I just discovered that the Verizon Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem—which normally costs $269.99 but is available with an online discount for $49.99 at Verizon’s website with a 2 year contract—is now available at Amazon.com for just $0.01 with a new 2 year contract (ok, it’s not free, but close enough).

If you’re not familiar with the Verizon MiFi, it offers you a wireless 3G hub for up to 5 devices, such as an iPad or laptop.

I just ordered mine using my Amazon Prime account, so I didn’t have to pay for shipping either—one of the benefits of my Amazon Prime membership. The wireless contract that I bought was $60 per month for 5 GB of data usage per month.

I’ve been researching my options for a wireless hotspot for a while now and this is the lowest price I’ve come across for the MiFi or any other device like it, for that matter. I’m not sure if it’s a new Amazon price or not, but if you’ve been thinking of buying the Verizon MiFi, now may be the time to do it.

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Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

A few weeks ago I ordered the Verizon MiFi—a wireless hotspot that allows 5 users to connect to it—for my iPad and other computers. I’ve been meaning to report on my experiences with it but am just getting around to it.

First off—my reasoning for choosing the MiFi rather than the 3G iPad, Sprint’s similar service or jail breaking my iPhone and using it to tether the iPhone’s 3G signal to my iPad.

I expected that I’d be using my iPad in 2 situations where I wouldn’t have wifi access: 1) while traveling and at conferences and 2) in my house in places where out wireless signal doesn’t reach.

First, traveling and conferences. I’ve noticed at conferences, many of which seem to be held larger metro areas in basements of large hotel chains like the Hilton, that iPhone users like myself have difficulty getting a signal while Blackberry users have no problem getting a Verizon signal. This is likely due to AT&T’s notorious problem of having network issues in larger cities. In larger metropolitan areas, I frequently experience weak signals and dropped calls, while in Rochester, that rarely happens. Accordingly, this is an issue that I only experience with my iPhone when traveling and access to Verizon’s network would solve this problem.

Second, the wireless signal in our house emanates from the basement. We have a 3 story home, including the finished basement, and wireless signals rarely travel well through floors. Thus, I have problems getting a signal on the top floor of our house.

Rather than reconfigure the wireless network in our house and having to shell out money to the cable company to install new cable access points, I figured it made more sense to buy a Verizon MiFi, since that would solve both my home wireless issue and my travel 3G access issue.

A 3G iPad wouldn’t work since I’d be still be stuck with AT&T’s wireless network, Sprint’s network is not nearly as reliable as Verizon’s, and jail breaking wasn’t something I wanted to do at this point—and I’d still be stuck with AT&T’s network, in any event.

So, when I learned (and blogged) that the Verizon MiFi was just 1 cent at Amazon with a 2 year contract (vs. the normal online price of ~$60) I jumped at the chance to buy it.

It was delivered quickly and was much smaller than I’d expected. I did, however, encounter some issues activating it. I was able to install the activation software on my Macbook, but when I attempted to connect the MiFi to the Internet to activate it, I was unsuccessful and kept encountering the same error message.

After doing some online research, I noticed that a lot of people using Macbooks, Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs had similar issues. So, I decided to use my iMac instead, and it activated without a hitch. Once activated, there’s no need to use the computer again, since you can simply access it using its wifi signal.

Now that’s it’s activated, it works great. The only downside to not being able to access it via a wired connection is that I can’t check my usage information to ensure that I’m not going over my monthly limit. I figure if I think I’m close, I can always walk a few extra hundred feet and connect it to my iMac or just call Verizon.

My only tip is to make sure that both the power light and the wireless signal light are both illuminated when activating it and when trying to use it once activated. The manual isn’t very clear on the locations of both lights (or that two different lights exist), and for a while, I was trying to activate it when it was powered up, but wasn’t emitting a wireless signal.

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