Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Clearwire is offering a pay - as - you - go mobile hotspot call theRover Puckas an alternative route to its 4 G service . Aimed at consumers who do n’t want to invest to ( or ca n’t measure up for ) a service contract bridge , this very portable gadget let you become a walk hot spot , sharing 4 G Internet access with up to seven friends .
The catch is that you could use it only inClearwire ’s WiMax divine service areas . I took it to an offsite faculty meeting , but the building was notquitewithin cooking stove of the WiMax signaling . The WiMax symbolisation ( which resembles a martini trash ) on the top of the disc ostentation as the equipment seeks a signal , and stays solid when the Puck is associate to WiMax service . I walked about 20 feet from the meeting elbow room and got a connection , but the WiMax index start flashing when I fall to the encounter . What ’s more , the Puck does n’t hold 3G — and though Clear is determinedly exposit its WiMax service , that service stilldoesn’t reachsome places I frequently go . But if you stick to WiMax sward , the Puck is a honorable and sparing option .
About the same sizing as Clearwire ’s Clear Spot 4 gram , the $ 150 Puck link to the same Clear WiMax meshwork as other Clear 4 G products , but it does n’t require a contract . In contrast , the Clear Spot 4 gravitational constant router costs $ 100 instantaneously or you’re able to lease it for $ 5 monthly , but it requires a declaration of about $ 30 per month for outright use .
Clearwire created the Rover blade to commercialize two products designed for customers who opt to pay by the calendar month for 4 G internet access : the Puck hot spot and the single - userUSB Rover Stick . The salary - per - use option for the Puck costs $ 5 for a day , $ 20 for a workweek , or $ 50 for a calendar month of 4 guanine service .
The Puck is an attractive shiny black-market disk with blue trim ( or else of the Clear brand ’s characteristic lime unripe ) . It seems sturdy ; I dropped it ( accidentally ) a twosome times and it did n’t even scuff , and it easily fits into a backpack or purse . It measures 4.25 inches in diameter and is about 0.75 inch high ( with “ foot ” to countenance a little breeze flow under the disk — a good matter , because it can get a bit quick , though the hotness did n’t seem to hamper public presentation . The only wired connectivity is via a micro - USB port to lodge an AC or machine courser ( both are included in the packet ) . The two clit at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock on the side of the disk are small but serviceable . One power on the gimmick ; the other displays the bars of connectivity ( the maximum is four ) .
When you compact the On button , the Puck essay out and automatically connects to the Clear 4 G meshwork . When you first link , launching a internet browser brings up the Rover Web page . You log on to the Website by entering the default WPA password identified on the recording label on the bottom of your Puck . That leads to another Web page containing a round-eyed form that you satisfy out to set up your report and that you revisit to tot deferred payment to it as needed .
On that 2d land site , you’re able to ( and should ) alter your WPA password . To share access with friends , you simply give them the SSID of your particular Puck ( their laptops should see the associated service set as a password - protected wireless internet ) and the countersign . Clear claims that the Puck can handle eight users ; I ca n’t vouch for that , but the hardware ’s execution will in all probability decrease if eight user are using it at the same time to download and upload large multimedia files with gusto , simultaneously .
In my tests , the Puck provided approach for about 4 60 minutes straight on its barrage fire for two users who were performing ordinary Internet connectivity tasks such as viewing and send off vitamin E - mail , loading Web pages , and watching the occasional picture ; of course , you may stop up it in if an AC outlet is ready to hand .
The Puck ’s connectivity and throughput are as good as the 4 G signaling strength in your location . I tested the Puck on the island of Maui , and since Clear service blankets the Hawaiian Islands , the sign was fresh and steady just about everywhere ( with a few exceptions that you’re able to see on Clear ’s reportage maps ) . Download upper was about 5.6 Mbit per secondly .
In the Seattle area , the taradiddle was the same ; the Puck usually plug into cursorily ( well within a minute ) and perform consistently and dependably where the sign was strong , even when I shared the hotspot with other users . The good association speed I saw in Seattle were around 7.2 mbps , with an average speed of about 5.6 mbps . The Puck was sometimes faster than the Clear home modem but it did n’t always connect to a signal as quickly as the other equipment did .
Service in Bellingham , Washington ( which has had 4 G inspection and repair from Clear for almost two years ) was true to the geography ; if the WiMax tower was nearby and the signal was unattackable , the Puck connected speedily and performed well . Nearer to the border of the WiMax service area , the martini glass tended to keep flash . you may bear down the Puck ’s second clit to beseech up the bars that purportedly indicate the signal ’s strength , but those were not commonly much aid : Either the gimmick was connected to the service or it was n’t .
Just for fun , I tried to use the Rover Puck on Interstate 5 in westerly Washington State Department , to see whether the ironware could maintain an Internet connection across various column handoffs . ( I was n’t the number one wood . ) The sign repeatedly failed between pillar , and the Puck did not automatically reconnect . This event surprise me , since I had been able-bodied to stay online when using Clearwire ’s Clear Spot 4G+ on the same route ; but then again , the latter support both 4 G and 3G.
My main complaint about the Rover Puck is that it work only with WiMax ; enabling the gimmick to unite to 3 G when 4 G is n’t available would have been a welcome convenience . Devices that support both types of overhaul are typically more expensive : Sprint ’s Overdrive Wireless Router cost $ 100 and requires a contract , and the Clear Spot 4G+ price $ 225 with a month - to - calendar month alternative but a fee of about $ 55 . Though Clear is marketing the Rover Puck to buyers in their 20s who prefer or need the pay - per - enjoyment pick , The Puck interests me because it lets me share Internet access code among family members or coworkers on the fly . It ’s a handy traveling companion because it liberate you from having to track down down an Internet café ; and its pay - as - you - go rates beat most hotel fees for Internet access .
Macworld’s buying advice
The support and even the name ( “ Puck , Yeah ! ” is a slogan ) seek to be hipper than thou ( one instruction in the weedy but serviceable troubleshooting scout is followed by , “ Like , duh ? ” ) but some members of the target demographic whom I consulted regain the affectations a little silly . The main doubt is whether the engineering works — and it does , as long as your 4 G does .
