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Review by sneakaround 
Posted: 188 days ago
member for 8.4 years, 651 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Staten Island,Richmond,NY
 Contract price not specified.
 "Internet while traveling"
 "speed"
 "If you need the internet while away from home this is great."
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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.
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Review by stenman
UPDATED: 192 days ago
member for 2.7 years, 47 visits, last login: 110 days ago
Salinas,Monterey,CA
 Business customer
$59 per month (24 month contract)
 about 80 days
"great for travel in urban areas of US"
"slow speed, 5GB monthly data cap with $50/GB surcharge if exceeded"
"not a good choice for reliable internet access or speed"
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I have been using HughesNet satellite "service" for the past 7 years and hoped to switch over to EV-DO wireless broadband. I found that I had excellent signal strength at my home and signed up for service on July 25th. Nearly 2 months later I do not have service and can connect only when I drive into town.
My nearest tower has had technical problems for the past 6 weeks and Verizon will generate a trouble ticket and then close it without resolving the matter or even bothering to send a technician out to check the tower. With only one tower to access I am totally at the mercy of Verizon's business practices which do not include providing timely technical support or repairs to problem towers.
The 5GB data limit per month is also not overly generous, especially when compared to the 350GB cap by Comcast.
Good for traveling and having Internet connectivity where you can leave a dead area and go to another or if one tower is down you may have access to a second tower. Otherwise it is not a reliable technology and Verizon makes the matter even worse with its dismal customer support practices.
Although I spent over $700 for an external antenna, mast, roof mount, cable, and amplifier, and get excellent signal strength of -72db t -79, my download performance from my local tower is usually worse than dial-up with speeds averaging under 16Kbps over the past month. With EVDO you are a prisoner of the performance of your nearest tower. If you live near an upgraded tower you may get great performance but according to Verizon network support personnel my local tower is not slated for upgrade for at least another months at the earliest.
[URL=http://www.speedtest.net][IMG]»www.speedtest.net/result/4781200···G][/URL]
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Review by StevenOracle
Posted: 215 days ago
member for 215 days, 8 visits, last login: 150 days ago
Desert Hot Springs,Riverside,CA
$70 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Coverage is extensive in So. Cal. I travel alot and always connect."
"The download speed seems to be getting slower. Less than 100kbs."
"Reliable and painfully slow connection via PCMCIA card."
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It seems that during the month of April, my home Verizon Wireless Broadband (VWB) network speed has slowed down. But to be certain, I am going to monitor the net speed over the next few weeks. I plan to post my experience now and again to document any improvement or deterioration. In past years I have been satisfied with VWB coverage and speed. But in the past month or two I have experienced a rising level of frustration with its slow download speed performance. Monitored download speed tonight ranged from 70 to 140 kbs and there were numerous page load time outs while surfing with IE8. Perhaps this is circumstantial evidence of the dreded Verizon Download Cap. Although Verizon offers "unlimited use" and recently issued a press release claiming there is no monthly usage cap, I would not be surprised if they are infact limiting user's download rates after total downloads exceed some amount. I would like to hear from all who have VWB cards or usb modems.
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 Review by Omega
Posted: 215 days ago
member for 7.3 years, 3766 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Cheyenne,Laramie,WY
$59 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Great for a secondary/backup internet"
"Bad for primary internet"
"Do not get unless you have no other options, or you travel a lot."
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I picked up this internet because I have been all over the country this past year. It is great for traveling, being at airports or being a temporary internet while waiting for a wired service.
But that's about it.
The 5GB cap is very low, but do-able if you are just surfing the internet and checking e-mail. Speed seems to vary by tower. I've gotten upwards of 1.5mbps, but lately I have been been able to pull off 256k. It's quite annoying. The price is hefty for the the service, but I will admit it is worth it in the sense that it is better having slow internet than no internet at all.
If I had to do it over again, I would still get this service, I just wish Verizon would update the current cell tower I am connected to!
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 Review by Jim_in_VA
UPDATED: 224 days ago
member for 5.3 years, 1122 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Cobbs Creek,Mathews,VA
Contract price not specified.
"Widely available, great alternative to satellite, mobile"
"5 GB cap with Verizon, price"
"Great for mobile applications, remote spots, satellite alternative."
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In my area there is Sprint and Verizon. I have and use both. Speeds are comparable with both but I give the edge on lower latency (ping) to Verizon. Depending on coverage in your area either one is a great alternative to satellite (been there - done that), and have the bonus of being mobile with coast to coast coverage. If there is no other broadband available in your area (DSl, Cable, Fios, Wisp), and internet service is important to you, then give it serious consideration. Read the forum posts, check the coverage maps, and make your choice.
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 Review by Robotics
Posted: 226 days ago
member for 6.1 years, 953 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Louisa,Louisa,VA
$59 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Works flawless 99.7% of the time speed is as advertised"
"Only bad thing I can think of is the 5GB cap (but I dont come close to it)"
"If you cant get cable/fios, this is your best bet for this area. Dont even think of getting satillite"
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Knock on wood, I have not had any complaints on this service. I have noted that on rare rare occasions the speed slows down a bit...but it may be the sites I visit.
