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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

dib22 to compuguybna

Member

to compuguybna

Re: New Broadband2Go device.

said by compuguybna:

Wonder if there is any prioritization with this device on VM / sprint towers? What I mean, is that I know I get terrific speeds with my tablet.....I don't any less from the Mingle.

No idea, but even with cdma I never ever saw "priority" in action... even with a sprint card next to a broadband2go card...

With the mingle I have topped 20 Meg in several tests... I am finding the orientation of the mingle really matters... I was a bit disappointed with the sprint lte speeds until I turned it around and then it really stated cranking out the speed.

So far my only disappointment is with the price per gig Too bad I couldn't use my old unlimited account on this new device (and still have access to LTE)

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

1 recommendation

compuguybna

Member

OH YEAH, orientation means everything with these devices.
I had to stand my UNITE on its side with the power button on the right. its amazing how signal and speed change depending on orientation.

AT&T has the UNITE for $99 on prepaid. Its the typical 5GB/$50. since LTE appeared here instead of flaky HSPA (fake 4G),
I'm sure speeds are awesome - - When I had it before, I hit 40+ in a full LTE market.

the only thing about the MINGLE that's appealing is being able to float the account for one year as long as you re-top.

AT&T prepaid req. a top up every three months of $15.... I'm sure their marketing dept did that for more revenue.

Interesting to hear more feedback on the battery life of the 1800 maH battery on the MINGLE. I know the 4200 maH on the Unite was awesome.

I just ordered my sister a Galaxy Tab 3 just like mine for $49.. 1GB = $10 data plan. on sprint LTE. Sprint has top LTE coverage here, and its pretty well unloaded because this is a rural town.
said by dib22:

said by compuguybna:

Wonder if there is any prioritization with this device on VM / sprint towers? What I mean, is that I know I get terrific speeds with my tablet.....I don't any less from the Mingle.

No idea, but even with cdma I never ever saw "priority" in action... even with a sprint card next to a broadband2go card...

With the mingle I have topped 20 Meg in several tests... I am finding the orientation of the mingle really matters... I was a bit disappointed with the sprint lte speeds until I turned it around and then it really stated cranking out the speed.

So far my only disappointment is with the price per gig Too bad I couldn't use my old unlimited account on this new device (and still have access to LTE)

compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

No virgin mobile mingle's today at BestBuy. In fact, NONE in Middle Tennessee.
There was a place for it on the peghook and a sign that said "this product is available in other places in the store as well". Not sure what that meant.

I took the SKU # to the returns desk, and they confirmed no stock in store, and no surrounding stores.

they would not give me any information about if they'd sold what they had, or if there were any on order. i'll just call and pester them everyday since they were so evasive.

anyways, if anyone wants to check sometime at your local BB for these, I have the stock information.

UPC 6-06449-10111-9
SKU 5397002
compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

The "info" screen looked tiny. I compared it to the Netgear UNITE by AT&T.

The Mingle has a 1.7 inch screen versus the 2.4 on the Unite.

Looks like the same information displayed on the Unite device, but it must be tiny on the Mingle.

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

dib22

Member

said by compuguybna:

The "info" screen looked tiny. I compared it to the Netgear UNITE by AT&T.

The Mingle has a 1.7 inch screen versus the 2.4 on the Unite.

Looks like the same information displayed on the Unite device, but it must be tiny on the Mingle.

It is pretty small, it looks better than the overdrive screen quality wise, but not nearly as nice as the one on the $300 hotspots

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

UPC was in WalMart's system today, but none on order . . . .
compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

Re: New Broadband2Go device---NOT IMPRESSED!

ordered, and received a MINGLE today. NOT IMPRESSED!

I had my Sprint Tablet and the ZING side by side. SAME BAND B25.

Different signal levels, and TOTALLY different speeds.

They're routing the VM traffic thru some other server... APN is r.vmu.ispsn.

i'll post a full review from my standpoint later on with screenshots.

VERY STRANGE how TWO SPRINT LTE devices on the same tower are different.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

and the 1800maH battery lost 14% in about 8 minutes.

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

1 edit

dib22

Member

said by compuguybna:

VERY STRANGE how TWO SPRINT LTE devices on the same tower are different.

If you want the sprint route, sign a 2 year

The one thing I do like about the vm service on LTE is that they don't hi-jack DNS like they do on EVDO (they do this on sprint contracts on EVDO as well)

I have done some battery tests... I basically have done a wifi baseline, so I have the mingle set to never power off wifi or radio... I then connected by wifi occasionally with a tablet and a laptop, so what I am really testing this round is just the device sitting there looking for wifi and every once in a while allowing that wifi to connect and only get the management page.

