Novatel Mifi Wireless Hotspot - Unlockable?

[Lord Raiden]

Ok, this might sound like a silly question, and somewhat jumping the gun, but do you guys think there will be a way to hack the Novatel Mifi to unlock it so I can take it with me between providers should I decide to switch to someone else? I'd hate to buy it from sprint, find out their service sucks, and then be unable to move it to another provider.

On the flipside though, do you think Novatel might sell the Mifi unlocked so you can move it between providers? Just curious. I know this seems a bit ahead of the game given that the device isn't even released yet, but I'm sorta weighing my options right now.

[paulkoan]

It is probably unlockable, you should ask them.

But what phone have you got? If you have a Symbian phone that has wifi, you can use jaikuspot to turn it into a 3g hotspot.

[tabletfan]

Sprint uses CDMA (Verizon does too). Is it possible to unlock a CDMA device? I don't think it would be useful, since it wouldn't be compatible with GSM networks.

[Lord Raiden]

Well, the Mifi supposedly does both CDMA and GSM. So in theory it's usable anywhere.

[EIPI]

Well, the Mifi supposedly does both CDMA and GSM. So in theory it's usable anywhere.
As in, there will be GSM and CDMA versions, or will one MIFI support both network types?

[Lord Raiden]

It will support both.

[rkopper]

So, everyone is waiting for this new mifi, while the cradlepoint is available now.. http://cradlepoint.com/products/phs300-personal-wifi-hotspot.. For some reason, it seems that this company and product has been overlooked.. I don't work for them nor do I own one so I can't say anything about their usefulness or what have you.. It's just that it would seem to me that they were the first to market with what everyone is drooling over recently.. just my 2 cents..

[EIPI]

THe PHS-300 hasn't gone overlooked. I have blogged about getting one of those. The reason the MIFI is such a novelty is that it combines a cellular modem and a wifi router in one package. The Cradlepoint PHS-300 doesn't have a cellular modem - you have to bring your own USB dongle to it.

[Lord Raiden]

Right, plus the Mifi is half the size of the cradlepoint, can fit in your pocket, has 2x's the battery life, and is a LOT cheaper.

Sounds like a win/win situation to me. :D

[rkopper]

Is the mifi tied to a specific carrier? - So I answered my own question... I went and read some reviews, and it looks like a nice device..personally, I still lean toward the PHS, regardless of size or weight... I like the idea of being able to move from gsm to cdma by switching the dongle. On an entirely different note, sprint coverage in my area is sorely lacking!