Android phone as a cheap MiFi router

[sajunky]

Anybody looking for inexpensive HSPA+ modem with WiFi hotspot and internal battery should consider cheap Android Phone instead: MTN branded Huawei Ascend Y220 from Jet/Edgars R450. Tested one, very nice, not hotspot though.

 

[Viva]

Anybody looking for inexpensive HSPA+ modem with WiFi hotspot and internal battery should consider cheap Android Phone instead: MTN branded Huawei Ascend Y220 from Jet/Edgars R450. Tested one, very nice, not hotspot though.

not hotspot though?

 

[sajunky]

Actually it has, but I didn't test it. I was helping the gardener downloading whatsapp, it was really fast and modem supports Cell C.

 

[Terencek]

So can it be used as a hotspot or not? If not, surely that contradicts the whole idea of using it as a cheap MiFi to rival the Vodacom R206 or its generic version, the Huawei E5331 -- both at least 50% more expensive than the Ascend's quoted R450?

 

[sajunky]

According to specification it can be used as a hotspot.
The whole idea is to tell you, so you can try.
It has 21mbps HSPA+ modem, WiFi hotspot and everything else is a bonus.

 

[TFTC]

Android Phone vs MiFi Modem

I was looking for a MiFi modem recently and realised that the cheapest model I could get online was about R550 (a no name brand). Some like the Novatel 2372 go for as much as R1400 while the average price is around R900 for a decent brand like the Huawei E587. I tried purchasing the no name R550 deal but the deal fell through when seller didn't deliver and I got a refund. On a whim I bought the Huawei Y220 phone for R450 which has decidedly low end specs (and even runs on Gingerbread) but I found it to be an excellent hotspot device. Besides connecting my phone, tablet, two laptops and iPod Touch, the device lasts for a whole day on a single charge in standby mode (I force stopped all legacy apps, disabled all syncing apps and set the brightness to minimum). Right now I am very pleased with the deal especially the battery lfe because the MiFi devices were promising a maximum of four hours. Now my question is while the Y220 is serving me well as a WiFi hotspot is there something I might have missed from a standalone MiFi device maybe in terms of performance, data management, security or general easy of use? Or maybe the emergence of low end Android phones signals the end of the MiFi modems?

 

[Terencek]

I would also be interested to know, as a six-month heavy user of a Huawei MiFi device. The most important aspect for me is that once I got the initial configuration sorted out, I can in fact leave it plugged in and online day and night like a normal router. But I had heard this was problematic with the Y220 which will automatically disconnect after a certain period, or needs to be attended regularly for other reasons. ????