Virgin Mobile Did what to my Data Speeds?

Got this text Message!

VMFreeMsg: Starting 5/6/14, if you use over 2.5GB of data during your mo. plan cycle, data speeds will now be reduced to 2G speeds. Info at http://msg4u.us/vwae

I don’t know about anyone else but when I first got this text message, I was like so How fast is 2g speeds verses 3g speeds on Google Now!  So Here’s is the breakdown of this:

Speeds

• 2g is on average about 115 kilobytes per second  (A little faster than voice calling people)
• 3g is on average about 614 Kilobytes per second (Good for some streaming media)
• 4g is on average about 20 Megabytes per Secong (On average it varies from phone to phone)

As you can see this doesn’t really explain it very well but let’s try to make it easier to understand this:

1 byte is 8 bits, so 1000 kilobytes(1,024 bytes which is 8192 bits) and you need 65536 kilobytes to make 1 Megabyte of data.   So you can see that the larger the file or anything you do on the phone will be drastically slowed down on the phone.   If yo do the math or at least think about it, you can go to a free wifi hotspot to get better speeds than this.   

Virgin Mobile and Boost is screwing you!

Virgin mobile seems to want you to go to another prepaid service.   Even with Straight Talk, they do something like this on their networks.   They do limit there speeds but I am unsure as to what the speeds are lately but they aren’t unlimited either.

It looks like I have a few options, Straight Talk although they do the same thing but not as bad, T-mobile Which looks to be comparable to Virgin Mobile or Boost.   You could try MetroPCS but I can’t seem to verify that it is truly unlimited and that is what I am looking for.   I am asking for help to find something that isn’t as restrictive as what Virgin Mobile is doing.   I might buy a data plan for my home now.   So I am going to look into this some more but if you know of a prepaid plan that is truly unlimited, please leave a comment and let everyone know!

First Impressions of the LG Optimus F3 4g LTE by Virgin Mobile!

Specifications:

Display: 4.0-inches (Gorilla Glass)
Camera: 5-MP Processor 3-MP Front
Speed: 1.2 GHz OS:
Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
Wifi
Blue tooth
NFC (Near Field Communications)
CDMA, 4G (EVDO+HSPA), 3G

Since getting my ZTE phone wet the last few weeks ago, I decided I would jump up and try a new phone out.  So this weekend I went to Walmart to see what they had and I was surprised that they were out of the ZTE’s, I liked that phone because the screen size.   Even though they both say 4.0 screen size, I could swear the ZTE is slightly bigger probably more closer to 4.1 but that is just me.   You can read my full review of the ZTE AWE and decide for yourself.

First Impression:

I have done this in past with the ZTE Awe and I’ll talk about my first impressions of this phone and go into more detail later.   First off, it has no way to do the Wifi Hotspot like the ZTE but you do have the option of Blue tooth Tethering your phone and I can also do a hard tethering from the phone to Windows/Mac laptop.   So you can still use the 4G speed for surfing the net.  I will look into finding out how to get complete wifi tethering later on.   I know I will have to circumvent Virgin Mobile but that seems to be the only way to have true wifi tethering enable with them.   They seem to try to frustrate the customers who do want true unlimited service.   I haven’t really had the chance to see if they consider 4g as true unlimited, or if it is still bound by the reduce in speed of 3g after 2.5 GB of bandwidth.

Comparing it to the ZTE AWE!

After using the ZTE Awe, I thought I should oa quick comparison of the two phones.   Each has unique properties and have reasons why you will want to use that particular phone.   So I’m going to tell you my experience in hopes this will help you make a choice of the two.   It won’t be an in depth comparison but it will be a quick overview.

ZTE awe is a little lighter and lest thicker than the LG Optimus.   It depends on on what your looking for with weight and thickness but I honestly think the LG Optimus is slightly thicker and heavier to either to make you believe it is stronger or it is stronger.  The LG Optimus has better camera properties, even though they both have 5 Mega pixel cameras, it looks like the Awe uses software to make it get to 5mp.  You can tell when I used the camera on the LG Optimus, it actually looks better and much more responsive.  The Awe only comes with a 1mp front camera and the LG Optimus comes with a 3mp front camera.  If your going to be doing video chats on a phone, I think you will want to be much more details.  

