Three Mobile WiFi Review
 In
a nutshell: Three Mobile WiFi uses Three 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. The new Huawei E586 can connect 5 Wi-Fi devices
simultaneously with speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps.
Best buy: 5GB
18 month contract for £18.99 per month, or Pay
as you Go for £49.99 purchase cost.
Nicknamed MiFi®, Three Mobile WiFi uses a Three 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.
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. Three'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.
Ofcom's
survey of mobile broadband, published in May 2011 found that Three offered
significantly faster average download speeds than T-Mobile and Orange, but slower
than O2 and Vodafone.
Three Mobile WiFi User 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 98 reviews: 
Reviewed by Mark from UK on 20th May 2013
pretty rubbish all in all. Sporadic speeds in central London. I had
a short term let with this internet included and it pretty much sucked....
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Elke from UK on 18th Feb 2013
I have had the 3 WIFI for a while now...... worst dongle i have ever
tried. Well, not actually the dongle but the 3network is absolute rubbish.
I was told Nottingham had a very good signal strengh for 3 network,
and so it used to but not for a long while. One minute you,re on 3G
but within seconds youre on Emergency only. wish I had never trusted
3..... nothing but fob offs when you phone
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by Mike from UK on 18th Oct 2012
Just bought E586 with 10gb PAYG. Total disaster. Speed of 0.5mbps. Can't
wait to cancel in a month. Lost 80 pounds. And that's W11 London.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Bill from uk on 9th Oct 2012
Watch out for out for the out of bundle charges for the 10gb per month
1 month rolling contract. It does not automatically shut you down at
the 10gb limit, it then charges a fortune 10p per mb.
I do a lot of meetings with cam contact from my mobile facility hence
why I crunched through the usage,so just be aware. I will cancel my
contract and return to payg, but I certainly wont go to a monthly full
contract with three after this. It is as bad as when the first mobiles
started stuffing the customer on excess to bundle charges.
Very sad , the reception is good, the mi fi E586 is superb, just no
way to gaurantee to restrict the billing ( a cap doesnt work so many
excemptions )
Rating:
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Reviewed by Chris from London UK on 12th Aug 2012
My contract for MiFi 15Gb started in April 2012, and worked well for
2 months then hit the rocks. 1. The local mast is continually being
'repaired' so no service for blocks of 5 days at a time 2. Service dips
in and out so cuts out every 10 mins. 3. Customer service is a nightmare
as you get passed from pillar to post. 4. Agreed call back times and
dates from tech dept not honored. 5. Overall the product is not fit
for purpose.
This is a total waste of money and i'm trying my best to get out of
this contract, which is proving difficult. Beware.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Elaine from UK on 2nd Jul 2012
Took out contract on E586 last October to use in park home and, similar
to the previous reviewer had excellent reception and download speeds
for about eight months in a rural area. Was able to receive continuous
tv catchup viewing on laptop etc and would have awarded 4 stars (minus
the one because technical helpline was unable to tell me how to link
up printer and had to work it out myself). Unfortunately about a month
ago started to lose connectivity and unbearably slow both on laptop
and I-pad. Hoped that downloading updates might help but no difference
whatsoever. Can anyone suggest a reason for this as I still have nearly
a year on my contract and have no landline to obtain broadband.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Paul from London, UK on 8th Jun 2012
Been using 3 and the Huawei E585 for about a year. First eight months
or so quite good. Past four absolutely dreadful. Impossibly slow, and
this in Zone 2 of SE London. Slower than dial-up. Totally unacceptable
at £16 a month. Will be cancelling soon. Couldn't really recommend it.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Trudi Hughes from Uk on 7th Jun 2012
Reception and connectivity on my Huawei E585 Mifi device (on 'three'
network) noticeably much slower than a year ago. Wonder whether increased
usage and / or possible lack of maintenance / upgrading to mobile phone
network responsible? Area in which device used: Gt Dunmow, Essex. Any
ideas, anyone?
Rating:
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Reviewed by KARL BALL from ENGLAND on 25th May
2012
Since having the MIFI I am so frustrated. Despite having a great signal
strength (the dispaly shows I have the maximum available)It is unbelievably
slow. Even typing this short message is making me so angry because I
am constantly loosing conectivity, I would not reccomend this to anyone.
Do yourself a favour and do not sign up to a contract that does not
deliver what it is supposed to.
Rubbish Rubbish Rubbish
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Penarthian from Uk on 11th May 2012
We use the 3 mi fi and have had it just one year. We run a Touch and
iPad from it and on occasions a laptop as well. We have wi fi in the
house but when we are out and about it is excellent. We paid for the
device and usage for one year and this was far the cheapest option.
We now own the device and another years charges are considerably lower.
This was a cheaper option than buying an iPad where we needed to pay
monthly for connection. This way we can run up to 5 devices for the
price of one!
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Charlie from England on 20th Mar 2012
I have the newer version of the 3 MIFI, the speed is great, the batteries
great. The usage is appauling. The first 'gig' took me about 3 days
to go through and was going up mbs until it reached a 1000 which is
1gb
but once youve hit the gb mark. the length in between each gig is shortened
to 100mb? it's going fast.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Stephen Ward from UK on 3rd Mar 2012
I have had the 3 mobile USB device for 2 years, it doesn't work, never
has.
