Quick Review – Tata Docomo Photon Max Wi-Fi

The Photon Max Wi-Fi comes at a price of Rs 1,999 and offer Rs 1,300 worth of cash back over time

Tata Docomo has launched its newest data dongle, the Photon Max Wi-Fi for the users in India recently. While the device might look just like any ordinary 3G data dongle it has the power to provide internet connectivity to five devices through its integrated Wi-Fi capability. But just before you go out and buy the device here are a few things you should be aware of.

Utility

USB data dongles are primarily personal devices which mean that they can be used on one device at a time. But the Photon Max Wi-Fi breaks this barrier with offering internet sharing capability over Wi-Fi. At a time up to five users can share one single connection resulting in lower cost of ownership as well. Along with this even if the user wants to use the dongle without the Wi-Fi they can plug it in the device and use it like a conventional data dongle

Simplicity

The Photon Max Wi-Fi device is essentially a USB powered data dongle that offers additional utility for users by helping them connect up to five devices at once. Being USB powered means that the dongle can be connected to any USB power source, be it on your laptop, computer and even a tablet. Also it makes it a great accessory for connectivity on the move in vehicles as well.

Ease of Use

There is a very basic setup required in order to set up the device and make it ready to use. To begin using the dongle, users need to set up the Wi-Fi network along with the desired password and that’s all. Following that users can simply power the device up or plug it in to a USB port and all they need to know is the Wi-Fi password to be connected to the Internet. While using the USB interface there is no requirement of the password as well.

Associated Cost

The Photon Max Wi-Fi is priced at Rs 1,999 plus the cost of the data plan users opt for. At present, only postpaid plans have been made available for the users of this device. Plans start as low as Rs 300 per month for the pay as you go plan with no free data. So the minimum cost incurred on the usage would be around Rs 350 per month. In the following days the company also has plans to make prepaid plans available for users as well, but no launch dates have been shared yet.

In Essence…

The idea of having a data dongle that allows users to share internet over Wi-Fi as well is unique. But there are a few things to worry about. Firstly the Photon Max Wi-Fi would always need access to power as it misses out on a battery pack, you can hook it to a portable battery pack or an AC adaptor but the operation will never be seamless. Secondly since you will be sharing data, the consumption would automatically increase resulting in increased data costs. The Micromax MMX440w personal WI-Fi router comes at similar cost but offers better portability as it gets an inbuilt battery pack as well. So essentially the Photon Max Wi-Fi is a good offering but better offerings are available in the market and offer much more flexibility to users as well.