MiFi

MiFi is a brand name to describe a wireless router that acts as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. In many countries, including The United States, Canada, and Mexico, Inseego Corp (previously known as Novatel Wireless) owns a registered trademark on the "MiFi" brand name; in the United Kingdom, mobile operator Hutchison 3G owns the "MiFi" trademark. Novatel Wireless has never offered an official explanation for the origin of the name "MiFi"; it has been suggested that it is short for "My Wi-Fi". A MiFi device can be connected to a cellular network and provide Internet access for up to fifteen devices. Novatel Wireless introduced the first MiFi device in the United States, in May 2009. In the UK, Hutchison 3G's "MiFi" is a similar product from Huawei with the same name. Novatel Wireless owns a registered trademark on the "MiFi" brand name in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico), and a number of countries worldwide: Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, and Thailand. The notable exception is in the UK where mobile operator 3 owns the "MiFi" trademark. In India the Mi-Fi trademark is owned by Mi-Fi Networks Private Limited. Limited to five Wi-Fi clients such as laptops, cameras, gaming devices, and multimedia players; with the exception of manually editing the device’s config file to allow more clients. May be connected to a computer via a Micro-USB connection, though doing so disables the Wi-Fi networking, converting the device into a traditional single-client modem. (However, CNET has introduced a tweak to charge the device over USB while maintaining its functionality). Includes GPS unit, which is usable on some networks like Virgin Mobile and not on others like Verizon. Uses 3G data network (CDMA 1xEVDO RevA). Same functionality as 2200, plus: Accepts SD card for in-device shared media storage. Uses 3G data network (Mini 2352: SUPRA/PATHS 900/1900/2100 MHz, MiFi 2372: SUPRA/PATHS 850/1900/2100 MHz; both support GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz).