MiFi model for world usage?
 

I was just about to purchase a MiFi today since I have a number of upcoming trips to Europe (UK, France, Italy, Spain) and would like to have wifi 3G access. But, I also realized I have a couple of trips to Asia in the near future. Is there a Mifi model that is unlocked that will work in Europe and Asia? Or is it one or the other?

Thanks All!

Forum search must be broke...
Check this one out... Unlocked MiFi
Look for the MiFi 2372 (GSM)

The funny part is that you typo'd unlocked.

I tried searching but all references were either to Asia or Euope, not for one model that worked for both. That was why I posted the question. Even in reading about the 2372 I've had to dig more to even find out it may be supported in both Europe and Asia.

lol I did, dang people talking and wrecking search terms :)

@ the OP, Global Devices can be tricky. You have to research those parts of the world as some places in Asia are CDMA while others are GSM. Then some are GSM 2100 and others 1700 I think. It is a bit confusing I agree.
Some times you just have to unplug for a few hours, they didn't mess you on the 18 hour flight they sure wont mess you for a few hours a day.

The simple one:
Buy a device from AT&T/T-Mobile for domestic use and I believe ALL the new ones have the foreign roaming 2100MHz band (GSM 3G IS CDMA!) so you just need to get it unlocked if the model works.

Or BUY the SAME model from AMAZON UNLOCKED and it will work domestically & internationally, just swap the SIM cards, but for data you need to manually configure the routing APN (The MiFI has a pre-populated list, if it doesn't have the carrier profile you have to manually edit it/add it on the embedded management web-server and the APN can be received from the operator's help website).

If you have a GSM 2G+3G device that has the 800/850/1800/1900MHz bands of 2G (EDGE speeds only) and 850/1900/2100MHz of 3G (UMTS/HSPA+ speeds) it will work in EVERY COUNTRY in the world /w coverage.

Just buy this Novatel: http://www.amazon.com/Novatel-Wirele...3283123&sr=8-2

Same as AT&T version, just unlocked from OEM and you can use whatever carrier you want worldwide (including AT&T /w their SIM card!).

Search for Huawei E585 from eBay. It's about $120 shipped. It's good for Europe, not sure about Asia though.

It's EDGE only in the US.

wco81, I just did a spec analysis, the Huawei E585 you mentioned will ONLY work on 3G HSPA+ in Europe/Asia/Middle East OUTSIDE of the Americas because it ONLY has the 2100MHz band used in those continents.

It only has the world-mode (all 4 bands) for 2G which is kind of useless in this day and age unless it's voice/SMS/MMS.

Just buy the Amazon thing pre-unlocked, you can use it in the States too! (or anywhere in the Americas for that matter!).

Where in Asia are you planning on going?

Apart from S Korea and Japan, most Asian countries have the same mobile specs as Europe.

For what its worth I use the Novatel Wireless Mifi 2352:

http://www.novatelwireless.com/index...=143&Itemid=48

There are no prepaid data services in the US anyways.

So no advantage in having an unlocked Mifi in the US. If you sign up for Mifi with one of the carriers, you end up with a contract and a Mifi. Now that they're rolling out LTE networks, you probably don't want to invest too much in HSPA devices anyways.

I just purchased an unlocked 2372 from Amazon for ~$150. I also bought a Duracell external battery/charger that some reviews say will allow for charging/powering the MiFi while using it.

I'll be headed to Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Hanoi in the next year. In addition to that I'll be going to Italy, France, UK, and Spain. Now I just need to figure out local SIM cards with data plans for each of those area.

What about a cradlepoint PHS300 plus whatever cheap datacard you can find on fleabay. You only have to swap out the datacard when if and when LTE become widely available. But as I read how who owns what spectrum for LTE deployment, I hold little hope as there will be a global LTE device anytime soon.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...064&TId=3&SF=1

Also, I think a cheap used android world phone will also be a good alternative. I bought one of those (Samsung Infuse) for $120 on Craigslist. Mine was locked to AT&T but as an AT&T customer, I just call them up to have it unlock.

Prepaid data on the other hand is just bad in North America. But I think Skype Wifi may make this a moot point.

Other alternatives to MiFi
 

The MiFi device by Novatel, has received a lot of recognition and indeed, similar to what Kleenex is to paper tissues, is what most people call a mobile broadband device. However, there are other brands out there. The Huwawei E585 does the same thing (and actually has a display screen so you can see signal strength while the MiFi does not) and costs much less. Here is an image and specs of the Huwawei and MiFi by Novatel so you can see for yourself http://www.cellularabroad.com/mifihotspots.php

I use the same thing and am very happy with it.