The Touch screen on the AWE doesn’t feel anywhere like the Gorilla glass that comes with the LG Optimus F3.   I do not know how to describe this but I do enjoy the touch screen on the LG Optimus better than I do with the ZTE Awe.   If feels much more sturdier and less breakable.   Although I have dropped the AWE several times, and the phone has yet to shatter.   So I know the AWE will not break as much as it looks.  

Finally, The LG Optimus F3 is a good buy for those who want to have a better experience with photos, and even the speed.   I have been able to pick up data signal’s in places I usually had a hard time getting signals.  So that is also another plus.   The Zte AWE is good for those who need a cheap phone for games and watching movies on it.  So I’ll let you decide which on you want to buy.  

My Problems with Virgin Mobile and the ZTE AWE!

Virgin Mobile likes to mislead people!

When I was researching this phone, I saw this on their website and thought well it looks to be promising and that I could pay the extra 15$ and be able to teether my phone to my laptop whenever I needed to.  Even though, I am simply am enjoying this new phone of mine.   The idea that they made me believe that I could easily without effort pay them to allow me to teether my phone is simply absurd.   I shouldn’t have to circumvent the new security feature in Android 4.1.2 which  Google decided to break tethering and prevent people from using those so called teether apps.   I have yet to find one that will work.

Calling all Geeks!

I’m going to have to probably root the phone and install a Cyanogen mod on it to be able to use the tethering option on the phone.   I would however like to keep it the way it is.   Rooting the AWE be to much trouble for me right now.   Since I am mainly using a Chrome Book and have yet to install a Linux Distro to the machine.   I’d have to do that first before I could even root the device and you know how that is!

Does Anyone know of an app that will do that without having to break the warranty of the phone as Virgin Mobile told me over the phone?   I would break the warranty if I rooted the phone.   LOL That was a laugh.   If you know of an app in the Google App store please leave a comment and help everyone out who might have the same problem!   

Reviewing the ZTE Awe from Virgin Mobile!

The Virgin Mobile ZTE AWE comes with a 1.2 ghz processor and the screen is really nice. I did switch from the Kyocera Rise to this because of a flaw that would just make the screws come off and break apart. I have had over a week to play around with the ZTE phone and I am quite impressed with the service. I thought it would be good to at least talk about some of the obstacles you will need to overcome to switching and that way you could be ready when the time comes!

Click to read more ...

First Look: The ZTE Awe from Virgin Mobile!

I recently Switched!

With the Kyocera Rise that kept on fall apart, I decided I needed to invest in a better phone.   This seemed perfect for me.  5 MP camera and tethering capabilities if you add 15$ more.  I got this from Walmart but wanted to talk about the ZTE AWE just a few minutes and let people know I’ll be talking about this in more details.   I am quite impressed with screen size and other things.   The weight of the phone is less bulky and doesn’t weigh as much.   

I just got tired of having to tighten those darn screws into the phone on the Kyocera Rise even though this was a cheap phone to begin with, I didn’t want to have to have to worry about it.   So I opted for a little bit more money to get the Virgin Mobile US ZTE Awe (Virgin Mobile is one of the sponsors to my website, because I like their service and want others to know about them).   In the coming weeks I will be talking about it even more but wanted to show you what I gotten the last few days and give you something to look at and possibly get yourself.   

Display : Type: LCD (Color TFT/TFD) 

Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels,  4”   diagonal 

Processor: 1.2 GHz Qualcomm MSM8630

Micro SD Card Size : 32 Gb capacity

Camera: 5 Mega Pixel with LED Flash 

Modes:    panorama, burst mode, interval mode, face detection, blink detection, smile detection, red-eye reduction

Front Facing: 1 Mega Pixel resolution

Video Capture : 720 HD

Why I don't click on links in text messages!

A strange text message!

VMFreeMsg: Your voicemail has been installed. For your personal security you must update your password and greeting. For details go to http://msg4u.us/vmve

You can do your own research but even I know this was going to happen sooner or later.   When i first got this message, I suspected it might of been an hack account over at Virgin Mobile.   It always seems like that is happening now a days.   I am always worried about security and they claim they are worried about security.   How is sending a link in text message good for security?  Who knows when or if a website or even a company could and will get hacked.   It is bound to happen, maybe not today but surely sometime in the near future someone will get a hold of an account at Virgin Mobile.  

