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to Max Signal
Re: Formerly Unlimited (really) 3G cardHow is 50Gb on 3G even a consideration? Realistically I don't see how anyone could ever use more than 1-2Gb. I tried Virgin Mobile on Sprint and it was so slow it I couldn't even open a web page! How would Millenicom be any better?
Besides Millenicom is a SCAM from the beginning, it requires the purchase of the mobile broadband device for $99.99, a one-time set up fee of $49.99 and a $15.00 shipping fee to get the account started. |
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Max Signal
Premium Member
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY |
Check out download speeds reported on this very forum by Millenicom/Sprint users . Virgin customers do no get access to the same back haul as Millenicom/Sprint customers . That is why Virgin was much cheaper. May not be right but that was little trick Sprint used to justify much lower price for Virgin data versus Sprint 3G. Sorry you had a bad experience with Virgin data offering . But in no way can you paint Millenicom /Sprint data with the same brush |
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criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Nov-30 12:06 pm
Let me second the motion. When I had unlimited 3G with Sprint, I regularly downloaded between 15 and 20 gigs a month, with no problem. When it works, it works fine.
Unfortunately more and more video streams no longer work with 3G connections, even ones that are operating in spec (minimum of 600kbps). If they did, I'd be switching back to the 50 gig Millenicom package so fast it would make your head spin; unfortunate.
There is unlimited 4G available out there from Clear. Unfortunately they throttle if towers experience enough traffic, and they don't offer the automatic switchover if you're in a non-4G area, a critical consideration since the Clear WiMax 4G rollout became frozen in place incomplete several months ago.
Wireless 'N' WiFi DOES offer an unlimited 4G/3G 5 gig combo, utilizing Clear for the 4G and Sprint for the 3G. Unfortunately you still have to deal with Clear's throttling. In addition, who knows how much longer Sprint will allow that reseller to include Sprint's 3G as part of their package?
In fact, at this point, if one wants unlimited 4G without throttling, versus the only option is a Sprint smartphone through tethering.
One also had that option, for a while, with Verizon Wireless smartphones, but they took that away too.
However both Sprint and Verizon Wireless now offer 4G phones with docks that mimic the computer experience. I gather the docks can even be hooked up to computers so one can operate the phones remotely (others here may know more about that, and whether that's accurate). Sprint offers the combination of the Photon phone and the Motorola Lapdock for a total of $450. Verizon Wireless offers the combination of the Razr and the Moto Lapdock for $500. This way you don't have to trigger the hotspot limitations. And Verizon Wireless now offers a special holiday offer of a 20 gig plan on their smartphones, which might make sense if you figure Sprint's about to kill their unlimited smartphone 4G deal (as many believe).
I'm seriously thinking about this option. If I sacrifice some of my news viewing I could bring myself down to 40 gigs a month, I think, and go with Verizon Wireless (assuming Sprint kills unlimited 4G on their smartphones). Then I only need two smartphones and the lapdock. I already have the HDTV and the external hard drive. The monthly cost with Verizon Wireless would be $160. If I went with the Sprint combo, the monthly cost would be $70, but if they impose a data limit I would still probably be better off with Verizon Wireless, since LTE is superior to WiMax.
Hmmm. |
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Jim_in_VA (banned)
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA
1 edit |
to ArizonaSteve
There are many rural customers that use a 3G connection for their primary internet access. Therefore even a 5 GB cap is often not sufficient for their needs. Millenicom offers 50 GB per month with their Sprint plan. You do not have to buy the modem, you can buy your own and, thus remove the $99.99 from the total. That is called the BYOD plan which is clearly stated on their website. To say Millenicom is a "SCAM" could not be further from the truth. Perhaps you should ask the Millenicom customers here at dslreports if they feel its a scam: » Millenicom |
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Jim_in_VA, all the high fees just to get started before you can even see if it works sure looks like a scam to me! Cricket and Virgin Mobile work the same way and both are scams, they are so slow here you can't even open a web page but you wouldn't know that until you buy their proprietary 3G modems. How would you get your own modem to work with Millenicom? I don't know of any way to do that unless you have the right kind before hand but they don't even tell what kind would work. Also you would somehow magically have to have it re-flashed with Millenicom firmware but how could anyone do that? Actually they couldn't so it's still a scam as far as I can see. |
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Jim_in_VA (banned)
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA
1 edit |
Quite simple. You buy a Sierra 597,598 or a Novatel U727, 760 off of Ebay ...usually for less than $25. Ask the seller to guarantee a clean ESN.
