The following article is a brief review of the Huawei E585 wireless modem which is often referred to as the ‘mifi’. Wireless broadband access is now very commonplace, especially since data bandwidth allowances went up and prices went down! In an earlier post I discussed my own contract with 3 mobile broadband where I was getting 15GB data per month for £15.00 per month. This initial contract ended earlier this year and to try to tempt me to stay they were offering another similar deal but with a new USB modem. Now 3 claimed this new modem was the next generation and was capable of faster speeds than the Huawei E156G that I still owned. The problem was none of these new modems had the antenna connection that mine had so I did not really see it as an upgrade.
Some months prior to the contract expiring my Huawei DT100 wireless router had broken meaning I could no longer share my broadband connection. The DT100 was no longer being sold but they had a new ‘toy’ I was really interested in……….the Huawei E585 mifi wireless modem. They retail from £70.00 upwards so I haggled with them and got the modem for free by committing to a new 18 month contract with a £2.00 per month increase in my bill.
The Huawei E585 ‘mifi’ wireless modem
I’d read about the mifi for some time and it looked really promising. Basically it’s not much bigger than a normal USB modem and could be powered via USB in much the same way but it is so much more! Whilst it looks more like your traditional USB modem in size, it behaves more like a wireless modem you might have at home. Just like the home wireless modem the mifi transmits a signal which can be detected by other computers, smartphones etc.
Huawei E585 'mifi' wireless modem
One drawback compared to your home modem is that only 5 devices can be connected to the mifi at any one time but for most of us that’s more than enough! You would not want to be sharing the connection with too many people in case you go over your bandwidth allowance!
What really sets the mifi apart though is that it has its own rechargeable battery inside meaning you do not need to power it via USB. The quoted battery life is 4 hours which is pretty generous. It means you don’t have to be tethered to your laptop via the USB connection and you can place the mifi anywhere in your home, vehicle etc where you get the best signal. Being so small it also means you can put it in your pocket and take it wherever you go. So imagine you are down the pub, your mobile phone data connection is slow so you decide to switch the mifi on, let your phone’s wifi detect it and connect to check on your emails, download those app updates etc. Your friend might have his iPad or Android tablet with him and he too can do some quick surfing at the same time. Or you are taking a road trip and 5 hours in the car seems like such a waste of time. Now your passengers can do some work on their laptop! I also use mine with my wireless printer so I can click print on my laptop and the signal is sent via the mifi to the printer in another room or another part of the motorhome.
Huawei E585 ‘mifi’ – Specifications
So what do you get in the box? Well besides the modem itself you get the battery and USB connection cable which allows you to charge it from your laptop. You also get a UK 3 pin plug with a USB slot and all the instructions you would expect. If you are a new customer you will also get your SIM card but I used my existing one. Generally the device will be locked to your network but it is possible to unlock these and use them with SIM cards from other mobile companies. The mifi only weighs 90 grams and seems really well made and tactile. It has an LED display that relays information like signal strength, battery life, number of devices currently connected and badwidth used and time connected during current session. The mifi also has a Micro SD slot that accepts cards up to 32GB so you can store additional data.
In summary I think the mifi is a great device and worth the asking price. If you are already a mobile broadband customer with a contract about to come up for renewal you might want to haggle to see if you can the mifi included in your next contract. I would happily recommend this product and my review rating for the mifi would be 9/10!
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Hi Gary, Have not see you around the forums for a while. How are you finding the signal on three. I used to use it a few years ago and it was great when you got it but it was a bit spaoradic
Hi Stew,
I find the signal on 3 pretty good for most of the UK. I like using the mifi wirelessly but it does not allow direct connection of antennas like my E156G dongle did. I understand there are ways to boost the signal of the mifi and I may investigate some of these options for those times when connection is poor or non existant.
I will email you directly as would like a chat to see how you are getting on etc. It seems you have been doing a self build, something I’m thinking about too.
Hope the family are well
Gary
Hi! I just finished a 24 month contract with Three that ended in June, that was £15.99 a month for 15GB usage. I called only to see if it was possible to switch to PAYG, I was initially planning to switch to Sky, and instead took a detour to see what upgrades they had on offer. I had no idea MiFi was even about! I didn’t even have to haggle, the lady on the phone offered to keep my price plan exactly the same as it was, as she said she will do her best to give me a better deal than Sky, and that she will include the MiFi free, but only on the condition that her line manager agreed. From the reviews I’ve read, including yours, I am actually looking forward to getting this device! And It looks like I won’t be switching to Sky after all, which is good for me as I wasn’t that impressed with the thought of getting a line rental. And now if I move, I don’t have any worries about switching everything to my new address. Win-win! I’d recommend Three to anyone, they seem to be one step ahead of the other mobile companies – the competition. ^_^
Hi Gary,
Great site. Could you tell me if you can use this MIFI in europe, and are there any extra costs involved.
Thanks.
Pete
Hi Pete,
Yes no reason why you could not use the device in Europe. Chances are if you bought one it would come locked to that network but it can be unlocked. Once unlocked you then just need to insert the SIM of your choice. Accessing the internet from a UK based network means you are effectively roaming which is VERY expensive so the usual method is to seek out a SIM card from a network operator in the country you are travelling in. I did this myself with a TIM SIM in Italy as I spend quite some time in this country. If you plan to travel from country to country and only spend a week or two in each you might want to consider an alternative way to access the net.
One method is to buy a wifi ‘booster’ like the Alfa Awus 036H which allows your laptop to ‘see’ wireless broadband signals from a much greater signal. Then it’s just a case of finding an unsecured one, something fairly easy in some countries like Holland and France but much harder in Germany.
Hope this helps answer your question.
Gary
The Motorhome Vagabond.
I’ve been using my MiFi for only a few weeks but I absolutely LOVE IT. I’m on the 15GB tarif which makes sense as myself and girlfriend use it with our laptops and phones connected.
The set up was unbelievably simple and straight forward. There’s no security worries either as there’s a password for the network so neighbours can’t catch a cheeky unsecured surf!