Mobile Wi-Fi devices–why didn’t anyone tell me these things are so damn useful?

Being a collector of different handsets and tablets can mean restricting usage of them at home for connectivity. Getting a real sense of them on the move, at first suggests individual SIM cards for each device which is not preferred due to the cost and in some cases lock-in on some providers contracts.

4G (LTE) connectivity s also something I wanted to take an up close and personal look given EE’s first off the bat launch in late 2012. There pricing for SIM and Phone plans on their 4G network were completely uncompetitive and its reported take up is seen as moderate at best. It was only when I realised there was a more clever way to get on to 4G and use remove any spend across any individual handset or tablet SIMs, did I come across the solution – the Huawei E589 mobile broadband modem from EE.

It’s pretty standard fare as these devices in their 3G form have been around for some time.  What clicked was realising I could cancel all of my handset SIM deals (as I never use the phone, except for my iPhone) and could then get the benefit of a) 4G Wi-Fi spot speeds and b) sharing them across my devices anytime I needed to take them out with me.  Of course there are corporate uses when I’m in the airport or just travelling around the UK. And of course there are international versions of this device, which are great to get better roaming charges on data.

Using it for the last week has seen a big boost in using my iPhone 5, Lumia 920, iPad mini and the Surface RT when I using them on the train or in the office. Performance was snappy, given that the download speed test results ranged between 10-20mpbs when in and around Docklands area in London. Having one of these on hand is like being a walking Wi-Fi spot having access to 4G speeds (dependent on location given the rollout programme), regardless of the device you are using and its native capability.

Set up is quick once you’ve inserted the SIM. You can do the usual in terms of hiding your SSID and changing the supplied password and you’re good to go.  You can even toggle the Wi-Fi to save on battery.  At the moment, I get about up to 3-days charges toggling it when I need it.  There’s an iPhone app to check your usage and all the other basic admin things you would expect to do. Nice.

So £50 up front for the device, £21 per month for 5Gb of data – shared across up to 5 devices. I’ll never need to buy a cellular iPad ever again.