I have upgraded my OS to windows 7 and it still doesn't work.
I have had screaming arguments with the Indian office who are worse
than useless, in fact they are the worst of all companies.
I have used my real name so that should 3 wish to resolve the issues
then they can contact me.
Buy a different one.
Regards
Stephen
Rating:
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Reviewed by dan37 from uk on 2nd Mar 2012
hi i have a 3 mifi e586 it is grate its better then a home wifi as you
can used it out and about in a car or a train
or in a camper van on a bus if you have a home hub it ok but you are
paying for it when you are not there this you can used anywere i go
around uk a lot so its not worth my haveing a home wifi i caan used
this in home aswell i get good signel i have all ways had o2uk on phones
was not relly a fan of three but now there are very good i give it five
stars very good three
Rating:
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Reviewed by Chris hurst from england on 2nd Mar
2012
good tool for me works on my boat so i am not paying for home broadband
whilst i am away on holiday etc, the 3 help cantre is absolute rubbish
manned by poorly speaking foriegn staff and they failed to send a replacement
faulty base station instead sent me another modem fools i asked for
a warranty claim but the base station is only covered for 3 months i
am seeking advice on that one? so at this moment in time its a good
deal with usual call centre rubbish backup buyer beware
Rating:
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Reviewed by VR from Canada on 20th Feb 2012
I got 3 mobile wifi for my daughter in London. They advertise that you
can use up to 5 devices and that 15 GB is "plenty" of internet. They
even have a chart on their website that supposedly calculates how much
you'll use on average. Well it is completely false advertising. She
and her roommate used all the allowance in 2 weeks, just doing their
homework and regular browsing - not watching movies or anything. And
now it turns out you can't get more GB except by paying 10p per megabyte.
So their bill for 3 weeks is now running at 50GBP. Absolutely outrageous.
And you can't even cancel because the cancellation fee is the full cost
of the contract. In other words, there is no cancellation option. DO
NOT USE 3 MOBILE WIFI.
Rating: Reply
Reply by Kevin Knight from Englad on
15th Mar 2012
I must reply to this post. I have used 3 mobile broadband for the past
4.5 years with various methods of connection. I currently have an E586
MiFi unit that I use extensively in my caravan. I travel all over the
UK with work and use the van instead of hotels. Both my wife and I can
be connected to the device doing all the surfing we want. Between us
we have 2 iPhones, an iPad, Macbook pro and my works Win7 laptop. We
have a 15Gb contract and we have never exceeded this. My wife subscribes
to an online TV show and I often view UTube videos. Updating the iOS
devices is all carried out using the 3 network. I cannot understand
how the 15Gb is used up in 2 weeks if they are not downloading loads
of stuff. Check the daily use on the My Account section on the 3 website,
it might suprise you!
Reply by Dave Herbert from UK on 19th
Mar 2012
I agree totally with the first reply, 15Gb would not be used by 2 people
browsing and doing homework in that time period. There's been some video
usage to have hit the limit in 2 weeks, I would say the three usage
calculator is reasonably realistic.
Reply by Richard White from UK on
6th May 2012
I don't agree with this review at all...15 Gb is a lot of usage and
not just homework! I think you should check their my account section.
You will probably find lots of vids have been dowloaded/streamed.
Reviewed by William Read from United Kingdom on
20th Feb 2012
The dongle is a Huawei E585, all worked well for 5 months then it got
hot and stopped working. Took it to the 3 shop and they sent it away.
It came back with a generic letter saying that it had been dropped/crushed
and was unrepairable! I phoned the repair number straight away and the
bloke told me that this was a generic letter when a device can't be
fixed (how dishonest of 3), and that I had to re-contact customer services
and get it refunded or replaced. I then had the run around from 3 and
after 4 very long calls (in excess of 45mins) was told a manager would
ring me to see what could be done. You guessed, no call! I am now having
to go to the ombudsman to try and get this resolved. I find this all
so despicable, that 3 can treat people this way and keep getting away
with it. Incidentally if I was a contract customer instead of PAYG,
no problem, instant replacement. Now that tells you alot about how their
contracts are ripping us off.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Samantha from UK on 16th Feb 2012
3 Mifi is bad. We bought it because it said it could connect gaming
devices, like Nintendo DS Lites. No. It cannot. I sat for hours trying
to get it to work...the second you press the button to set up the Network,
you have been sucked in and there's no going back. I rang 3 within 6
days of ordering the device to cancel the contract (it says there may
be a small fee to return the device to factory settings). They told
me to do this and this and to call back if it didn't work. So obviously
it didn't work so I called them back. They told me to try calling Nintendo
about the possibility of the DS being faulty and pretty much said ..'Have
a good day' before I could continue what I was saying. Called them back
instantly and asked to cancel and they said I couldn't. My mum rang
back the day after and a woman said she was unsure if we could cancel
and would have to speak to a manager, she said she would get back to
us, but they never. We decided to just stop the direct debit, and then
I got a call to say we had missed a payment. These calls continued about
3 times a day and eventually the online manager told us we could cancel
the contract. Hurray...but thats not the end...I continued to get calls
from several departments about missed payments and when I explained
the situation the woman started shouting at me, she called me balshy
and aggressive. Ok so I'm a geordie with a strong accent I was just
talking. The same woman continued to call me over and over again, despite
having talked to the online manager. The calls have only recently stopped.