10:50 100%
12:30 99%
01:19 94%
01:44 90%
03:00 88%
05:42 81%
07:07 74%
powered off
11:00 73%
04:31 57%
07:03 47%
04:30 22%
08:00 14%
12:48 8%
01:08 3%

So at the very least having a LTE connection and minimal wifi processing occurring, and not moving any data to speak of (total lte data passed was around 1 gig that entire time) is very low power usage.

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Re: New Broadband2Go device.

Thanks for all the stats and feedback DIB. I was excited about the MINGLE. I liked the $5 daily 250mb, and the capability to keep the unit active with just 1 refill per year.
This is just a fill in device (not primary), so I don't need to use it all the time.
But the fact that 2 sprint lte devices behave so differently baffled me.

My sprint tablet is on contract. I got the $15 / 2GB plan, and the tablet performs good on LTE.

AT&T's unite is what I'm going to settle with on the prepaid plan. Its plans are basically the same except for the daily plan. I get 4 bars on it, good signal, 12+mpbs, and better battery life.. I already have 75$ in a gophone account for a flip phone I never use, so I can build on that.

Now, gotta argue with VM to get the MINGLE sent back.
compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

Virgin Mobile "refused" my review on their website. guess they can't accept negatives(the truth).
It took me 41 minutes 47 seconds on the phone to get an RMA, only after asking to speak to a supervisor..
compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

Re: New Broadband2Go device SUCKS!

Argued with VM Broadband2GO 30 minutes that I have NO signal (Although I have 3 bars on my sprint tablet)........Sprint is definitely doing something to VM devices.

and woo hoo, look at the signal on my at&t unite (netgear) device....14.7mpbs....
compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

Re: New Broadband2Go device.

 
Continued

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

2 edits

dib22 to compuguybna

Member

to compuguybna

Re: New Broadband2Go device SUCKS!

said by compuguybna:

Sprint is definitely doing something to VM devices.

They route it differently, but they always have, nothing new there.

Signal differences are most likely due to the different lte radios.

Still no issues here, pretty consistent 18meg or better downloads... but I don't have a contracted sprint device to compare to, our main devices are ATT these days.

If you have no signal on the VM device and do on the sprint device my guess is your have a defective VM device, OR it isn't provisioned properly on their network.

By the way you can get to that same screen on the mingle in the admin page, select settings, then network, then status details.

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Ummm, I did post those screens from the MINGLE...

One shows the 3G(EVDO)RSSI, and the other shows the 4G(RSRP)

The ATT device shows the BEST signal @ -88.
said by dib22:

said by compuguybna:

Sprint is definitely doing something to VM devices.

By the way you can get to that same screen on the mingle in the admin page, select settings, then network, then status details.

compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

No more $5 a day plan for 250mb.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Our Broadband2Go plans have changed. If you switch to another plan, you will not be able to switch back to the $5 /1 DAY ONLY plan.
(from the virginmobile account portal)

the $5/1day/250mb plan is NO LONGER. If you didn't sign up for it originally, you won't see it.

if you originally signed up on it, you can still renew it, but if you change plans you can NOT go back to it.

another way to making users pay $25 for 1.5gb.....

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

dib22

Member

Totally wierd, they list it on the website:

»www.virginmobileusa.com/ ··· overview

But it wouldn't be the first time they forgot up to update their webpage

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Re: New Broadband2Go device.

The message was on the website on the account portal, as well as an email msg.

guess they're money hungry, and they want $25 instead of $5...

actually 1.5gb on the per day plan would yield them $30... but people probably don't use the daily plan that much, so less revenue.

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

dib22

Member

said by compuguybna:

The message was on the website on the account portal

I think they changed billing codes on the back end... on mine I see the $5/1day 250meg option... and all the other plans, I do see at the bottom it says

Important note: Our Broadband2Go plans have changed. If you switch to another plan you will not be able to switch back to the $55/1 month plan.

But no email here about it at all.... the only email is one they sent about the top 5% being managed, but that doesn't really apply to new broadband2go accounts, as they are not unlimited.

I think they changed plancodes on the billing system and the website is doing it's automatic "dont switch or loose it" response to seeing the old billing code.

If the email you got has details of the new plans, would you post them?

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

My account portal states...

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Our Broadband2Go plans have changed. If you switch to another plan, you will not be able to switch back to the $5 /1 DAY ONLY plan.

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

dib22

Member

said by compuguybna:

My account portal states...

Yea mine does too, on the $55 plan... that's why I think they just changed the back end billing code for the same plans...so the system is automatically alerting us like it does when they really retire a plan.

what did the email say?

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

I just happened to go back in look at my account, and now a 1GB for $20 is listed.
States Wal-Mart exclusive.
compuguybna

compuguybna

Member

Musta had a bad device. Tried another one, and it works fine.

Only 2 bars of LTE, but more than sufficient for a backup.