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#61
Originally Posted by johnkzin View Post
You mean like the cradlepoint routers that have been out for years? :-)

or do you only want one of the newer ones that have the cell radio built in?
Well, the reason I want the Mifi is because it's a 3G to wifi pocket router. All I need then is just a data plan through one of the cell companies and I'm all set.
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#62
Originally Posted by Lord Raiden View Post
Well, the reason I want the Mifi is because it's a 3G to wifi pocket router. All I need then is just a data plan through one of the cell companies and I'm all set.
OK, but the cradlepoints are the same thing, except they use a separate USB 3G modem, so you could use the same router with any network you can get a USB card for. Oh, and they're available now.

Not sure exactly from a compactness perspective (I assume the MiFi should have a slight edge), but they're both aimed at pocketable.
 
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#63
Not only are the cradlepoints out now, they've been out for years, so they've already gotten through their "new device with debugging pains" phases. They're a "known tech".

The PHS-350 has a bulit-in battery (the other cradlepoints don't). But I hear it doesn't have great battery life. But, we don't yet know how great or lousy the Novatel's battery life is.

I _am_ interested in the Novatel, but this isn't a new device category. They've just refined it slightly.

(and, of course, you also have to throw every WinMo phone and Symbian S60 phone into the mix, because you can make them do the same thing via WMWifiRouter and Joikuspot)
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#64
The novatel has like 30 hours standby and 4 hours active, at least according to the OEM.

As for the phones, I've got one of the old ducks, so I don't have bluetooth or any of that other silly stuff like data plans and the like. I hate fancy phones. I want a cell phone to be just that. A phone. Hence why I like the Mifi. It's separate from the phone, and if I don't want it, I don't carry it with me, and it doesn't eat battery.

On a side note, what networks offer the cradlepoint, and also have a well priced data plan?
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Last edited by Lord Raiden; 2009-01-19 at 19:55.
 
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#65
Originally Posted by Lord Raiden View Post
The novatel has like 30 hours standby and 4 hours active, at least according to the OEM.
So, about the same as the PHS-350, from what I've heard (3-4 hours of active use).

As for the phones, I've got one of the old ducks, so I don't have bluetooth or any of that other silly stuff like data plans and the like. I hate fancy phones. I want a cell phone to be just that. A phone. Hence why I like the Mifi. It's separate from the phone, and if I don't want it, I don't carry it with me, and it doesn't eat battery.
You can do the same with the PHS-350, except that you can also use your phone as the "modem", for some phones. So you don't necessarily need two separate plans.

(and, for me, I prefer to carry as few devices as possible, and my phone has to have a physical qwerty keyboard; so between those, a smartphone becomes just about mandatory; lucky, G1 is both a good phone, and a good pocketable device)

On a side note, what networks offer the cradlepoint, and also have a well priced data plan?
The cradlepoint doesn't have an internal modem, so "plans" are whatever data plan any carrier offers. Want to use it with AT&T's USB dongle? go ahead. Want to use it with Sprint's USB dongle? go ahead. Or Verizon.

They also work with phones that will do USB tethering. Or Express Cards (via USB adaptors).

Right now, there's several carriers whose devices will work with the cradlepoint line of devices. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and a few small carriers. They say that they're waiting to support T-Mobile until they have a 3G dongle/card.

(oh, and, just saw: it's the PHS-300, not 350; the 350 is one of their CTR devices)

Here's the support page for the PHS-300, which has a list of supported modems/cards/phones organized by carrier. Just click on the "supported devices" tab.

Clicky

They have other products as well. The CTR devices are portable, but don't have an internal battery (so they're more intended for use at fixed locations, but you can take them with you as you move from fixed location to fixed location); the CTR-350 is for USB (same as the PHS-300), the CTR-500 adds an express card slot. The MBR devices are meant for non-mobile use (broadband for your business, when you're not in an area with cable modem or DSL or something), so also no internal battery. The CBA device doesn't have wifi, it's for just cellular WWAN to wired LAN.
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#66
(so, the advantage over the Novatel is: you only have to buy 1 PHS-300 that you can use on any carrier; to move from carrier to carrier, you just buy a new dongle ... with the Novatel, you'll probably have to buy a different device for each carrier)
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#67
Ah, point taken. So it's a choice between a whole new unit to go between carriers, or just a simple dongle. I take it the dongles are quite cheap? If they're not, I may as well just wait for the Mifi, as I don't plan to migrate between carriers. Plus, I can just unlock the unit anyways if I need to migrate.
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#68
Originally Posted by Lord Raiden View Post
Ah, point taken. So it's a choice between a whole new unit to go between carriers, or just a simple dongle. I take it the dongles are quite cheap? If they're not, I may as well just wait for the Mifi, as I don't plan to migrate between carriers. Plus, I can just unlock the unit anyways if I need to migrate.
Essentially, yes. Except that you wont be able to migrate:
  • Between CDMA (Sprint and Verizon) and GSM/WCDMA (AT&T and T-Mobile) carriers
  • Among WCDMA carriers (for 3G service), unless they're using the same bands, or unless the Novatel device supports all bands*
  • To WiMAX carriers from non-WiMAX carriers
  • To the WiMAX service offered by a WiMAX carrier, from that carrier's non-WiMAX service (ex: from Sprint EVDO to Sprint/Xohm WiMAX)
  • (same as the previous two items, only applied to LTE)

(* ex: I have yet to see a WCDMA device that supports AT&T 3G and T-Mobile-USA 3G ... so I don't expect you'll be able to make that migration, in either direction, without having to replace your Novatel Mifi ... though, I sincerely hope that you wont have this problem on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE side, as there are tons of quadband GSM devices)

(and, I'm assuming that the Mifi wont have BOTH CDMA and GSM/WCDMA in the same device ... that would be neat, but that'd be unprecedented)

If you're in Europe (and/or probably Canada), don't care about WiMAX and/or LTE, then no problem. :-)

But, if you're in the USA, you want forward compatibility with WiMAX (I'm pretty sure I've heard that they're already working on supporting those dongles) and/or LTE (I expect that to happen too), then the Cradlepoint is a better selection, IMO.

As for cheapness of dongles... it depends. On ebay, or with contract, they can be rather cheap (with contract, they can be "free"). Otherwise ... $50-$200, depending.

That said, I'll probably get the Novatel Mifi. Especially if it's carried by AT&T as a direct purchase. I don't mind getting it "on contract", which may in fact make it rather cheap (if not "free"). My point isn't "which one is better", just that the Novatel Mifi is far from a new product category, and that the Cradlepoint devices are a lot more flexible.
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#69
Originally Posted by johnkzin View Post
If you're in Europe (and/or probably Canada), don't care about WiMAX and/or LTE, then no problem. :-)

But, if you're in the USA, you want forward compatibility with WiMAX (I'm pretty sure I've heard that they're already working on supporting those dongles) and/or LTE (I expect that to happen too), then the Cradlepoint is a better selection, IMO.
Actually, Canada has slowly been developing Wi-Max - Rogers & Bell were sharing services provided but looks like Rogers bailed in the fall, can't tell if Bell has done the same yet.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2949/280/
 
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#70
My point about Canada wasn't about WiMAX. It was that, like Europe, there's only 1 GSM/WCDMA flavor (from 2 carriers?), so you don't have to worry about losing 3G connectivity when you move from one carrier to another.
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