someone other than me
I have been doing this for the past 6 months. Much easier to turn my N95 into an ap to use another's notebook then to install a bluetooth or cable connect. My data plan, unlimited 3.5g @49.000COP (about 20usd) monthly.
what, me worry?
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
It's called a rooted G-1
"Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"
how often do you get stuck in a ransom office? Maybe you should invest in some private security if it happens so often
I am not stubborn. I am right!
I notice the comment "If you just want to do e-mail and the Web, you pay $40 a month for the service". When I'm online, I use ssh a lot, and from the phrasing of that and other things in the article, I'm guessing that they block ssh. After all, ssh isn't email (SMTP, etc.) or web (HTTP).
Anyone know whether this is true? Do they actively block protocols? How about VoIP? (Not that I'd use it much, but if they do block VoIP, that's an admission that this isn't internet service, it's restricted to a set of protocols chosen by Verizon.
So how much extra would I have to pay to use ssh? How about VPN? Does ICMP work or is it extra?
For that matter, when they say "the Web", is this read-only access, or can I run my own web server? I would like to be able to run a web server from my laptop when I'm away from home, but most ISPs block this, including Verizon. So is it allowed with this gadget?
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
Doesn't anyone else find this insulting that Verizon has the nerve to charge their customers $15.00 a day? Thats typically what a hotel would charge a one time use guest. And lets look at that awesome data plan. 250 MEGABYTES for 40$ a month!! Jeeze, get a grip Verizon. You can only screw the general public so much(Of course there will probably be enough idiots opting into this service just for the cool factor to keep it alive as a business model). Theres always the $60.00 a month 5Gig plan-You gotta be kidding me, $60.00 a month for 5 GB! This whole thing must have been cooked up by the same bean counters that figured out the SMS rates.
"Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"
I just wish they were going to come out with an AT&T version...
What's much more useful is a mobile hotspot that gives cell service, connected over WiFi to a gateway to the PSTN. Because there are so many holes in cell coverage, including in my house.
It doesn't even really need to be mobile, though that's a plus. Or WiFi - ethernet would be good. If I could just use my usual cellphone to the device, then across the broadband Net to a gateway (like Asterisk at a datacenter) to the PSTN, all would be groovy. But I've never seen any small, cheap cell transponders sold to the public, and certainly not with an 802.X interface.
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make install -not war
Yet another Anonymous Idiot posts:
The execution of the device is just too insecure. (fixed password? If so, then it has fail written all over it)
Not nearly as much fail as someone who doesn't bother reading the article or looking up tech specs before complaining about something that's not a problem...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
So, how well does your iPhone share out that connection to a real computer (you know, what the whole point of this little device is)?
Quite well actually
Yes it's jailbreaking but since you only have to download an app and run it even my mom could do so. Of course, my mom would have no use in doing so, it would be only technically sophisticated people wanting to do this... kind of like the group of people that jailbreak. Huh!
And of course it's rumored (well, beyond rumor but not in place yet) that AT&T will support official tethering with 3.0.
So basically, you just made yourself look like a jackass in front of the entire internet for as long as the web exists. Do you Apple Haters get off on rants with no point or what?
What's even more delightful is the irony of your username in contrast with the mechanism used to do tethering currently, which muffles any possible complaint from you in response.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Did you RTFA? The article says it's similar to a triple-thick credit card. Or are you comparing the device your company makes to some heretofore unmentioned piece of hardware?
That's no small downside. The article you linked to says, "One big constraint, of course, is that WiMax from Sprint/Clearwire is currently limited to Baltimore and Portland, OR, but is growing this year and next to many cities." Two markets is hardly worth mentioning.
Nifty, do you know what the thing runs on the inside? I spent a few days around christmas time trying to hack ndis wrappers around the windows drivers for the mobile device so I could get the mobile device working in linux.
My CPE was just stolen a few days ago, so maybe I will look into getting one of those things. I am also curious if I can charge the device with USB, and if I can run a patch cable to it for quicker speeds etc.
I've been real pleased with my CradlePoint router, but I do wish I was happier with Sprint Broadband. The speeds just ain't what I was hoping for (regardless of whether the modem is attached to the CradlePoint or my laptop directly.)
