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Review by ke4pym 
member for 7.5 years, 3787 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 50 days ago
 Charlotte,Mecklenburg,NC
 $60 per month- (24 month contract)
 about 1 days "Service works well." "None" "If you've got the coin to blow, it's worth it!"
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12/11 - Started noticing stability issues with my KPC-680. Wouldn't keep a connection or would revert to 1x and stay there. Called VZW to get help. They sent a new card. New card wouldn't fit into my laptop (it was the correct size, but still to big to slide in and out of the card slot).
They sent another card. And as they were, I noticed the 1st new card was doing the same thing (staying in 1x, unstable, etc). It dawned on me that I'd never forced the card into EVDO only mode like I had on my old laptop. So, I ended up sending back both "new" cards and keeping the KPC680 with it forced in EVDO mode. Since then, no issues and even managed to pull down a 2.1Mbps speed test!
Still wish it was cheaper. Really getting tired of dropping $60 a month on this thing. Would use my Thunderbolt and save $30/mo, but it does not have a stable 4G (or 3G) connection where I use it most.
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1/11 - Still truckin'. No issues. Speeds are fine. Wish their LTE service had an unlimited data option. I'd upgrade to that.
4/10 - No issues since the last update. Card is performing very well. Was in Myrtle Beach, SC in January and recorded a 2.5Mbps download speed test! Get around 1-1.5Mbps at work where I normally use the card. On occasion the connection will drop. And the only way to get it back is to reboot Windows 7. It happens maybe 2 times every 6 months. Annoying. But not enough to research and fix.
12/27/09 - Got a new laptop in June of 09. Switched over to the RevA card they gave me some time back (KPC680). Service has been flawless. 1.4Mb/sec down, 800Kb/sec up is my best speed test. My account is due for renewal at any time now. I'm going to hold out until Q2 2010 in hopes that big red will release a 3G/4G card.
1/09 - Service at work (where I mainly use this device) had some issues awhile back when Verizon moved their tower from a building to a stand alone tower. Tech support wasn't very helpful but I finally got to some folks that knew a thing or two. Still using a Rev0 card since I've not upgraded my laptop to use the RevA card they gave me this year. Service works fine and the issues at work seem to have magically disappeared.
My bill still says "Unlimited KB per month". But I only download around 500MB a month. Too lazy to test them on their 5GB quota.
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3/30 - Noticed my bill had gone up $0.60 this month. I called in to inquire why my bill had gone up (I never use my minutes, roam, call LD or go over my data plan). The person I spoke with said that the administrative fee had gone up $0.30 for both the data and voice lines. I told her I was going to review my customer agreement because when I bought the plans I agreed that my rate would not change for 2 years. She agreed and said that she would credit my account every month for the remainder of my contract for the said $0.60! Now that's service.
Also, sometime back in February my data card decided that it no longer wanted to maintain a stable connection. Called them up on a Friday afternoon and had my new card on Monday morning. Took 1 10 minute call to get the new card up and running.
12/1 - recently, I grabbed Dr TCP and modified my laptop's RWin settings. Speed is now running around 1.3Mbps down and 130kbps up. Latency is still a little high - average to www.yahoo.com was 208ms. Not too bad for surfing or telnet applications. Still worth the coin to me. Wish I used my cell phone as much as I use this card.
The one complaint I have is the connection reliability during rain/thunderstorms. The card has a lot of trouble staying connected. I've got 4 bars of signal and it will still drop quite a bit in nasty weather. I quit using the VZN Manager software once tech support told me how to configure DUN to make the connection. VPN issues are gone now that I use a Juniper client instead of a Checkpoint client. The Juniper dealie is a ActiveX plugin for Internet Explorer and seems to work very well. Every time the card has connection issues I call up tech support and complain.
I use this card 99.8% of the time at work. I've used it at home twice. I am too far away from the tower for the card to work with any speed. If my primary internet connection failed and I just HAD to get to the internet it'd be ok.