Security and SMS Messages!

When I company claims they are keeping your safe and yet they do something like this.   It kind of makes me wonder who is actually worried the company or the person or sent out that text message.   I still am not sure if this is a legit SMS or not.  I have did a domain look for msg4u.us and it has very little information because it looks like it doesn’t belong to Sprint or Virgin Mobile.  The the tmce.biz is also where the redirect goes to after clicking the msg4u link!  

Where and who are these people?  Why does it not say Sprint or Virgin Mobile on the domains and what do I worry someone has played a cruel joke on me.  Oh and for those who are interested the Virgin Mobile Home page link is a vmobl.com which is a Virgin Mobile, I think!   This makes no sense to me but at least they didn’t worry to much about someone spoofing them if it was Virgin Mobile!   Keep up the hard work of security guys, at least you tried and failed!

My Reasons Why I use Prepaid Cellular Service and avoid contracts!

Prepaid Service is Better!

My sister called me wanting to know about prepaid cellular services.   She is getting tired of paying for contracts and all those really high fees for unlimited everything.  She wanted me to research this and tell her which service is best for her whether it be Straight Talk, Virgin Mobile, T-mobile, and Cricket Wireless. I know I’ve talked about some of these services and ideas in the past and  they have been nothing but a way to keep my bills from to high and they actually help me save money in the long run.  I will talk about some of these and hopefully they will make it easier for you to decide.

Lower Payments!

I know this might sound like everyone else but I have found, that since I have yet to buy a contract.  I’ve have keep my fees really know.   Like this Virgin Mobile USA phone the Kyocera rise, I have yet to pay anymore than 36$ a month on services.  I’m paying for 200 minutes an unlimited text and Data. I have been using Google Voice, as my VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) provider and only had to pay $10 for the phone number.  So I am basically using the unlimited Data to do all I need and rarely use my minutes.

On a side note, you basically pay more for your contract services because you are paying for the Phone you buy and buying an Iphone can cost anywhere from $800 to $1,000.  So they add that on to your bill in small amounts but you they don’t pay for it but you do in one way or another.

Unlimited Data!

Something seems to be happening in the Phone industry where all contract providers are giving you limits.  So you can avoid those limits and tell them you don’t want to have limits.  I am seeing Virgin Mobile USA, Straight Talk, and T-mobile all have unlimited data even though they throttle your data you still can use it after you go beyond the limit.   AT&T and Verizon Wireless charges you for more data services.  So you have to be careful and not go over your limit.

Unlocked Cell Phones

Having seen this in the past with my HTC Inspire, I can take my phone with me when I want to and switch my service and possibly get even better signal strength but it isn’t always the case because some prepaid cell providers will not have SIM Cards to use with your unlocked cell phone.   So it will just depend be a smaller amount of places like Straight Talk and and T-Mobile who will carry sims that you can buy to use with their services.   Others are starting to sell sims but it will take time for other providers to have them and sell them.

Better Customer Service

With smaller companies you get to be a little more personal with customer service.   The Bigger the company the harder it is to get anything done.   It seems they like to build more red tape and keep you frustrated.  I have found the smaller companies want to keep you as a customer and will do almost anything to keep you with them.   If they have to give you a discount to keep you they will over look small stuff and not penalize you for it.  So you can save money from time to time by talking with them and you could even get a free month of service if you do it right.

I am sure these are just a few but these are why I will always go with No Contract Cellular services and not be bound down by a contract.   I can save so much money this way that I will not even consider using anything else but no contract providers.

Paul Sylvester

Reviewing the Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (Virgin Mobile)

Click Image to see Price!Overdrive Pro 3G/4G

The Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot was my first choice when I first started using the Virgin Mobile / Sprint network.  I knew what I was getting myself into after using that modem. Knowing where I was,  I knew I was going to need a Signal Booster.   I found the Wilson Electronics - Sleek - Cell Phone Signal Booster, Which is a cradle.  I also used it in conjuction with my ARC Wireless Freedom antenna.  Which I have had for over a few years now.   So I know how useful this little guy can be!