I don't know if anyone else read the article, but my favorite quote was:
Last week, I was stuck on a runway for two hours. As I merrily worked away online, complete with YouTube videos and file downloads, I became aware that my seatmate was sneaking glances.
I am sure he was "working" on Youtube because he is a reporter. He was probably "researching" on Wikipedia too.
Anyway, I like how they keep emphasizing how easy it is to put that thing in your pocket. Cause I need another microwave source to irradiate my testicles...
I can't believe this is news in the US, since similar technologies are available here in Argentina (yeah, a third world country) from at least the begining of this year.
I'm amazed that this is news :-) We've had this in Egypt (yes, the one in Africa) for a year or more. Just plug a 3G thumb drive-like appendix into your USB port and you're online. No latté required.
The only difference seems to be that it's actually a WiFi hotspot, which really sounds like a disadvantage. You're limited by battery capacity while having a USB attachment that's powered by your laptop means you just plug the laptop in and you're good, at least till you starve.
"From here you can get an excellent view of my foot." ~ Pai Mei.
"What if you had a personal Wi-Fi bubble, a private hot spot, that followed you everywhere you go? "
I got one, its my windows mobile phone.
I run Joikuspot on my phone for my personal WIFI bubble. It works really well, and I just pay a little more to my 3G mobile phone provider for the extra data. http://www.joikuspot.com/aboutJoikuSpot.php
Granted, this device won't quite fit in your pocket (its closer to the size of a typical home router), but you aren't locked into one particular carrier or contract, which could be a deal breaker for some.
http://www.stompboxnetworks.com/
Or if you don't want to pay for wmwifirouter, ICS Conrol will take do the same, though it is a bit less user friendly.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=377047&page=1
I've noticed, that in ICS Control some third party wifi card drivers show up as "Cellular Line 2", though it doesn't affect functionality.
That your mom could jailbreak an iPhone is quite possible, but she would run the risk of an update bricking it
We're talking JAILBREAKING. Not UNLOCKING. There is zero chance of bricking with jailbreaking which does not alter firmware, as opposed to baseband updates required to unlock a phone for other carriers. Have you even looked at the apps that jailbreak? You simply run an app and you are done, it's a simple process to revert at any time.
In short, even computer-illiterate people have use for a device which connects a real computer over a 3G modem.
Have use for, yes. Care enough to do so? Not many. I'll bet only 1% of the people (actually probably less) who technically COULD tether with a RAZR ever did so.
As you say, most of the people that want to do so get a 3G modem for a laptop - even if the phone they have technically COULD tether!
until the iPhone does tethering out of the box and in a supported fashion, it does not actually take the place of this little device for the general public of people ho want Internet access on a real computer without being limited to WiFi hotpots.
Even then it will not for a lot of people if there's any difficultly at all in setting it up.
As for "internet access on a REAL computer" that's actually why a lot of people have the iPhone, because browsing on it is more like using a real computer than not.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It's my "cell phone". I pay Sprint about $100/month for their simply unlimited plan. In addition to unlimited (theoretically) bandwidth - which, for the math-challenged, is a whole lot more than 250MB - I also have unlimted text, unlimited picture mail, and more minutes than I need. Best of all, since I already carry a phone around with me, I don't need another device.
Sure, it's not wifi - it's bluetooth (you know, the short-range wireless technology designed for exactly this kind of thing). But luckily, my eeepc supports both. So I can get on the Interwebz with my miniature laptop by just firing up wvdial (pair the bluetooth stuff, set up bluetooth serial, and dial #777). Bang - I'm online. If I get a phone call, I can answer it, and as soon as I hang up, the web's back. If I want people around me to share my bandwidth, I can click a couple of buttons and the eeepc is a wireless access point (with real iptables, which can do pretty much anything). Usually I don't want everyone around me to use my connection, though. :)
If I don't have my eeepc, I can use the browser and email client on the phone.
So, this device costs more than my phone (a random Samsung flip), has way less bandwidth, can't do anything but provide Internet access, and the plan costs more + provides less than any phone data plan. I'm supposed to trade that off for 802.11? Who doesn't have Bluetooth in a device now /and/ doesn't have a USB port for one of those miniature $10 bluetooth dongles?
Never mind that Verizon is the undisputed Great Satan of telephony...