Millenicom is a 1 month commitment. If you are not satisfied, you cancel the account. No ETF. and you're done
Millenicom does not have any "firmware" they install. The modems used are exactly the same you would buy from Sprint. ANY modem that works on Sprint will work with Millenicom.
My suggestion is to buy your own modem, activate it on their BYOD plan, and enjoy 10X the data cap you'd get with Sprint directly.
A simple plan |
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to ArizonaSteve
Millenicom has a tech chat on their website where you can ask questions ahead of time.
I went over and asked them numerous questions.
If you already have a sprint 3G modem (can't be 4G or 3G/4G hybrid) you sign up and pay the $49 activation fee plus the monthly fee of $69.99 (which is still cheaper than my monthly bill from Hughesnet). If, within 24 hours of activation, you find that it does not work you can contact them to cancel the service for a full refund. If Sprint works for you already then you can be fairly certain Millenicom will work because it just brokers a deal with Sprint to use the 3G stuff.
criggs, I should have specified that I meant you should request a credit to your account IF they go ahead and violate your contract. But do be sure to let them know of your intentions in writing. You may want to send the letter certified return receipt so they can't claim they never got the letter. Have your lawyer friend confirm that you signed and sent the letter if they try to give you grief.
How do you check your usage btw? I know that Hughesnet has a thing to tell you the hourly usage although it has a problem because it miscalculates a lot.
The opera thing sounds cool. I wish I could stream music and such on Hughesnet, but it sucks too much for that. Hence my intention to get a new ISP asap. |
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mojo1
join:2006-12-05
Victoria, TX |
to Jim_in_VA
I have a 2 month old Sprint MiFi 4G for sale...  |
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criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY |
to suceress
said by suceress:I meant you should request a credit to your account IF they go ahead and violate your contract. But do be sure to let them know of your intentions in writing. You may want to send the letter certified return receipt so they can't claim they never got the letter. Have your lawyer friend confirm that you signed and sent the letter if they try to give you grief. Good advice; thank you. said by suceress:The opera thing sounds cool. I wish I could stream music and such on Hughesnet, but it sucks too much for that. Hence my intention to get a new ISP asap. If you're an opera fan, I suspect you'll really like my brother's web site, » :OperaCast.com . It is a program guide for all live operatic programming around the planet that's available on line, with links to all the live streams. Invaluable. I leave one of my browser windows on their schedule pages every Saturday and Sunday, which are the busiest opera broadcast days of the week. |
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1 edit |
to Jim_in_VA
Jim_in_VA,
>Quite simple. You buy a Sierra 597,598 or a Novatel U727, 760 off of Ebay ...usually for less than $25. Ask the seller to guarantee a clean ESN.
Not that simple. This will never work. How do you get the modem flashed so it will work for Millenicom? I called a couple of cell phone stores around here and they all said they couldn't do that for a USB adapter. Some can flash a Sprint phone to work on Cricket but they don't know how to do a wireless adapter.
If a professional can't do it then I don't see how the average person at home is going to be able to do it! |
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Jim_in_VA (banned)
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA |
Jim_in_VA (banned)
Member
2011-Dec-2 11:41 am
Millenicom does the device activation on Sprint for you - you don't have to do a thing. |
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Well I emailed them to ask which devices work but they won't tell me. I don't know why it's such a big secret, they should post a list of suitable devices.