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So I came into the early 90's by getting a cell phone. Actually, I was more interested in the wireless internet than the cell phone. Service, without voice is about $100 a month. I figure I'm getting the cell phone for free in this case.
I started with the free 5740 something card. It worked, but not so well. No external antenna on it. Did manage to get a 700/200ish connection standing next to a tower. I took the card back before my 15 days were up and ordered the Kyocera 650 card. It has an external antenna as well as antenna ports. Took them a week to get me the new card (even though after a delay and screw up of the order and a reorder via over night).
This new card works much better at my home. I'm sure it should prove to work as well as if not better at work (were aforementioned cell tower lives). Got 400/100 at the house on 2 bars.
Hope I like this service to keep paying $60/mo for 2 years. And that I don't go over my "unlimited" 10GB/month allotment of bandwidth.
Paid $19.99 for the card using my work's discount plan. So far, it's worth the 20 bucks.
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Review by thatissick
member for 1.4 years, 475 visits, last login: 1 days ago
updated 116 days ago
- Atlanta,Fulton,GA
- $93 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 6 days
- "Fast 4G Service, 3G Coverage, No dropped calls"
- "4G hiccups sometimes, unlimited plan might go away, they charge for visual voicemail"
- "LTE is fast but they still gotta work out some issues."
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--Update 9/23/2011--
I moved, but still have 4G where I live. It's good, down speeds in the 10s of mbps, and usually about 5-8mbps upload. Signal can get flaky inside buildings though.
»www.speedtest.net/android/86970103.png
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I got the Thunderbolt on Verizon Wireless, but I'm reviewing the service, not the device.
They got 4G in most metro areas now, and still expanding. It's wicked fast (even faster than cable in some instances), and I once logged the download speed at 32mbps, but most of the time its around 20 to 24mbps down, and uploads are around 5 to 8mbps. I'm sure that will slow down as more devices fill the network. (VZ states that down should be about 5-12mbps and up should be 2-5mbps). Depending on where you are, YMMV.
Now their 4G isn't without some issues, namely that big outage they had a few weeks ago, and our phones were knocked down to 1x. It seems that they'll have a few bumps on the road before it all works out. Also, my 4g device had some lte connectivity issues when I was in another city down south, forcing me to use 3G. I hope they fix these problems.
As for their 3G coverage, its pretty extensive, except, in Oklahoma there are large rural areas without native 3g coverage, instead more like roaming 1x (if I can even get the 1x data). Hopefully they'll fill that gap up. I usually get about 1 to 2mbps down and up to 1mbps up on 3G.
As for voicemail, they do charge for the visual voicemail access, unless you use a google voice number and forward to it for free transcribing.
Overall, I would still recommend LTE service (data card or phone) to anyone who can get it, or will get it in their area by the end of this year.
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EDIT (7/5/11): It seems the LTE network is getting populated, with more phones and devices.
Also, unlimited data is going away. While I figured this was going to happen, what I am NOT happy about is that the minimum data plan required would be 2GB for 30 bucks (really?), with overages at 10 bucks per gig. Not to mention, 5GB at $50 and 10GB at $80. This is for smartphones. This is lot more expensive that AT&T or Sprint (and even T-Mobile, which sucks cuz they're being bought). I'm pretty sure Verizon will justify by using 'the best network' claim, but people's budgets are already thin nowadays, and not to mention this.
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 | | | 4G/3G issues are minor. I really like my Thunderbolt. But being the first LTE phone has brought some challenges. I understand why Apple has not implemented 4G as it requires user participation, switching between the two, in order to make it work well. The bugs will get worked out though. Great speeds around 13 mbps down and above 3, up to 5mbps upload pleases me. The upload is much faster that my wired cable modem, AOL Time Warner is that provider.
