Verizon Jetpack

[pitch]

Does anyone have any real world experience with the Verizon Jetpack?
We want dependable connectivity on the road and already are contracted with Verizon on the phones.

[SCVJeff]

The Texan wrote:

SCVJeff wrote:


BTW- There is no SIM card in the 4620

Funny, my 4620 has a
SIM card.......

did you read the reply further down?

[Alan_Hepburn]

mavapa wrote:
docj, the problem we have is not a simple "pause" but a long-term failure to connect to the internet. During these periods no sites will load and my computer will tell me that we have no connection. This condition may last many minutes. I usually have to do something like turning off the jetpack to get the connection back, although the jetpack usually shows that it is connected at the time. It's not a problem of connecting by wifi to the jetpack. The jetpack shows the connection from computer to jetpack. This is a problem that has occurred to many people. As I said, google the problem and you'll see. There are lots of complaints on Verizon's message boards, but I have not seen a definitive solution to the problem from the community or from Verizon customer support. Some people say they get a replacement unit which works fine, but I'm suspicious of this because our current unit worked fine for a long time, until it started working not so fine.

I wish we could solve this problem because where we live we have essentially no way to access the Internet other than by a cellular system.

When we first got our Verizon 4510L hotspot two years ago they had this problem, making it nearly unusable. But in October 2011 they released a firmware update that fixed the problem, and our 4510 has worked perfectly ever since. We just replaced it with a 4620 from Millenicom - gives us twice the data for $10 a month LESS than Verizon, and uses the Verizon network.

[Handbasket]

FWIW, WRT to the earlier discussion on data usage: I usually have 4G access here at home with Verizon. When I was using just the Jetpack and an old XP notebook, I rarely got even close to my 5GB/month limit. As soon as I bought a Win8 laptop, usage soared. I did some research, turned off all the 'tiles' on the start page, and set the wifi connection as 'metered'. Usage dropped a bunch, but still exceeded 5GB/month. I never got back down to my old usage levels. Moot point for me now, since I have an AT&T hardwired connection and use the Jetpack very little now.

Jim, "I've learned so much from my mistakes. I think I'll make a few more."

[cpaulsen]

We use the Verizon JetPack along with the Wilson Sleek unit. Our signal @ home went from 2 bars to 4 and the IPhone went from 2-3 to 5. We love it.

[mavapa]

jhilly, when our jetpack acts up, we get nothing. It's not just slow, it's not there. At all.

[jhilley]

docj wrote:

mavapa wrote:
If you don't believe there are problems with a Jetpack, just google something like 'verizon jetpack connection issues." I know all about the problems, except how to resolve them. Ours is almost unusable now. It runs fine for a while, and then we get a message that we're not connected to the internet. I check the jetpack, and it shows that we are connected. Sometimes turning it off and then back on helps, and sometimes it doesn't. I have reset it and modified settings, but nothing seems to help. Our 4G connection had been great for a long time, but now ... well, not so much.

I assume you realize that any cellular connection can have "pauses" in the data signal that last from seconds to a couple of minutes. Verizon and the other carriers don't like to tell you that, but it's true. During one of those pauses your computer will tell you you aren't connected to the internet but you will still be connected to the Jetpack. Quite often by the time you walk over to the device (or reboot it) the issue will already have been resolved and it will seem as if the reboot actually accomplished something but the result might have been the same if you hadn't done anything.

Since we use our phone's hotspot as our internet access I am acutely sensitive to the "ups and downs" of the Verizon system (it's a geek thing) and you can see all of this happen if you have a smartphone with a good display at the top. On my phone there are a pair of red and green arrows on the display that indicate incoming and outgoing data. Normally both colors light up as data is sent and received. During a data "pause" the red incoming arrow won't be lit at all and the green one repeatedly as if it is sending a "is anyone home?" message to the server. Once I see the red arrow start up again I know the problem has been resolved. Sometimes, when the cellular system is totally messed up the 3G and 4G LTE symbols next to these arrows may actually disappear; that indicates that the phone isn't receiving a data signal at all.

Your Jetpack will experience the same sorts of network issues but I don't think it has the same sort of displays as a smartphone so you may not be as aware of what is happening. I find that these outages are more frequent in rural environments compared with big cities but I have seen in occur in both. I've experienced it with both 3G and 4G service so I don't think that is an issue.