Also, even though they say there's no contract, to setup the service you have to give them a credit card that will automatically be billed $69.99 on the first of each month so if you don't like the service cause it's slow as Virgin Mobile and you can't use it then it would be nearly impossible to get them to stop billing you. You'd have to call the bank and have your credit card number changed to make the charges stop. |
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Max Signal
Premium Member
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY |
Any 3G only device originally issued by Sprint with a Clean ESN. Again you get Sprint data device network speeds not the same as a Virgin Mobile assigned device . They use different backhaul . That is how they kept Virgin Mobile cheaper. said by ArizonaSteve:Well I emailed them to ask which devices work but they won't tell me. I don't know why it's such a big secret, they should post a list of suitable devices.
Also, even though they say there's no contract, to setup the service you have to give them a credit card that will automatically be billed $69.99 on the first of each month so if you don't like the service cause it's slow as Virgin Mobile and you can't use it then it would be nearly impossible to get them to stop billing you. You'd have to call the bank and have your credit card number changed to make the charges stop.
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to ArizonaSteve
I used Millenicom for several years and had no problems stopping the service. All I had to do was send one email to stop the billing on my CC account.
You will be on the regular Sprint or Verizon data networks, the same as if you were a direct customer.
Most of the problems I see posted on forums about Millenicom has to do with a local Sprint or Verizon tower. In other words if you are getting poor speeds on your local cell tower Millenicom can only report the problem to Sprint or Verizon. After the iPhone was available on the Sprint network my local tower was next to unusable for a data connection. On the other hand in different areas people report very fast speeds, the same applies to Verizon. |
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to ArizonaSteve
ArizonaSteve, which modem you choose depends on what router (if any) you plan to use. The following Sprint compatible modems work with the Cradlepoint MBR1200 router (which comes highly recommended) but is rather pricey. I think it's about $150 on wireless n' wifi and usually retails over $200 or even $300 on some sites. Franklin U300 Franklin CDU-680 Novatel MiFi 2200 Novatel U720 Novatel U727 Novatel U760 Sierra Wireless 595U Sierra Wireless Compass 597U Sierra Wireless Compass 598U Sierra Wireless 250U Franklin U301 Franklin CDU-550 ZTE TU-25 Sierra Wireless USB 598 Franklin U600 I recommend looking up reviews on the various modems to see which ones customers say perform the best and then looking for one online. I know the 3G store had some refurbished ones and stuff on clearance. I also recommend checking to make sure that the modem is Sprint enabled rather than Verizon enabled. I asked about some of the modems on the 3G store and was informed they performed about the same but it was the size of the modems themselves that differs. (from what I understand, the Mifi is actually a router as well as a modem). If you get the modem before signing up, you can even test your reception using the software found » shop2.sprint.com/en/soft ··· 20.shtmlI completely understand your wariness with this. It can be hard to trust companies when you've been burned before (or know people who have been burned). I am trying to be cautious and make sure things will work before I cancel my current ISP. Although mine is so bad that even if the speeds are slower it will still be worth it to have better latency and not lose signal whenever a hummingbird expels waste. |
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suceress, thanks for the info and link. They also have software for my U760 modem from VM but I don't think that will work since it's probably locked. Sprint wouldn't tell me anything by email and said to try the Chat feature, which I did. The chat person said that about any Sprint labeled modem would work but not ones from VM or Cricket since they are locked so it looks like I'm stuck with a couple of worthless modems I can't use. Also, they said the modem could be reprogrammed with new firmware over the air.
If I buy the modem from them it would cost me $220 just to try it to see if it works or about $120 if I bring my own modem and I'll still just be getting slow 1.2mb 3G speeds since they don't support 4G unless you go for the high priced $80 plan. That's just way too much expense unless I absolutely couldn't get anything but dialup.
