Sprint MiFi / Verizon MiFi: road tested
Some of you might be privy to a little bit of confidential BGR info, but for those of you who are not: I went to Chicago recently. In a car. Besides me harboring a hate for the entire of state of Pennsylvania, (because it’s ridiculously long to drive through) the trip was quite successful. One of the main reasons why I didn’t mind being in a car seven times longer than being in a plane was because I was blessed by two MiFi units; a Verizon Wireless unit and a Sprint unit. Plus, what better way to really test out two mostly identical devices on two completely different networks when you’re covering around 1700 miles round trip. I didn’t do a really vigorous string of tests or anything near our much-loved BGR Carrier Wars series. Instead I used one unit exclusively on the way to Chicago from New York City and the other unit on the way back. Here’s what I found…
The first MiFi I used was the Verizon Wireless unit. We all know how good Verizon’s reputation in the data department is and I had high hopes for this little bad boy. Before we get into how it fared, let’s look at the physical unit itself. It’s definitely smaller than you’d imagine if you have never seen or held one before, and Verizon opted to go with a glossy black top plastic piece with a soft touch rubberized finish on the underside. While this obviously goes well with Verizon’s black, red, and white color scheme, the review unit was scratch city already when I received it. Will this affect the device’s performance? Absolutely not, but I’m not terribly sure high gloss black plastic was the best of ideas as far as exteriors go. On the underside of the Verizon unit is a nice little sticker that will give you the pre-set passcode for the wireless network it transmits.
This is helpful so you can get going immediately when you purchase the unit instead of fumbling for the user manual or frantically calling that bastard salesperson that sold you the device. What’s really fantastic about the MiFi in general is that you get access to a router configuration page just as you would on your Linksys, Belkin, or whatever brand router you use at home or at the office. On that page you can customize just about anything including presents for different network modes (temporary hotspot, secure, open, etc.), port forwarding, MAC filtering, power and standby settings and a bunch more. You’ll see that Verizon and Sprint have different network configuration pages and we’ll go over both of them a little further down.
Here’s Verizon’s wireless configuration page and you’ll notice it looks just like their horribly-designed and crafted VZAccess Manager apps. But, Verizon isn’t about sparkle, they’re about substance and their configuration page (and arguably VZAccess Manager software) is extremely simple and quick to navigate and setup. After renaming the wireless network to something a little more clean (Verizon MiFi — original, I know) and setting a new Wi-Fi passkey, I was ready to go.
Immediately 5 bars of glorious mobile Wi-Fi appeared on my MacBook Pro. I entered the passkey and was off and running. After knocking through some work over IM, in the web browser, and in Outlook, I decided I’d start to speed test the Verizon MiFi. The highest speed I saw was around 950kbps and the lowest was around 780kbps (in Rev. A coverage areas). I think I completed one speed test over 1X and that was about 120kbps.
You can see a shot of one speed test I did that yielded 802kbps down and 557kbps up. Not bad at all if you need to have data access while on the move and definitely in line with Verizon’s other data products like USB sticks or ExpressCards.
Both MiFi units support high level security including WPA2-PSK and WEP Wi-Fi networks.
As far as Sprint’s unit goes, the finish is quite different on the top part of the casing. There’s a brushed aluminum texture which is glossed over with a clear coat that really doesn’t show scratches. Major bonus. Besides just looking lighter and being less scratch-prone, the Sprint MiFi externally is basically the same exact hardware as the Verizon device. Sprint doesn’t have a sticker on the underside of the unit with a default passkey for the Wi-Fi network, but since this review unit came with an open Wi-Fi network it wasn’t an issue I had to deal with. Bets are that it would be on the box or in some sort of included paperwork…
After selecting and configuring the Wi-Fi network to my liking (again, Sprint MiFi2200 — totally brilliant, right?) I was a happy camper on I-80 East. For some reason, and this might not actually be the case with every unit, I noticed the range of Wi-Fi signal to be a little worse on the Sprint MiFi than on the Verizon MiFi. I had read about this somewhere and it mentioned that since the Sprint unit was part metal compared to all plastic the Wi-Fi range suffered a bit. That’s obviously not true as the Sprint unit is not any part metal, so I’m not sure what exactly the reason for that was or if maybe the unit I was testing was a little broken in. Just think about how many Wi-Fi clients had been using that MiFi before me. Yikes.
While both units are pretty much identical when you get down to the nitty gritty, Sprint’s MiFi offers the ability to use the built-in GPS. This is really cool if you don’t have a GPS-enabled mobile phone and could possibly be a life-saver in some situations. You have the option of searching directly from the router configuration page using your GPS location, and displaying the coordinates of where you are, among other things. Very nice and very cool. As far as the look and feel of the configuration page goes, Sprint’s was really clean and had a bit more polish, shall we say, over the Verizon page. There was also an option in the power preferences to have the MiFi enter standby mode when plugged into a charger which the Verizon page didn’t have.
