BRAND NEW ZTE MF823 4GT DONGLE
I have been requested to submit a product review of a device I have not personally tested and it maybe quite some time before I get around to using it. The main stumbling block is finding a cost effective SIM-only deal that offers good value and so far I have been unsuccessful. If I cannot find a suitable deal I will sell the dongle.
Difficulty in obtaining a good deal is the main reason I have chosen not to recommend this dongle because an owner of such a device will face the same problem unless running costs is not an issue. Coverage is also an important factor because it will affect the choice of SIM supplier. I recently purchased an iPhone 7 Plus (256GB) from EE, which in many ways make this dongle redundant. However, I wanted to use this dongle with my MacBook Pros but I have since learnt there maybe driver issues because this device is primarily for Windows. However, there maybe a workaround but it is by no means certain this dongle with Macs or its latest operating system: Sierra.
A couple years ago I purchased (£29) a wi-fi dongle (ZTE MF65M) for my iPad 3 and they worked well together but I eventually abandoned this dongle because of high running costs. A 'top-up' of 1GB cost me £10 but after 30 days any unused broadband capacity was 'wiped' and I had to buy another 1GB if I wanted to continue using the dongle. I found this unacceptable. If this extortionate charging scheme persists then this dongle has no future with me. Whether this dongle is good value is largely determined by its running costs but its initial purchase price (£43) cannot be ignored. The MF65M was much cheaper to buy than the MF823 4GT.
Quality is much easier to answer. Both dongles I have owned were made by ZTE and I was very happy with the performance of the MF65M so I have no reason to believe the MF823 4 GT would be any less effective. However, without testing it I have no way to objectively prove my assumption.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned