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Prior to Embarq bringing DSL to my remote location, I used Verizon's USB modem to connect to the internet. Luckily I didn't have to pay for it...my employer foot the bill. Good thing too...no way I would've shelled out 70 bucks a month for this. The 24 month contract was as laughable as the monthly price. Then again, if you are without broadband, it is a better choice than satellite (as long as you have a decent cell signal and have access to EVDO). Speaking of which, my area (luckily) had EVDO Rev A, so speeds were decent (1.5mbps or so). Latency was rough (150-200ms), but much better than satellite. I was able to connect to Xbox Live successfully through my PC's internet connection sharing feature, but the latency made gameplay a little difficult. The 5GB caps are a joke...one ISO or a few heavy YouTube sessions and you're done. Verizon needs to take care of this, especially since many people use these cards as their primary internet connection. member for 18 years, 4483 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago updated 14.5 years ago
You can't do hardly anything besides do basic web browsing on this piece of crap. Contacting support as many "alltel" refugee's have found out is worthless. I don't play on xbox live anymore because their connection latency is so skiddish. I DO try to use it to download new content to get more out of the game but that doesn't even happen anymore. Everytime I connect to Xbox live this service disconnects me. I dislike this company, they ruined a decent company's network. At least with Alltel after I got my connection fine tuned it would stay connected more. 9/16/09 As the 2nd commenter said about my review, I don't have any other options at this time. As soon as I get another option that will work (satellite not an option, T1 too expensive) I am going to give them a shot and give them a fair chance just as I am doing Verizon. Also on another note: I have talked to a Verizon rep that agreed with Alltel on the part of me being in the "fringe" of service and that is where the majority of my problems come from. Weekends I don't even try to use the net cause it don't work the majority of the time. member for 17.6 years, 525 visits, last login: 13.6 years ago updated 14.5 years ago
It works great when it works, but the connection is not always the Broadband (Rev-A), antenna signal varies from -90dbm to -106dbm. Just not strong enough. Speed is hit and miss, sometimes lower than dialup. I am returning it within the 30 day trial period. member for 19.2 years, 308 visits, last login: 3.1 years ago lodged 14.6 years ago
UPDATE: 9-6-09 -Ended up taking the mifi device back and canceling the service (you get 30 days to test it). While the pings were much better than satellite and speeds more consistent, I couldnt justify the startup costs and getting locked into another 2yr contract. -Also the data cap is horrendous. All these companies tout that "rarely does the normal user go over 5GB in a month". Not sure who they consider a "normal" user, but 5GB is way too low for $67 a month AND a two year contract AND startup costs exceeding $100. This is not the year 2000, and their spin doctors are doing a poor job convincing all of us 5GB is reasonable. After about a week of testing I could tell that it was going to be way too low, especially if you have multiple computers in a household utilizing the connection. -Oh yeah, their rep on the phone said they do have a 10GB plan, FOR $199 A MONTH?! Give me a break. And if you go over their cap they charge by the MEGABYTE. And it isnt cheap. At least HughesNet has a 5 hour free window each day you can use for updates and large downloads, Wildblue has a rolling 30 day period but has more generous caps based on the plan you get, and Starband has a 7 day rolling period. -Anyways, seems Ill be with satellite indefinitely at this point. ------------------------------------------ ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW ------------------------------------------ -CONS- Cost: Too expensive, cell companies continue to gouge customers on pricing. Caps: Why? How is 5 GB chosen? It seems like nothing more than a random number, though Im certain they use some quasi formula to determine that 5 is the magic number to keep bandwith issues to a minimum or force overages for the ridiculous costs, but in todays market 5GB is paltry and pathetic, especially for $65.00+ a month. Honestly their caps are even worse than satellites. Contract: Still requires a 2yr contract unless you want to pay full price for the device (200+ dollars) -PROS- (*I am within an EVDO footprint with Rev.A so keep that in mind*) Speeds: More consistent than satellite, averaging 500k to 1M+ down, 200k-500k up, and pings at 100-200ms. Compare this to satellite which would have wild flucuations and pings 1000-2000ms. Equipment: Took maybe 10 minutes to get online, and with their new MiFi device allowing up to 5 wireless connections, you dont have to buy those overpriced routers designed for wirless internet cards anymore. As I stated earlier, this is a 24 hour first impression review. Ill update a couple weeks from now to see if anything has changed. So far my sticking point is going to be the 5GB cap, I will average my weekly usage to see if it is realistic, especially since updates to windows, etc can almost reach gigabyte levels at times. Other than the cap, if you are within the Rev.A footprint for wireless internet I would say it soundly defeats satellite (as far as service quality goes). member for 15.4 years, 1364 visits, last login: 7.3 years ago updated 14.6 years ago
