3 Mobile WiFi
Review
 In
a nutshell: 3 Mobile WiFi uses 3 mobile broadband to create
a wireless network (WLAN) so you can connect devices like laptops
or mobile phones to the internet completely wirelessly and without
the need for a fixed broadband connection.
Best buy: 5GB
one-month rolling contract for £15 per month plus
£69.99 purchase cost, or Pay
as you Go for £99.99.
Nicknamed MiFi®, 3
Mobile WiFi
uses a 3 mobile broadband connection plus a wireless modem to create
a fully wireless network that you can use to connect multiple devices
such as laptops and mobile phones to the internet. You can use it
to access the internet without any need for wires or a BT phone
line. The system is very simple to set up and use, with no wires
(obviously) and no software to install.
Choose
between a one-month
rolling contract with a 5GB data allowance at £15
per month plus an initial cost of £69.99 to buy the modem,
or the 3GB
Ready-to-Go starter kit, which costs £99.99 to buy
and is then Pay as you Go, so there's no contract and you just pay
for the data that you need.
Use
the links on this page to buy online and you'll get free delivery
and a 14-day money back guarantee, provided that you return everything
in "as sold" condition.
The
speed that you experience will depend on whether you are in an area
with "excellent coverage" (i.e within HSDPA coverage),
"good coverage" (i.e. within 3G coverage) or "marginal
coverage" (i.e. on the edge of the 3G coverage region. 3's
HSDPA coverage region currently covers 91% of the UK population
(data correct in October 2009) and offers download speeds of up
to of up to 2.8 Mpbs. 3 are currently rolling out 7.2 Mbps coverage
across the UK. You can check
coverage by postcode on the 3 website. 3 claim that most people
on the HSDPA network can expect a speed ranging from 1 Mbps to 1.5
Mbps.
3 Mobile WiFi
Consumer Reviews
Love your mobile network? Hate it? Please share your experiences
to help other people choose the mobile broadband network that's
best for them. Please do not review this network if you have not
used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just
ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language,
and please, no advertising!
Average
rating from 27 reviews: 
Reviewed by iain from scotland on
2nd Sep 2010
I had a nightmare when i first got a 3 dongle, the thing just didn't
work and i had over 12, hour long phone calls with a very bad customer
service team... eventually they refunded me all the cash i had spent
on the product and gave me a further 3 months for free, Once the
got a better transmitter in my area the download speed rocketed
(comparitvley.) I have recently upgraded to the mifi dongle that
works perfectly, the problem isn't the dongle or the wifi these
are very easy to use... if your having problems its the coverage
which isn't so easy to fix!
Rating: 
Reviewed by chris from england on
30th Aug 2010
Had the mi-fi since jan 2010. very good. I don't have landline at
home, yet I can run all devices in the house(up to 5), and have
just done a free firmware update giving the device a web interface
and very importantly gives the option to disable the auto-off niggle
that the wireless had. Ace product.
Rating:
Reviewed by J R from england on
15th Aug 2010
at the moment 15/08/10 I have three dongles Vodafone good coverage
just goes slow and web page times out am giving up the contract.
o2 good no problems. 3 very impressed so much faster good coverage
best overall in my opinion. voda * o2 *** 3 *****
Rating:
Reviewed by Adrian from UK on
28th Jul 2010
I use mine in various locations and it's unlocked with a Vodafone
sim card inside it. Works well. With a 3 sim card inside, it's awful
and trying to get answers was nigh on impossible which is why I
swapped providers.
Rating: 
Reviewed by RufusG from UK on
15th Jul 2010
Just bought the Mk2 MiFi unit from 3 on a monthly contract @ £15
per month with 5GB data allowance. This is simpler to use than the
Mk1, as it has only 1 button & a better display. In use for a week
now and it has never failed me all over London. I use it as my primary
broadband connection, working as a portable WiFi base station for
laptop, iPod Touch and a small WiFi Windows mobile device. It looks
like the ideal solution for the iPad in UK. I have used it with
2 business colleagues in the car. I use Skype as my primary phone
system, with both SkypeIn and SkypeOut. I also have a regular phone
with a PAYG account with Orange, which I use as a backup for incoming
calls if the computer system fails me. So far, no need for the backup
! .