You can use it without the Freedom antenna, because the Cell Phone Signal Booster comes with an Mini Antenna that can be used put outside on the roof or someplace to get a better signal  I like the Freedom Antenna because of it’s Bi-Directional amplification.  I can point it at One tower and get a faster connection and faster speeds.  It isn’t as though you have a way to Hack it to increase the Signal strength just yet.   I am sure someone will do it sooner or later, when they do I will know about it myself.  With it being a 4G modem though, I have been wondering when Sprint is going to bring 4G LTE to my area!

The Pro’s

I can only come up with a few but here goes some of the most common ones:

• More Display Information — No more guessing if I have a signal or not.   For that matter, no more guessing if there is an update or something is wrong. 
• 4G Possibility — If and when Sprint decides to give my area the 4g access, it should dramatically boost my speed by 50%.   I don’t know when but I am confident that it will happen.  Walmart no longer sells the Mifi 2200’s 3G only cards so I am sure it is coming.  You can buy an Overdrive Pro Dock for it but only for 4G, not 3g.
• Micro SD Card Slot — Great way to share music with all your devices at once.   No more having to switch from one device to another to find that one song.   You can keep it on the Overdrive and listen to it when you want to.
• The UI isn’t bad — Comes with a lot of bells and whistles.   You can have all kinds of sounds when you loose signal or when someone connects to the device.   So you have an audible notification when something happens.  The Router menu has some great things you can do with settings to improve security.

Basically that is it for right now.   I am sure I will have more on the pro’s later on.   

Cons!

• Bulky — Not as thin as the Mifi 2200 card that I once had so it isn’t as easily concealable.
• Not Unlimited 3G — When I first started using the Mifi 2200 card, I was unlimited but if you are going to buy it right now without having an account that has unlimited 3G.  Then you will have to pay 55$ for 10 Gigabyte a month.  I am on the grandfather clause so it is unlimited  3G for me!
• 4G — Just like it being a Pro, it is also a con. Without the 4G capability it isn’t really unlimited to everyone.  Hopefully it will be soon though.
• Price — After buying this new modem it wasn’t as cheap as the Mifi 2200, but I thought it was time for a change.   So you can always buy the Mifi 2200 card a little cheaper.   Don’t know how long they will be selling those on Amazon so get them while you can!

All in All I am pretty happy with the speed and the use of the Overdrive Pro.   I will be talking it about it more and more in the coming weeks so stay tuned!  I might even have a few hacks or tricks for this little device also.

Paul Sylvester

5 ways to improve your security with your Overdrive Pro (Virgin Mobile)!

The OverDrive Pro

After a long hard search for my old Mifi Device,  I recently had to buy the Overdrive Pro (Virgin Mobile) mifi Card.  So I went out to find a replacement for my card and came to this.  I must say that with it having the option to have a way to increase Signal strength on the Mifi card by buying antenna’s for it.  It is a good deal for me.   I had a simple time getting it to work other than having to call Virgin Mobile Broadband (877-877-8443).  I do however think you should update your card for more security and here are a few tips.

Open a web browser and go to http://192.168.0.1

Change The Default Password

Just by chance someone gets a hold of your password for your mifi card.   They then can log into and change anything they want.   So you should change the “admin” Password and possibly change the Wi-Fi Password as well.  You can do this by going to the Admin Setup Page on the Mifi Device.

Change the SSID

By default the SSID for the Overdrive card is OverDrive Pro.   You can leave it as it is but the problem with it is someone else might have the same exact SSID and you may accidentally give out your wifi password to a stranger.   It should be unique and unguessable to people.   This Also can be done in the Admin Setup Page.

Change your DNS

By default you are going to use Virgin Mobile/Sprint DNS servers.  They may not be as fast as other servers and thus you can get a little more speed from changing the DNS to something other than Virgin Mobile/Sprint DNS.   You do this by going into the Advanced Settings, Clicking the Router Tab and going into the LAN tab, Which is a separate tab from the top.  You would then need to change DNS MODE to manual and enter two different IPS.  See below for two suggestions.

Here are two that you can try and see which one works better for you.

Google DNS:  8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220

Don’t Display Wifi Password

This is another by default, it will display the password on the Mifi screen for any passer by to gain access to the network.   If you have limited amount Gigabytes to use, you may not want to share that with a stranger.   So by turning off the password no-one will have access to the mifi device without asking you first.  That can also be changed and updated on the Admin Setup Page.

