anyone know how to use MiFi / similar for iPad?

[Anonymous]

*apologies* technophobe posting...

this is on behalf of my newly tetraplegic Mum, who can now only use one hand

she lacks fine motor skills so unable to use anything like a phone and would probably not manage typing either

but I think she will be able to skype as she can accurately touch icons on an iPad screen

she's trapped in hospital for probably next few months and there's no WiFi

someone has offered me an old iPad for £50

just want to get her online, but without a contract, since she already has broadband installed at her house

many thanks !!

[viridis · Accepted solution]

Check your phone signal inside the hospital, many have signal blocking in place that would completely render a mifi unit useless.
If you do get OK signal (3g or 4g minimum) then a mifi will work.
Get one sim free and then test a few sims for decent signal, when you know which work OK, find the best payg data plan you can find with high data cap and install the sim in mifi box.
Set it up using the packaged WiFi passwords and you should be all set to go.

1 note, you must check that using the device is OK in the hospital ward with the senior staff, it could be more upsetting having it removed later on.

All the best

[Cleoriff]

Hi @Anonymous Another thing to check is whether the hospital actually does have WiFi but it's password protected.

Most hospitals do have this but only allow it to be used by staff and inpatients. Usually the password would be given on request.

Having said that ...you may wish your mum to be independent of this and use the ipad as a MiFi unit. If so then follow the advice given by @viridis above...

[Anonymous]

Hello @Anonymous

I am a member of this forum, ( I think I always will be a tech novice) ... but the help I have had on this the O2 forum has been outstanding ... & the young man @viridis who has replied to your post is not only a very intelligent / knowledgeable person but a caring person to boot ... so you've had your enquiry answered by One of the Best on this forum ... there are others ... but Rosa I just thought you can have every confidence in what viridis has outline above  ^^  ^^  ^^ for you

If you are not at all sure about anything else / or your mum ... then please do come back and post again

May I wish you personally All The Best for a positive outcome all round

Now, you have helped me ... how? because I 'm very much a learner too on here ... I llike to know what new words / abbreviations are & I now would like to know what MiFi is

Enjoy your Sunday

WispaRed7 

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous, good morning to you

I would just briefly like to point out that the other member @Cleoriff who has just replied to your enquiry is one of those regular members of the forum who I would have thought would reply to your enquiry ... again she knows what she is talking about & is a caring person as well

Best Wishes

WispaRedy 

[Bambino]

You should also check if your mum would be able to switch the MiFi on and off. Even if you bought a large data package it would get used up updating apps instead of being used for Skype, which would negate your intention for it.

[Anonymous]

Hi @Cleoriff

that's interesting, the ward she's leaving is really busy and the staff are too stressed to do moe than the bare minimum (and not even that sometimes) : /

But the rehab unit seem very friendly and helpful, plus hav a lot more time

So will run this one past them

Good advice, thanks millions : )

[Anonymous]

Awww, thankyou @Anonymous 

You're absolutely right, these guys are incredibly knowledgable and supportive - so is your post : )

And am glad it's not just me who has issues with technology...

Was my daughter that suggested MiFi (had never heard of it, tbh!) apparently some kind of a mobile WiFi 'hotspot'

I'm probably not making sense but that's only because I don't fully understand it myself

Think you buy a MiFi unit ?something like a large dongle (which sounds suggestive but it's really not)

Then pay for airtime...in my Mum's case PAYG as opposed to a contract...esp if she doesn't get on with the tech too well...as she'll just ditch it if that;s the case!

Reckon the name could be associated to 'Mobile WiFi'? Possibly 'My WiFi'?

But then I struggle just to operate my iPhone 6s

So probably completely wrong, as usual

Hope you had a lovely weekend and thanks for your support : )

[Anonymous]

Gosh, yes, I hadn't even considered that!

Good thinking !!

She doesn't have a lot of dexterity at all atm : (

Also it's an old iPad, without the 'fingerprint log in'

But not sure the fingerprint facility would actually turn MiFi itself off, even if she DID have this model?

Will have to give this one some more consideration

Thankyou for your very thoughtful response : )

[Anonymous]

I must be a bigger tech klutz than even I thought...either that or my broadband's tripping out (Storm Clodagh?)

Tried several times to respond, but hey

This is brilliant advice, can't thank you enough, now I know what I need to do : )

Happily, she's being transfered off the (rather hostile) hospital ward into a much friendlier rehabiltation unit

I'll be able to ask them about WiFi and if they have passwords available etc

Also hoping they may see the iPad as a rehab tool..?

Did get 4g most times back on the ward, not sure what the story will be in rehab

On thing that does occur to me is that this iPad appears not to have a USB socket, so not too convinced about MiFi, as I understand they connect that way

Cheers for your help, massively appreciated : )