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Review: Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 and $40 unlimited 3G Broadband2Go plan
This morning, Virgin Mobile flipped the switch on their new $10 and $40 Broadband2Go plans. We mentioned them earlier this week, but as a quick reminder - for $10, you get 100MB of data, or unlimited data for just $40. These new stand-alone plans make Virgin Mobile the cheapest nationwide 3G operator. Best of all, these new plans are contract free, do not require activation fees or a credit check.
The Broadand2Go service is available on the Novatel MiFi 2200 WiFi 3G hotspot or Ovation MC760 USB modem. The USB modem is like every other on the market - you plug it into an open USB slot, install the software, and get online.
The MiFi 2200 is what deserves some attention. Even though this device is not brand new (we reviewed the Verizon Wireless version last year), the Virgin Mobile MiFi is the only prepaid version available in retail stores.
Using the MiFi 2200 involves a one-time activation. The process guides you through a couple of steps, including a few fields for personal information, and picking a Virgin Mobile account password. You then pick a payment method, and activate the modem. The Virgin Mobile network uses Sprint - who actually own Virgin Mobile. The advantage of this is that you'll have access to a reliable nationwide 3G network.
Connecting to the modem is simple - it broadcasts a WiFi network name called "VirginMobile MiFi 2200" making it easy to locate. Its password is printed on the bottom on a label, but you are free to change that using its configuration pages.
Up to five devices can connect to the MiFi at the same time, which makes it ideal for conference rooms, or sharing a single connection in a hotel room.
I performed several speed tests with the MiFi, and usually saw no more than 700 Kb/s - which is on the low end of what I'd like to see on a 3G connection. As a reminder, the Verizon Wireless version we tested last year easily hit 2.5Mb/s, or over three times faster than on Virgin Mobile.
Of course, all kinds of factors can impact 3G speeds, and Virgin advertises the speeds as "between 600Kb/s and 1400Kb/s" putting my speed tests within their promise. One plus for them is that there does not appear to be any kind of limit on the amount of data you can transfer, nor do they limit your speeds once you exceed a limit. To them, unlimited really does appear to mean unlimited.
Update: I've been performing more speed tests since this review went live, and have experienced speeds up to 1300Kb/s several times. As always with broadband - your mileage (and speed) may vary.
Still, the speeds are quite usable for web and email, but they may be a little on the slow side for data intensive apps like video streaming. Bottom line is simple - you are saving $240 when compared to most other mobile broadband solutions.
At $149.99, the Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 is a decent deal (Walmart has it on sale this week for $119.99.) At this price, it becomes a handy tool to carry if you regularly run into $20 WiFi at a hotel and need to get online. The $10 plan offers 100MB for 10 days, which should be enough for a couple of web and email sessions.
The MiFi 2200 charges off MicroUSB, and an AC charger and USB cord are included, as is a protective pouch.
Update: For some reason, Virgin chose to disable the wired USB option on their MiFi.
The Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go MiFi 2200 is available at Virginmobileusa.com and in select retail stores.
Filed under: Internet Tools, Gadling Gear Review
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Dave Oct 4th 2010 2:32AM
Does anyone know if a Sprint Mifi 2200 can be unlocked to work with the Virgin Mobile unlimited plan? Thanks
CARL Oct 4th 2010 8:23PM
I just purchased the virgin mobile ovation mc760 for an xp pro sp2 computer.
THE GOOD: small size, cheap, upload/download about 300-500kbps.
THE BAD: The setup was problematic, the device corrupting network connections in windows xp.
It seemed to work well at first (decent upload/download speeds) but then I soon realized 'network connections' was disabled (as in it no longer functions and gives you 'not responding' messages). Hence the modem worked but was not recognized by the computer as a network connection.
WARNING: THIS MEANS YOU HAVE NO FIREWALL! THE DEVICE WORKS, BUT IS NOT CONSIDERED A NETWORK CONNECTION! YOUR DESKTOP WILL BE UNPROTECTED!
THE UGLY:
SECOND WARNING: during the installation my firewall driver was removed then put back by the installation software (you'd think they'd mention this).
I noticed several 'remote procedure calls' in the log. Note my firewall alerted me of this change by VMs software only on reboot. I have no idea what that means.