For this area (Louisa) its the best thing out there if you CANT get Cable. You wont be seeing FIOS out here for a long time (if ever).
I would not suggest even giving the thought of going to Satellite. I know so many people out here that are so mad with their satellite service.
Over all I have suggested to many out here. Its the only thing out here if you cant get cable. Plus you can take it with you. The price seems a bit high, but it beats dial up by a long shot!
I'm very happy.
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Review by brasstown
UPDATED: 236 days ago
member for 1.7 years, 15 visits, last login: 130 days ago
Mckinney,Collin,TX
$59 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"speed and portability"
"have not found any yet except 5g limit...."
"good buy"
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Today my Wild Blue modem tapped out. After 3 years of fairly reliable service I've become ready for a change. Was not willing to pay for a service and parts charge when I have a Verizon tower 1/2 mile from the house. Three years ago the only feasible rural service was Hughesnet or WildBlue. So after 3 years I'v amortized the cost of the equipment so I don't feel bad dumping it.
Drove to a Verizon Store and bought one and took it home, installed software, and plugged in the USB modem. Simple as that... Much faster response time and download time. I use Filezilla to FTP pictures to my web site and the upload performance is very good. So far I'm happy and my next step is getting a Cradlepoint router so I can connect all my computers and setup a network.
All the Wildblue stuff will be taken out soon. Dish, coax cable, modem, etc.
Looking forward to using VZ on the road as we have a RV and campground WI-FI is a iffy thing.....
Two weeks later......
Purchased a Cradlepoint Travel Router for my modem and used my old Lynksys repeater to boost the signal to my wifes workspace. We both have laptops with WI_FI and so a router is a must have, else it is messy using sneakernet and sharing the modem. Router menus are easy to work. Best to leave at defaults if you don't know anything about routers. One setting that should be looked at is the amount of time the router will keep the modem up. I set mine at zero which keeps it up infinitely but also set it for "on demand". This will keep the connection alive but xmits will only take place when data is to be sent or received.
After 2 - 3 weeks of beating it up with pictures, email, and general web tomfoolery I am quite happy with the results. The one thing I watch out for is the usage levels. With more speed then my old Wildblue system I can squirt more data faster up and down which is like a drunk with a credit card.....
No more rain fade here or at the earth station, No more latency etc etc....
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Review by jww114
Posted: 236 days ago
member for 3.4 years, 38 visits, last login: 160 days ago
Springtown,Parker,TX
$60 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Speed ok"
"5 gig a month cap"
"all I can get out here but its faster than dialup"
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Its better than nothing. I installed it myself, easy...I get constant speed test of 900+ kb/s down 500+ kb/s up with full reception inside my house. The 5 gig a month bandwith cap makes me check my account alot for fear of going over. All in all its' better than the 2 tin cans and a string I had with dialup, just more expensive.
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Review by ksquared
UPDATED: 238 days ago
member for 247 days, 10 visits, last login: 235 days ago
Ridgway,Elk,PA
$60 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"better than dial up, cheaper/more reliable than satellite"
"still slow"
"gets me connected"
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i work from home and can no longer use dial up for my job. the local phone company refuses to bring dsl to my area, and i wasn't sold on hughes net satellite internet (even more so after reading all the reviews/complaints). so, my only other option was to go with wireless broadband.
i am on the fringe of the verizon broadband service area but can get enough of a signal on the USB 727 modem to work. i can even connect my vpn most of the time, although it drops intermittently. the external antenna that attaches to the modem does not help much, so i am looking at an amplifier/antenna set up to increase the signal. i have a tower within 5 miles of my house and i'm at a higher elevation, so i think the booster will really help.
my husband got a pc5750 card and kyocera kr2 router to use for his work. i tried it out on my desktop and am getting a much better signal with the pc card than with the usb modem, even when i swap out the card for the modem in the router. not sure why there would be any difference between the two but there is. i'm debating switching the modem for a pc card since it works so much better even with no external antenna or booster.
so, overall, i'm satisfied with what i have, but will be much happier when i can get a better signal.
UPDATE:
i purchases an antenna/direct connect amplifier kit from maximum signal. i am VERY happy with the result. my RSSI speeds were averaging -110 dBm.....now I am averaging -75 dbm and have 4-5 bars all the time in the vzaccess manager. i only needed to put the antenna in the attic to get that signal, but i may try it on the roof at some point as i believe it'll improve even more.
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Review by onelaidbk
Posted: 248 days ago
member for 8.6 years, 829 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Autaugaville,Autauga,AL
$59 per month
about 3 days
"Lower latency vs. Satellite"
"Rural tower only has T-1 back haul"
"Cheaper,and quicker than Hughes Net"
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Ordered Verizon Wireless via Millenicom with no contract.Best of all, no 5GB cap or $ 256.00
per GB overage fee.Verizon has been available for a while but could not live with the small
caps.Now I can finally ditch satellite.Every day browsing is much quicker,125-200ms latency,
compared to satellites 800-1200ms.The secure sites load 8-10 times faster.My average speed
is 1300/450.I can actually live with these speeds,and I'm saving twenty bucks a month.
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