Change your Wifi Password

Finally the last step I would recommend is to change your Wifi Password so no other Overdrive Pro can have that same password.   Again, it is possibility someone else might have that password so it is best not to keep it.   Create a new password you can remember but nothing that everyone used.   Just saying.   You can do this also by going to the Admin Setup Page.

With these simple steps your OverDrive Pro Mifi Card is much more secure and less likely for someone to gain access unintentionally.  So you can sit back and relax and have fun with your card and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making this blog post.

Paul Sylvester

Thumbs up to Virgin Mobile, At least they care!

Your account has used 85 percent of your data usage cap. Once you reach 2560.000MB (Which is 2.56 Gigs) of usage, we’ll reduce your data speeds through 05/26/2013.

To check out your account online, go to virginmobileusa.com any time. If you’d like to talk about this notice, please give us a call at: 888-322-1122

Did you know?

• Your PIN is required whenever you contact us so please have it on hand when you call or access your account online.
• If you recently provided us with a new email or mailing address, we are required by law to send notices (like this one) to your old address for the first 30 days. Once the 30-day transition period has elapsed, we will send notices to the new email address.

Keep rocking, Virgin Mobile

Dear Virgin Mobile,

Thank you for your kind warning and letting me know about my Soft Data cap.   I really wanted to know when I reached a new level of data usage.  I really don’t care about the slowing down of speeds, it isn’t like you will bother me much.   At least you didn’t do what Straight Talk did and advertise they are unlimited but yet I would get calls after calls.  

Please keep on working,

Paul Sylvester

Why I suspect there is not really a 3G outage right now!

The Plausible deniability of the Virgin Mobile 3G Outage!

So it has been a week now and you’re probably asking the same questions.   Here are a few questions that I have and would love to see an answer to:

What is taking so darn long?

Why haven’t you warned us before you did this UPDATE?

Why Haven’t you told anyone?

Why isn’t there more information on the problem?

Why haven’t you updated your websites and other stuff to warn people about the problem?

I could keep going on and on about this and probably even start some conspiracy theories about this.   Here is what I know!  

No UPDATES by Virgin Mobile!

No Media is covering this or talking about it!

Customers are extremely unhappy right now!

These are just a few that I have found.   I went digging around the internet about this and found only a handful of stuff about this.   I am no amatuer when it comes to searching Google, Bing, and yahoo for this type of information!   I’ve found one story about the outage but it was a mear reference to it being down nothing more nothing less. 

So what am I missing?

Probably nothing, I am sure this has to do with Virgin Mobile wanting to thin out the herd sort to speak.  If they really wanted people to stay they would of put out press releases and text everyone in the Virgin Mobile Network and also posted it on their website and their technical support line.   I honestly think they want everyone to go to the 4G network and this is a way to have people either leave or move to a phone that has 4G LTE capabilities.   I’m not buying that this is something they didn’t plan and I hope you don’t either.   Until Virgin Mobile speaks up and starts proving to me they want my business, then I have to assume they are trying to soar the milk of 3G users and get them to go somewhere else.  

Do you think I am right or Wrong?  Let start a Discuss and talk about this even more!

Paul Sylvester

What To Do before you Call Virgin Mobile Support!

1 hour with Technical Support!

Gee thanks for wasting an hour of my time for nothing!  Couldn't I of done this offline?  This isn't like it is rocket science or is it?  When I started this trek to fixing my 3G signal, I never knew it was going to be such a big ordeal.  I mean, lets face it it isn't like I don't know what I am doing with my Android Phone.  I've been getting Error codes like 67, 3000, and 2048.   So i called them and they had me do a bunch of stupid stuff.   Here is what I suggest you do before you call Virgin Mobile.  That way you can at least be ahead of the game:

• Turn off Cell Phone and if Possible take out battery for at least 15 seconds.
• Try doing an Activation and Seeing if that resolves your problem!
• Dial ##virgin# (##847446#) and view or edit your MSID (Mobile Station ID) and MDN (Mobile Number).   You'll need to verify they are something other than 10 zeros!
• Check for firmware updates.   On my Kyocera Rise, you can do that by going to System > System Updates.   This might help fix your problem before you even consider calling Virgin Mobile.   No bets though.
• Last ditch resort!!  Do a hard reset on your Android Phone.   Not recommended but if you do this and you still have problems then it isn't your phone.   You will need to reactivate the phone once it has been done and all photos, videos, and anything else on the phone is lost.   So it is a last resort.   Do this though, you will need to hold the down key and power button until you see the phone power up.  Using your volume keys select factory reset or something like that.

