I went onto prepaid
NeoMiFi two months ago, after cancelling my axxess mobile account.
Even though axess is cheaper than other mobile carriers, it can't compare in price to Neotel.
EQUIPMENT:
You can purchase NeoMiFi ZTE AC 30 MiFi Device for R999.00 up-front.
Neotel uses the CDMA standard for mobile internet and not 2G/3G/HSDPA/LTE, therefore any of the other data sticks supplied by other networks won't work.
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SETUP:
The device allows you to connect four other devices by wifi in your office or home, which is handy.
You can secure wifi with a password through the control panel if the modem in plugged into a pc when setting it up.
You dont have to plug it into a pc or laptop to work. You can use a USB lead and plug charger to plug it into a wall power socket and simply leave it there, always on. I use my two-pin Samsung phone charger with USB cable to keep it running 24/7.
COVERAGE:
Check the Neotel coverage map on their site to see if you have coverage.
SPEEDS:
In my area I'm getting average 2.5mb download speeds and 0.5mb upload speeds.
Speeds obviously vary according to area.
COSTS:
I find the prepaid top-up rates very affordable.
I ALWAYS find Woolworths has data bundles.
Vouchers can be virtually topped up on the Neotel website.
All you have to do is enter the telephone number assigned to the device which you receive on signup and the voucher pin.
Data Costs:
2Gb - R49.00
4Gb - R89.00
7Gb - R149.00
24Gb - R499.00
PROS:
- Cheap data (cheapest mobile data in SA)
- Simple Setup (plug and play)
- Always on (You don't get booted off the networks with inactivity)
- 4 simultaneous wifi connections for other devices
- Portable within major cities (coverage dependent)
CONS:
- Slower than 3G, not for streaming of movies in HD.
- High initial modem purchase price (once off). Cost recovery only occurs after many data top-ups.
- No simple ability to track data usage. When data is depleted, there is no advanced warning. There is a data usage counter in the modem software dashboard, but it's fiddly and not too accurate.
SUMMARY:
All-in-all this works for me. I use Neotel mainly for work purposes, so emailing, browsing, watching the occasional youtube video at 320 X screen resolution is just fine. If you into watching movies and high speed downloading, the other Neotel products may be more suited.