Not too surprisingly, speeds were a bit better on Sprint’s unit. We’d say an average of around a 150kbps difference even though there’s about a 300kbps difference from the speed tests we took photos of. The trade off is that Sprint’s coverage was not as good as Verizon’s and many times the Verizon unit would be in a Rev. A coverage area when the Sprint unit would only be chugging on 1X. Battery life was the same on both units at around 4 and a half hours of straight usage which actually ended up lasting throughout maybe half the day when going about the city on and off.
Both MiFi devices can support up to 5 wireless clients each simultaneously which is an incredible feat for a device so small and compact. You can also connect your MiFi via a microUSB cable to your computer and tether it while also charging the unit. The downside here, though, is that once the unit is connected to a computer over USB, routing data over Wi-Fi is not possible. Obviously if the unit is plugged into a microUSB wall charger you’re free to charge and surf without a hitch. Both units got mildly warm with strenuous usage, nothing alarming or even concerning. While I’m not daring enough to keep a MiFi in my pocket, when left in my backpack it turned out to be an awesome traveling companion, gladly picking up the slack from AT&T’s horrendous Chicago coverage.
As you can see from the review, both units are pretty much identical at the end of the day. Little minor exterior differences and even smaller hardware differences (I actually believe they are identical, just Verizon doesn’t enable the GPS function that Sprint does), it’s pretty tough to immediately call one a winner. I wish I could be more clear and really recommend one over the other — Sprint’s was a little bit faster in places, Verizon’s had better coverage and was a tad more reliable — but it’s really personal preference. I’ve been a Bell Atlantic customer and now a Verizon customer for a very long time and like their coverage. After I ship back the Verizon unit, I’ll be purchasing a Verizon MiFi for my personal use, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t be happy with a Sprint one.
Both devices retail for $99 with a 2-year agreement with qualifying monthly data plan.
Good review. I enjoyed the screen shots. I like the idea of the Mi-Fi, I just think for those who use their PAM, this will only have limited use.
bluehorseshoe, you must not realize the additional cbarge is for going over thr 5GB limit, same as the other carriers do, not for going over roaming. VZW BGr never said anything about not being able to use it just that more 1x spots were encountered, still ranked faster than the vzw one overall, that says lots about Sprint’s network
@ VZW
BG clearly stated he ran a 1X test on the VZ Mifi not that it had Rev A the whole way. Also BG drove thru a heavy portion of the IPCS network which is known to not have built out Rev A in all places yet, which explains why he encountered some 1X.
@ VDubb,
I believe you’re the one that needs the 5th grade course in common sense. What’s the point of having the service if you can potentially have your service terminated? For those that hit the road often, it becomes an issue. Just goes to show they don’t have the coverage.
As for the reading skills, perhaps you should polish up on your grammar. “…you a moron…” That’s good.
there’s that misinformation again, only way you’ll get any overages is if over 5Gb and the only way to get terminated is by exceeding the roaming limit in consecutive months, 3 I think
Only verizon could cripple an internet router… pretty hilarious…
but in all seriousness, these both look like they would be nice to have
…and when you have overages for three months in a row, then what? You get terminated. So what’s the point of having the service if you roam more than 300MB for 3 consecutive months and get asked to leave? You wind up going to another service. I’ll save myself the trouble. Been down that road already.
@bluehorseshoe
Sorry for the one slip-up in grammar, I was trying to put myself in your shoes. But nice try on changing the argument, retard. At least that shows that you learned something today (very surprising). I’m not going to argue about excessive roaming because there is very little reason to by an aircard from a carrier if you’re constantly roaming.
“very little reason to >by< an aircard."
There you go again. Retard. LOL. Keep going toots.
bluehosreshoe, you will have to clarify what overages you are talking about to not seem like an ass, no company is going to ask someone to leave for paying regular overages. Now if the overages were coming from the roaming said that is something different because that would cost the company $. I challenge anyone here to find multiple stories of different subs being sent letters or getting calls because they were roaming too much, don’t think you’ll find it because Sprint has a sufficient network and have the roming in place to supplement.
The two most common restrictions discussed in many reviews are:
(1) The limitation of 5 WiFi users.
(2) The inability to share the WiFi connection when the device is connected over USB.
Both of these limitations can be removed. The MiFi has the ability to allow you to download the configuration file (intended to be used for backing up your settings). It is an XML file that is very easy to follow. You can modify the settings in the file (using a text editor) and restore them back.
i forgot to add that iff you are roaming that much then Sprint wasn’t the carrier for you in the 1st place but againm how many people are roamaing that much?
man some people are pretty dum.. vzw will terminate you for excessive roaming like anyone else.. vzw has better coverage in the sticks, sprint in the city.. the article mentioned both on 2g and said it wasnt a deal breaker speed or coverage wise.. how the fuck can you lie about somthing thats written on the same damn page your posting on.. you act like your plan comes with free bjs..
