Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (Virgin Mobile)

I live in a semi-rural area and the Virgin Mobile coverage map shows to have coverage there. I got the thing to go online one or two times with help from customer service. Then it suddenly quit in the middle of a session. Now it starts "authenticating" but never connects. I'm considering calling customer service and muddling through their heavily accented English to try one more time. If that works - good. If not I'm done.

The MiFi device works as expected. Setup was a little tedious but once it's up & running it's pretty reliable. Of course browsing speeds are 100% dependent on strength of cell signal to the device, and strength of wifi connectivity between the device and PCs/laptops/tablets. In areas where typical broadband internet services aren't available, this device is definitely the best option as long as you have good cell service where it's being used. This being a Virgin Mobile device, it either connects to Sprint or T-Mobile networks ... can't remember which. And the Virgin Mobile/Walmart Special $20/mo data plan gives twice the allowed data transfers per month than if you purchase the device elsewhere. Note: I set this up for parents in small town Tenn because broadband services aren't available, except for expensive satellite internet services. This device was a bump up from dial-up and a HUGE improvement!! It's NOT as fast as regular cable or DSL internet services, but it's way better than dial-up.

My choice was between verizon with 4g and virgin mobile 3g. I went for the cheapier option in virgin mobile because lets be honest who wants to pay 50 bucks a month for 2 gb of usage on verizon? If thats the case I'll just go get comcast internet lol...So I get this Mifi 2200 and it's very inconsistent. I have download speeds as slow as 31 kbps and as high as 300 kbps. (tested on testmy.net) When it's running at 31 you will be throwing things around the house because yes, that's slower than dial-up. I'm really thinking of returning the device, because it runs slower more often than it does faster. But I did find one pro to this device. If you own a laptop you still can access the internet when your power goes out. Sad to say, that's the only pro I can find. The short, it runs on sprint 3g so speeds arent going to be great, but when you start going slower than dial-up you wonder why you pay 150 bucks for the thing.

Beware of reviews where the user has used the mifi less than a few weeks. If I had written a review in the first few weeks of owning the mifi I would have given it rave reviews. However I have used it for 7 months now and slowly after the first few weeks it has become one big headache. Today I have had to reset the device no less than 10 times, this has become the norm. The first few weeks I was getting up to 1meg download speeds, now I'm lucky to get online more than 5 minutes at a time before having to reset the mifi. This has been an on going problem that has only gotten worse.

When it works it is great. Faster than 3G. Problem is that the network is down A LOT. When it comes back up you have to reprogram the device. There is no customer service except thru a phone number answered in India. I have held on the line for hours. The number is answered with a loud blaring sound and then "Alex" the voice gives you only billing and tech support options. Virgin Mobile did replace mine when it quit working after 2 months, but they could never get the new one to work for me. I finally tinkered with the old one and got it to work. I returned the new one. Now they are after me because they can't find where I returned it. There is no one to talk to about it except "tech support" and you can only get to them after "Alex" makes you walk thru 7 steps and dialing "1" after each step to "reactivate" your MiFi and you hold for a minimum of 1 hour. I have tried calling at all hours and Alex always tells me that they are busier than usual. I saved a little on the montly rate compared to the ATT wireless card but the network is down almost every time I need it on the road. I have been forced to do major networking on the microscopic iPhone screen. Dont waste your money or you will end up also wasting your time. P.S. you may be able to use it on up to 5 devices but more than 2 really slows it down. AND unlimited use is really 5 MG.