O2 describe this device as "Wifi in your Pocket" and, well, that's exactly what it is. The Pocket Hotspot allows you to connect up to 5 different devices via wifi and make use of the O2 data network to access the internet.
At the time of writing, the Hotspot is available to purchase by itself for £59.99 or with a data bundle from £70.20
Data can be purchased at the following cost:
- £2.04 for 200MB - data lasts 24 hours
- £10.21 for 1GB - data lasts 30 days
- £15.32 for 2GB - data lasts 30 days
As you can see, there seems to be something for everyone data-wise. It's competitively priced, similar to various broadband dongle packages, but with the advantage of being able to connect 5 devices to it at once.
Unboxing
The Hotspot arrives in a compact little box. Inside there is a manual, micro-usb charger, a getting started guide and a battery.
The device itself is actually a ZTE MF60, and has the following technical specifications:
Dimensions: 99.7mm x 53.7mm x 13.9mm
Weight: 75g
Display: OLED screen, indication of signal strength, Roam status, Wi-Fi, battery, WAN Connection mode and status, SPN,etc
Memory: 128MB
RAM: 64MB
Battery: 1500mAh
Connectivity: HSPA+: DL 21.6Mb/s UL 5.76Mb/s
USB: USB 2.0
The outer casing is made of glossy black plastic, similar to many devices currently available at the moment. I would have liked to have seen an additional matt textured battery cover included as I felt that there was a potential for scratches to appear, especially with it being a mobile device but it's hard to deny that it looks great the way it is.
The included manual covers everything you need to know about getting connected. It does a good job guiding you through the process of connecting different devices to the Hotspot.
To setup the device, I inserted the mobile data sim (not included, I picked one up for free from an O2 shop) and then the battery. I didn't have a micro sd card to hand but it should be noted that you can use one to share files to devices that are connected to the Hotspot. I clipped on the cover and plugged in the charger.
The use of a micro usb connection is a big plus. All too often manufacturers decide to use proprietary connectors which usually means you have another charger to carry around. In the Hotspot’s case it means that it should be an easy enough task to find a compatible charger if the battery runs down.
The first device I connected was my android mobile phone, the wifi key is available on the inside of the case as well as being present in the box. I also noticed that if I double pressed the "wps" button on the Hotspot it would display the wifi key on the OLED display (making it handy to connect other devices when on the move).
The whole process was extremely easy and throughout my use of the gadget I had no issues connecting any of my devices to it.
Interface
The little display contains all of the information that you need to know during use however I did find the web interface quite powerful.
To reach the web interface entered 192.168.0.1 to get to the Pocket Hotspot's web interface:
From here you can check your balance, see your signal strength, the number of connected devices and but you can also enter the advanced settings.
The advanced settings allow you to see the 3G network status, configure the wifi settings and :
One thing in here was a very pleasant surprise..firewall settings! Just because you're using a mobile Hotspot and not connecting to public wifi doesn't mean that you shouldn't be concerned about security. I was extremely impressed to see firewall settings available to users.
Usage and Experience
Throughout the week that I tested the Pocket Hotspot I found it incredibly useful in a variety of circumstances; at work on a client site and still being able to access my work emails, sitting outside in the park surfing the web with my wifi-only tablet to downloading new books on the train with my kindle wifi.
I have to admit that it was initially a strange experience wandering around town with a full wifi signal on my phone wherever I went!
The battery life on the Pocket Hotspot is stated as being around 4-5 hours and I can confirm that during use I managed to achieve around 5 hours usage before I needed to plug it in. One thing I would like to see changed was the fact that the screen didn't seem to give an indication of how well charged the device was. This made it difficult to judge how close to being fully charged it was.
Small issues aside, I was really surprised with how fast the connection was. At one point I thought I had connected to my home wifi rather than the Hotspot as browsing on my netbook was so fast! This led me to carry out a speed test while I was outside to see how fast the connection actually was:
The test was carried out on my phone and as you can see, it's pretty impressive!
Conclusion
I have to say that I didn't really know what to expect when I was given the chance to test out the Pocket Hotspot but I'm really glad I got the opportunity. It does so much more than a broadband dongle!
The ability to connect multiple devices at once and share the connection is superb. It allowed me to work in different ways and gave me the freedom to get out and about with devices that are usually only at their best within the confines of a house.
The speed that the device can achieve is impressive and the combination of security features, the hardware itself and the cost of the data plans make this device an attractive proposition for anyone who needs to get out and about with their devices.
