Setting Up a Portable MiFi WiFi Hotspot

This guide explains how to set up a MiFi router 2200. This device serves as a portable WiFi hotspot, providing MiFi internet services.

Figure-1 depicts a typical MiFi network.

As shown in Figure 1, the MiFi router provides wireless broadband internet connectivity within a home or office. This is achieved using a cellular RF link. The type of cellular network supported (e.g., EVDO, HSPA, LTE) depends on the internet service provider.

The MiFi 2200 supports CDMA/EVDO. The MiFi®500 router supports both EVDO and LTE networks, while the MiFi®4510L router supports GSM, HSPA+, WCDMA, GPRS, EDGE, etc.

Once the wireless internet connection is established, multiple WiFi-compliant devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones can access it. These devices need to support WLAN 802.11b/g/n specifications. The Novatel MiFi 2200 supports up to five WiFi-enabled devices.

In this setup, the router is referred to as a mobile hotspot.

Figure-2 depicts the MiFi 2200 router from Novatel Wireless, supplied by Verizon Wireless for providing MiFi internet services.

MiFi 2200 Components

The following are the components of the MiFi 2200:

1. Power Button/Power Button LED
2. microUSB Connector: (For AC charger and USB cable connection.)
3. Service Status LED: (Indicates mobile broadband connection status)
4. Network Name and Password label: (Contains the preconfigured network name, i.e., SSID, and network password.)
5. Master Reset Button: (Resets the router to factory settings.)
6. Battery compartment: (The housing for the battery.)

MiFi 2200 Specifications

How to Set Up a MiFi Router (Novatel MiFi-2200)

Setting up a MiFi router is very easy. The following steps provide a basic guide on how to set up the MiFi 2200 router from Novatel Wireless. This guide will help you quickly set up a 3G wireless internet connection using a mobile hotspot.

Step 1: Ensure that your computer or laptop meets the minimum system requirements. Also, make sure that the MiFi 2200 battery is properly inserted and charged before using it.

Step 2: Turn on the computer and close all applications.

Step 3: Connect the MiFi 2200 to the USB port of the computer using its USB port.

Step 4: The MiFi 2200 will power on when connected. The VZAccess Manager installer will launch, and the required drivers will be automatically installed after the software installation is complete. This may take a few minutes.

Step 5: If you are a first-time user, open VZAccess Manager and follow the on-screen instructions to configure the MiFi device.

Step 6: To activate the mobile broadband service on the MiFi 2200, select ‘Connect WWAN’ or go to the options menu in VZAccess Manager and select ‘Activation’ and follow the prompts.

Step 7: You can now start using the MiFi internet from the available cellular network.