Although It seems Virgin Mobile is having some major 3g service issues.   I do hope they fix it.  I have tried everything other than just going back to Straight Talk.   This has been the lousiest experience in my life.   Has anyone else had this problem with your 3G service from Virgin Mobile Lately?

Paul Sylvester

My cell phone repair worries alleviated by Virgin Mobile!

The Broken Phone Syndrome!

We have all had those phones that would break.  I recently bought a Kyocera Rise from Virgin Mobile.   I recently had problems with it.   It basically was coming apart from the keyboard to the screen, it is a slide type phone and thus the two halves were just coming apart.   Right now the only thing that is holding my phone together is tape!  So I called their customer Care support number (888-322-1122) and told them the problems. 

I never knew it was going to be so easy!

I really thought I would have to jump through so many hoops with getting a replacement phone.   So when I called them I was prepared for them to fight and maybe even have to pay a deductible for a replacement cell phone.  They alleviated the worries, after looking into my account they noticed I was still a brand new customer less than a year old.   They seem to have a 1 year warranty on their phones.  This seemed kind of unheard of to me.   I am sure most cell phone companies only ever do a 90 day warranty on their phones but Virgin Mobile takes it a bit farther than most.

Waiting on my New Phone!

After talking with them over the problem, they seemed to indicate that I would need a new phone.   I let them go on about getting me set up for a new Kyocera Rise phone.   They told me they would be sending me a new phone in 3 to 5 business days.   So I will have more when it comes but this is definitely something that I am looking forward to writing about even more in the future.   I will keep you posted when I get it but I thought it would be a good little blog post for those who might want to know how easy it was for me to get a replacement for my damaged cell phone.  

I would definitely tell my friends and family about this and how this could save them money in the long run.   I can't afford to pay another 100 to 200 dollars for a phone if I don't have to and this seems to be the best possible way for that.

Paul Sylvester

Reviewing the Kyocera Rise by Virgin Mobile!

What about the HTC Inspire 4G!

I recently had to buy a new phone.   My HTC inspire got broken, sad to say but it does happen.   You know when you have to replace a  phone because of the screen glass is broken, kind of thing you don’t like to see happen.   It does though no matter how hard you try, it will happen eventually on most phones. Thank Good for the Worth Ave Group insurance coverage for Cell Phones, if i didn’t have that it would of been a pain to get this Cell phone.

A lot under the Hood!

There is a lot going on under that hood and I won’t go into much detail about this because I don’t want to bore you with details but what I will tell you is this:

• Google Movies & TV — You can watch any show you own on Google with this little device.   So you can always keep up with shows or movies while on the Go!   I do suggest downloading them whenever possible using WIFI but it is still good to have while on the road!
• Netflix — Although most phones do this it has the screen size to actually do a decent enough job of watching it through it!
• Android 4.0 — I got mine with Android 4.0 but it had to be upgraded in firmware.   That is ok, it still is a nice phone!

The Kyocera Rise From Virgin Mobile is in fact a very good Phone.   I got signal where the HTC never did, although this is a 3G phone, it is still can go a lot more places.   I suspect it is because of the Sprint Network but it is only a guess.

I could go on and on about this phone but in all truth if you aren’t convinced now to buy it then you will never buy it.   I simply love this phone and it is going to be my main phone for quite a while until I can get enough money for even better phone maybe a Samsung Galaxy S3 or S2 from Virgin Mobile or Sprint, now that would be Sweet!

Paul Sylvester

Reviewing the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (Virgin Mobile)

Click picture to see the Price! (Affiliate Link)

My Review of the Mifi 2200 Card!

I probably am not the only one who will be reviewing the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot(Virgin Mobile) card (Affiliate link).   I do however have used this card for over 3 weeks and I wanted to give you my opinions on this.  I know I originally bought this for a really good deal for $69.99 and I said a few weeks ago that I was going to talk about this little card.

Technical details:

• What's in the Box: MiFi Broadband2Go Prepaid Mobile Hotspot, AC charger, USB cable, battery, carrying pouch


• experience faster average download speeds of 600 kbps - 1.4 Mbps


• Ready-to-connect with no software to install


• Universal Wi-Fi for ultimate compatibility


• Connect up to 5 devices simultaneously

Observations on the Mifi Virgin Mobile!