The account, after two months of negotiating, has now been closed.
Rating: Reply
Reply by Cobble from UK on 20th Feb
2012
I found it works on every console and handheld except the DS due to
the DS's outdated Wi-Fi protection. 3 Mobile Mifi uses WPA (Wi-Fi Protected
Access) security protocol - DS can only read WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy).
That's why you'll notice a grey padlock next to your SSID on the Nintendo
Wi-Fi Connection Setup screen instead of a red one. 3DS works fine though.
Reviewed by Crutch from uk on 14th Feb 2012
The first month connection was pretty decent. Then it went to pot. To
the point where I phoned up, literally begging to have my contract terminated.
Customer services show no respect, knowledge or compassion. Ignoring
upload/dload (which varies from 0.04 - 4mbs, but rarely gets passed
2mps) my ping (which is what you really need to monitor) is pathetic.
I've recorded ping speeds in the 1000s! Recently getting a 1650ms ping.
Basically that's nearly 2 seconds to send a very small request out and
back instead of doing it in the blink of an eye. It doesn't sound that
bad, but try and think how many requests/processes involved in loading
a simple website and you get the idea of why you shouldn't use this
service (even if its just to load Google, do a search, then switch off
your pc and carry on with your day!!!!)
I look at my mifi I'm disgust, knowing that ill never get out of my
contract cheaply and that I've been stitched up like a good'en.
Nb I also live in Birmingham and was quoted excellent reception. I also
implemented all the speed boosting tips 3 are so eager to point out.
If anything, maybe putting you off from going with 3 might improve my
embarrassing speeds.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Wilko from UK on 1st Feb 2012
I thought 3 mifi was the bee's knees when I changed from T-Mobile. The
peed was faster, the ease of putting the mifi where the best signal
was etc etc and the price being much better .... £15 for unlimited (although
slowed after 2GB) on T mobile ...compared to £15.99 for 5Gb on 3. After
a month of perfect use and great speeds I started to get problems. 9
times out of 10 I get the HSPDA signal, but as soon as the signal drops
to 3G I lose internet connectivity completely until the HSPDA returns!!
Customer services is terrible, very condesending, thanking you for having
any knowledge more than them. Infact I would go as far as saying that
I would probably get more help standing outside the school gates and
asking one of the kids to help me!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Heidi from Uk on 13th Jan 2012
Just bought a macbook pro & mifi from three on payg, so far it is great,
faster than our home broadband (we do have rubbish speeds at home) it
gets a signal in places we never thought it would eg Clumber park, had
a vodafone dongle before &. It was so slow it was unusable, but bearing
in mind other comments from people about their problems we went payg
so if it all goes wrong we aren't locked into a contract of any kind,
so far we would highly recommend the three mifi.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Pin from Uk on 10th Jan 2012
Outstanding!!!! I've tried many on my commute southampton to London
Andriod tethering on O2 = fail. Android tethering on Giff Gaff = Fail.
So i picked up one of these babies (black version) from cash convertors
for £15 hahahaha those cowboys gotta luv em. Suffice to say i snatched
it. Went for a lovely stroll to Three shop and bought the cheapest payg
1gb month card..to trial out. All i can say is Woooow!!! At last i have
full internet on the move!! Damn this thing is faster than home virgin!!!
I don't deal with customer service...haah i buy my gb's infact...i will
be ordering on ebay 3GB X 6 = 18GB Data in 6 months @ £23.50 ..all good
for my needs. Why ppl bother with contracts is beyond me. :)))))
Rating:
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Reply by Brian from Uk on 24th Apr
2012
You are talking cobblers. I get the same train to London and use the
same huawei mifi - it will not get a connection for large parts of the
journey - it doesnt work at all in Winchester, or north of Basingstoke.
It doesn't even work all that well between Wimbledon and Waterloo. 3s
coverage is the problem - the device does the job, although the battery
life is very poor.
Reviewed by sophia from Essex on 2nd Jan 2012
Terrible service from this company, BEING CONNED FOR EXTRA USAGE when
don't download anything. Stay clear
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Tony from United Kingdom on 2nd Jan
2012
I have been with 3 for about 5 years or more. I must say that the customer
service could certainly be improved. I always ask to speak to the managing
director now because I am fed up with being thrown from one department
to the other and speaking to people who I can not understand. I recently
took out the 18 month contract with 3 and the new WiFi service. I must
say that the new device is a great idea, WHEN IT WORKS! I must of had
MUG written on my forehead at the time because the dongle I was previously
using works 100% better than the new WiFi device. I have now thrown
the WiFi device to one side and I have gone back to using my dongle.
