| Pros | Cons |
| + No battery worries | - No built-in storage |
| + Stylish design | - Only available in black |
| + Works abroad | - No display |
"The Huawei Road-Fi is a simple, stylish and powerful MiFi device for your car".
Three gives its customers big data limits, inclusive tethering and even free roaming abroad, but now its mobile data has got even more useful and versatile with the launch of its first in-car MiFi device, dubbed the Huawei Road-Fi.
But while it’s a useful addition to Three’s mobile broadband range is it actually a good device in its own right or are you better off staying offline in your car?
The Huawei Road-Fi makes a strong first impression, with a patterned carbon effect on the top and a sleek, reasonably compact design. Even the glowing green power light looks good, though it’s a bit of a shame that the Road-Fi is only available in black.
For most this shouldn’t be an issue, as car interiors tend to be dark anyway and the Huawei Road-Fi will look great in the majority of them, but choice is always nice to have.
Setting up the Huawei Road-Fi is a breeze. Just plug it in and use the Huawei Hilink app on Android or iOS to get it up and running or monitor it.
The app lets you configure password and network settings, view the signal strength and a list of connected users and more besides, which is a good thing too because the Huawei Road-Fi doesn’t have a display of its own.
That’s a slight shame, but configuring it from a smartphone is always likely to be easier anyway, so it’s not a major problem.
Performance is good too, with 4G speeds offered so you can get online, stream video, listen to music and more in high quality without long load times.
Of course it’s tied to Three’s network, so speeds and coverage will be limited by that, but Three isn’t particularly lacking there, with 4G available to much of the UK.
The Huawei Road-Fi can connect to up to 10 devices at once, so you should be able to get phones, tablets and laptops for all of your passengers online, keeping them entertained in the process.
There’s no battery to worry about in the Huawei Road-Fi. Instead you simply plug it in using your car’s 12v power supply, so as long as your car’s working your mobile Wi-Fi will be too.
Not only does the Road-Fi not have a battery to worry about though, it can also charge other devices using its USB port. Of course if you didn’t have the Road-Fi plugged in you could charge other things anyway, but you’d need an adapter in most cases, which the Road-Fi essentially functions as.
The biggest feature of the Huawei Road-Fi is more a feature of Three itself, as you can use Feel At Home with it, which means you can stay online in Europe and other international locations at no extra cost, as long as they’re covered by Feel At Home.
That means you can use it in most of Europe along with the US, Australia and more, which is a big deal as the longest car journeys are likely to be those where you’re on holiday or a business trip – which often means you’re abroad.
With up to 20GB of monthly data to play with you’ll be able to make the most of all that connectivity too and at just £59.99 or free on contract you won’t have to pay a huge amount to get it.
The Huawei Road-Fi lacks a screen and other bells and whistles, but it’s a sleek, stylish mobile broadband device that’s perfect for the car, with no battery to worry about, connectivity for up to 10 devices and 4G speeds.
But its ace comes from being on Three, meaning you can use it in many international destinations at no extra cost. As these are likely to be the places you’ll most want to get online in-car that’s a major perk and despite that it’s a relatively inexpensive device.
Dimensions (mm): 88 x 49
Weight (g): TBC
Modem: 4G
Battery capacity (mAh): N/A
Colours: Black
Expandable storage up to (GB): None
Speed: TBC
Launch date: Out now
Price: £59.99
