Verizon Internet Access

Have you considered using your smart phone as "hot spot" - depending on phone you can do that for free.

ksg5000 wrote:
Have you considered using your smart phone as "hot spot" - depending on phone you can do that for free.

We just don't use smart phones so this won't help in our case.

I have verizon as well. You can download an app called foxfi and get internet access for no additional charge after paying 6 or 7 dollars for the app. It turns your phone into a hotspot. As long as you aren't streaming something it doesn't use much data. I have the unlimited dataplan and I leave it running for the entire trip and have as many as 4 or 5 devices hooked up to it including multiple ones streaming netflix and pandora or whatever.

So, whats your question then?

donn0128 wrote:
So, whats your question then?

Is the cost actually what Verizon says it is on the web site or are there lots of hidden charges?

Does the indicated modem device do what it is supposed to do fairly well?

What kind of antenna do I want and how do I mount it?

Are there any pitfalls to cellphone internet access that I need to watch out for?

You've done your homework.

Make sure the router you choose will function with "wifi as wan" - I don't think you can connect the MiFi to the router any other way. I use a Cradlepoint MBR-95.

There are several variations on the Wilson Trucker antenna, any one of which will do fine. Biggest challenge is that with the advent of 4G service, it gets harder to design an antenna with broad enough frequency response to handle both 4G and 3G well. The Trucker series has about the best gain in the 4G range of any non-directional I've found.

Can't speak for this particular mifi device.

4gb isn't a whole lot of data. Might want to look at the Millenicom offerings. Their "hotspot" service uses the Verizon network, and you get 20gb a month for $70. The hotspot is $135, and there's no contract - it's a month-to-month service.

al

Millenicom X2

Double the bandwidth for less $$, no taxes, no service fees, no contract, and using the Verizon network.

In the MH , we us a Cradle point CTR-35 with a USB modem from Verizon. It creates a hot spot for all our computer hardware.
Don't remember the cost of the router but I think it was around $60.
Verizon Modem was free with our serice.

If you choose a MiFi device you will not need a separate router like the Cradlepoint and without that type device you can't do WiFi as WAN either.
The answer to your question is that you have the pricing right, there are some additional taxes but not a lot and the biggest pitfall is using too much data. If you exceed your data limit you will be charged for that overage. It's $15/GB when you go over unless you change your data plan before the month ends and then you can add 2GB for $10 (check your plan to verify).

I have last year's Jetpack, model 4620L.

The internal routing function works great. It creates a wireless network that will support 10 devices when on 4G. We use it for two TIVOs, a wireless printer, two laptops, two cell phones and an iPad simultaneously.

Unless you have a need for more connections or wired connections, you probably don't need an additional router.

We used to use a Wilson's Trucker antenna, but changed to this antenna to avoid the horizontal's on the Wilson that always lost battles with trees.

A great place for connectors is WPS antennas. There is no such thing as a "standard" connector. Call them and tell them exactly which antenna you are wanting to connect to your Jetpack, and they will advise you which connectors you need to make that happen.

We mounted our antenna on the top rung of the ladder with this mounting bracket..

Hope this helps.