As a web developer on the move, I found myself getting more and more
frustrated with the loss of connection. I am now using the dongle again
with no problems at all. Also, be sure to check your paperwork. The
customer service advisor, who upgraded my device on the phone, said
it would be an 18 month contract. The 18 month contract turned out to
be a 24 month one!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Darren from UK on 14th Dec 2011
I also have the later version - the black Huawei MiFi. Very fast, I
can stream video and only occasionally get buffering messages. Nigel,
you should call the call centre, I did and they offered me 15GB for
£16. Also the amount of data you have used is displayed on the device,
so you don't even need to go into the console to check how much you
have used.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Nigel Thain from United Kingdom on
1st Nov 2011
Absolutely brilliant. I use one of these (the later black version) for
work. Never had a problem at all. Great value and good speeds BUT....
and this is a warning. DO NOT GO OVER YOUR 5GB LIMIT. I did, without
realising it and I was stung for 10p per MEG !. To be fair(ish) to three,
they sent a few text messages to my 3 control panel, but if you dont
actively look at it, and there is never a need to, you wont see the
messages. A warning email would be better (for me, but obviously not
for 3 !!)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Uni from UK on 25th Oct 2011
My Experience with Three has been on par with any other mass consumer
company, although, the download speeds on HSDPA are very nice when they
work. Luckily I'm in a fairly decent position so I have (on occasion)
reached over 4mbps (yup, 500+kB/s). Only for Short bursts though and
my average (when its working) would be around 2 mbps (200-250kB/s).
The problem with these mobile networks is consistency, one minute you
could have a perfectly stable connection, and for seemingly no reason
at all it drops and fluctuates, this happens anywhere, using any computer,
for any network, it is the nature of mobile broadband. I'm on a Phone
contract with an non-capped bandwidth, In a single night here i could
download 3-4GB of data, a night mind, thats over 100GB/mo. The price
seems OK, not great, but just OK. Three's Customer Services are pretty
poor to be honest, your sent to call centres mostly in India, These
people wont get paid much, so don't expect them to do extra work to
help you if you know what I mean. Not very good at all IMO. Although
better than most other providers. You _can_ game on these networks,
provided you dont mind randomly de-syncing in any game you play (not
all, just randomly any one). The network, for what it is, is excellent,
coverage is easily searchable using three's coverage map, and is quite
accurate. the biggest drawback is harsh traffic shaping techniques which
almost prevent peer-to-peer networking. 4/5. The Customer Service is
Mediocre and reminiscent of that of the old BT days (without the waiting
time), Although I admit waiting times are much lower, still not perfect
though. 2/5. The Price is OK, more expensive than a few other major
providers but they dont give you HSDPA with unlimited data. 4/5 Conclusion
is the service is Good, its by far not perfect, number of improvements
to customer satisfaction can be made with UK call centres, Less harsh
traffic shaping methods, and a bit more responsive to negative feedback.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Chris from UK on 17th Oct 2011
I have the 3 MiFi device and I travel a lot in the UK, stay in hotels,
work in offices, every week. I only use with my iPad but I think it's
a fantastic device. Fast, useable strait out of the box have had it
for about 10 months on PAYG with 3. But I have to agree with other comments
about customer service which is appalling and seems designed to get
you to give up. But escalation does the trick. I just ask for technical
service but thankfully i have not had any issues with it for ages now,
including paying for my top up and this was incredibly frustrating at
first. Overall, for me, it's excellent.
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Jerry johnson from Ireland on 12th
Oct 2011
My partner purchased a Three wirelesss modem as we alredy have Three
mobile broadband via a dongle. We were advised by their 'customer service'
that we could use the sym from the dongle with it as we wanted to be
able to conect an iPod Touch. They said that it would obviously use
more data from the account as we would be spreading it over several
devices. Firstly it wouldn't connect to her desk-top computer wirelessly,
it had to be connected via a USB port, this was useless as although
the computer connected, the iPod struggled to pick up the signal, even
though it was right next to the modem! After some experimenting, we
figured it would work fine with a laptop and the iPod, but simply wasn't
working with any other device if plugged into the desk-top. The biggest
shock was when I tried to log in to my 3 account a couple of days later,I
couldn't connect to anything other than the Three Homepage. I checked
the data allowance on the card by returning it to the dongle and found
that I had a bill for 75 euros as the wifi modem had used up all the
data and they (Three) had allowed it to work outside the data allowance.
As the WiFi modem wasn't doing what we had hoped, and had now caused
us to have to pay a further 75 euros, my partner rang Three to arrange
to send the WiFi modem back to them under the 14 day money back guarantee
that came in the box. She got through to someone in India and they refused
to allow her to return it! They said they would only take it back if
it wasn't working! Well it isn't working as far as we're concerned,
and the 14 day Money Back guarantee does not specify any terms what
so ever for getting a refund! After spending considerable time talking
with them, they still refused to register the guarantee and would not
give us an address to return the Unit. The 'Guarantee' is useless. The
advice given before we purchased was useless, and even though we have
sent an email to their complaints department (still awaiting a reply!)
we still have no way of returning the modem and getting our money refunded.
I intend to cancel my account with them in January and would urge everybody
to give this fly by night company a wide berth! Since being with them
we have had poor download speeds and terrible customer service!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by rich from derby england on 9th Oct
2011
i have had my wifi four over a year now living at 3 diferant addresses
during this time and speeds have been great and three service is good
will allways try and rectifie eny problems eaven when you do not have
a resept
Rating:
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Reviewed by Pasquale from UK on 19th Sep 2011
I've had mifi for the past 2 years and it is a piece of technology that
I would reccomend to everybody who is on the move at all time, I use
it at home and most of the time the connection its excellent, but sometimes
it slows down drammatically and at this time what I do is, turn the
device off for a couple of seconds and then switch back on again, and
it runs as normal and the speed going back to the excellent, I sometimes
take it with me with my laptop and also I use it with my mobile phone.
what can I say this is called technology and for once they got it right.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Gyula from England on 16th Sep 2011
I use a pay as you go all you can eat data plan,chopped down to micro
size.fits in ipad2 and now I get unlimited Internet for £15 a month.
