Traveling overseas is challenging in many ways, but mobile phone and data service is especially difficult. While it's fairly easy to find a reasonable deal locally, it's almost impossible to transfer these deals abroad. The best way to avoid a huge ripoff is to use a local provider, and this is exactly what I did during my recent trip to the UK. I picked up a Huawei E585 "MiFi" … [Read more...] about An Inexpensive Mobile Broadband Alternative When Traveling in the UK
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How To Reset Your MiFi and Get Back Online with Virgin Mobile USA
Virgin Mobile USA had a massive data outage on July 11, 2011, leaving me without mobile broadband for almost 24 hours. After service was restored, my Novatel MiFi 2200 was left in a state in which it would not connect, requiring a complete reset and re-authentication. Virgin's customer support wasn't very helpful, so here's what I did to get back online. Symptoms of an … [Read more...] about How To Reset Your MiFi and Get Back Online with Virgin Mobile USA
Building a Combination 3G/4G/Wired Wi-Fi Network
The Tech Field Day events I run are hotspots of social media, but it has been hard building an Internet presence to keep up. Constantly on the move, I need a flexible network with scalability and failover (and fail-back) between 3G/4G and wired Internet. My latest design relies on CradlePoint's MBR1200 "Failover Router", which can load-balance across multiple 3G and 4G data … [Read more...] about Building a Combination 3G/4G/Wired Wi-Fi Network
Which iPad is the Best Choice?
Apple may make their product lines easy to understand, with simple and consistent names, but there sure are a lot of iPad 2 models. Which iPad is the best choice? I picked the 32 GB Wi-Fi model personally, but I can see cases where others might prefer a 3G or base model. Let's consider it. The iPad 2 Model Lineup There are no less than 18 different iPad 2 models: 16 … [Read more...] about Which iPad is the Best Choice?
Get a Cradlepoint PHS300 Portable 3G WiFi Router For Just $79!
Amazon is offering the PHS300 for just $79 with free shipping available. This is $100 off the retail price! My PHS300 has been a constant companion for me for two years, providing Internet access for me and my friends wherever I go. I'm using it right now, in fact! The PHS300 is a battery-powered box with a USB port and Wi-Fi radio. Attach almost any 3G or 4G modem or … [Read more...] about Get a Cradlepoint PHS300 Portable 3G WiFi Router For Just $79!