Goodbye MiFi

So my two (and a bit) week trial of the MiFi unit from Three is over. I’m going to miss it actually. Its been so handy to have it in my bag and to just turn on when I wanted to get online (hello job applications at lunch – things are just so much easier on your own computer!) and it seems as fast as the wifi at home.

Well, when its in a good signal area.

And theres the main problem with the MiFi device that I trialed.

Heres the device with all the lights happily lit up (forgive the slight wobblyness – I was on a train!)

But after a few seconds, they all go off. Which is a bit useless really, because if (for example) you’re on a train, then theres bound to be little patches of areas that you will just get no signal. But you wont know this until the browser (or whatever you’re doing) times out. Pretty annoying really.

The other thing that I wasn’t so keen on with the MiFi was that you turn the device on, wait for it to stuff and then you have to press the connect button. Why? If I’m turning on the device, then I want to use it!

I’m told that these problems have been addressed with the arrival of the new MiFi unit, which is making it a bit more tempting towards purchasing one.

However. I was lent this device by Michelle at ThreeMobileBuzz which meant that everything was all set up for me. Three unfortunately does not have the best customer service, something which Alex found a month or so ago when he bought his iPad and after switching it the next day for the 3G one, he chose to go with Three as he has been an active customer for quite a long time. He had such trouble just trying to get them to put the iPad SIM account onto his old account!

I love the idea of the MiFi, and the signal/service was pretty decent wherever I used it (O2 always crapped out on me between Reading and London, but Three held up reasonably well with little black spots) but its a shame that other networks with better customer service don’t offer this device!