As many of you have probably seen, there are a great number of hotspots on the market today. Many of them are simply JumboSpots (Chinese-clone MMDVM Pi-Star based hotspots) with a fancy case. I wont even deny the fact that mine are pretty close to being the same (Although, I do source my boards from BI7JTA who has customized his board design).
I will recommend other hotspots
I also will not hesitate to recommend purchases from some of these other sellers, assuming they are transparent in what they are selling, and are not ripping folks off. For Example, we have DMRspot. These folks sell a nice unit, and offer several options. Simplex Premium and Basic, and a Duplex premium.
So, why do I often recommend them?
- Transparency: Images of the inside of their units. Clear descriptions of how their “Basic Spots” are JumboSpots.
- Customization: They are using home-brew 3D cases that look fantastic! Its a unique option and I love it.
- Quality options: DMRspot is one of the few who offer something special, and that is N5BOC MMDVM Boards from Texas, both simplex and DUPLEX options!
- Reasonable Prices. They are good, thats all that I can really say. Knowing what it costs in time and hardware… they are charging a reasonable amount!
DXMINI: I used to often recommend the quality products from DXMINI, but they unfortunately shut down this year. They had quality, custom products at reasonable prices. They were also “just” an MMDVM hotspot, likely with a cheap JumboSpot board inside. However the custom screens, custom cases, attention to detail and reasonable prices made it a great purchase.
But Watch Out
Last week I saw a new seller I had not seen before, who sells nearly identical hotspots to my own, but with JumboSpot MMDVM boards (I think).
Why do I NOT recommend them?
- No information on what is being sold, other than a “mmdvm hotspot”.
- Limited pictures, none of which really show what is being used in the hotspot (my trained eye tells me its a jumbospot board).
- Claims that it is the “Best Hotspot” (not those words exactly)…
- $235. Yes, that’s right, someone is selling a hotspot nearly identical to my $140 hotspots, using lower quality (cheaper) parts, for $235.
In Conclusion
So, you have those that want to sell a quality product, using transparency and reasonable prices, and then you have those who are really ripping people off. You do also have everything in-between. I have seen some sellers publicly bash home-built units, and other sellers as being inferior products. I have seen some make claims of being the greatest thing since sliced bread, when in reality it’s just another MMDVM hotspot.
So, just be careful in your purchases, and PLEASE consider building your own. It’s not that hard, and you can always email me for help if you do!