Had Sprint and the contract was “released” due to roaming (they were being polite about it, but also tried to hit me up for some additional billing). I wasn’t aware of the restriction at the time. Switched over to VZW and haven’t had any issues as of yet. It’s not that I hit the 5GB limit that often, but that the areas being “roamed” aren’t heavily covered by Sprint and the 300MB can add up quickly.
I was never aware of the issue when I resided in NY, but when I moved, evidently it became one. So, for those that don’t reside in areas of coverage, or do extensive travel in areas that may not have coverage, it becomes a consideration.
“The downside here, though, is that once the unit is connected to a computer over USB, routing data over Wi-Fi is not possible.”
That’s not my experience. I have done this at least twice now when the battery died and I was in a hurry and could not find the charger. VZAccess was not even open and Vista said it was a WiFi connection.
WEP is high level security???
bluehorseshoe, when was this because the data roaming cap is a year old, more or less? I’m calling bull on your claim that you had any Sprint service, be it data or voice
March-July. Once they termed my service (and I had been testing the MiFi at the time as well on Sprint for all of one week, used the Sierra 598U and the Ovation U760 prior), I said hell with it and turned in my Pre as well (battery and dropped calls killed although I loved the device in general along with the plan). Been using the VZW MiFi since May. Finally resolved the account just 3 weeks ago after dealing with CS, then Finance.
What else would you like to know.
Wait doesn’t Sprint have free roaming on Verizon’s Data network?
bluehorseshoe, you are so full of it. You have been one of the biggest vzw proponents and Sprint antagonist on this site since I found a year + ago and you mean to tell me this year you decided to get a MiFi and a Pre at the same time, kept it for 5 months and were let ouit of both contracts for roaming. You are makingthat up just like your assertion that Sprint kicks you off for roaming, funny how when I asked to come up with a story it’s yours and I swear I didn’t see you bad mouthing either device in any of the reports here during that time but you use those date as reference point now
F-you why do the sales people have to be bastards, I bet you wouldn’t come say that to me?
the funniest thing about you guys is first you don’t even own one. sec of all the fact that a verizon customer would back their company up so much. dude, you pay them like 60 more per month for the same shit that sprint cust are getting. so the “retard” is anyone who pays more money to a company for the same service. the funny thing about verizon and att customers is the fact that they would even take a company that has less than half of its subscriber base and compare it to theirs. that means that sprint is doing a pretty good job at keeping their “little” company around the big boys. even better is the fact that it actually bothers you that a smaller company’s product is messing with yours.
i can’t wait for only two carries to rule the US. Then our cell phone bills will be twice as high. Fucking awesome you jack offs!
LOL…what makes you think that I don’t have service with Sprint still? FYI, I run a technology consulting firm and have multiple vendor accounts with multiple devices, etc. Tested the MiFi on ‘my’ broadband account with Sprint, and the Pre was on a new account that I had opened (in June) which was my personal phone at the time.
For the record, I’ve ripped the Storm on VZW (one of the worst experiences I’ve had with a phone and customer service), the Tour with the trackball issue (but finally replaced and working with the replacement batch), and loved the Pre (but again, wasn’t happy with the battery and dropped calls). I’ve ripped Sprint for issues I’ve tested (although my biggest issue with them was CS), as well as AT&T and TMO (although I found TMO had he best CS of them all). IMO, the best phone/coverage service is VZW and best CS is TMO.
If Sprint rolled out a network that kicked everyone’s ass, you’d hear me raving about it. I carry no loyalty to a carrier unless they provide a better service, which is what I’d believe most people and consumers would subscribe to. And as a side note, I’d like to see Sprint succeed. I have a family member there who is a programmer. Would hate to see him lose a job he loves. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will be the case.
the funniest thing about you guys is first you don’t even own one. sec of all the fact that a verizon customer would back their company up so much. dude, you pay them like 60 more per month for the same shit that sprint cust are getting. so the “retard” is anyone who pays more money to a company for the same service. the funny thing about verizon and att customers is the fact that they would even take a company that has less than half of its subscriber base and compare it to theirs. that means that sprint is doing a pretty good job at keeping their “little” company around the big boys. even better is the fact that it actually bothers you that a smaller company’s product is messing with yours.
i can’t wait for only two carries to rule the US. Then our cell phone bills will be twice as high. Fucking awesome you jack offs
Just get a Pre, load MyTether and save the $69 or $59 bucks a month for the data card plan as well as the $150 – $200 (2 year agreement) for the MiFi itself. Just make sure you have a car charger, cuz like bluehorseshoe said, it eats batteries for breakfast! I don’t have the dropped call problem though…maybe Indy has good Sprint coverage? Also have no need for CS so don’t know if their good or bad…bill is the same every month and it works.