Verizon hotspot

I use a Verizon Jet Pack with a 5G data plan and leave my smart phone with a 250M data plan for receiving phone calls and texts which you can't do while you are using your phone for a hot spot with Verizon (last time I checked). The Jet pack has a serious battery and can run for many hours rather than draining my phone battery. In addition, the Jet Pack has an RF connector for an external antenna if you are in a weak signal area.

Dick

Hi,

My phone can be a hotspot. However, unless it is active, it won't "stay on". So each time I want to log onto the net I have to reset the phone.

It is a minor annoyance that having a mifi eliminates.

N7SJN wrote:
I know there are many in their 70's like DW and I who are happy with their latest electronic phones, however the simpler the better for us. Just because it is new does not mean that I need to get rid of something that works.

Couldn't agree with you more. My abacus has served me well for years. No need for one of them new tangle calculator things.

;-)

amandasgramma wrote:
If I read you right, you may have misunderstood me. I PREFER the MiFi from ATT...we can both use it, we can print from our laptops. I don't want to deal with SmartPhones, don't want the $$$ involved and quite frankly, feel it's a learning curve I'm not up to learning right now :) :) The "hotspot" or free RV WiFi accesses are NOT secure......are shared by many (whereas my MiFi is MY password protected). I just don't trust them! And just for clarification, the only other person that swears that the hotspots are safe and uses them for everything, has had their computer in NUMEROUS times because of viruses.....and has used every virus protection out there. :) :) So in another words, you can't convince me other than what I believe.

Ummm . . . you do understand that your Mifi device creates a hot spot, yes? There is no difference in the hot spot it creates and the hot spot a smart phone can create. Both are password protected with the owner's choice of passwords. They're both secure, and one is no more secure than the other. I understand that you don't want to learn how to use a smart phone, or to pay for one. But to "argue" that a Mifi is superior is just flat wrong. It seems to me that what you're doing is confusing the hot spot created by your Mifi (or that can be created by a smart phone) with a public hot spot at a campground, restaurant, etc. Public hot spots aren't secure.

To the OP -- If you have a smart phone that can be used as a hot spot there is no need for a Mifi.

To the OP....I cannot use my phone for calls while hotspotting. Receiving a call cuts off the data. I think some phones will allow simultaneous usage. That may be a function of the particular phone or 3g verses 4g. Check the features of your phone online or ask at a Verizon store.

I know there are many in their 70's like DW and I who are happy with their latest electronic phones, however the simpler the better for us. Just because it is new does not mean that I need to get rid of something that works.

Bill.Satellite wrote:

amandasgramma wrote:
We have one..... AT&T...and we can see our useage ALL the time, so there's no surprise charges. Why do we have it? Because I don't trust "hotspots" for checking our bank accounts and doing banking. We also boondock and don't like having to sit in public places (or in the pickup with laptop on my lap) to get internet. It's our only communication with family for the most part. No, we don't have a SmartPhone.......NOT going there.

oh - on edit --- I've been typing on typewriters and keyboards for over 50 yrs.....I can NOT get used to texting or teeeeny tiny keyboards.......another reason for keeping the laptop. :)

A hotspot from your phone is not open and not like a wifi connection in a campgroud. No worries there. Also, you are using the phone's hotspot option to connect to your comptuer so the keyboard thing is not an issue either.
I like having a hotspot so I can also network in my printer and backup storage devices. I use a Cradlepoint router plus a USB air card instead of the MiFi so I can also take advantage of campground WiFi connections when a good one is available and still maintain that same network.
If you have 2 phones hotspotting one is no big deal but I don't want to have to use the phone while someone else is trying to use it as a hotspot. It needs to remain plugged in at all times to keep the battery from going dead quickly.

If I read you right, you may have misunderstood me. I PREFER the MiFi from ATT...we can both use it, we can print from our laptops. I don't want to deal with SmartPhones, don't want the $$$ involved and quite frankly, feel it's a learning curve I'm not up to learning right now :) :) The "hotspot" or free RV WiFi accesses are NOT secure......are shared by many (whereas my MiFi is MY password protected). I just don't trust them! And just for clarification, the only other person that swears that the hotspots are safe and uses them for everything, has had their computer in NUMEROUS times because of viruses.....and has used every virus protection out there. :) :) So in another words, you can't convince me other than what I believe.

amandasgramma wrote:
We have one..... AT&T...and we can see our useage ALL the time, so there's no surprise charges. Why do we have it? Because I don't trust "hotspots" for checking our bank accounts and doing banking. We also boondock and don't like having to sit in public places (or in the pickup with laptop on my lap) to get internet. It's our only communication with family for the most part. No, we don't have a SmartPhone.......NOT going there.

oh - on edit --- I've been typing on typewriters and keyboards for over 50 yrs.....I can NOT get used to texting or teeeeny tiny keyboards.......another reason for keeping the laptop. :)

A hotspot from your phone is not open and not like a wifi connection in a campgroud. No worries there. Also, you are using the phone's hotspot option to connect to your comptuer so the keyboard thing is not an issue either.
I like having a hotspot so I can also network in my printer and backup storage devices. I use a Cradlepoint router plus a USB air card instead of the MiFi so I can also take advantage of campground WiFi connections when a good one is available and still maintain that same network.
If you have 2 phones hotspotting one is no big deal but I don't want to have to use the phone while someone else is trying to use it as a hotspot. It needs to remain plugged in at all times to keep the battery from going dead quickly.

Why? Does your laptop have a tiny keyboard? Turning your smart phone into a hot spot has nothing to do with the device you type on. jot spot turns your phone into the same thing as a mifi card.

We have one..... AT&T...and we can see our useage ALL the time, so there's no surprise charges. Why do we have it? Because I don't trust " Public Wifi hotspots" for checking our bank accounts and doing banking. We also boondock and don't like having to sit in public places (or in the pickup with laptop on my lap) to get internet. It's our only communication with family for the most part. No, we don't have a SmartPhone.......NOT going there.

oh - on edit --- I've been typing on typewriters and keyboards for over 50 yrs.....I can NOT get used to texting or teeeeny tiny keyboards.......another reason for keeping the laptop. :)