Verizon Hotspot for internet access . . .

Rottiesmom · Dec 22, 2017

JohnD said:
Anyone out there using the Verizon Hotspot for internet access, how good is it.

I'm used to having Comcast Xfiniti now, but will be moving on soon and looking at Verizon as a solution.

I was at the Verizon store tonight and got pricing, but would like some feedback about it.

Also wondering if I'll need a booster or an external antenna of some kind.

I already am a Verizon customer and have had good cell coverage almost everywhere I go.

We've used Verizon Hotspot for years without any major issues. However, over the last year we have spent most of our time in our RV and at places that do not have Wifi and found we did go through our 10GB by 3rd week of month. We just updated our phone plan and we now have hotspots included in our plan so far it seems to work well and we are keeping the Verizon hotspot as a back up until we are sure the phone hotspot will work in most places.

travelin2 · Dec 22, 2017

We upgraded to Verizon unlimited data plan this past summer so we use cell connectivity more than local WiFi. Faster more secure. We don’t stream movies or games nor is it needed for work. If cell service is unavailable we’ll suffer through with available WiFi or just do without

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rxbristol · Dec 22, 2017

We used to use the Verizon MiFi, but over the last two years we just use our Verizon phones as a mobile hotspots and it works just as well.

TravelTiger · Dec 22, 2017

If you really want to delve into the mobile internet scene, here's an excellent resource for all things related. It's a paid subscription site for the indepth reviews and their forum, but worth it if you need personal assistance with your own set-up.

A lot of great free info too, especially learning the terms and what types of products do "what" to help you.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/overview/

I get no benefit by recommending this, just a great resource I found.

BTW, we use an AT&T hotspot and have not needed a booster. I have a window-mount antenna as well as a magnetic antenna I could use outside, but have yet to need them.

Shortest Straw · Dec 22, 2017

TravelTiger said:
BTW, we use an AT&T hotspot and have not needed a booster. I have a window-mount antenna as well as a magnetic antenna I could use outside, but have yet to need them.

Do you have the phone service too or a stand alone hotspot?

TravelTiger · Dec 22, 2017

Shortest Straw said:
Do you have the phone service too or a stand alone hotspot?

Our 2 iPhones are through AT&T. Then we have a Netgear Unite Explore 815S hotspot. We also have a mobile hotspot in the car/truck (we move it between the two), called a ZTE Mobley, that plugs into the auto's OBD-II port for power when the auto is running.

All of these are on the Unlimited Plus plan which gives us unlimited data, which may be slowed in high traffic areas after 22GB of use for each device. So far we haven't seen any slowdowns and we use about 75GB (total between all devices a month, with the hotspot using the most, about 45GB.)

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HornedToad · Dec 22, 2017

Shortest Straw said:
Do you have the phone service too or a stand alone hotspot?

I went to the AT&T store last month to set up my iphone as a hotspot.

The rep sold me a tablet for one cent and the unlimited 4G for $20 a month, half the cost of adding it to my phone. I used a whopping 268 MB last month.

I've found that AT&T has the best coverage in West Texas.

mlpeloquin · Dec 22, 2017

TravelTiger said:
If you really want to delve into the mobile internet scene, here's an excellent resource for all things related. It's a paid subscription site for the indepth reviews and their forum, but worth it if you need personal assistance with your own set-up.

A lot of great free info too, especially learning the terms and what types of products do "what" to help you.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/overview/

I get no benefit by recommending this, just a great resource I found.

BTW, we use an AT&T hotspot and have not needed a booster. I have a window-mount antenna as well as a magnetic antenna I could use outside, but have yet to need them.

Interesting web site, rvmobileinternet, that confirmed the WeBoost is the standard that all others are tested against. It also gave me some great information about the best antennas to pair with it. The indoor patch antenna, https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/pa...MIpre376yc2AIVE7vsCh3ebAUHEAYYAyABEgJQi_D_BwE , which I knew, and the outdoor truckers antenna, https://www.solidsignal.com/pview.a...MIsdH-woie2AIVEdNkCh2WJQkLEAYYASABEgLTo_D_BwE Got to get that outdoor antenna.

We do camp at two spots in isolated valleys that have "almost" "sort of" reception. Actually got one phone call out one time.

Update:

Found that the popsicle stick antenna quite adequate.

JohnD · Dec 29, 2017

Here is another question . . .

Can a wifi router be used in conjunction with a Verizon Hotspot to help increase the signal?

I have a fairly new Lynksys AC1750 Dual Band wifi router that I hate to let go to waste.