Maybe someone with more telecommunications experience can explain what I'm describing in more precise technical terms.

Actually when the 3G and 4G disappear, you are still receving 1xRTT data. This is somewhat similar to dialup modem speeds. It can go up to 153Kb, but averages 60 t0 100Kb.

[SCVJeff]

docj wrote:

mavapa wrote:
If you don't believe there are problems with a Jetpack, just google something like 'verizon jetpack connection issues." I know all about the problems, except how to resolve them. Ours is almost unusable now. It runs fine for a while, and then we get a message that we're not connected to the internet. I check the jetpack, and it shows that we are connected. Sometimes turning it off and then back on helps, and sometimes it doesn't. I have reset it and modified settings, but nothing seems to help. Our 4G connection had been great for a long time, but now ... well, not so much.

I assume you realize that any cellular connection can have "pauses" in the data signal that last from seconds to a couple of minutes. Verizon and the other carriers don't like to tell you that, but it's true. During one of those pauses your computer will tell you you aren't connected to the internet but you will still be connected to the Jetpack. Quite often by the time you walk over to the device (or reboot it) the issue will already have been resolved and it will seem as if the reboot actually accomplished something but the result might have been the same if you hadn't done anything.

Since we use our phone's hotspot as our internet access I am acutely sensitive to the "ups and downs" of the Verizon system (it's a geek thing) and you can see all of this happen if you have a smartphone with a good display at the top. On my phone there are a pair of red and green arrows on the display that indicate incoming and outgoing data. Normally both colors light up as data is sent and received. During a data "pause" the red incoming arrow won't be lit at all and the green one repeatedly as if it is sending a "is anyone home?" message to the server. Once I see the red arrow start up again I know the problem has been resolved. Sometimes, when the cellular system is totally messed up the 3G and 4G LTE symbols next to these arrows may actually disappear; that indicates that the phone isn't receiving a data signal at all.

Your Jetpack will experience the same sorts of network issues but I don't think it has the same sort of displays as a smartphone so you may not be as aware of what is happening. I find that these outages are more frequent in rural environments compared with big cities but I have seen in occur in both. I've experienced it with both 3G and 4G service so I don't think that is an issue.

Maybe someone with more telecommunications experience can explain what I'm describing in more precise technical terms.

it is after all, a phone. So those "pauses" are hung up, and then it dials. The question is if the Verison switch is refusing the connect for some reason, or its the Jetpack?

[docj]

Atlee wrote:
Thanks. Since both DW & I have the same "smart" phone, coupled with the fact I get very few phone calls on mine, it will not make that much difference having my phone "off line" for periods of time.

That's basically what we do; we have two smart phones one of which is the hotspot. If one of us wants to go out he/she takes the other phone. The contacts and apps on both phones are basically the same so it's no big deal. When we go out as a couple we often leave the hotspot on and just take the other phone; do two people have to have two phones when they are out together? :R

[The_Texan]

SCVJeff wrote:


BTW- There is no SIM card in the 4620

Funny, my 4620 has a
SIM card.......

[Atlee]

Thanks. Since both DW & I have the same "smart" phone, coupled with the fact I get very few phone calls on mine, it will not make that much difference having my phone "off line" for periods of time. Distance doesn't make that much difference either. Our TT on the inside isn't but about 20-21 ft long.

Heck, right now, I'm planning to use my "smart" phone as a scan gauge II replacement while we're underway.

jhilley wrote:
Frees up your phone to be used as a phone. I would suspect there may be a through put difference and there is certainly a difference in WiFi range.

[jhilley]

Frees up your phone to be used as a phone. I would suspect there may be a through put difference and there is certainly a difference in WiFi range.

[rstuck]

We have used the jetpak for almost 3 years and are happy with it, on occasion we may not get a signal, but it has been when we have been in the remote mountains of Co.

[Atlee]

Why is a Verizon jetpack preferable to using say, a Samsung Galaxy 3S smart phone as a hotspot?

[mavapa]

docj, I don't know. Our jetpack worked flawlessly with absolutely no "pauses" for a long time. It only recently started giving trouble. It may be Verizon's fault rather than the hardware itself. Maybe that's why Verizon customer support can't or won't give a solution for the problem.