I have an unlimited data contract with the hotspot feature. My workplace filters heavily so I look forward to having access to the Internet for personal use during breaks and to stream music and talk shows of my choice as I work. I never thought I would pay for media consumption this way, but then I never thought I would buy pure water either. | |
| | | LTE mifi device can't access some pages? We just picked up an LTE mifi device from Verizon and are testing it out. Super fast - but strange things are going on. It's odd that some pages simply won't load on computers connected through the device. Many are working, but here are a few that simply refuse to load:
www.speedtest.net
www.verizon.com
www.ups.com
These load fine on other computers next to me that are connected to our DSL connection.
Any ideas what is going on here? | |
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 Review by dataice
member for 9.2 years, 1852 visits, last login: 1 days ago
updated 178 days ago
- Crisfield,Somerset,MD
- $80 per month
- about 1 days
- "Excellent Nationwide 3G Coverage."
- "Expensive. 5 GB monthly data cap."
- "Unbeatable 3G coverage. The 5 GB data cap is a disappointment, but otherwise am pleased with the service"
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05/21/11: I just started service today and I will provide a more detailed review once I run it through its paces. So far 3G coverage area has been excellent, even in rural areas. I purchased the Verizon branded Novatel Wireless USB760 USB modem at Wal-Mart for $130. I didn't want to commit to a 24 month contract so I decided to go with their prepaid offering instead. The service cost $80 for 30 days of service and 5 GB of data usage. The software required to connect is stored on the device itself, making setup foolproof. The software allows you to keep track of usage, and also allows you to purchase an additional 30 days of service. If you go over your allowed usage before your 30 days are up you can purchase a new card from the software and the clock starts over.
06/03/11: So far I am very impressed with the coverage and speeds in my local area. The speeds are far more consistent than they were when I was using AT&T Wireless Broadband. Not to mention AT&T has a 2GB cap for the same cost. Verizon Wireless Broadband is comparable to a entry level DSL connection. The 5 GB data cap is a huge disappointment. I have been averaging 1.1-1.4 Mbps down and 500-800K up here at home. This is my only option for broadband at home because my local Verizon central office has been oversold and Verizon has no interest in upgrading it to allow for more capacity. This will do for now until I move next year. It's certainly better than dial-up. I feel the cap should be increased to at least 10 GB which is what it is for their post paid customers. Their prepaid customers are paying the full unsubsidized price for the USB modem after all. I'm patiently waiting for Verizon to upgrade my area to 4G LTE. However, being in a rural county we are probably far down at the bottom of the list. They didn't upgrade our area from 1x-RTT speeds until 2009. There are neighboring towns in this county still on 2G. So for now I can live with 3G. I don't expect 4G coverage for at least another 12-18 months. Otherwise I am very pleased with the service so far.
08/17/11: No service issues to report. Now that I am back in the central office with Verizon DSL I only use my USB dongle for broadband when I am traveling or visiting friends or relatives away from home. It does what I need it to do when I need it, but it's expensive for what you get.
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 Review by HB
member for 235 days, 57 visits, last login: 198 days ago
updated 199 days ago
- 00000
- $50 per month
- (24 month contract)
- "Reliable, fast, low latency"
- "5GB cap and $10/GB overage fees"
- "Way better than I had anticipated"
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When my Megapath/COVAD T1 went down for the zillionth time my small business was stuck yet again without phones, fax or Internet service. I had to ship an urgent job with Fedex and needed to file my SED for export (requires the Internet). Long story short I ran over to Verizon Wireless to pick up a Verizon branded 4510L MiFi 4G LTE hotspot. They explained how it worked, up front pricing and set me up with an account. It all went down in about 30 minutes and I walked out with the device.
Got it fired up and it synced in about 45 seconds to a minute and provided 12Mb down and 3Mb up. I was floored as this is in an interior office of a concrete tilt-up building. And obviously the MiFi device allows connection sharing so I was able to get a few of the office computers connected and I was able to ship my job. I was also surprised to see sub 100ms latency reliably. A far cry from the 200-300ms I see with my AT&T 3G iPhones.
