verizon mifi 4g

[joey]

I just bought this today at walmart and it works great. They actually have it now where you can buy the unit and then buy a plan every month. I got the 3 gigs for $60 and the unit was $129.88 + tax.

 

[mockturtle]

I'll be eager to hear how you like it.  I need to get something similar and don't want a contract.

 

[joey]

It's doing great! I am camped in the middle of the National Forest and have a strong signal. I lost cell phone coverage about 15 miles from here. I will have to get a Verizon pre-pay phone now so I can make calls.<img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> I have a cheap one from straight-talk now.

 

[mockturtle]

Which service does your ST phone use?&nbsp;

 

[joey]

It rides off of the Verizon towers,but it isn't compatible with the mifi device. I already checked it. It was an older phone that had been refurbished and free.

 

[mockturtle]

Joey, I think I had the same phone!&nbsp; Free from ST.&nbsp; I barely got a signal anywhere!&nbsp; But I bought a better Verizon-network ST phone and it's excellent.&nbsp; Guess it just depends.&nbsp; Maybe a poor antenna in the first one.&nbsp; I don't want/need a smart phone.

 

[joey]

Yes,definitely the same phone. I've been looking at the pay-as-you-go phones with verizon. They have one for $49 + tax,and either do the $35 a month pre-pay or just when you need to add time.

 

[mockturtle]

I'm thinking I'll just get a Verizon USB modem and keep my ST 'dumb' phone.&nbsp;

 

[wandering mike]

FWIW, Millenicom has 20 GB of 3G/4G per month using Verizon towers for $69.99, no taxes. &nbsp;It is claimed to be unlimited if you get a USB stick, but they monitor you if you get above 50 GB they say. &nbsp;The equipment is the same mifi wi-fi router or USB stick pretty much as at Walmart and is even logo'ed with Verizon. &nbsp;It cost me something like $149 to get completely up and running including a partial month coverage. &nbsp;The do all renewals at the first of the month. &nbsp;The product is just the Verizon product being &nbsp;"resold" by Millenicom. &nbsp;My guess is they buy huge bundles of Gigs from Verizon and bet that everybody isn't going to use it all. &nbsp;Link: &nbsp;<span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://millenicom.com/plans/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://millenicom.com/plans/</span></a></span>

 

[blars]

AFAIK the millenicom "unlimited" plan is on sprint towers, so much lower coverage.&nbsp; technomadia did a couple of blog entries about getting cut off by millenicom recently for going over the 20 gigs and monitoring usage.&nbsp; Millenicom now has a weekly usage stat that they didn't before, but it still is hard to tell exactly how much you are using.

 

[wandering mike]

Yes Blars, I think you may be right. &nbsp;The unlimited plan may use Sprint, or at least Sprint is one choice and possibly the default choice. &nbsp;But when I ordered mine, I did chat with the guy about RV'ing and specifically wanted Verizon because of more towers and he agreed and he didn't indicate that would limit me to the MiFi. &nbsp;I would think that the stick vs. the MiFi shouldn't matter to Verizon. &nbsp;All they care about is the gig's that Millenicom uses. &nbsp;I have heard the Bring Your Own Device is limited to Sprint. &nbsp;As to overages, the unlimited plan says: &nbsp;<span style="color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: #f9f9f9;">The unlimited service is for personal and family use and is not to be used for commercial purposes or as a public WiFi or broadcast to multi-dwelling units or any other extraordinary circumstance. Usage over 50 gigabytes in one month will alert our investigative team.<br><br></span>I really don't like Millenicom's reporting either. &nbsp;Even the weekly sucks. &nbsp;I know that you can sign on to My Verizon and monitor usage, but I am hesitant to do so much since they "ask" that you not do so and they do seem to have a willingness to chop people off quickly. &nbsp;The FAQ says: "<span style="color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: #f9f9f9;">Millenicom&nbsp;does not have an agreement with our upstream carrier to utilize any of their resources other than their national footprint. Please do not attempt to utilize any usage information other than the two methods [email and support ticket] listed above." &nbsp;</span>I do get the sense they are a little sloppy with the limits, but if you blow by the 20 Gig by 10 Gig, you will probably get popped. &nbsp;Likewise, if you do 70 Gig on the unlimited, you also may well just get shut down. &nbsp;I am not close to the 20 gig, so it is not a big deal for me.

 

[Ballenxj]

VeriZon MiFi eh? I will have to subscribe to this thread to keep up with how you like it. Sounds like you do. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> <br>About the bad cell reception, it has been my experience that a lot of it depends on which phone you have. I usually read reviews about the phone I am considering first. <br>I and a buddy had the exact same service, but his phone that was different to mine seemed to always drop calls, and or loose service while mine was still working. I figure it had to be the design differences of he internal antenna's. <br>-Bruce