Vodafone has jumped into the mobile WiFi game with the launch of its own portable wireless hotspot.
Mobile wireless tethering used to require special software and a willingness to fiddle around with security setting for not much of a reward in terms of bandwidth. The MiFi changed all that, and now Vodafone is offering its customers a chance to run up to 5 wireless devices on the road with its own take.
Vodafone Mobile WiFi is not unlike 3′s MiFi device and indeed is also made by the MiFi’s creator, Huawei. The little slab of plastic houses a wireless access point that can support up to five simultaneous connections. On the mobile side it can use either 3G or HSDPA where available, providing access speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps in ideal conditions.
A muted display shows signal strength and connection type as well as remaining battery life. Vodafone claim that even with five devices connected at once you should get around 4 hours of internet time from one charge. A mains adapter is included, but you can run it from USB if need be, so providing there is a power point nearby you will be set.
Interestingly, the specs show that it has a slot for a 16GB microSD card. It isn’t clear from Vodafone’s product page but we assume this can be used as shared storage for your mini-network in the same way as with Three’s Mifi, which is a nice touch if so.
Vodafone are offering the device on an 18-month contract, with price plans ranging from £15 for 3GB/month.
Available now | £15-£25 month | Vodafone