Rating:
Reviewed by Phil from England on
28th Jun 2010
I brought the PAYG 3 mobile MIFI. Yes it is an excellent piece of
equipment with reasonable download speeds and also connection. My
main purchase was for use with the ipod touch and this works well.My
use is intermittent and this is why I brought the PAYG. I had 3GB
data allowance that lasts 3 months. Again excellent. BUT after the
3 months is up you have to top up. This is where the shock is. A
1GB top up cost £10.00 and last for ONLY 30 days. Being an intermittent
user this level of cost is terrible. If the data allowance lasted
the 3 months as my initial purchase had then all well and good but
now this is just going to gather dust in the cupboard. Really my
conclusion is that this is an excellent gadget, but you must use
it on a regular basis to make it worth while. 3 get your act together
and be a bit more flexible for people with low usage.
Rating: 
Reviewed by Dominic from UK on
27th Jun 2010
I bought a Mifi on Friday, easy to set up and worked at home on
my iPad. When I tried to use it away from base it mostly failed
to connect. I basically had 10 mins connection when it was plugged
into mains power. The lights switch off often before it gets a signal.
But the signal still doesn't connect to the internet. Returned it
to 3 today and we tried two more devices none would accept the password
key and connect. After an hour in the shop I got a refund. No one
could explain why it wasn't working and they even managed to eventually
get the 2nd one working with one of their laptops. My iPad works
fine on wifi at home and work so not sure why there devices had
problems
Rating:
Reviewed by Brendan Fogarty from UK
on 21st Jun 2010
Coverage is hopeless!!!!!!
Rating:
Reviewed by JD from UK on 2nd
Jun 2010
Got the MiFi on PAYG. Great signal. Works a treat when I take my
WiFi only iPad outdoors.
Rating:
Reviewed by John from UK on 18th
May 2010
Be aware that 3UK charges an additional and unadvised £1.95 which
they first told me was an admin charge for a credit check. I advised
them that it was a PAYG device, I pay upfront so no credit check
is necessary. Further they charged this fee after they had charged
me for the mi-fi device. They then claimed that it was a delivery
charge. I advised them that their website stated free delivery on
this item and the receipt on email I have only details the mi-fi
charge - not this additional charge. They finally claimed that the
charge is legitimate as I was told about it when I placed my order
and it is in their T&Cs. I was not and it is not. I have been back
and checked - there is nothing on their site about this charge.
They finally agreed to refund me this additional £1.95 fee that
they can't seem to decide what it is. Note, they charged me this
fee two working days after charging me for the mi-fi. Oh, and despite
the next day delivery promise, it is not going to be despatched
until tomorrow, despite being ordered two working days ago. Overall,
very poor service from 3UK and I have not even got the mi-fi yet.
When I get it I will unlock it and stick a Vodafone SIM in it.
Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from Birkenhead on
21st Apr 2010
I first ordered this MiFi on the three website on the monday, they
took the money out of my account monday night and I got a delivery
date of tuesday the next day, nothing arrived so I called them to
find out that they were out of stock but that I would receive it
by friday, then I receive an email to say that my card didnt go
through there security checks and that it had been canceled,I called
them up,was told that they also tried to take an extra £1.95 for
admin charges and that this was in there Terms & Condittions, I
proved it wasent, took 7 days to get my money back. Went to the
three shop itself today to buy it cash, no probs, come home, then
took me all day to get the internet on my computer. The instructions
are really really bad for information on how to setup this MiFi
and totally unclear. After several phone calls to Three very unhelpful
customer services who seem to be copying "Mumbai Calling" I said
rather than have this phone call costing me a fortune being on here
most of the day, stop reading the computer manual and pass me through
to someone who actually knew about how to setup this MiFi, But she
couldnt and I ended up putting the phone down. Eventually after
disconecting the dongle several times it finally connected to the
internet. To be honest, at first I was dissapointed as I could only
acheive 1 bar on the signal indicator, but how impressed was I ?,
The web pages loaded very well and very fast, Pages like Ebay, Gumtree
etc ran great, fast loading. Uploading & Downloading was what I
expected for a pay as you go, which was impressive. 1)Page Loading
5 ***** 2)Uploading P&G 4 **** 3)Downloading P&G 3 *** 4)Wireless
Distance 1 * 5)Connectivity 5 ***** 6)Manul 0 Star 7)Help & Support
0 Star 8)Windows7 Connection 5 ***** 9)Charging 1 * 10) Battery
3 *** Overall Good product. Remember, This is only "Pay As You Go"
Internet, its not your "Home Internet" and A lot of people review
these products as though it is the same as the home, of course its
gonna be a "LOT" different and alot slower. The great thing about
the MiFi is that you can take & put it in your car or your pocket
and you have the internet everywere you want to go and no stupid
dongle sticking out of the back of your laptop. As A portable internet
and wireless device, for going on the web and checking out your
emails, I would give this a rating of 5 *****.
