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HM-MIFIB (MIFIB V18): Buying Guide, LCD Screen & Battery Specs

The HM-MIFIB (often marketed as the MF968, MIFI-B, or generic Color Screen 4G Pocket Router) is a unique standout in the OpenStick ecosystem. Unlike standard USB dongles that require continuous USB power and run headless, the HM-MIFIB is a completely self-contained portable Linux handheld featuring an integrated color LCD display and an onboard rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Video Teardown: Screen vs Screenless Models

Section titled β€œVideo Teardown: Screen vs Screenless Models”

Watch this teardown by @glos-os, inspecting three €20 modem variants and revealing that the budget screenless model shares the exact same HM-MIFIB-V1.8 motherboard with unpopulated screen pads:

Hardware Specifications

Section titled β€œHardware Specifications”
Component Specification
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) Quad-Core Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 GHz (ARM64)
RAM 512 MB LPDDR3
Storage 4 GB eMMC 5.0 (BGA chip)
Display 1.44-inch 128x128 (or 128x160) Color TFT LCD (ST7735S / ILI9163 controller)
Battery Removable 3.7V / 3.8V Li-ion battery (typically 2100 mAh to 3000 mAh)
PMIC & Charger Qualcomm PM8916 (qpnp-charger + qpnp-bms battery fuel gauge)
Wireless Qualcomm WCN3620 (802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0)
Modem Qualcomm MDM9625 Cat 4 LTE + 3G WCDMA
Buttons Physical Power button + WPS / Function navigation button
Ports Micro-USB or USB-C (power input & ADB/RNDIS gadget), Standard Micro-SIM slot

Exterior Appearance & Casing

Section titled β€œExterior Appearance & Casing”
       β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
       β”‚   [ 4G LTE Mobile Wi-Fi ]                              β”‚
       β”‚                                                        β”‚
       β”‚            β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”               β”‚
       β”‚            β”‚  πŸ“Ά 4G   [===] Batt 92%   β”‚               β”‚
       β”‚            β”‚  SSID: OpenStick_Pocket   β”‚               β”‚
       β”‚            β”‚  IP: 192.168.68.1         β”‚               β”‚
       β”‚            β”‚  CPU: 12% | RAM: 180MB    β”‚               β”‚
       β”‚            β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜               β”‚
       β”‚                   1.44" Color TFT                      β”‚
       β”‚                                                        β”‚
       β”‚       [ (o) Power ]             [ [::] WPS ]           β”‚
       β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜

The device resembles a miniature smartphone or pocket pager. It features a removable back cover that exposes the battery bay, underneath which sits the Micro-SIM slot and board labeling.

Silkscreen Markings to Verify

Section titled β€œSilkscreen Markings to Verify”

When removing the battery and inspecting the motherboard:

  • HM-MIFIB-V18 / HM-MIFIB-V1.8 (confirmed in both screen and screenless variants)
  • HM-MIFIB-V12 (widely documented)
  • HM_MIFIB_V10
  • MF968_MB_V02

Verify that the central processor is marked with the Qualcomm Snapdragon logo and MSM8916.

What Makes This Board Special?

Section titled β€œWhat Makes This Board Special?”
  1. Standalone Battery Operation: Runs completely untethered for 4 to 8 hours on battery power, making it an ideal portable penetration testing dropbox, portable Wi-Fi analyzer, or pocket server.
  2. Visual Status Display: With lk2nd and the Linux framebuffer driver (fbcon), the small screen can render the boot splash, interactive system statistics (CPU load, RAM usage, cellular signal strength, battery level), or even a miniature text terminal!
  3. Hardware Buttons: The power and WPS buttons can be mapped to custom Linux scripts (e.g. toggle VPN, trigger backups, switch Wi-Fi modes).

Buying Tips on AliExpress & eBay

Section titled β€œBuying Tips on AliExpress & eBay”
  • Search Keywords: MSM8916 4G mifi color screen, MF968 4G router, HM-MIFIB LCD router, Snapdragon 410 pocket wifi.
  • Verify Processor: Ask the seller: β€œIs the internal chipset Qualcomm MSM8916 with color LCD display, or is it an ASR/Marvell chip?”
Section titled β€œCommunity-Verified HM-MIFIB Store Links”

The following listing has been confirmed by community members as delivering genuine HM-MIFIB_V18 hardware:

Platform Listing Link Confirmed Silkscreen Status
Allegro PrzenoΕ›ny Router Wi-Fi 4G LTE SIM HM-MIFIB_V18 Confirmed

Frequently Asked Questions β€” HM-MIFIB (MIFIB)

Does OpenStick Debian support the HM-MIFIB LCD screen and battery?

Yes. With lk2nd and the HM-MIFIB mainline device tree, Linux initializes both the 1.44-inch SPI color LCD display and the PM8916 battery fuel gauge.

πŸ‘‰ Ready to flash? Download the 1-Click OpenStick Debian Installer or browse Verified Store Links.