Netgear Mingle Mobile WiFi Hotspot (Virgin Mobile)

Got this for my parents... they are not tech savy but needed a way to connect their laptop to the internet on vacation. Once set up, seems easy to connect. However, the billing at Virgin mobile seems to be screwed up... unable to set this to auto-renew... which was a pain in the neck for my parents who had to keep calling me to renew this item once a month. The connection speeds seem good ... but don't watch a movie or skype... you will eat up your data minutes quickly. This is a great device for occasional web browsing, checking your stocks, doing online bills and payments, and checking email. For much more, you will need more data minutes.

The worst hotspot I've ever used. It's suppose to be able to use the 4G LTE, but every single time I've connected to the 4G LTE in my area the device just starts to freak out! I get only 1 bar of 4G LTE in my area (I'm guessing this device is picking up the signal correctly? possible defective antenna or buggy firmware?), anyway within a minute of it switching to the LTE signal it will force reboot the hotspot over and over and over again, numerous times. I took it outside to test the signal strength of the LTE signal and it just started rebooting at least 10 times in a row. I've called and complained to Virgin Mobile that something is not right with this hotspot unit, and they've sent me 3 replacement units, one after another. All 3 of them displayed the same 4G LTE reboot bug. Just to use the device without it freaking out when it encounters a 4G LTE signal, I've had to force it in the settings to stay on 3G only. It seems stable and does not do the weird reboot bug if you set it to 3G only. But as soon as I set it to Automatic (default 3G/4G LTE detection setting) or LTE only setting, as soon as it detects that 1 bar of 4G LTE it will crap itself and start rebooting repeatedly within seconds, minutes, of switching to the 4G LTE signal. Buyer beware.

Works well, connecting at 4G LTE, only ocassionaly dropping to 3G. I'm sort of on the fringe of 4G. That of course depends on your locallity, check out the coverage maps at VirginMobile.Only complaint has been that recently they have been redoing their web site and the default link in the device for managing account no longer works. I pay month-to-month, with top-up cards, and had to call support to activate the next month. Supposedly will be corrected soon.

Arrived intact, easy to get the battery installed, except the battery is unable to charge or hold a charge. Apparently a bad battery from the start. Replacement on the way, will update once I see if the next one works.Update: The second one works, speeds are acceptable, not really what I expected for 4G given what the phone can move in 4G, but it does the job, I only needed it for a brief time, so no contract was the main draw.

I've had my Netgear Mingle for about a month, and while the data isn't unlimited (I'm under the 6GB/1 month plan), it does go far if you use it right. I mostly use it with my iPod touch and my laptop. While I have to mind my data numbers with my laptop, the streaming of music and low bandwidth vids on my iPod are perfect. High def vids are also viewable, but if you want to keep under the limit, keep it at around 144p if possible. Downloading music is as swift as can be. One thing to keep in mind is that this runs on the Sprint network, since the provider is Virgin Mobile. Being that I'm in the northeast, my service has been perfect, even when on a road trip from NY to Philadelphia.

This device is a piece of junk. I experienced the same problems as others report when the LTE signal is enabled. I was able to use the device for 3 months with it limited to only a 3G connection. At that point it stopped working entirely (would not boot past the opening "Virgin Moble" start up screen. Virgin Mobile customer service was initially helpful and sent me a replacement device without any hassle. The replacement device, however, did not work either! It would boot up properly but the WiFi signal was not recognized by any other device so I could not even activate this device. This is all within one year of purchase so the device is still under warranty. But Virgin Mobile wants me to pay a $25 replacement fee for them to send me another device. I will not sink any more money into this piece of junk and strongly recommend you avoid this product and Virgin Mobile entirely.

I have had nothing but problems with this device since i purchased it. I have not been able to connect to LTE service at all making this thing basically useless. Virgin mobile has tried sending me a new SIM card...which hasn't helped. their support department is basically useless too...but clearly there is a problem here.

I like the size of this and the fact that it can be password protected. I don't like that the MB used doesn't reset each new billing cycle which forces me to get online to look it up. But I only use it when I'm in an airport or hotel with bad WIFI. Battery life is long.