Without remote access activated in the msconfig, the modem does not work at all. I assume this gives Virgin Mobile unlimited access to your computer.
BOTTOM LINE: I will be returning this modem. Most user comments indicate it is not compatible with a large percentage of computers.
The remote access issue is creepy but perhaps I misunderstand what's going on there.
If you don't care about having a firewall then maybe this is for you.
steve Oct 4th 2010 6:24PM
THIS IS THE WORST! this is the first review i have ever written for any product, but the coverage, download speed, and customer service were SO BAD that i have to tell everyone. I got the device and spent the better part of three weeks trying to get it to work. they sent me up the three levels of customer service (which was terrible and took FOREVER) until they told me to get a new device...ok..so i returned it, and there were still problems. Finally, hours and hours later they said that they would refund the fee...fine...so i call them to get the refund (number disconnected), they finally call me back and give me the run around for over a half an hour.
DO NOT GET THIS!!!!
lance Oct 4th 2010 11:15PM
I have had this for about a month now. It stays around the 1-1.5mbps mark and I am very happy with it as I used to could only get dialup and this runs circles around it. During about 5-7pm it slows down to maybe 300-500kbps, but aside from that it's great, I have downloaded files at ~2.5mbps speeds before tho with this.
lisbeth Oct 6th 2010 10:17PM
I purchased the VirginMobil MiFi 2200 card on Sept. 5, 2010 and it worked perfectly for 3 weeks, never dropped a signal -- and I live in a very rural area where my only other option is satellite. So I was very impressed....until last week. I wanted to report here that I'm a happy VM MiFi user -- but alas, I cannot. For the past week, the device will not stay connected to the internet for very long -- despite the fact that there is a tower one mile from me with direct line-of-site and I have full bars on the troubleshooting window and my computer is receiving an IP address and can see the card and claims to have an "excellent" connection. Fact is -- I can't get on the Internet when the device drops the signal. Only option when that happens is to turn it off, then back on so it can re-connect to the tower, then voila!, good as new -- for a few minutes, anyway. I don't care about the slower speeds (remember, I'm in a rural area and my only other option is satellite which is slower, has a 17GB usage cap for 30-day-period, and has terrible latency problems; the VirginMobile device is slightly faster and has no stupid cap on usage and the latency is much more tolerable). What I cannot have, however, is disconnections several times a day -- I work from home and depend on dependable connectivity. At least the satellite provides that, even if everything else about it sucks. I had the same problems with VirginMobile's lousy costumer service that others have reported here -- unintelligible service reps, useless advice ("turn it off, unplug battery, wait 10 seconds, re-insert battery, turn back on....oh, now you have a signal again? oh problem solved" -- NOT!). I've had them try to tell me I'm not in a good coverage area -- despite the fact that their coverage map claims otherwise, I have full bars, I have direct line-of-sight to a tower, and the device worked flawlessly for 3 of the past 4 weeks. So they can't claim that. I'm at a loss for what to make of this situation. We're going to take the modem back to Radio Shack and try to get them to exchange it even though we just passed the 30-day mark yesterday. Hopefully the problem comes down to faulty hardware. But after reading that a lot of people are having the same issues, and some have tried to exchange the device only to end up with the same problems, I'm losing hope that it's the hardware. In fact, I may be forced to go back to satellite.....which really is a fate worse than death if you're a serious internet user. If I have to go back to satellite that only will be because VirginMobile's MiFi (and Sprint's 3G network) don't really work as advertised. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if all of us are experiencing some kind of bait-n-switch here -- suck us in with great promises, give us reasonable service for a short while, then give us lousy service after they get our $$. Not a good thing. Someone should tell David Pogue to post a follow-up review on The Times. Maybe getting bad press in a very public way will shame Sprint and VirginMobile to improve their service.
