Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352 hot

This small router is rather good-looking, with a smart gloss black front (unfortunately prone to fingerprints) and a matt rear panel. 

The Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352's cod-chrome trim hosts a Micro-USB power port, a microSDHC card slot - for up to 32GB of shared storage among your connected devices - and an on/off power button. 

A multi-colour LED built into the power button displays various hues to denote its status. In use, we saw only a blinking pink LED as it located an available 3G network, and constant pink as it connected to said network. 

Other colours you might see include: green, for when a 2G network has been located; blue, for when a roaming network is available; cyan, for when an SMS message has been received; and red, for when the juice is running low. Further along the device's side, a Wi-Fi LED glows blue when the MiFi is transmitting a wireless signal.

The sturdy-feeling build of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352 is reassuring, pebble-like but with rounded square corners that will do no damage to any other items thrown in your bag. Given Novatel's pricing, however, we'd expect no less.

The Novatel MiFi 3352 is available SIM-free for around £135 (Amazon), or locked to Orange from £10 per month with 500MB mobile data. We tested the unlocked device over the Vodafone UK network.

Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352: Setup 

Setup of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352 was reasonably simple, yet a little too involved for our liking. We removed the Novatel's rear panel and inserted the SIM and battery, then noted down the SSID and encryption key printed on its underside. Within seconds of switching on the device its power LED was blinking pink to confirm that it had found Vodafone’s 3G network. We waited a few more seconds for the Wi-Fi symbol to glow blue, then picked it up on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as a secured wireless connection.

Upon opening a web browser, we were immediately taken to the device's MiFi web interface and asked to log in. Since this was an unlocked model, we headed to Settings, Internet, Profiles and entered the APN details for Vodafone. 

We can only assume that those acquiring the device through Orange will be able to skip this step. Finally, we clicked the Connect button that sits at the top of every page.

With the 3352 connected to Vodafone's 3G network, up to five wireless devices can pick up its 11g broadcast (note the lack of n) wireless signal and were instantly online. 

By default, you must logon to the device and click Connect, something of a nuisance, although you can tweak the settings so it connects by 3G whenever it’s first switched on.

Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352: Interface

Since you'll be seeing the web interface every time you want to use this portable router, it makes sense for it to be a good one. Novatel uses the MiFi OS, a name that's become synonymous with mobile Wi-Fi. 

The Novatel Wireless MiFi 3352 offers a very clean user interface, with several icons running along the top of the window to show you at-a-glance information on the Novatel's battery level, Wi-Fi and GPS status, available networks, signal strength and whether the device is online.