RESULT
Rating:
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Reviewed by KotCR from UK on 13th Sep 2011
Unsure why, but while I always have a good signal, this is only usuable
for me in the early hours of the morning. I get good, solid speeds between
about 1am and 7am of about 1 mpbs, but between 8am and midnight, despite
still having a strong signal, I'm lucky to get 5kbps. Yes, that's kbps,
not mbps. Most of the time during those hours it will remain at 0 or
1 kbps, a practically non-existant internet connection. Seems to be
little point having an internet connection that you can only really
use during the hours you should be sleeping. However, like many other
people commented, for the first fortnight or so of using it, the speed
was always good even during the day. Almost seems like 3 intentionally
throttle down your connection speed once they've caught you in their
elusive trick and have your money.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Sebastian from UK on 11th Sep 2011
I bought this product purely for online gaming. I signed up for the
15BG 18 month rolling contract, which i purchased early in mid 2011.
After fixing the settings so no-one else can join the network it creates
and diabling the SSID broadcast so no-one else can even see it on Mi-Fi-
scanning software, I saw it safe to use. At first the connection seemed
perfect. (How wrong can a man be?) Until only a few months of use, the
'Signal Strength' began to slowy creep down, almost through each use
- randomly swithcing between Highspeed (H) and 3G, eventually to stay
on 3G at a strength of 1 to 2 bars - this is totally unusable for any
kind of decent online game or, in fact anything worth doing at all.
'What did I do wrong, 3?' I dont know how many countless, joyfull hours
a day I (used to) spend gaming, nor do i spend time counting the ammount
of hours I spend doing it. All I know is that Im not gaming. That, and
the fact that my 18 month contract (which is still costing me £15.99
a month) will expire in December 2012 - I month that is regarded by
some people to the the end of the world as we know it. DO NOT BUY THIS
PRODUCT
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Chris from england on 1st Sep 2011
Excellent bit of kit, indespensible if always on the move, or a frequent
commuter, picks up a signal just about anywhere, but don't expect iplayer
or the like to not have to buffer every now and again. Saying that I've
had mine since they came out, it's proved very useful, on their 15gb
contract, as a moderate to heavy user it still is not enough to fully
replace home broadband.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Will from UK on 1st Sep 2011
I have had this for a year now. When I first got the mifi it was great,
speed was amazing and websites loaded really quickly. In the past few
months this has all gone downhill very fast, to the point of being almost
unusable. I am signed up for a 24 month contract so still have to see
out half of this, for a poor service. Feels like I bought one product
but was given an inferior product.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by James Sargent from United Kingdom on
18th Aug 2011
Had mine for about a year now, and had two of the same unit. Both have
had problems staying connected and would drop connection even if there
is a decent HSDPA signal. Would avoid.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by albert desalvo from UK on 17th Aug
2011
Not a review as such... but a suggestion, if your wireless speeds were
great and have significantly decreased over time... check the channel
your wireless network is transmitting as the reason my be due to interference
on the same channel as more and more people establish home networks
etc and generally wont change from the default settings. I plan to buy
one of these today, as I have only heard good things about them.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Kevin Horne from England on 16th Aug
2011
I made the mistake of signing up for 2 years. The reception is poor,
slow and frustrating. Customer service gets you through to Paul, Kev
or John in India and from there you go around and around in circles
till you get fed up and give up. On the good side my contract ends at
the end of this year and will I be renewing? You guess. Would I recommend
3? Certainly if you like dialup speeds, the world’s worst customer
service and throwing money away. In life it is said that you get what
you pay for. With 3 you pay for nothing and no matter what they say
about cancelling if not happy or satisfied forget it; you have a better
chance of seeing England win the football world cup or a politician
telling the truth.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Mike from UK on 6th Aug 2011
I've been using the 3 wifi on a boat in various locations for a few
months and I'm very happy with it. We run two laptops from it and it's
very reliable, much better than T Mobile, and it doesn't slow down at
busy times.
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Reviewed by bob from scotland on 18th Jul 2011
very poor , only get a connection sometimes and when i do its not a
good connection
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by david from essex uk on 17th Jun 2011
Brilliant speedy service for about 3 months now nothing. Keep getting
'no network' yet signal is full?
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Andrew from Bristol on 31st May 2011
Having had the 3 wifi for a couple of months, I have found that is appears
to be OK, nothing like the speeds advertised of 7.2 , more like 2 or
3. Connectivity is sometime intermittent, but I have decided to close
my home broadband and stay with 3, as it seem to offer the best option
for me, as I can take it anywhere that I go. Despite this, I am able
to connect devices both upstairs and down with no loss of signal strength,
it just isn't as strong as it advertises.