I don't understand why it costs $49.99 for a "setup fee". It seems like that is just for reprogramming the modem to work with their service. If they are selling the modems then they should already come setup like they do for other services that don't have such a fee. It seems to me that if I brought my own modem then tried Millenicom they would reprogram it which would make it useless for anything else then I would be stuck with 3 useless modems.
Also I've since found out that some people are using Millenicom on Verizon but oddly there is no mention of that on their website. If I have a choice I'd rather use Verizon since they have better network coverage. |
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said by ArizonaSteve:Also I've since found out that some people are using Millenicom on Verizon but oddly there is no mention of that on their website. If I have a choice I'd rather use Verizon since they have better network coverage.
The Millenicom Standard Plan and the Advanced Plan is on the Verizon network. I used the Advanced Plan for some time and was very happy with it before moving on to WiMax. In my location Verizon has much better coverage and speeds than Sprint. |
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Max Signal
Premium Member
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY |
to ArizonaSteve
They don't mention it because they can't , They have a non disclosure agreement with the carriers advanced plan = Verizon Unlimited Plan = Sprint Why do they have a setup fee . I don't know maybe they have setup costs involved with the carriers . Bottom line , They are cheaper ( no taxes ) , you get more data and best of all you are locked into a contract if something better does come along. If 3G data is your only option , it is a no brainer. said by ArizonaSteve:suceress, thanks for the info and link. They also have software for my U760 modem from VM but I don't think that will work since it's probably locked. Sprint wouldn't tell me anything by email and said to try the Chat feature, which I did. The chat person said that about any Sprint labeled modem would work but not ones from VM or Cricket since they are locked so it looks like I'm stuck with a couple of worthless modems I can't use. Also, they said the modem could be reprogrammed with new firmware over the air.
If I buy the modem from them it would cost me $220 just to try it to see if it works or about $120 if I bring my own modem and I'll still just be getting slow 1.2mb 3G speeds since they don't support 4G unless you go for the high priced $80 plan. That's just way too much expense unless I absolutely couldn't get anything but dialup.
I don't understand why it costs $49.99 for a "setup fee". It seems like that is just for reprogramming the modem to work with their service. If they are selling the modems then they should already come setup like they do for other services that don't have such a fee. It seems to me that if I brought my own modem then tried Millenicom they would reprogram it which would make it useless for anything else then I would be stuck with 3 useless modems.
Also I've since found out that some people are using Millenicom on Verizon but oddly there is no mention of that on their website. If I have a choice I'd rather use Verizon since they have better network coverage.
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to xrayman
said by xrayman:said by ArizonaSteve:Also I've since found out that some people are using Millenicom on Verizon but oddly there is no mention of that on their website. If I have a choice I'd rather use Verizon since they have better network coverage.
The Millenicom Standard Plan and the Advanced Plan is on the Verizon network. I used the Advanced Plan for some time and was very happy with it before moving on to WiMax. In my location Verizon has much better coverage and speeds than Sprint. Both the Sprint and Verizon plans from Millenicom are excellent. |
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That's good to know but fortunately I don't need it anymore. When the wireless carriers first started coming out with data plans I thought it was going to be the answer because there was never any sort of internet service available at my house but the first 3 I tried didn't work well enough to be acceptable for anything. Actually T-Mobile worked OK but their data plan was insanely expensive at $50 for only 1Gb/mo. Since then however, CenturyLink put in a new fiber network down the street so I can get DSL now. |
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RamblinMan to criggs
Anon
2011-Dec-10 12:19 pm
to criggs
said by criggs:Wireless 'N' WiFi DOES offer an unlimited 4G/3G 5 gig combo, utilizing Clear for the 4G and Sprint for the 3G. Unfortunately you still have to deal with Clear's throttling. We have been using the Wireless N Wifi plan since October 2010 in four different locations. We have only used 3G when traveling between the four cities in an RV, so that cap hasn't concerned us. Our 4G usage exceeds 30GB EVERY month, and some months it has gone as high as 62GB (in Manhattan no less), and we have never experienced any sort of throttling. At what level is the throttling supposed to kick in? Those guys have been super nice to work with, with English speakers answering the phones even on weekends. They have always been quick to answer questions and great when we needed to make billing changes. The one time we had a problem last summer Karen had it resolved in less than 4 hours. I'm just sayin . . . . |
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criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Dec-10 2:42 pm
Very interesting, thanks. Especially considering the fact that I'm in Manhattan too!
