Binatone 4G Mifi Hotspot Device Review: Portable Wi-Fi Solution Done Right

Binatone 4G Mifi Hotspot Device (Router) Specification

• Size & Weight- 6 x 2 x 9 cm, 140 Grams
• Compatible Devices- Smartphones, Smart TVs, Tablets, Laptops, IoT Products
• Device Limit- 10 Wi-Fi Users
• Charging & Battery Size- micro USB Port & 2,700mAh
• Storage- micro SD card support up to 32GB
• Compatibility- Major cellular network SIM cards- JIO, AIRTEL, V!, BSNL
• Band Support- 2.4GHz, No 5GHz

 

Binatone 4G Mifi Hotspot Device (Router): Connectivity & Setup

It takes hardly five minutes to set up the 4G Mifi portable router. Follow these steps to access the internet on the go with the pocket-sized router.

• Place the SIM card inside the portable device.
• Long press the power button to switch on the router.
• Select Mifi_xyz.. SSID from the list of available networks.
• Enter the password, the default key is 12345678, which can be changed with the web UI configuration page (http://192.168.0.1).
• Access the internet on multiple devices.

It is recommended to change the default SSID name and the passkey. Once you open the web UI configuration page, login into the web management page to access the Mifi 4G router settings. The default username and password is 'admin'.

Binatone 4G Mifi Hotspot Device Performance

The pocket-sized router is extremely portable and is compatible with 2G, 3G and 4G networks. You are not bound to use one particular network and can use SIM cards from all major telecom operators such as Airtel, VI, Jio and BSNL. The portable device is made up of plastic and ships with a microUSB cable in the box. The removable plastic back houses the removable battery cell, SIM card and microSD card slot.

We used the device with Airtel and Jio 4G network in the Delhi NCR region and recorded speed up to 30mbps and 10mbps respectively. The internet speed can vary upon your location. The network connectivity remained stable throughout the usage with web-browsing, YouTube video playback, virtual calls, etc. across the devices including laptops, smartphones and a tablet.

The pocket-sized 4G router offers a good range and can handle up to ten devices at the same time; however, the internet speed varies upon your usage and location. It is worth mentioning that the band support is only limited to 2.4GHz.

Display Could Have Been Put To Better Use

The display shows the signal strength, battery and Wi-Fi status. The message icon notifies that there are unread messages in your inbox but since the display doesn't support touch and cannot display any text, there's no way you can read them. The tiny router got warmed up a bit from the back panel but that didn't affect the speed and the performance.

Battery Life, Charging & Storage

With one full charge, the compact Wi-Fi router lasted for a little over eight hours with moderate usage. The battery life can vary depending upon your usage type. The portable router also has a power saver mode that allows you to change Wi-Fi coverage or manage sleep mode as per the requirement. As far as the connectivity is concerned, the 4G Mifi hotspot device has a dated microUSB charging port, which is a bit of a letdown.

The microSD card slot is a neat addition, which can come in handy to store up to 32GB of data. If your phone comes sans a microSD card slot or your laptop doesn't have one, the tiny Wi-Fi router can be very useful.

Verdict

The Binatone 4G Mifi Hotspot could be the ideal compact router (and a storage device) for anyone looking for a portable Wi-Fi solution. It is well-suited for remote work scenarios that demand stable and flexible internet connectivity, which is difficult to achieve with a mobile hotspot due to its limited application. The portable hotspot device gives the flexibility to share the Wi-Fi connection with multiple (up to 10) devices.

Overall, if you are working from a remote location and need a portable wifi solution to connect multiple devices, the Binatone 4G Mifi Hotspot is an excellent product. The tiny device also serves as a portable storage device and lets you store up to 32GB of data for on-the-go access. It is priced at Rs. 3,499 on Amazon.in and Flipkart.com.