Jo Oct 31st 2010 12:36PM
"I've had them try to tell me I'm not in a good coverage area -- despite the fact that their coverage map claims otherwise, I have full bars, I have direct line-of-sight to a tower"
The first customer service representative did this to me. After trying to help me activate my account, (I tried following the PDF file from the VirginMobile mifi website, twice, but it did not work), and she could not, she asked for my zipcode. I gave it to her. And she said, I do not have coverage. I told her, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE, because we also have Sprint smartphones, Blackberry, EVO and Epic, and we have full bars. She said, that voice is different from Data. I told her, there is DATA in those smartphones. (She did not know?) She then proceeded to say, that DATA in smartphones are different from data for the MiFi. I GAVE UP. This call center woman, does not know what she is talking about. A few minutes later, I called up again. This time, a call center guy, named George with ID
22622 was helpful. First, he was able to catch, that the MDN (MiFi account number) 0 000 000 886 , that I found after following the PDF guide, that I also gave to the first Customer Service rep, was the DEFAULT. The first customer service rep, did not catch that the MDN was the default. Then George assigned to me an MDN (something that the first customer service rep FAILED to do), starting with three numbers that is area code in my place (I think, this is like the phone number assigned to my MiFi). And everything went smoothly from there. TIP: if you mention the MDN with the 7-zeroes preceeding 886 , and there is no reaction from the Customer Service agent, you got a newbie call center worker. Cheap plan, I suppose cheap pay for subcontracted Call Center company, thus allowing POORLY TRAINED customer service rep to answer calls.
Rita Oct 7th 2010 4:14AM
I've had the service for about 3 weeks now. I can connect at EVDO for a while then all of a sudden it is dormant. I have to keep trying to get it to connect by checking my email or trying to get another page to load. Sometimes it works...other times not. I called Virgin and talked to a rep who had me totally remove my software and then reinstall it. After reinstalling the software and connecting to the internet with EVDO again...it was immediately dormant again. They are sending me a replacement as they think it is a hardware issue. I will see in a day or two if it is. I hope it is as I do like the price and no contract. I hope Virgin addresses this issue as it seems as a lot of people are having this problem!
Mahesh Oct 10th 2010 3:20PM
Is there any way a voip service (vonage, etc) be accessed using this device? I would need a port to plug in the voip adapter which i am guessing is not available on the mi-fi
Kevin Oct 10th 2010 9:56PM
I bought this MiFi and I'm very unhappy. The fastest speed I have gotten is about 300k down. After much complaining (I was originally told I would just have to live with that speed - it wasn't unusual) a tech said they would upgrade the problem and switch the channel. To make a long story short, I have called VM about six times (their system was down and they told me to call back every two hours), there have been two days when there was no service whatsoever, and I'm still getting an average down speed of between 200 to 300k. There tech support is horrible with non-English speakers. I'm trying to get my money back.
David Oct 12th 2010 10:56PM
I am disabled and thought that FINALLY I could afford to go on the internet. After being told that my computer and its software was no good by the Virgin Tech, (it is 9 mo. old and belonged to a p.c tech who services it), I bought Windows 7 at Virgins request. Now when I called, 7th time in 5 days, they tell me that it only works with XP and will call back in 3 days, After a FIRM call, I get all my money back......NO KIdding....the CHECK ARRIVES IN 6 WEEKS ACCORDING TO THE TECH.
My whole months income.....not even enough for groceries because I believed them. That billionaire on the commercials is a THIEF. That's why he can fly in balloons and swim in champagne. DON'T DEAL WITH THE UNLIMITED ANYTHING..............................
Kenneth Mitchell Nov 1st 2010 9:09AM
Bought mine yesterday after almost signing up with Verizon. Only use it for emergencies so wanted something without a contract. Was paying AT&T $60 a month for my data card which I've used about four times this year.
Had a slight problem setting it up. Misunderstood the difference between the online account password and the device password. Tech support is useless. Obviously outsourced to India. They have a "policy" of answering one question and hanging up. Not saying goodbye and "have a nice day" but literally hanging up. Happened twice,. Don't believe it's coincidence.
Once past the password issue have had my iMac, Powerbook and MacBook all running at the same time. Not bad at all. Not cable modem speeds but definitely passable. I'm in a high-speed Sprint area. Been running my iMac all day using up the 100MB bought for the test. If it keeps working this way, perfect for me.
bozo Nov 11th 2010 4:12PM
If I wasn't a network tech, I would have returned this piece of junk the first day. I constantly have to monitor the status to make sure I am on a EVDO network. If I don't I get dia-up speeds. Even on an EVDO network, I only get about 400Mbps download speeds (5 bars, I'm in a good coverage area). If I try to download anything bigger than 20MB, I get dropped and download cuts off. I suspect that as I approach 100MB in downloads in a week I get my bandwidth throttled. I use it for email and reading the news, any more than that is a frustrating waste of time. I tried watching Netflix movies, but they have to stop several times to buffer for about 15 minutes. After 4 hours of trying to watch a movie, I have not yet finished a single title. I can't depend on this device and it is more of a convenient way to check my emails while on the road.