It's looking more and more like I may go with Wireless N WiFi. I've also been hearing rumors that Sprint may kill the unlimited 4G on their smartphones as well, though of course they're still denying that.
The telltale sign which makes me thing they're lying is the data count on my personal Sprint page.
When I first got these two accounts, the smartphone and the unlimited 4G modem, they kept NO running count at all of the data I downloaded on the 4G network, only the 3G network. Since I sorta wanted to track my usage, just to know what it was, you see, I called them about that. They said point-blank "no need to, since it's unlimited; why tie up our resources with something like that?"
I took that to mean that they really didn't give a you-know-what, and unlimited meant unlimited.
Well, about a month BEFORE they yanked the unlimited on the 4G modem, a 4G counter suddenly popped up on my account page for the unlimited 4G modem. And, of course, a month later they made the announcement that they were reneging on the unlimited 4G for the modem.
Well, here's the kicker: they've now instituted a 4G data counter on my personal account page for the smartphone as well! Not a good sign. They're still saying unlimited, but that's what they were saying a month ago with the unlimited 4G modem, so I'm getting a bad feeling about this. |
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to suceress
suceress, I picked up a Novatel U595 3G device at Goodwill and downloaded the Sprint SmartView connection manager to try it. I don't see how that will show anything since I don't have an account with Sprint and can't login and connect however. There's no way to check what speed I might be able to get. Sometimes it shows Sprint EVDO is available with full bars but other times it says Sprint 1xrtt is available. I think EVDO is only 1.2-1.5mb but 1xrtt is much slower!
That's the same problem I was having with Cricket and Virgin Mobile on Sprint, a 1xrtt connection at 27k or whatever is just way to slow to use for anything at all.
Also, if I were to take the plunge and try Millenicom and they upgrade the firmware of my U595 over the air so it can get their service will it be usable again after that if I don't want Millenicom or is it totally worthless after that since it wouldn't work with anything else again? |
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 dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO |
dib22
Member
2011-Dec-10 9:43 pm
said by ArizonaSteve: I don't see how that will show anything since I don't have an account with Sprint and can't login and connect however. Signal strength will be accurate, however, I have seen sprint devices never join evdo signals when they are not activated... that is until the ESN/MEID (serial number) is listed on the sprint network as active they wont even let the devices connect with EVDO. I think EVDO is only 1.2-1.5mb but 1xrtt is much slower! EVDO max down is 3.1mbps, however, the tower has to have backhaul to support that. Most sprint towers in rural areas have a single t1 so yes youd see around 1.2 max. 1xrtt max speed down is 153kps but normally runs in the 80-110 range on sprint. Also, if I were to take the plunge and try Millenicom and they upgrade the firmware of my U595 over the air so it can get their service will it be usable again after that if I don't want Millenicom or is it totally worthless after that since it wouldn't work with anything else again?
I don't think mcom puts any custom firmware on devices... the sprint network might update the firmware if it is required. If you tried mcom and didn't like it, once the ESN/MEID (serial number) for your modem was cleared out of sprint's system you could use it on sprint proper (or resell it etc). |
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to ArizonaSteve
Well, we took the plunge and got Millenicom. It required 4 bars of signal to get the software on the computer updated to make it work. Unfortunately it seems that for whatever reason we were only getting 2 bars in the same spot we previously got 5. But we were able to take the laptop outside (the modem has to be plugged directly into the computer) to a good spot and get it loaded. Tech support is in the US and they don't follow scripts, so they were very helpful.
