WiFi Hot Spot 3 or 4 Times Per Year

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WiFi Hot Spot 3 or 4 Times Per Year

by oli3
(South Carolina)

I do football statistics at the high school level. I work in the home press box (with a high speed internet connection) for five or six games, then are on the road for five or six. Not all of those away locations have any network or internet connection at all.

For those road games, I need to create a small network for three or four computers to communicate within the press box... and I need to have these computers also communicate out to the internet. The situation absolutely SCREAMs MiFi, but this is really the only time all year that I need this sort of device.

My research so far has led me to the AT&T store (I have an iphone, a 3gs) where they know absolutely nothing about the
"$15 - 1 day (100MB)" plan on your "Best MiFi Plans!" page.

I am now looking seriously at the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go MiFi 2200 for $150, and then paying $10 for a 10-day plan each time I have a game.

Are there any better ideas?

Comments for
WiFi Hot Spot 3 or 4 Times Per Year

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Sep 01, 2011

Occasional wifi use
by: Anonymous

Perhaps this will work for you. I bought a Verizon wifi which I keep plugged in at home and it runs my PC, IPad and ITouch. I justify the. $50 mo cost because i have discontinued my DSL. On the road I just put it in my purse. For longer trips I have bought an "inverter" to charge up to 3 devices from my cigarettes lighter.

Suzanne

Aug 15, 2011

MiFi Hotspot - Part 1
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

I agree, the way you describe your intended usage absolutely SCREAMS MiFi hotspot as the best possible option for you! It will give you the ability to connect up to 5 WiFi enabled devices simultaneously. I have to say, though, that I’ve never tried to network devices together in a LAN (Local Area Network) type of environment using a MiFi. That said, it should work the same way as if you were using cable or DSL Internet at home with a wireless connection, so if that works for you, using a MiFi to do the same thing really should function in the same manner.

There are only two concerns that I have:
1. Coverage – You’ll want to study the coverage map of the prepaid broadband carrier that you select (ex. Virgin Broadband2Go) to ensure that you’ll have good coverage where your games usually are. Assuming you’re not doing anything truly data intensive (ex. just chatting, email, Internet), a good solid 3G connection should suffice. If you don’t have good coverage, though, it will be a nightmare for you.

2. Data allowance – While the 10-day plan you mention is a good idea for your situation in terms of number of days of use, that plan currently offers 100MB, which I fear may not be enough? You can add additional buckets of $10, however, that will pretty quickly look like a 30 day type of plan. So keep in consideration how much data you think you’ll need. The good thing is that with any of the prepaid broadband plans, you can easily change your plan for the next time around.

Aug 15, 2011

MiFi Hotspot - Part 2
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

Note that if you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, you can also use the Hotspot feature to actually connect up to 8 devices. For carriers that offer that, there?s a fee (ex. $30/month). You could explore having that feature added and removed for only the duration (i.e. number of days) that you need it. Your carrier may actually prorate it for you, such that you?re only paying for the number of days that you have it enabled. I?m not sure what they?ll allow, if they?ll catch on to you adding and removing it frequently (as a feature it shouldn?t impact your wireless contract term), or if it will become too annoying to call in and add/remove it. Maybe you can add and remove it online easily? Also, if they do prorate it, I expect they?ll prorate the data as well (worse case). You would also be without your phone during its use, and that may not be acceptable to you. You can also try jailbraking (iPhone) or rooting (Android) your phone, which can enable the hotspot functionality for free. Though keep in mind that while jailbraking and rooting are not illegal, they can affect your warranty (on an iPhone), and using it to get a paid service for free would be considered stealing, which I?m not condoning.

You can check out the prepaid 3G plans here:
Prepaid Wireless Broadband Plans

You can find the prepaid 4G plans here:
4G Broadband

I also recommend buying something from a store that will allow you to return it if it doesn?t work well for you. In addition, often credit cards will allow you to return things within a particular period of time (ex. 30-90 days) if the store won?t accept a return; also something to consider. Lastly, is the cost of such a device something that you can expense with the highschool or other organization? I?m not sure of your affiliation specifics, but this may also be a possibility if you?re providing a service for a particular organization. Let us know what you decide!

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