Wi-Fi on the go with MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot

— -- Hunting down a wireless Internet connection is priority No. 1 for many travelers. But while Wi-Fi hot spots are common at airports, hotels, coffeehouses and conference centers, it'd be way more convenient if a hot spot could somehow follow you around. And also be available to the family members, friends or colleagues hanging out with you.

That's precisely the allure behind the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot I've been testing. This credit-card-size, 2-ounce cellular modem — it's just a tad thicker than a pencil — arrives Sunday from Novatel Wireless and Verizon Wireless. It costs $100 after a mail-in rebate and with a two-year data plan. Sprint plans to bring out its own MiFi version at the end of the month.

By tapping into Verizon's 3G Mobile broadband network, the version I tested creates a personal Wi-Fi "cloud" to a theoretical range of up to 50 feet. You could use it on your commute (bus, train or car), vacation (lake house, beach) or working in a wayward location.

MiFi could be faster at times. It could have a longer-lasting battery. But considering the hassles often associated with wireless networking, MiFi is a winner.

The first obvious question is how MiFi differs from all those USB cellular modems that connect to cyberspace, or the wireless modems built into some laptops. The biggest and most important difference is that MiFi can be shared by up to five computers and/or other Wi-Fi-capable devices, including smartphones, digital cameras and portable game machines.

A USB modem, by contrast, is tethered to a given machine, and is often awkward; the Verizon Pantech 3G modem I own has an antenna that juts out precariously, an accident waiting to happen.

MiFi is an attractive little thing you can conceal in your pocket. You don't hook it up to anything. It has a single on/off button and a couple of status lights that blink or change color to indicate the quality of your connection and alert you when its battery is about to poop out.

MiFi is reasonably zippy, too, at least when you're in Verizon's 3G coverage area, what geeks refer to as "EV-DO Rev. A."