Rating:
Reviewed by gary from england on
8th Apr 2010
I have had a 3 usb dongle for a while and have had absolute nightmares
with their customer service (until I got their Scottish office).
I brought this MIFI so I could get internet radio on my archos and
still use it for the laptop. For me it works a treat, easy to setup,
easy to get going and if you use it in a decent area it's speed
(download) is excellent. However I have noticed that the upload
speed on the 3 network is absolutely rubbish! And the fact that
as an existing customer I don't get the data allowance that a new
customer paying the same amount would get really P's me off. However
I have no complaints about the device and being able to get broad
band in the heart of the New Forest is great, it's better coverage
on this than poo DAB!!
Rating:
Reviewed by Quasar from UK on
8th Mar 2010
Excellent, I bought this device mainly to connect Ipod touch and
a couple of laptops. I tested this playing World of Warcraft and
was successfulyl able to do a 5 man daily heroic and PVP. The latency
was about 400 which is acceptable. Browsing is fast too. If you
are getting slow speeds, dont blame the device, blame the area you
are in. Cambridge is actualyl quite bad for internet speeds, but
this thing is very good. 5 Stars with ease.
Rating:
Reviewed by Alistair Leckie from Belfast
- N. Ireland on 1st Mar 2010
I wrote below about the problems with three network - I got an unlocked
mifi on an auction site and it's ace! Once you put in a simcard
that has a good signal (in my case giffgaff/o2) the mifi device
is brilliant. Battery life is fine and I get speeds of over 1 megabit
each way. This device is a network tool that works very well. My
rating is for the device
Rating: 
Reviewed by Mark readman from Leeds
UK on 22nd Feb 2010
I have had my MIFI now for 3 months, the speed is appalling, i have
only had full speed once in 3 months, 48kb/sec,99.9% 12kb/second
is the top with a normal of 4.8kbs, which is dial up speed, even
in town centres the unit struggles to maintain a signal.Once it
switches to a lower speed it never switches back up, you have to
disconnect and re do the long button ritual. On construction the
button pressing routine just to get the thing working is frustrating
and slow,battery life is appalling. why 3 buttons for a device that
has only 1 function. I would recommend waiting for the updated mk2
version, it may actually work
Rating:
Reviewed by Alistair Leckie from Belfast
- N.Ireland on 16th Feb 2010
Very good in a good signal area - but I got one to use with my iphone
2g in work and it's not great. Even though it has a 3g connection,
the mifi doesn't allow me to access internet. I did multiple speed
tests and only got it to connect once. I'm taking it back to the
3 shop tomorrow. If you are certain you have a super clear signal
then it's a good choice. It's back to o2 edge network for me!
Rating:
Reviewed by Jack from England on
14th Feb 2010
I am impressed with all these stars!! You rarely see this many for
any 3 product! I have the 3 Mifi and a 3 USB dongle and both are
dreadful: the connection and speed are both atrocious and given
other reviews on the net, I am not alone. I will never buy another
3 product and wonder how they have a licence to operate. The Mifi
modem is a great concept and would and could be wonderful.... if
it did not rely on the 3 network. In short, AVOID at all costs.
