Ipad users with Mifi?

dannyjo22 · 10 Apr 2012 at 12:46

I have sometimes patches of flaky home broadband connection so have decided to buy an ipad with 3g/4g. The alternative is to get a mifi, do these provide as strong as signal?

It would be of help because my wife has a wireless ipad which she could then continue to use as well when our internet goes belly up.

Or would it be better to just buy a new ipad and can I surf on it while making it a wireless hotspot for my wifes ipad?

The cost in the end would be pretty much the same but I suppose for future upgrades I could just buy wifi versions instead of 3g.

So is the mifi thingy reliable?

sanofi · 10 Apr 2012 at 12:53

Maybe you can use a wireless hotspot from your phone? Does the same thing as a mifi essentially and will use your current contract rather than you having to get another one or pay for a payg mifi.

oli356 · 10 Apr 2012 at 13:00

I can't say I've had any problems with my MiFi on 3, I rarely use it now though actually. I buy 3 month sim cards which have 3GB of data on, cost around £12. Would rather tether from my phone but GiffGaff don't allow it.

Can't see why it would be any less reliable then anything else, battery life is generally good as well. Costs a lot less as well then buying the 3G iPad, but its 'always on you' and you don't have to wait for it to turn on. (MiFi takes around a minute, it bothers me

)

dannyjo22 · 10 Apr 2012 at 16:19

Cheers guys, can't teather on my vodafone contract and I don't get 3G at home with them anyway sadly. I take it with these mifi's you can just buy 3Gb sims and swap them out and that it doesn't have to be on a data contract?

Disco Boy · 10 Apr 2012 at 16:47

If you buy a 4G iPad it will not work on 4G networks over here (when there are some).

Personally I'd get a mifi & a wifi ipad, provided that there is good 3G signal in your house.

oli356 · 10 Apr 2012 at 17:15

dannyjo22 said:
Cheers guys, can't teather on my vodafone contract and I don't get 3G at home with them anyway sadly. I take it with these mifi's you can just buy 3Gb sims and swap them out and that it doesn't have to be on a data contract?

Correct, if you search for like "3 Original Broadband Ready to Go 3GB Preloaded Data Sim for Mobile Devices" £10.90, cheapest I've seen them in ages.

Once you've turned on the MiFi with the simcard in the 3 months or 3GB will start. Once either has been met, just put another one in.

sanofi · 10 Apr 2012 at 17:28

dannyjo22 said:
Cheers guys, can't teather on my vodafone contract and I don't get 3G at home with them anyway sadly. I take it with these mifi's you can just buy 3Gb sims and swap them out and that it doesn't have to be on a data contract?

Ah in that case, mifis will do the job but we careful with the carrier if you don't get good 3g reception where you are.

You can get unlocked mifis from ebay and you just use whichever tariff takes your fancy.

Rambaud · 15 Apr 2012 at 11:17

I have had 2 MiFis for a couple of years (one unlocked and the other locked to 3). They work fine if the signal is good.

However, I have not used them for a few months as I have a faster cable broadband now.

malcolm · 15 Apr 2012 at 20:05

I've had my Mifi for about 2 years. It is on a PAYG 3 sim card, so I just pay £10 for 1G/30 days when I need it. I use it with my Laptop and iPhone when away from home. I have also used it on a Vodafone sim having successfully unlocked it. The unlock cost me 10 euros.

When it works the '3' network is very good and pretty quick. I actually find their service better than Vodafone or the O2 service on my iPhone, but like all 3G networks in the UK it still has black holes. PAYG sim cards from '3' last for 12 months if not used. After that they time out.

Beasty · 16 Apr 2012 at 12:30

I got fed up of using the mifi and just opted for the 3g version this time around, it gets tiresome.

shine · 16 Apr 2012 at 19:17

oli356 said:
I can't say I've had any problems with my MiFi on 3, I use it on the trains. I buy 3 month sim cards which have 3GB of data, cost around £10.

Can't see why it would be any less reliable then anything else, battery life is generally good as well. Costs a lot less as well then buying the 3G iPad, but its 'always on you' and you don't have to wait for it to turn on. (MiFi takes around a minute, it doesn't bothers me )

Updated to reflect my experiences!

dannyjo22 · 16 Apr 2012 at 22:39

Cheers guys for the input, decided to go with the 4g version instead of Mifi for less faff!
I will just buy those 3 month sims from amazon as and when I need them

sharingan_sasuk · 17 Apr 2012 at 20:38

Although I can tether from my iPhone 4S with my O2 500MB data allowance to my WiFi-only iPad 2, the next tablet I get will be a 3G one. Having to switch on the portable hotspot and then switch WiFi networks on the iPad gets tiresome. I'm happy to pay the extra for the privilege of it being always on there for me right away.

Vertigo · 17 Apr 2012 at 21:07

sharingan_sasuk said:
Although I can tether from my iPhone 4S with my O2 500MB data allowance to my WiFi-only iPad 2, the next tablet I get will be a 3G one. Having to switch on the portable hotspot and then switch WiFi networks on the iPad gets tiresome. I'm happy to pay the extra for the privilege of it being always on there for me right away.

My thinking exactly. Tethering or a MiFi is great if you have multiple devices you want to use on one data contract but I just wanted the convenience of an iPad with its own connection and own allowance.

topdog@OC · 17 Apr 2012 at 22:06

I have tethering via O2 contract on phone too but actually the ipad is pretty seamless for me at switching to it when I'm out of range of my home wifi and finds either one fast. Obviously when I'm in range of the home wifi I just switch the portable hotspot off again. It's just a click (on the phone) and takes a few seconds only - not an iphone though. The ipad 'knows' both networks so it only has to be near one of them and it's good to go.

Only reason I'm thinking of wacking a sim in my ipad is that I'll chew up my data allowance through the phone pretty quick if I use it like I want to, I have to be conservative to stick within the 1GB/month that I have, so a dedicated sim for the ipad would probably end up being the better value for me.

Vertigo · 17 Apr 2012 at 22:49

Yep, I chew through a lot more data on the iPad than on the iPhone and I'd need a bigger contract allowance if I was tethering.

Tethering is good or useful for many people and many situations but there's no denying that a 3G iPad is a simpler solution. It also means the iPad can still be used on 3G even when the phone isn't around to tether to.