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Reviewed by Mike from England on 18th May 2011
The speed and reliability of the MiFi that I am currently in use is
well below what 3 claims on its website. Although the area in which
I am living (Salford Quays) is supposed to have a decent 3 wireless
coverage, my MiFi's speed often degraded, during the daytimes, to such
a level as taking more than 1 minute to open a webpage such as amazon.co.uk,
whilst it disconnected at quite frequent intervals. As a corollary,
I have decided to leave 3.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by lewis from england on 15th May 2011
3 Mobile WiFi is a great for people who sometimes use the internet how
for people who like to online game it is not the best however great
product
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Reviewed by Danny Thompson from United Kingdom on
23rd Apr 2011
Mobile BB on Three is excellent, well beyond my expectation having been
a very disappointed mobile phone customer of theirs previously. I went
for a MiFi when I got an iPad and it was a very good decision. I share
my 3G BB with the iPad, Mac and iPhone (more on that in a moment). It
is simply outstanding in every way. The network speed frequently outpaces
O2 and Vodafone who I also have in this household. I have easily achieved
speeds of upwards of 6Mbps downlink and over 2Mbps uplink. On my travels
around I have had to use the MiFi to give my iPhone (on Vodafone) a
suitable data signal and speed because frequently Three are in good
signal/data where Vodafone is not. Throughput on Three is also so much
faster than Vodafone when comparing the two within sight of both of
their 3G masts. Three's data backhaul and infrastructure is very apparently
better suited to carrying mobile BB than the older networks. The only
let-down with Three is their infamous off-shore customer service. It
is dire and people are more often than not disappointed with the experience
at their hands. However, Three do have a vibrant and very effective
Twitter team who are always more than happy to get involved to help
escalate or resolve an issue that the Indian call centre cannot or fail
to do. Reading some of the negative comments below it strikes me that
those that had a bad experience relied solely on the off-shore call
centre. Three stores, the Twitter team and UK escalations can all help
where off-shore cannot. But in terms of the actual Mobile Broadband
service, it rocks. And where it does not Three will release you from
your contract early - they have that in print, so it is there for you
to use. Can't say fairer than that really.
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Reviewed by larry from Cambridgeshire on 20th
Apr 2011
Agree with comment by Jim; terrible here in Longstanton, Cambridge.
Virtually no coverage. We village types are not happy - must be much
better in towns then!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Sam from Uk on 18th Apr 2011
Great product the Mifi, I see slot of people are dissing three still,
can't see why in hants this product works great with my iPad and iPhone
and worked well when I moved home and home broadband was down, great
speeds and coverage much better then O2 or voda where I live and travel
for 3G signal I can't wait to join three on my iPhone and be able to
get internet everywhere I go, not crappy 2g. Anyway mifi 2 is the best
product three sell.
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Reviewed by Jim from UK on 12th Apr 2011
Have a MIFI and use it throughout North West Cambridge. Terrible coverage
in Longstanton and Oakington area (post code CB24 3BT is especially
bad). Have tried putting it in all kinds of locations but no good. Three
not good for rural folk
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Ian from England on 8th Apr 2011
I have had the huawei e585 with 15gb data allowance since september.I
am based in London and I use it throughout the capital. I purchased
this after my mobile provider o2 banned me from using cellular data
for breaching their fair usage policy. When the 18 month contract started
I was working nightshifts and only using it at night, at its peak speedtest
was giving me 4.2mbps which I was amazed with as o2 only ever gave me
a maximum of 120kbps. I started working dayshifts in east london in
february and I was getting ok speeds 2mbps, I was pleased with this
as there is weak phone signal here. Recently my speed has dropped dramatically,
I have written specifically to the executive office who have told me
they will reply in the next 5 days. I am only able to get 3g signal
now. I thought it might be a problem in the area i work in but when
i tried it at home i was still only getting 1mbps maximum. I have collegues
who have other 3 usb dongles and they have been experiencing the same
issues. i notice that a lot of other london users here have been having
these issues since march, has anyone in london had a direct response
from them? I have paid my bill for march as march the 7th was the last
time i was able to recieve a good speed (3.2mbps). I have told the executive
office that if my problem is not resolved i will be refusing to pay
my bill. I will probably be unlocking my device and switching to vodafone.
The problem has only really started since they started offering all
you can eat data allowances to new customers. I suspect that they are
just overloaded.
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Reviewed by phil harrington from england on 6th
Apr 2011
huawei e585 wireless modem is great , been with 3g for 4 years now ,
top service and awesome results in a place where no landline broadband
is avalable
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Reviewed by Tony from uk on 6th Apr 2011
We have the mark 1 mifi and use it all the time,its faster than our
o2 home broadband.And we live in the middle of nowhere.With the new
3 payg all you can eat data at £15 a month this is great.And before
anyone says you cant use the new 3 all in one 15 add on in a mifi well
we do.
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Reviewed by Al from Scotland on 17th Mar 2011
Same as Patrick from Ireland I had the stick for 18 months and never
used it as service so bad. However this has all been made up now I have
the MiFi , it's brilliant. I use it travelling back and forth to work
with my iPad
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 17th Mar 2011
I also live in London and have used mifi here in my flat for the last
six months. For the first five months or so it was great, I was getting
around 2mb, it was usually even okay for online gaming with my xbox.
