Internet is one of the basic requirements now. With the industry analysts standing true by their estimations or better call predictions, India now has an average connection of 1Mbps line compared to 128kbps 2 years back. This is a huge growth and there is an expectation that this would even rise further to 8Mbps in the next two years. I am already on a 10Mbps line but this is restricted to the home broadband since I work from home.
Being a frequent traveler to meetings, events and what not, I have to carry a mobile device with 3G data to satisfy my needs while on the move. So when I have to work, I tether the 3G data over WiFi from my smartphone so that my smartphone and my machine both of them can access the internet. Though I remember that Huawei had launched recently launched Mobile WiFi devices but I never got to convince myself to spend 5k to buy a MiFi device though I have the knowledge of how useful it can be.
Huawei in March 2014 along with different datacards had launched this sweet little device which I recently got to use that comes within the range to be called as affordable. Huawei wingle E8231 the USB powered mobile WiFi device is an extremely useful thing to buy for those who are usually traveling. Want to know more? Read our review below.
Design and Features
The Huawei wingle E8231 is absolutely the same size as a traditional 3G data card in a white plastic body. It supports a mini SIM and using micro or nano even with an adapter is not recommended as it might damage the SIM pins on the device.
With a clean matte look, it has two LEDs on the top which blink indicating some activity. One of the left is for indicating 2G, 3G or 3G+ connection while the right one indicates WiFi activity. There is a Huawei branding alongside the indicators and at the back panel of the datacard.
The backpanel can be removed to insert the SIM and look for default WiFi configurations. The USB head cap protects the USB port from damaging as we know it.
As per the specifications on paper, the E8231 datacard can offer download speeds up to 21.6 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.76 Mbps. It needs a power source to run and can connect 10 WiFi devices at max. It is priced at Rs. 2,999 but can be made available for Rs. 2049 from Flipkart.com or approximately the same price from other online retailers as well.
Performance
The simple difference between a mobile WiFi and this power WiFi device is that it needs an external power supply to run which can be in-car USB, power mains or laptop USB out. To be honest it was fun making my car WiFi enabled especially for long drives or to beat the traffic. My brother, once streamed a Fifa match on his WiFi only tablet while I was driving in long traffic jam.
Another incident when it worked out pretty handy was when my home broadband was down due to fibre cut and I had to use WiFi on my machine and two other smartphones which were not having a SIM card (review units!) I just plugged it to power mains using my phone’s USB charger and enjoyed high speed connectivity.
Mobile WiFi come to great use when there is no power supply around because they pack a built-in battery within. Well, if you own a portable charger like some of us nowadays do you can plug Huawei wingle E8231 to the portable charger and experience WiFi literally anywhere.
There were no such performance issues. The WiFi range of the device is pretty good. I could use it one floor down though it varies a lot with the architecture of your place, like how many walls in between, ceiling floor distance etc. etc. It do became hot when using for like 2-3 hours or so but its nominal because in this kind of heat everything is burning. FYI I am talking about summers in Delhi, India.
Conclusion
Huawei wingle E8231 is a device that comes in small package but great utility. Like I have mentioned above the situations which have been better because of Huawei wingle, we think its very useful. Tata advertising Photon Max with the same utility but bounded to one operator, Huawei wingle E8231 on the other hand is independent from such restrictions. One can use any telecom operator SIM providing 3G or 2G with their favorite tariff and can create a WiFi hotspot for up to 10 devices. Great buy, true value for money if you NEED this stuff else you are better with your broadband.
Pros:
- Connects up to 10 devices at a time
- Great usecase
Cons:
Price(Nah, We think its just right.)
