Disappointment with the new 4G Mifi

[stefan_a]

Yeah, I know it's not out yet, but I have read the specs.   I was really hoping to be able to connect more than 5 devices.  Seems these days you really need that.  I have a desktop, an Iphone, an Itouch, 2 airport expresses, a Wii, an Xbox 360, and a laptop.  And it wouldn't be unreasonable to own a wifi enabled blu-ray player, a wifi picture frame, an ipad.  But I guess I won't be getting any of those.  People just have a lot of wireless stuff these days and I think Novatel dropped the ball with this.   I am using the mifi as my primary connection because where I live my only other choice for broadband is satellite.  And that sucked the 2 years I had that.  Well anyway, just needed to say that...

Stefan

[TBhouston]

"Supported" and "connected at the same time"

But anyway with 10G limits I don't see how you will be able to stream netflix from the wii, play xbox while streaming pandora while checking your farmville on the ipad for more than a day or so...

[AndrewD]

Agreed with TBHouston. I believe the term it uses is 'simultaneously'. You can have 20 devices that are wireless - and you won't have any problems unless you try to connect more than 5 at once. As above was also mentioned- with the bandwidth caps you likely won't be using more than 2 or 3 of those devices at a time - Wii and PC at once, maybe. But two game systems, plus an iPad, etc? You'll hit your cap in a period of hours, LOL.

But, that's your prerogative, of course.

So far as the number of devices go, if you don't like that the MiFi only has 5 devices, then just wait for the HTC Thunderbolt. Up to 8 devices, and 4G-capable (and backwards-compatible to 3G). Not to mention, since it's a phone ... less to carry around with you.

[#4]

As already stated, two or three at a time is plenty. Otherwise, you'll use up your data plan in a day or two.

[MobileJoel]

Stefan-- First, the mifi was designed as a mobile device. Like everyone said already, more than 5 devices running at the same time is not practical. However, there is a workaround if you intend to use most of those devices at home. You own an airport express, which is a 802.11n wifi access point. What you could do is establish the airport express as the access point to the mifi Then point all of your other devices to your airport express which will use NAT to share the connection.

[Dave15126]

What Verizon (and all other 4G cellular carriers) need to do is to use the 4G cellular bandwidth to expand their networks into places where they have no land-line or DSL presence.  Actual competition in the communications industry -- I know, it's a strange concept here, but it is a tried and proven concept that has worked in many other industries and markets, including the cellular industry.

Toward that end, a MiFi-type device that either has an ethernet jack to plug into a household network, or the software capability to function as a primary node in a local wifi network, with other wifi units participating via WDS or some similar scheme.

With such a setup, there would be an obvious increase in the active bandwidth in use at any point in time, just the normal background hum from a dozen smart devices idling on a household network is sufficient to generate some perceptible load on the network, and when you have 2-3 people using browsers with multiple tabs open and mail clients, IM clients, and the occasional file transfer (software update, movie download, etc), as well as the household phones running over voip, you will need a data plan that has caps up around 50-100 GB/mo with commensurate pricing (perhaps this ushers in per-KB metered billing). 

I for one would be ecstatic to escape my household AT&T bondage via such a scheme, and would willingly pay $200/mo for a 5 GB/mo average, capped at a MINIMUM of 20 GB/mo (this amount is a practical necessity -- the current OSX developer toolkit download comes in one size -- a 4.5 GB download -- and every update replaces it in full).  Movie downloads of any quality are well over 1 GB/movie (which is why I use the DVD-via-mail from Netflix, it is a far cheaper delivery method, when you compare the cost of any form of digital download vs the postage to ship it).  50-100 GB/mo would seem to be a more practical limit, but I'm happy to have the process of competition take us there.

4G cellular seems to be an ideal way to bridge the "last mile" between the carrier's fiber grid and individual households, the perfect compromise between the cost of fiber and the non-performance of copper.

[denverdude09]

GB google to point me to this thread. 

so, first take it easy on the OP, everyone always wants more.  that's the beauty of technology.  this 'toy' is amazing.  i bought it on a trip, after looking for a pcmia / wifi card or whatever was selling before.  i've had it for about a week, and used it in cleveland, chicago (midway), and back home in denver.  BLAZING and vs. my comcast cable @ (cough) 7ish MBPS.  it's kind of funny debating this.  i started in the IT biz in 96' selling dialup (24 kbps for those that remember), and ISDN (up to 256 kpbs), or T1's at 1.5 MBPS for about 2k / mo.  10+ MBPS to a device smaller than my blackberry, and i can take it traveling?  amazing.

anyway, on to my question.  and i think related to mobile joel's reply.

i need to connect this to my vonage VIOP router, which has a ethernet connection.  i've called vonage (decent idea of changing DHCP to LAN, but then my laptop is tethered to my vonage box), and the verizon stores and CS had no ideas.  so, here i am.

would this airport express config  work (i.e. hardwired to my vonage router)?  or are there any other ideas/suggestions? 

and i only need 3 devices 

TIA if anyone can help.