Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 Unlocked 3G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot GSM For North Ame...

by Novatel Wireless

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0039ZLMK0
• Item model number: MiFi 2372
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #10 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Wireless Access Points
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 22, 2010

Product Description

MiFi 2372 intelligent mobile hotspot for HSPA networks with download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.76 Mbps (*Data speeds may be limited by network support and/or operating conditions), optimized for North America and capable of sharing 3G Internet connection between 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices.

World wide compatibility

Requires a SIM card with activated data plan. Operates virtually anywhere in the world with multiple frequency band operation in HSPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS providing high speed mobile Internet access.

Compatible with AT&T, Bell, Rogers, Telus, Movistar, Telcel, etc.

NOT compatible with T-Mobile USA and CDMA/EVDO operators, including Verizon and Sprint.

Connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices

Allows up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices to simultaneously connect to the Internet.

Easily fits in the palm of your hand

Sleek and tiny, MiFi is perfect for on-the-go connectivity.

Integrated high-capacity microSDHC slot

Provides expandable storage capacity of up to 16GB, allowing access from all connected devices over Wi-Fi.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Alternative when no DSL or land line not around!, March 16, 2010

By 

Saeed A. Siddiki "Homer KSA" (Riyadh, Dubai, Fredericksburg!) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 Unlocked 3G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot GSM For North Ame... (Electronics)

Before i start with the review i want to point out that i bought the European version of this exact same device "Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot"

What this does?
It helps anyone who has a SIM Card with 3G services enabled to connect up to 5 PC's/Mac's/Wifi devices to the internet

Complexity in setting up?
i would say about 6/10 in terms of how easy/hard this is. You have to understand that the 3G sim cards (depending which carrier you have)
will have a profound impact on how quickly you can set this up.

How to set up?
* If your carrier is not enlisted in the default options on the device, you just need to contact your SIM provider and ask for an APN#
* The WIFI setup is very easy and you just need to pick a name (that is SSID) and a new password for everyone you want to access the internet
* If you intend to use this device indefinitely, then i suggest you configure it first and then connect it to the AC electrical charger

The Situation
Since i don't have the capability to bring DSL or WyMAC or etc etc. in my area, this little GEM was a GOD send! I really wanted the ubiquitous internet access in my apartment which would hook up 3 Mac's/apple TV and a Nintendo WII. This thing is fast and a solid build!

Bottom Line:
If you stuck like me with internet but can access only though your cell phone = get it
If your area does not have any other internet access points = get it
If you frequently travel and need instant net access = get it
If you have less than 5 devices simultaneously needing internet access = get it

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Using your Novatel MiFi Router, July 23, 2010

By 

Oldskaterman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 Unlocked 3G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot GSM For North Ame... (Electronics)

First, it is indeed true that the Novatel 2372 GSM MiFi device will work on either the AT&T or T-Mobile GSM networks. What may not be obvious to everyone is the fact that T-Mobile's GSM network will only accommodate a 3G connection if the cellular device is capable of supporting transmission in the 1700/2100 MHz band. Since the Novatel 2372 MiFi device does not support transmission in this band combination, this results in the T-Mobile network only allowing a noticeably slower EDGE data connection. The AT&T network, however, supports a 3G connection in the 2100 MHz band (uplink and downlink).

I found this out the hard way since I had a T-Mobile service plan in effect when I purchased my Novatel 2372 MiFi router. I noticed very quickly that my data connections were always EDGE connections instead of 3G connections. Once I determined the reason for not being able to access a higher speed 3G connection on T-Mobile's network, I switched my service to AT&T's network. This raised another issue which is finding out the complexities involved in obtaining an AT&T data-only service plan, i.e., a service plan that does not entail a 2 year commitment.

Below are the details associated with obtaining reliable MiFi data service for a Novatel 2372 MiFi router.

* AT&T at one time offered, but no longer offers, a data-only service plan. In other words today a normal cell phone plan available from AT&T must include a voice service plan. However, they do offer a DataConnect plan which is designed to accommodate a USB Wireless modem device (Air Card), e.g., for use in a laptop computer only. Unless you specifically mention that you have such a GSM capable device and wish to obtain data service and no voice capabilities, the AT&T sales people will tell you no such data-only plan exists unless you can prove you are legally deaf.
* I was able to sign up for AT&T's DataConnect plan for about $66/month with a 5 GB usage limit. In my case I will most likely not exceed this limit, hence this plan is ideal for use with my MiFi router.
* Once you have purchased the appropriate AT&T service and received an AT&T SIM card, you must have knowledge of certain configuration details in order to render your MiFi router functional on the service providers network. Don't count on AT&T to have this information available. Even the AT&T higher level technical support people may not necessarily be familiar with what a MiFi router is and therefore unfamiliar with how to properly configure such a device on AT&T's network.

Here are the simple details required to configure your Novatel 2372 MiFi router for access to either AT&T or T-Mobile data services:

In the Novatel configuration setup for creating an Internet Profile, I discovered that your default profile must include the correct APN string and a valid Username and Password. Fortunately this kind of information is available on the Internet or obtainable from your cellular service provider.

For AT&T (HSPA, UMTS, EDGE and GPRS), the APN should be: WAP.CINGULAR
- Username can be your assigned mobile telephone number
- Password can be your assigned mobile telephone number

For T-Mobile (EDGE and GPRS), the APN should be: [...]
- Username can be blank
- Password can be blank

There appears to be some variations in acceptable entries, especially involving the Username and Password. In general, however, the APN entry must be recognized by the carrier matching the inserted SIM card.

Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 Unlocked 3G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot GSM For North America (AT&T & T-Mobile)

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is that DSL in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?, May 19, 2010

By 

Nicholas W. Sayer (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 Unlocked 3G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot GSM For North Ame... (Electronics)

I bought a 2372 to replace an AT&T Quicksilver that was a pain to configure on a Mac. By contrast, the MiFi is a breeze for any WiFi capable device to use.

Some minor issues that should be mentioned:

1. The battery door is currently the subject of a recall. The issue is that the door is difficult enough to remove that some folks have resorted to using tools and/or being too aggressive, resulting in damage to the battery.

2. The access point puts you on a shared private network, and access to the Internet is via NAT. This is a standard configuration for sharing an Internet connection, but the router on the MiFi unfortunately does not support either uPnP or NAT-PMP, which means that Back-to-my-Mac won't be able to reach devices behind a MiFi, and other software like VoIP or video chat may have trouble.

3. If you have a DHCP Client ID configured on your machine, the built-in router won't respond to DHCP requests.

These are fairly minor points, far outweighed by the idea of being able to share a WAN connection with 5 devices where public WiFi is unavailable. And WHAT a connection! In testing with speedtest.net, I've been able to see speeds north of 3 megabits per second downlink and 1.5 megabits up! When it's at its best, it's truly like having a mobile DSL connection. Of course, there are spots where the coverage is not as good as that - that's simply the nature of mobile connectivity.

When you connect the device up to a computer with USB, unfortunately the WiFi becomes unavailable, and the device reverts to being a standard USB modem. This can be a problem if you want to charge the device from a computer and share it at the same time. You could work around this if you wish by modifying a USB cable to cut the two data pins leaving the power pins intact, as the mere presence of USB power does not, by itself, turn off WiFi access.

The built-in MicroSD slot is a nice touch. When you're using the device with WiFi, access to the card is via a web-based interface. When you connect the device up with USB, it shows up as a USB disk, as you'd expect. The best use I've made of this is that I loaded the Mac drivers for the USB side of the device and the user guide in a card and stuck that in, so they'd be handy if needed.