But in the last month the speeds have gone totally downhill, now I'm
lucky if I get 0.5MB and I'm constantly getting disconnected. Be warned!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Jeff from UK on 9th Mar 2011
Used to work fantastic in London until March. I have speedtest.net tests
from November through January that show about 4MB throughput. As of
March, I can only connect about 50% of the time and when it actually
does work, I'm getting about 300-400K throughput... almost modem days!
I thought it was my MIFI, but all of my co-workers purchased the device
as well and all of them are having the exact same problem...
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by John from Dorset, UK on 26th Feb 2011
i've had the MiFi for 3 months and I think it's great! I'm a historian
and have travelled hundreds of miles around the UK every month. I can
keep my laptop connected even in the rural locations that I often travel
to. As for speeds, at my home in Dorchester, Dorset I usually get just
over 1 MB/S which isn't bad. In Leeds I got 2.5 mb/s, Newcastle I got
900 kb/s. All of these were at peak time. Near Plymouth I managed 2.8
mb/s. The fastest I have seen was in motorway services just outside
Manchester, being 3.2 mb/s. But that was around half 4 in the morning
:-) . All in all I can't live without my MiFi, i don't know how I managed
before, tethering my phone to my laptop with o2, often at GPRS speeds.
I'm taking out an iPhone contract with Three as of tomorrow when my
current contract with o2 expires. I can't say that i'm sad to see the
back of them....
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Reviewed by patrick from ireland on 22nd Feb 2011
after haveing 3 stick for 2 yrs and terrible coverage because of where
i live , a total nightmare, NOW i got 3 WIFI its TERRIFIC BRILL thanks
3 internet all over the house thank you very much and soooooo FAST
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Reviewed by Pinkgomesgirl from Uk on 15th Feb
2011
I have a iPhone contract with three and I think they are the best network
going there customer service is outstanding and I've always received
the highest standard customer service, I have been with every network
in the uk and three in my opinion are the best going, I have just ordered
te mifi and I can't wait to get it. Three just keep impressing me :D
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Reviewed by Tech Guy from UK on 11th Feb 2011
Just bought the new E585 as i was having problems with the home broadband.
this device set up first time and the speed is outsatnding with 3 devices
connected. i will now be using this as my primary broadband. when i
rang to activate the sim card i was put through to a call centre in
S. Africa and apart from the call being scripted the guy was excellent
whole activation took 10 minutes, plus as an added bonus had a free
upgrade to 15 gig a month from the standard 5 gig for the same price
of £15-99 Also i bought this unit from a well nown multiple for £29
instead of £71 this is the price offered if you buy it with an i-pad,
guess they must need the sales, so haggle.
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Reviewed by milo from europe on 30th Jan 2011
e585 the best.i work with it as open line in russia,germany,sweden and
poland.i connected 9 laptaps coz 5 for e585 and tp-link extender 4 or
more.e585 and tp-link extender work together to cover all user in the
vessel and even where far away from shore she can connect.i give her
5star.
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Reviewed by mjr8591 from UK on 23rd Jan 2011
I have had the e585 (on an 18 month deal) since October 2010. I have
waited a few months to write this review in order to be able to give
an honest view not clouded by initial opinion. I was previously a Vodafone
broadband customer but when I upgraded to an iPhone (also on 3) and
my wife purchased an iPad this seemed to be a good option. At home the
coverage is excellent - we have no problem connecting 3 devices simultaneously
(iPhone, iPad and laptop) and speeds are perfectly acceptable. Availability
has been generally excellent - we did have one weekend when the servers
appeared to be down but when I contacted 3 to complain they said upgrade
work was being carried out and credited me for one months payment without
question. The only problems we have had with connectivity has been when
staying away with family in NE England. According to 3 the area should
have HSDPA coverage but we often struggled to get a connection. Overall
I would say our experience has been a very positive one and that 3 mi-fi
is ideal for our requirements. On customer services, I have been a 3
customer now for several years and I have found them to be courteous
and helpful in the main. A tip though - if you are having problems with
the Indian call centre ask to be put through to the Technical dept.
which is Ireland-based.
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Reviewed by Chester Lee from Kent uk on 8th Jan
2011
Well I'm not sure about the model that has been shown about but I have
the new mifi dongle the e585 on pay as you go. Never had a major problem
with getting my pc and iPhone too connect and the only time I did I
changed the channel and it's been fine since. I live in Kent and if
I'm honest this device has given me faster speeds than what my Bt connection
was giving me but that's another story. The device itself has been a
god send too me and comes in handy when u need a decent connection.
3 customer service is terrible always have so I would say if u do have
a problem trying too connect change the channel or look for advice online.
Calling 3 will just be a painful and frustrating experience. If you
unsure if too get this device get it on payg as the thought of been
tied into any contract with 3 be it a 30 day rolling or 18 months is
probably the worse decision you could ever make. So I say good device
really bad customer service.
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Reviewed by Zanx from UK on 17th Dec 2010
I have the 18 month contract with the free mifi dongle, it was great
for 3 months but has got slower and slower until today when it stopped
working altogether. Contract or not, if three can't even provide 1980's
Internet speeds, then the direct debit will be cancelled and they can
chase me for the money. Terrible terrible coverage in the London area
now.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by jojie from philippines on 11th Dec
2010
mine is 3 mobile mifi huawei it really depends on the internet provider....
Rating:
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Reviewed by Brenda Morris from England on 4th
Dec 2010
Have signed up for 18month with MIFI and advised it can connect to 5
computers at once, oh oh it cant. I still have to connect via USB and
only able to use one computer at a time. Really disappointed. I have
e-mailed 3 to seek advise and guess what they havent emailed back or
rang me to give me advise. Customer service rating a big fat 0. They
keen to take your money and then -------???????? No support Very Very
Disappointed
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Nothreesypeasy from United Kingdom on
30th Nov 2010
Nightmare! First sim for mifi could not be activated becasue it wasn't
on 3's register. John Lewis's replaced the entire box and this time,
couldn't be activated because it was a PAYG sim and this was a rolling
contract. Five different "advisors" and one tech guy said it couldn't
be done before one went away, talked to management, and said it will
be fine - followed by a 15-mintue nightmare to get bank details etc.
In the middle of it all, the poor girl read from her prompt notes and
asked:"Are you having a good day" I think she should have guessed. I
was planning to buy a dozen of these for the staff in my journalism
agency. No longer - even if it turns out to be a great product once
it is finally up and running. Unbelieveable incompetence.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by G'Man from UK on 30th Nov 2010
I got a 3 micro sim for my ipad and wanted to use the £2 for 500mbyte
as I don't use 3g very often - can I find £2 option to buy 500mbyte
on the 3 website?? - not a chance - 3 phone calls (thanks for nothing
Mumbai!) and an email later and I'm still none the wiser - big thumbs
down, good customer service are not words I'd associate with this company
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Exasperated from UK on 23rd Nov 2010
I've had an infuriating saga with Three, from whom I bought a Mi-Fi
dongle, from their on-line store. i) their claimed area network coverage
was incorrect in more than one place - 'Excellent' yielded only one
or two bars. ii) I wasted HOURS on expensive phone calls to tech support,
and was fobbed off with stories of 'transmitter upgrade' - twice. iii)
I waited twice for these repairs to be completed, being assured that
all would be well afterwards. It wasn't. iv) a 'troubleshooting session'
established that my dongle wasn't working at all. v) When I gave up
and asked for a complete refund, they tried to tell me I'd waited too
long!! I am currently wasting more time trying to get them to let me
return the whole thing for a refund. If they don't, I'll consider escalating
to the Dept of Trading Standards. AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS! I'd
give minus stars if I could, and enjoy the relief of not having to explain
the whole story again and again to people not authorised to do anything.
BTW - I wonder if the 5-star reviews are 'in house'?????
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Anonymous from United Kingdom on 5th
Nov 2010
I ordered a Mifi dongle on Three because of the raving reviews and so
far I haven't been disappointed. I live in west London so I get a very
good signal most of the time and I haven't had any issues since I got
it set up. HOWEVER the customer service I received was absolutely rubbish,
though the lady I spoke to did her best to help. I thought the device
would work out of the box but it wasn't connecting so I phoned the customer
helpline, only to finally be told to contact the activations team as
it hadn't yet been registered. After a thirty minute phone call it was
resolved but the woman had a hard time understanding what I was saying
so I was repeating everything about three times. With the exception
of this the device itself has been great and I haven't had any problems
with it. The SMS capability is a great idea for someone using a laptop
or iPod, especially if your phone battery dies or you forget to lift
it. I love how there's only one button on the E585 and everything on
the OLED screen is clearly displayed. I've yet to take it out of the
city, wehre I suspect some areas mightn't fare so well with regards
to connection speed, but so far I am impressed with what MiFi has to
offer. I paid £39.99 one-off fee and am on a one month rolling contract
at £15.00 a month for 5GB of monthly data which I think is reasonable.
Rating:
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Reviewed by maria from england on 2nd Nov 2010
I have had a 3g mifi for a month now. The equiptment works ok it's the
time and money lost for calling customer service and not getting a problem
solved that has pushed me to now get the mifi unlocked so I can use
another network. I've had nothing but frustration with it. You buy the
mifi to use with an Apad or Ipad, you want change the pass word or pay
for credit on the pay as you go online a message is sent to the mifi
with your pass word which you cannot read because you need a 3g mobile
phone to read it!! Figure!!I can't buy credit online for some reason
and the customer service has no idea how to help!! Pulling my hair out
I can not take the frustration a month later. I've never been with this
network before and now I'm so glad I haven't.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by A from Scotland on 12th Oct 2010
The mifi is brilliant for on the go use. I watch the football on my
iphone where ever I am going as it is much cheaper that use your phone
credit. It is also good if your Home Hub breaks dwn (which is a lot)
and with 5 devices at a time I think it is amazing.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Joshia Atanga from Kenya on 13th Sep
2010
i enjoy every bit of it especially when i,m in hotspot areas,the widget
performs amazingly hence efficient internet exploration.
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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!
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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.
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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 *****
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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: Reply
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 ! .
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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.
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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: Reply
Reviewed by Brendan Fogarty from UK on 21st Jun
2010
Coverage is hopeless!!!!!!
Rating: Reply
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.
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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: Reply
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 *****.
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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!!
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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.
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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
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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: Reply
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: Reply
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: Reply
Reviewed by javid akhter from gloucester, england on
10th Feb 2010
brillient device, works well no problems, cant believe how well it works.
Rating:
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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:
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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: Reply
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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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