A new MiFi device by Novatel Wireless has just landed at the FCC: model number 4082. Like all the other portable hotspots that came before it, the whole concept of a MiFi is to take the mobile broadband signals that your operator transmits and then make them usable by spitting them out via WiFi. Got an iPad, Kindle, or iPod touch? Then the MiFi is for you. Practically every operator sells one of these things now, and you’ve got to be careful with how you use them because cranking through 2 or 5 GB of data is relatively easy thanks to all the streaming video services out there. With WiMAX however, Sprint and Clearwire genuinely have unlimited plans, unlike AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
Don’t forget that if you have an Android 2.2 or later device then you have this portable hotspot feature built in to your smartphone. If you purchased your device from an operator then they may have disabled the functionality, which is yet another reason why I often advocate buying fully unlocked hardware. Back to the MiFi 4082, there’s no word as to when it’ll come out, how much it’ll cost, or what you’re going to have to pay per month for service, but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that news come out at the Consumer Electronics Show that takes place every January in Las Vegas.
We’re still waiting for Novatel Wireless to make a MiFi that’s compatible with T-Mobile’s 21 Mbps HSPA+ network. Not only does T-Mobile have one of the cheapest data plans in North America, but benchmarks show that their network is also the fastest … if you’re in a coverage zone. Speaking about high speed, an LTE MiFi is an inevitability, but until Verizon Wireless slashes their prices then their high speed network will be mostly used by the mobile business crowd.
[Via: PhoneScoop]