Tammy Nov 18th 2010 1:02AM
I have had the VM MiFi 2200 for about 2 weeks. I would give it an above average rating; I have not experienced connection issues or crashes. Speed is an issue. I would be interested in knowing if anyone has advice for how to optimize lap-top VISTA settings to potentially improve the internet speed.
Thanks.
John Nov 26th 2010 10:39AM
Really disappointed in the device. Continual frustration. Device downloads in the 10.0 KB/sec to 16.0 KB/sec range most of the time even though it claims to have DSL-level speeds. Over the past three months I can count on one hand the number of times it has downloaded at the 90+ KB/sec range. Often drops downloads even though unit still seems to be connected. Often get error messages that my browser cannot display the website when trying to load a new page. I'm constantly disconnecting and reconnecting to see if that helps (it doesn't). Wasted $150.00 to buy the system.
Theo Mar 22nd 2011 11:43AM
Please update this review and it's speed tests. Virgin has changed it's plan to slow you WAY down after the first 5mb!
Liz Mar 24th 2011 3:09PM
The MIFI was great at first. I bought the MIFI at Walmart on January 16, 2011 for $149 and change. After 2 months it did not allow 2 computers on the wireless at the same time. Than, I could not get on the internet all after 60 days. When you call Virgin Mobile they promise you the world and 2 techs said a replacement will be in the mail. They both gave confirmation numbers for the replacement and stated I would receive it within 3-5 business days. After a week there was no replacement. I called and the third tech said, oh they did not finish the transaction and that is why a replacement was not shipped out. I paid the $40 for the month from March 16- April and I have no internet service. I told the tech I wanted a credit to my credit card. He said, yes than came back 4 minutes later after placing me on hold and said he could not credit my Discover. Now after an hour on the phone with the third tech, he said he could not send me a replacement because a higher level tech must contact me within 72 hours. Now I am without internet for 2 weeks. No higher tech has contacted me. All it is is a big run around. I read complaints about Virgin Mobile and did not believe it...NOW I BELIEVE IT. I was wrong in purchasing the MIFI and would not do it again. They are horrible. Walmart will not take back the MIFI even with a sales receipt. Virgin Mobile will not give me my money back. I am out $149 plus $40 for the March internet access.
jimmy Apr 14th 2011 1:18PM
I am not computer savy by any means.... I just need it primairly for a tablet and occaionally for my laptop..... 2 set questions.... is the set up really as user friendly as you're saying and is the device a good pick for me? (Rather than tmobile, sprint, or verizon)
Stuart Apr 15th 2011 3:57PM
I have had mine for about 3 months now, and it is as close to dial up as you can get. Except that this is much less reliable. And this is with 5 bar connection. I have to go through the installation proceedure about 4 times a week. I usually need to reset the unit by turning it off about 3 times during a typical 5 hour usage day. No point in calling customer support, because you will become an expert at resetting this unit. I test the connection regularly with Speedtest.net and it normally comes in well below the promised speeds. And now to top it all off, the prepaid unlimited usage has gone up from $40 a month to $50 dollars! You would think they would try to get all the glitches out before they had the gall to up the price. The reviews of their 4G competition are not much better, so if you need MIFI, you are just going to have to deal with poor service.
Casey begley May 1st 2011 7:28PM
Wow u people are so stupid, I don't see how this device can run up to 5 wireless connections if I cant even play online checkers, and what's 3G sapossed to mean anywhys because I thought it ment fast, I would return this product in a heart beat if I already didn't buy the service card that can't be refunded at all, thank u vergin mobile for destroying a really hard worked paycheck
Casey begley May 1st 2011 7:37PM
Ow and one more thing... .|.'o'.|. THANKS AGAIN FUCKERS