Jonathan Stark

I’ve only had it for about about 30 minutes, but so far the portable Wi-Fi hotspot functionality of Android 2.2 (Froyo) is excellent.

I have an unlocked Nexus One with an AT&T SIM card in it (the one from my iPhone). I followed these instructions to download and install an early version of Android 2.2 (Froyo).

There are a number of great improvements in 2.2, but the one that I’m most interested in is the portable Wi-Fi hotspot functionality that allows your other devices to access the internet by connecting to the Nexus One as a wireless router (like my Verizon MiFi, for which I’m paying $60 USD per month).

Some things I’ve noticed so far that seem to be true:

- Even though the AT&T card I’m using is supposedly only 2G when installed in a Nexus One, the performance is pretty good. Not as good as 3G Verizon Mifi, but acceptable for email, Twitter, web browsing, etc…

- I was able to connect five devices to the Nexus One simultaneously (MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad). I don’t know if there is a limit.

- The range is more than adequate. The signal from the Nexus One registers as full strength everywhere in my house (basement and two floors above ground). I had to leave the house and go halfway down the block (past all of my immediate neighbors houses) before my iPod Touch lost the signal from the Nexus One.

- You can’t have the Android phone connected to a wireless hotspot AND have wireless tethering enabled. IOW – the Android phone *has* to be connected to the internet over the cellular network for portable Wi-Fi hotspot functionality.

- There is no way on the Android phone to tell what devices are connected to it.

I began testing with the phone fully charged and unplugged. I’m going to continue testing unplugged to see if I can determine the effect on battery life.

Stay tuned!

P.S. If you have links to other test results, please post in the comments here.