UPDATE: What Home Internet solution should you get in Kenya? A helpful guide… https://tech-ish.com/2020/03/27/home-internet-solution-kenya/
For a company that I believe has really good offers, Airtel Kenya gets a lot of things wrong. And I’ve written extensively about them for a long time now complaining about different things. I still don’t understand why they never get even the best of ideas right from the get-go. Is it because they don’t understand the Kenyan market as it is the Indian HQ that makes decisions? Is it because they don’t care?
If you haven’t seen their latest extensive campaign with many digital influencers, then let me fill you in: Airtel is pushing a new MiFi router for your home. It is called ‘Airtel Smart Home‘. It is big, constantly needs a direct power source, uses 4G networks, and comes with it’s own SIM card and its own bundles. Actually here it is:
You know the name Smart Home suggests a Fibre Connection with unlimited data. This is neither.
I wish Airtel thought this through before launch because of a couple of reasons:
- This thing is huge (Airtel claims it is portable)
- It costs Ksh. 7,499 to get one
- It has to constantly stay plugged in
- You have to buy bundles for it: Ksh. 2000 – 40GB, Ksh. 3000 – 70GB and Ksh. 4000 – 100GB. There’s no ‘Unlimited Data’ option.
- It relies on Airtel’s 4G network: so you have to live in an area where Airtel 4G is available, and you also have to endure the times when the Airtel network sucks.
You may argue, well this is a good solution for people who want home internet, and cannot afford crazy expensive bundles from Safaricom and don’t have access to Home Fibre solutions like Zuku or Safaricom Home. It isn’t. One, the fact that it is not something you can move around with, yet costs almost Ksh. 8,000 makes it a crazy buy. You’ll need to buy more bundles for your phone when you’re out of the house/office.
Two, yes the bundles are cheaper, but why not allow people to buy these cheaper bundles straight from their existing phones? Why do I have to buy an expensive router to access cheaper bundles? Yet the router does the same thing my phone can do by creating a hotspot? And please don’t say the router supports 32 users while a phone supports 8 users… when are you ever 32 people at your home?
I was thinking of something funny: I walk to an Airtel shop and buy this router. So I spend over 7k, get the 25GB free data + buy a 70GB package for 3k, then I have home internet. The total amount spent there is Ksh. 10,500. Then I realise I need to buy more data while I am out of the house, so I buy one of Airtel’s UnlimiNet bundles for my phone at Ksh. 2,000. That’s a total of Ksh. 12500 for constant internet. Wow. It is even easier getting a monthly bundle on your phone and just tether it when at home…
| Home Internet | Router – Ksh. 7,500 | 70GB – Ksh. 3,000 |
| Out-of-home Internet | Your Phone | UnlimiNet – Ksh. 2000 |
| Total | Ksh. 12,500 |
….but two/three months down, I realise Faiba 4G is now in my area: their modem is cheaper, portable and has long battery life, plus you can if your phone supports the network, use the SIM card from your phone and buy even cheaper bundles than Airtel’s without needing an expensive and huge thing. What do I do then? I would have to do away with Airtel’s huge thing and switch. And stay with a big thing doing nothing in the house.
Even if you are to use the router for months, the total cost of Ksh. 5000 per month for 70GB Home Internet and UnlimiNet 2000 is still high. You can still get better offers if you decided to just buy internet for your phone on either Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom, or still on Faiba. Also, 70GB is nothing.
Airtel is pushing a wrong product for the Kenyan market. I would rather they had these cheap bundles accessible to all Airtel users in 4G areas, and then gave people who would want one, a cheaper, smaller MiFi router the same way Faiba 4G is doing. They need not even have a MiFi because all 4G phones in the country support Airtel 4G, unlike with Faiba. I don’t think it makes any sense to waste money buying something that will become obsolete in a few months. This is just dumb.
Discover more from Techish Kenya
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
It’s seems you haven’t done enough research about the information. Airtel actually has unlimited internet beginning from @ksh3500 monthly with a maximum usage of 20GB daily then speeds are reduced to 512kbs and @ksh5000 for maximum 50GB daily before limitations in speeds. Visit an Airtel shop and inquire for yourself.
Well I’m confused coz I bought an android tv and I want to install a wifi router Wich I can view you tube and as well my children can use with their learning tabs I live in kangundo road njiru pliz advice me on which is the best cheap router and has enough speed to use with my family at home.
Am Neither support or oppose people’s opinions concerning the device (airtel smart home).I can say let people make their own decisions on what products siuts them. Let them use their brains to judge and go for the right thing
Safaricom 4g router has unlimited use with speeds of 3mbs…
3K per month
Safaricom 4G router is 100GB Max hence not unlimited
I think you have got some of your facts wrong. For starters this is NOT a MIFI.
Please note that the is a difference between a MIFI and a Normal Router. Airtel has not referred anywhere that this device is a MIFI.
This device works only where there is 4G network coverage. Why buy this if you know very well that your area has no 4G network?
Safaricom has an exact similar product in the market if you do your research, The huawei B2368-66 router which is a replica of this.
Both only work with 4G Network
Both are of the same size
Both networks don’t offer unlimited data packages for the devices.
Airtel offers better prices for its data bundles.
Airtel has a 4G MIFI router that is not this device. check this and note the difference between the two devices.
I otherwise think you need to do more research on your facts.
Someone please advice on what is good coz I was just bout to buy the Airtel Mi-Fi ,this is so confusing????
I agree with this blog post. Why can’t Airtel Safaricom offer this bundles on existing Unlimit Bundles or Data offers?
Safaricom had come up with similar but portable product but the GBs sold were too low and could get gobbled up in home use and the product was crap and cost money which could be used to buy another phone which, using the same argument, could be used as a hotspot device.
They must come up with a product that is versatile; portable/mobile and true value for money.
Hello,
You hit the point with your arithmetic. But come to think of it, not all areas in Kenya can access Home fiber provided by Safricom, Zuku and Faiba. Such areas however can access 4G internet. Take a town such as Kakamega. Airtel 4G is available, but safaricom Home Fiber is only available in two estates. The coverage is still poor. This is where Airtel Smart Home comes in. It favors those who cannot access fiber internet, living in such towns, and uses internet fully in their homes. However, the idea is not Viable in bigger towns like Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nakuru.