I have had several weeks to play around with the Mifi card.   I must say that I am really impressed with this.   I don't have a lot of options on having broadband in my neck of the woods, so when I found this on sale.   I really couldn't help myself because I could now do what I have always wanted to do.   Having internet where I am live and be able to blog more readily available to me.

Pro's:

• Stream Hulu, CBS, NBC, Royal Pains (Affiliate link), Mythbusters (Affiliate link) and Netflix!  (Might require less quality and some buffering but I had no problems watching what I wanted, when I wanted to.)


• Portability of having WPA connections wherever I went.


• I even used my Sisters Ipad to stream Netflix and YouTube on the Mifi card.


• Uses the Sprint Network


• Can use Linux and other Operating systems with the card.

Although, I don't stream all the time and thus I am probably not one of those who is going above their ceiling cap they have.   I've heard once you get above a certain limit.   Probably 10 gigs or something like that they will cut you off but that is something they will not say for sure.   The 2.5 gig limit will slow your speed down but I'm fine with that.  I haven't had any problems with the slow down.

Con's:

• Battery life -- I was able to use my battery for over 6 hours without recharging it but that was with me using it almost all the time.   If you have a long drive or am planning on use it more in your house.   It is best to just keep it plugged in when you use it.  (You can use a Dual USB Car charger to keep the Mifi working while travelling!)


• Signal Strength -- You basically have to keep it close to the windows to get any decent signal strength from the closest cell tower.   I haven't had much problems with speed but I occasionally have had signal drops and reconnects from time to time.


• Cricket Wireless broadband -- This is just as good as Cricket Wireless broadband but since they aren't in the are or have 3g services in my area, I had to go with Virgin Mobile.

All in All!

To sum it up, this isn't a really a bad deal for the price.   Even though the so called "unlimited" is slower than normal speeds after 2.5 gb used, it is probably not going to be any faster than when you use it on a daily basis and thus it is still a good way to have internet in areas where there may not have many internet options.  The Novatel MiFi 2200 from Virgin Mobile (Affiliate link) isn't a bad choice with a no contract.  I'll definitely recommend it for those who might just be needed for spots that don't have internet!

Paul Sylvester

Check out Other Virgin Mobile Devices!

Related articles

• The Novatel Mifi 2200 is coming! (paulstechtalk.com)


• Amazon Deal of the Day: Virgin Mobile Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (gadgetreview.com)


• Tether your Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 to your Mac (gadgetboy.org)


• Novatel ships three millionth MiFi hotspot (slashgear.com)

The Novatel Mifi 2200 is coming!

Image via Wikipedia

It's Been ordered!

I ordered a Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200(Virgin Mobile) from Amazon and was it a deal.   Normally Priced at $129.99 to $149.99, I paid $69.99 and that was Half off the price.   I am just waiting for it to come!  I don't know how well it will work but I am quite eager to try it out.   I even got free shipping with this deal.

What does that mean to you guys, I will be looking into the connection speeds and actually maybe even testing the 2.5gb limit to see how far I can go before they start complaining to me.

I won't expect much!

This isn't going to be a mifi killer but it will at least help me do what I have needed.   You will need to pay $20 to $50  per month for a top up card or have them charge you credit card directly.   I never really like doing that, they always seem to include sales tax.   It is always best just to go buy them at the store and use them that way.   I have always found them to be cheaper than charging my credit card.

I'll review this later on!

I think this will be a good alternative for people who might need occasional internet.   I don't expect to be able to stream videos and such all the time or even a lot.   I will review this later on for a complete assessment of it's capabilities and critic how well the batter last and such.    I don't know a lot about it but you can be sure, I will dive in and give it my best!

Paul Sylvester

Got Backups? Try Crashplan!

Related articles

• Novatel ships three millionth MiFi hotspot (slashgear.com)


• MiFi mobile hotspot shipments surpass 3 million (bgr.com)


• Bridging the connected age, the MiFi tops 3M sales (gigaom.com)


• Tether your Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 to your Mac (gadgetboy.org)


• Amazon Deal of the Day: Virgin Mobile Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (gadgetreview.com)