I'm guessing probably not . . . but worth a try!

danemayer · Dec 29, 2017

JohnD said:
Here is another question . . .

Can a wifi router be used in conjunction with a Verizon Hotspot to help increase the signal?

I have a fairly new Lynksys AC1750 Dual Band wifi router that I hate to let go to waste.

I'm guessing probably not . . . but worth a try!

John,

The reception and speed of the Verizon device will be the limiting factor. And since the Verizon mifi probably uses 2.4 Ghz, turning on another 2.4Ghz radio could even degrade performance in a crowded Campground because of channel contention and signal interference.

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jbeletti · Dec 29, 2017

JohnD said:
Here is another question . . .

Can a wifi router be used in conjunction with a Verizon Hotspot to help increase the signal?

I have a fairly new Lynksys AC1750 Dual Band wifi router that I hate to let go to waste.

I'm guessing probably not . . . but worth a try!

John - I use a Verizon MiFi "Home" device. It has an external antenna connector and an RJ45 network port. I connect it to a router via Ethernet and I turn off the WiFi in the MiFi. Works for me.

JohnD · Dec 29, 2017

I will be dropping my Comcast Xfinity as soon as I get the hotspot.

So I guess my router won't help.

Still have my previous Belkin Surf N300 as well . . .

jbeletti · Dec 29, 2017

JohnD said:
I will be dropping my Comcast Xfinity as soon as I get the hotspot.

So I guess my router won't help.

Still have my previous Belkin Surf N300 as well . . .

John - here's a link to the Verizon Home MiFi so you can determine if it's right for you, or dismiss it and move onto the next option.

JohnD · Dec 29, 2017

jbeletti said:
John - here's a link to the Verizon Home MiFi so you can determine if it's right for you, or dismiss it and move onto the next option.

I saw that one at the store, but the Verizon people steered me away from it.

Not sure why, although I'm not really interested in a home phone.

These are the two I was considering . . .

https://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/verizon-jetpack-mifi-7730l/

https://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/verizon-jetpack-4g-lte-mobile-hotspot-ac791l/

Not sure which one is better . . .

Shortest Straw · Dec 29, 2017

JohnD said:
I saw that one at the store, but the Verizon people steered me away from it.

Not sure why, although I'm not really interested in a home phone.

These are the two I was considering . . .

https://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/verizon-jetpack-mifi-7730l/

https://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/verizon-jetpack-4g-lte-mobile-hotspot-ac791l/

Not sure which one is better . . .

Go with the first one. We just received one last week and it is hands down better than any we have tried. Also, for my business, I had my business phone number ported over to Verizon so that we can have a home phone setup in our rig. My clients do not know the difference. I still have my cordless phone to use when needed and my cell number as well. We will probably get rid of it eventually but for now it is nice to have. FYI Verizon's data plan for unlimited is horrible once you go over what they allow before throttling you down. We also have an AT&T hot spot by Net-gear and so far it works just as good as the jet-pack and the unlimited plan is much more forgiving in that you have to go over the 22 gigs of data for three consecutive months before they throttle you down and even then the tower you are using has to be congested. If there is no congestion, they do not throttle you down.

TravelTiger · Dec 29, 2017

JohnD said:
Here is another question . . .

Can a wifi router be used in conjunction with a Verizon Hotspot to help increase the signal?

I have a fairly new Lynksys AC1750 Dual Band wifi router that I hate to let go to waste.

I'm guessing probably not . . . but worth a try!

John, there are router options that are suited specifically for using a hotspot as the internet source. We have a Pepwave Surf SOHO Router. Our devices that need internet connection use my internal wifi network through the Pepwave SOHO, that then is connected to the at&t hotspot.

JohnD · Dec 30, 2017

Picked up the Verizon Jetpack MiFi 7730L.

3G & 4G . . . charging it right now.

Won't start using it totally for a few days when my Comcast internet gets turned off.

Rdsharp · Jan 20, 2018

Do you guys run out of data though? We are using it as well but we run out of data? How much do you all seem to use?

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jayc · Jan 20, 2018

We go to several parks that don't have wifi, so we went with the Verizon unlimited plan. They offer 4G service until you reach 10-15 GB of usage. The first couple of months that we had the plan, I purposely ran a very high usage (50+GB) and although there was some slow down of service, it was still better than many RV park service. I guess we are in fringe areas without high demands.

JohnD · Jan 21, 2018

I've been using my Hotspot for about two weeks . . . and almost exclusively for the past week.

Just checked . . . I'm at .99GB used . . . and I've been using it with my laptop at work!

I only use it for web browsing and not streaming.

Verizon Hotspot for internet access . . .

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