It works so well I dropped the 3G plan for my iPad and am just going with the MiFi since the battery lasts me more than 4 hours with minimal power savings settings. It would probably do more if I turned on those power saving features.
The only drawback is the low usage cap, but since this is a backup for my horrible T1 I don't use that much data. Lucky for them it is capped because I would be using it all the time. The overage fee is darn steep too at $10/GB but they were upfront about it. I certainly knew what I was getting into before signing a 24 month deal.
Device: Verizon MiFi 4510L 4G LTE
Price: $50/mo+taxes and junk fees for 5GB/mo ($80 for 10GB is an option) Overage fees are $10/GB
Typical Speed: 12Mb/3Mb
Typical Latency: 90-100ms
Overall I am very pleased and if the iPhone 5 has 4G LTE I will definitely switch.
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 Review by econman
member for 9.5 years, 19 visits, last login: 217 days ago
lodged 217 days ago
- Carrollton,Denton,TX
- $60 per month
- (24 month contract)
- about 1 days
- "effectively 100% reliable. Have not had an outage or shutdown in years. Before FIOS, this was commonplace, especially anytime"
- "Poor quality technicians on the "TV side" who like to manupulate your router settings"
- "Great for Internet"
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The internet side of my Verizon FIOS service is outstanding. I have found the techs well trained and the service for years has run darn close to 100% up. I have never noticed an outage. I especially enjoy the strong upload times as I work from home a lot via VPN. The negative is the TV side. The TV has good uptime but *if* you ever experience a problem, say with a STB acting up in need of replacement, they are trained to want to Hard Reset your router; something especially annoying if you've spent time configuring for various special purposes as I have. They always ask permission but when you say "NO" it results in a lengthy wait to talk to a supervisor to convince them you've already done the detective work regarding cause and effect (yes Mr. Phone Tech I really do know it is a bad STB because I have switched them and observed the logical results! 
I have the $50/mth package. Wired I get about 20/12 but usually I'm using wireless so that limits my speed. However, I do use a wired connection for my PS3 and XBOX and that makes all the difference in the world.
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 Review by IowaCowboy
member for 1.3 years, 447 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 220 days ago
- Indian Orchard,Hampden,MA
- $50 per month
- (24 month contract)
- about 1 days
- "Solid, fast, reliable."
- "Low bandwidth allowances"
- "4G is comparable to a cable modem"
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I had the new AT&T MiFi for a little under a month for $60 for 5GB of usage. The reason I switched to Verizon is due to the high cost of the AT&T DataConnect plans and their lack of options even though I've been loyal to AT&T for six years and counting. Cost is a big driver for me. I like to have mobile broadband, but I only need it occasionally. Verizon offered me a MiFi Novatel 2200 MiFi Free with a 2 year agreement and they were running a promotion of 3 GB for $35 per month, which is a much better deal than AT&T 5GB @ $60 per month. I don't use the computer outside the house more than a couple of times per week so the 3GB/$35 per month fit my lifestyle perfectly. I went to the Verizon Wireless store at Holyoke Mall in Holyoke, MA and the sale of the device took less than 15 minutes. I went home and the setup was straightforward and I was online in less than 10 minutes. I did have a minor glitch with it dropping connections when connecting via the USB cable to my MacBook Pro but the solution was just a reconfiguration of the Network Preferences in the Mac OS software and did not warrant a call to tech support. Connection speed is about average for a cellular connection. It is not as fast as my cable modem but is not as slow as dial up either. I would compare the speed to the average DSL connection. So the bottom line is that Verizon Wireless has mobile broadband plans to fit every need and lifestyle, although it is intended to supplement a wireline connection and not replace one.