Rating:
Reviewed by javid akhter from gloucester,
england on 10th Feb 2010
brillient device, works well no problems, cant believe how well
it works.
Rating:
Reviewed by Josh from England on
9th Feb 2010
The 3 mobile wi-fi service is great. I have been using this bit
of kit for several months on the payg plan and i have always had
very good coverage and never lost connection. Overall, i would recommend
this to anyone as it is very portable and very easy to use. (nice
one 3)!
Rating:
Reviewed by Angry from Kent from United
Kingdom on 9th Feb 2010
Got mobile wi fi on Friday. Haven't been able to get proper connection
since then. Everytime I input the wifi key I get an error message.
I don't feel I am getting value for money as I have signed an 18
month contract for £9.50 and am getting nothing for it.
Rating:
Reviewed by Steve from England on
12th Jan 2010
I have been using the Mifi for several months now and it was fine
until Three did some "upgrades" to the network. Since then the Mifi
has been unusable at peak times from about 4pm to midnight when
the Traffic Shaping is on. From midnight when the shaping is switched
off it works perfectly with 3Mbit downloads and 700kbit uploads
and is a very good WiFi router. I have been using my mobile phone
as a modem at peak times and it works OK at any time. It's the network,
not the MiFi. I have reported it to Customer Services but no change
so far. I give the MiFi 4 stars because it's great when the network
is OK.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ian Forsey from UK on
7th Jan 2010
I just did a review on the 3 mobile broadband page. I note that
I was the first to do a review on this page. To recap at the time
my download speeds were quite slow. It all changed just as i was
about to return the unit and cancel. From one day to the next, after
a local transmitter update the service has been remarkable. Fast
down and fast up. Peak times can be slow. But overall I am very
pleased with Three.
Rating:
Reviewed by James from UK on
22nd Dec 2009
This is a good piece of kit. However, I have noticed that even if
the MiFi is conected to the computer the wireless switches itself
off if the internet is not being used i.e I have to switch the MiFi
on everytime I use the computer. Is this normal? On the flip side,
I actually think the download speeds are very good, in fact I just
completed a speed test and it come up as 3.09Mb.
Rating:
Reviewed by Adrian from England on
16th Dec 2009
I'm always a bit sceptical of the claims of broadband companies
regarding download speeds etc so after reading many of the reviews
I decided to take the chance with 3 as I wanted the portability
if the MIFI. Had it a month and am constantly getting between 0.5-1.0Mb
download speed. This is better than my Tisacli home BB. MIFI is
a fab bit of kit also and works great with the Ipod Touch when out
and about. Good choice so far.
Rating:
Reviewed by Scott from UK on
15th Nov 2009
Its a great device really does what it says on the tin. Speeds are
average but have got over 2MB/s a few times . Better when 3 roll
out the faster speeds. Can run off mains or battery (when charged)
however it dont seem to charge the battery while its running on
mains. Also the lights on the unit only stay on for a few seconds
when you press a button and it takes a while to get used to what
all the for lights mean. Would recommend this to anyone its small
light and very useful.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ade Davey from UK on
10th Nov 2009
Isn't the maximum speed 360kb/s due to it being 3.6Mb/s??? I've
never had higher with mine.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ian Forsey from UK on
5th Oct 2009
Three Mobile Mi Fi UK Bought this unit on the day of release. Arrived
quickly. Easy to use. Great unit but and a big but. Don't expect
downloads of up to 3.6Mb/sec. At best you can expect average around
350 - 500Kb/s and if you are lucky 20kb/s up. pings around 200+/-
And it is nothing to do with how close to the transmitter you are.
I have been as close as 1000 mtrs to various 3g masts and the results
are the same. But I have to say I rarely loose connection and overall
I am pleased with the Mi Fi unit. Just wish Three Mobile would give
the service advertised and speed we require. Me? I would be over
the moon if the service would give an average around 1000Kb/s (1Mb/s)Down.
I once did see just over 1Mb/s - ONCE!
Rating:
3 Mobile WiFi
Links
3
Mi-Fi
|