Tip for MiFi Users: Get an iGo USB Adapter

Posted by | 10/22/2009 | 5 Comments

photoToday I’m roaming around New York and working remotely with my HP Mini 110, iPhone 3GS and Sprint MiFi card. The MiFi card is my favorite gadget purchase of the year so far, but its battery doesn’t last long enough when I’m on the go. It’s about midday and I just got the low-battery warning.

As Warner Crocker and several other MiFi users have pointed out, the Sprint MiFi does not work as a mobile hotspot when you charge it with a USB cable. Instead, you’re forced to transform it into a USB modem whenever the battery gets low and you’re not in reach of an AC outlet.

To get around this limitation, I picked up an iGo USB Charging Cable and the appropriate iGo tip. The total cost at Radio Shack was about $14. Unlike most USB cables, the iGo version only transmits power. No bits or bytes travel between the MiFi and the PC, which means the MiFi thinks it’s plugged into a power outlet.This means I can still use the MiFi as a mobile hotspot, allowing me to use it with my iPhone and other devices.

If you’re crafty, you can modify any USB adapter to act like this.I think Sprint should include a similar USB cable with the MiFi.

Category: Accessories

About the Author (Author Profile)

Xavier Lanier is the publisher of Gotta Be Moible and Notebooks.com. He's a mobile technology geek that uses an iPhone 4S, iPad 2, Galaxy Nexus and Kindle Fire on a daily basis. He's an expert photographer that shoots primarily with Nikon DSLRs. You can follow Xavier on Twitter @xavierlanier and Google+
  • http://www.gottabemobile.com Warner Crocker

    Rock on, Xavier. Great tip. Pun intended.

  • http://deliverator.silverfir.net Daniel Marsh

    Thanks Xavier for the tip as well! I picked one of these up this afternoon, also from Radio Shack. It actually cost me closer to $25. I tried cobbling together something similar a while ago, when I first got my MiFi, but I think between the several cable adapters and the length of the cable itself, not enough juice was getting to the MiFi to keep the radio powered up and charging at the same time. It kept rebooting at random. The iGo cable is a thicker, higher quality cable than the one I had tried and I really like the relatively short length. I also like the built in tip holder. I think I will pick up tips for my N95 and N810. My daily carry will get a few ounces lighter and every ounce counts.

  • http://Www.notebooks.com Xavier

    Glad this worked out for you Daniel. Forgot to even mention the versatility of the tips.

  • dcboy

    UPDATE: MiFiâ„¢ 2200 EV-DO version can be hacked with software:
    this should fix that

    1. go to your mifi config page, then settings, config

    2. download a backup of your config

    3. edit it with a text editor. change the line that says
    0 to
    1

    4. save it, and reupload it to your mifi

  • dcboy

    Sorry you can remove the first comment,

    This does work, and no cost to enable feature

    UDATE: MiFiâ„¢ 2200 EV-DO version can be hacked with software:

    1. go to your mifi config page, then settings, config

    2. download a backup of your config

    3. edit it with a text editor. change the line that says
    routeroverusb >01< routeroverusb

    4. save it, and reupload it to your mifi

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