Update 6/24/2011
I just got the Novatel MiFi 4510L and it works great. They let me get full discount upgrade pricing (even though I bought the 2200 6 months ago) because they are upgrading my area to 4G. It is 6/24/2011 and Verizon is not scheduled to run 4G in Western Massachusetts until 7/21/11. I am currently getting moderate signal and my connection is comparable to a cable modem. I am using it right now to post this review. I did try the Samsung, but I exchanged it for the MiFi 4510L under the advice of the Verizon salesman and I find the Novatel works better than the Samsung. The only issue is that I could not keep my $35/3GB plan and had to kick it up to the $50/5GB plan. I would drop my home internet (Comcast) and use the VZW MiFi as my primary internet connection in a heartbeat (considering the many problems I've had with Comcast) but the VZW plans go up to 10 GB and I use an average of 12 GB per month on my home connection (which would get costly with the MiFi and you cannot connect ethernet devices to it and you can only have a maximum of 5 devices online at once and I have 5 devices that are online 24 hours a day (2 TiVo boxes, Wii, PS3, Apple TV, HP Printer). I also have as many as 2 computers online at once also.
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Review by sweyers
member for 245 days, 19 visits, last login: 80 days ago
lodged 245 days ago
- Grimes,Polk,IA
- $60 per month
- "it's better than dial-up and satellite, account is old enough to be unlimited so no overages/throttling at routine 10+ GB/month"
- "usb720 paired w/ kyocera kr1, drops connection all the time (sometimes several times/hr)"
- "only get this for everyday internet if your only other options are dial up and satellite"
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well, to say the least this connection is extremely annoying, can't wait to get rid of it (we are now month to month) we are approximately 1/4 mile away from cable (mediacom) and dsl (qwest) but neither wants to actually bring service to our neighborhood of 10 houses and has remained that way for 6+ years. extremely frustrating. nonetheless, this is our best option at the moment. none of the ping issues of satellite and less congestion. the problem is this thing literally drops connection every 15 minutes sometimes with 3-4 bars of signal (4 is the most) anyway, a new subdivision is going in across the street and is bringing with it a local wireless company that i do not know much about except that they are dragging their feet actually hooking up the new service. i can't take much more of this verizon wireless bs. if it actually stayed connected it would be decent but it doesn't. PLEASE do not get this as a replacement for actual cable/dsl/fiber if you can get it, it just is not worth it.
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Review by decifal
member for 4.9 years, 1421 visits, last login: a few hours ago
lodged 246 days ago
- Bon Aqua,Hickman,TN
- $60 per month
- "Faster than dialup"
- "Just barely faster"
- "Its okay, but in my area the towers just don't seem to be well supported.."
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Its verizon wireless through a reseller, but verizon service nethertheless. There are times its faster than normal, but during the somewhat peak times its slow as hell..
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 Review by rosea1961
member for 7.8 years, 329 visits, last login: 16 days ago
updated 299 days ago
- Livonia,Wayne,MI
- $80 per month
- (24 month contract)
- about 1 days
- "Strong Signal, Reliable Service, Easy Install,,"
- "10Gb Data Cap!!! 4G now in Michigan!!!"
- "Had Sprint for 4 years, No Signal,,Got Verizon,, And Ruled The Airwaves"
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Looked and shopped around, Verizon had the best coverage with consistent signal strength. Just Got the VL 600 modem for Verizon 4G LTE. Consistent speeds of 12M/7M all day long, no drops always on so far!!
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Review by mjscnb
member for 4.8 years, 14 visits, last login: 3 days ago
lodged 299 days ago
- Mercer,Mercer,MO
- $55 per month
- (24 month contract)
- about 1 days
- "Decent Speed"
- "Price, Limits"
- "Decent, but not great"
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I have broadband at home, through Grand River Mutual Telephone, but it is extremely slow. so when I purchased a new netbook, I decided to get it through verizon. The service is a little pricey, but since you can basically take it anywhere, its not a terrible deal. Wish they would up the limits per month though... that's really the only bad thing I can say about it.
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