I just signed up as an Alltel customer; you can still do so in some markets. Alltel's plans cost the same as Verizon, use the same towers, and will eventually be incorporated into Verizon's billing, but you can get UNLIMITED Internet access for the length of the contract (2 years). You can only pick from the limited selection of Alltel hardware; you can't get the new MiFi or anything else from the Verizon side. If you pick Verizon hardware, you'll be stuck with a Verizon plan and a 5 Gig bandwidth cap. I got the Huawei EC168, which has both cellular and WiFi radios and a MicroSD card slot. Supposedly it has GPS, but I haven't figured out how to enable it yet. It was free after mail-in rebate. Setup is extremely simple, all the software is built into the dongle; just plug it in and it's ready to go. I get about 1.5 Mbit download speeds, 350 Kbit upload. I live in a rural area, so service may be faster in the city. EV-DO Rev. A has a theoretical maximum of 3.1 Mbit. This was probably the easiest broadband install I've ever done. I was up and running in less than an hour after signing up (and most of that was the drive home). member for 22.2 years, 50 visits, last login: 12.6 years ago lodged 14.6 years ago
Bought Verizon USB 760 and tried for a couple months before dumping HughesNet. Best move I've made! Not much chance around here for cable or DSL, so this is a good choice for me. My home location is not technically within their 3G coverage. The closest tower is about 7 miles, line of sight. With my cheapie little plug in booster antenna I consistently get 80-90 RSSI and sometimes as good as 75. Speeds vary based on load on the tower. I LOVE that I can travel with the modem and have windshield time ISP access and don't have to worry about looking for Wi-Fi or what kind of ISP the hotel has, or camp off my kids connection. The 5G limit has been no prob for me as I'm not a gamer, or movie downloader. My only complaint is that I wish I had the new little modem/router combo that came available recently. Also, I first tried the USB 727, went through 2 of them, the body seems to be too heavy for the USB plug. I'm now on my second 760, the first one the solder came loose on the auxiliary antenna plug. Tech support has been very easy to work with. However, for something that is suppose to be portable, the USB modem is rather fragile. To fine tune my connection I suppose I need to set up a home LAN and will get to that soon. Probably need a more permanent antenna. member for 20.7 years, 141 visits, last login: 14.2 years ago updated 14.6 years ago
I have had VZW since 2000. When I first signed up our area was still analog, and I wouldn't always receive my calls. Once they went digital, I have not had any big problems since. I have went over my txt message limit once, and I called and had them change the package and had them back date it to absorb the overage fees. Anytime I have called Customer Service, I have never had to hold for more than about 3 minutes or less, and they have resolved my problem everytime I have called. Our Monthly Plan is 700 Minute Basic Family SharePlan with 3 phones. The monthly access charges before taxes are roughly 97.95 (that price includes insurance on all 3 phones, Unlimited Mobile to Mobile TXT/PIX/Flix package on 1 phone, and 250 Message Allowance on another phone. That price also includes a 20% discount that I recieve because of my employer. ) After taxes and everything else, its about $120. Just be careful about Megabyte usage. If you have a plan that does not include unlimited Megabyte usage, you will be billed 1.99/MB -- this is anytime you browse the Get It Now Catalog, Download from Get It Now, or Browse Mobile Web. Megabyte usage can be a little expensive. member for 19.8 years, 311 visits, last login: 10.5 years ago updated 14.7 years ago
Was a 5 year customer of Alltel. Now, with Verizon's takeover completed, customer service, unless you get a former Alltel rep, TOTALLY SUCKS! They can't read a bill, supervisors never call back, and they just plain suck. Alltel tethered at 300 down/100 up. No caps. VZ is like dialup. Latency is like 200-300ms on VZ. It was like 50ms on Alltel. WHY IN THE BLUE HELL DID ALLTEL SELLOUT TO THESE LOSERS? EVEN ALLTEL REPS ARE LIKE, "YEAH, I KNOW THEY SUCK!" I cancelled them since no contract. I am not dealing with VZ wireless or Satan or AT&T. I'd rather live in a bus down by the river than deal with VZ Wireless's incompetence. Go on YouTube and search "Verizon Wireless Sucks" and laugh you rearend off. Alltel would get all 5s. VZ would get 0 if possible. They SUCK! member for 15.2 years, 529 visits, last login: 13.4 years ago updated 14.7 years ago
I am a big gamer wheather it be xbox or pc i play just about anything... If your looking to to have an extremely high ping and a 3 secound latency then this is for you... Bassicaly this is their only plan and ill just say it, "verizon broadband sucks" Their 5 gb cap is just an excuse to upgrade their hardware. There service can even be compared to dial-up. If verizon broadband was smart they would up their hardware and beat out their compitition whome all have the gay 5 gb cap. (just my opinion though) member for 14.8 years, 35 visits, last login: 14.4 years ago lodged 14.8 years ago
I use Verizon wireless while at work in the field. I can almost always get a connection, surprisingly even when I can't make a wireless call I can often connect with my laptop. If you need an internet connection while away from home then this is the way to go, but if you need a connection for your house then FiOS, DSL, or cable is the way to go. I have never needed to call tech support, the bill goes directly to my company, and the laptop I use had the hardware needed for connection pre-installed so I cannot comment on any of these points. member for 22.8 years, 3769 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago lodged 14.9 years ago |