I don't have any amplifiers or antennas and I have a metal roof so it seems my signal gets interrupted for a few minutes every once in awhile, but I am still getting lower latency and faster speeds than Hughesnet.
I admit that I don't even know what 1xrtt is, but I think I saw that somewhere on the Sprint SmartView software thing.
I plan to get an amplifier and antenna to boost my signal and see if it helps to improve signal strength to make things more efficient.
Since Hughesnet is phasing out the modem I use and the Ku band satellite and I'm not eligible for the new modem using their Ka band satellite, this is about the only option I've found for internet out here. |
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suceress, an amplifier probably isn't needed if you get an acceptable signal outside. I don't get a very strong signal inside either even though all the wireless carriers have towers within a mile of my house so I put an antenna on the roof to use for all my wireless needs. After trying several different styles if antennas with less than acceptable results, I found that a Wilson Electronics Dual Band Trucker Antenna works very well and they only cost about $30 on Amazon. I got one with a threaded base and mounted it on a magnet mount and stuck it on the roof but you can also use a clamp on mount. It comes with about 20' of lead in cable attached but one drawback of the Wilson is they use their own proprietary FME connector on the end of the cable so you have to get a matching pigtail with either a connector on the end to match your device or a flat pad to place on the outside. The pigtails are available on ebay to fit just about any device however. I got an external pad to use on my Blackberry since it doesn't have an antenna jack but it works on the Sprint USB device too just by sticking it on the outside and gives me a full 5 bars. » www.amazon.com/Wilson-El ··· 06VSHE4/ |
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| ArizonaSteve |
to dib22
dib22, they have to reprogram the USB device with new firmware otherwise how are they going to get it to work with the Millinicom service? If they didn't it would still be able to only get Sprint. My concern is after it's setup for Millinicom will it ever be able to go back to Sprint again or is it now locked to Millinicom the same way the ones for Cricket and Virgin Mobile are locked to Cricket and Virgin Mobile even though that's on Sprint too? Has anyone ever tried to go back? |
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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO |
dib22
Member
2011-Dec-12 3:19 pm
said by ArizonaSteve:dib22, they have to reprogram the USB device with new firmware otherwise how are they going to get it to work with the Millinicom service? If they didn't it would still be able to only get Sprint. My concern is after it's setup for Millinicom will it ever be able to go back to Sprint again or is it now locked to Millinicom the same way the ones for Cricket and Virgin Mobile are locked to Cricket and Virgin Mobile even though that's on Sprint too? Has anyone ever tried to go back?
I dont think so... they re-sell sprint and they re-sell verizon, they do not maintain their own networks, or even their own virtual network. Mcom can only use sprint devices on their sprint plan(s), and they can only use verizon devices on the verizon plan(s)... you can't flip them back and forth. It is sprint and verizons DATABASEs that are locked... not their devices. |
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What dib22 said is correct, no new firmware is put on the device used for Millinicom service. The electronic serial number (ESN) or in the case of Verizon 4G the SIM card is what must be accepted by the Sprint or Verizon system before the device will connect. Your device must be able to work on the Sprint network in the case of the BYOD plan. Other Millinicom plans will require a device provided by Millinicom that will work on the correct cell company network. |
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to dib22
dib22, you don't know what you are talking about and shouldn't be making false statements. All the devices are DEFINITELY LOCKED just like cell phones are locked and there is no way to make the device recognize that it should be working on Millenicom unless it gets re-programmed.
Not only are they locked but they contain flash memory like a thumb drive that has drivers for the device on their specific network. If you haven't noticed, they load drivers and the connection manager to make them work when plugged in. That all needs to be replaced to make them work with a different ISP. |
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