Community Forums

SteveUpp · 11-09-2018, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbopilot

Outstanding off to the Verizon store.

Bring your modem IMEI with you.

They will activate with a dummy imei then change it to your permanent IMEI

turbopilot · 11-09-2018, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveUpp

Bring your modem IMEI with you.

They will activate with a dummy imei then change it to your permanent IMEI

Tried to do it on line. Rejected current SIM.

SteveUpp · 11-09-2018, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbopilot

Tried to do it on line. Rejected current SIM.

I can only relate my experience. We went to a Verizon store, paid ($70 in cash) for the first month, and ~$11 for a new SIM. The person at the store, activated the SIM with what he called a dummy IMEI, and then changed the IMEI for that SIM to my Cradlepoint modem's IMEI.

Put the SIM in my modem and I'm off to the races.

Supposedly after enabling auto-pay the price for the account goes from $70 to $65 per month.

The sales person hadn't seen this type of account yet so he was surprised by it, you might have to show them the article to convince them it exists

SteveUpp · 11-09-2018, 10:34 AM

We haven't got a Verizon login working for this SIM yet... It appears that they are doing maintenance on their backend system and so far we've been unsuccessful in registering for auto-pay. We have the full month to activate it. We'll keep working on it and inform the forum if we're successful or blocked in an unexpected way.

Edit: fixed spelling

SteveUpp · 11-09-2018, 10:57 AM

Here's a link in a separate thread on Verizon unlimited and user BikesAndGuns has reported successfully enabling this plan. He had an existing account with Verizon so this might help others convert over if you already have an existing account.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/veri...ml#post4491188

turbopilot · 11-09-2018, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveUpp

Here's a link in a separate thread on Verizon unlimited and user BikesAndGuns has reported successfully enabling this plan. He had an existing account with Verizon so this might help others convert over if you already have an existing account.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/veri...ml#post4491188

Went to the Verizon store. They are researching the issue but claim the 15 gb cap applies to MiFi prepaid even though web site has no such limitation.

Let us know what happens when you blow through 15gb.

turbopilot · 11-09-2018, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveUpp

Here's a link in a separate thread on Verizon unlimited and user BikesAndGuns has reported successfully enabling this plan. He had an existing account with Verizon so this might help others convert over if you already have an existing account.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/veri...ml#post4491188

Verizon just called back good news and bad news on the new plan.

Good news there is no cap as discussed.

Bad news is that they reserve the right to "liberally" throttle your account below 15 gb depending on congestion. Verizon rep said this will like be an issue in more urban settings. She said network gives priority to post paid "15 gb" post paid accounts before the 15 gb cap but will throttle down pre paid anytime based on load.

zzotte · 11-09-2018, 04:17 PM

I’m just about ready to drive over my wifiranger I have tried in several campgrounds to no use and I have the elite ac, I’m right now 100 feet from the Wifi whatever both my Verizon and AT&T phones have no problem locking into it the wifiranger has no clue it’s even there it picks up everyone one else on the park ok however useless, so now we have been using Verizon mifi its a lot more reliable.

Zzotte

Ann n Gene · 11-09-2018, 05:09 PM

Picked up my new jetpack and uncapped data prepaid plan this afternoon. No one knew the plan existed but the manager found it with the plan number I gave him. Fixed me right up and kept telling me how it could be “traffic managed” at any time with no priority and I should not expect to be able to stream Netflix during prime time just about anywhere. Oh well, still a better deal than my old mifi with a 5 gig hard cap for only $15 more a month so I will give it a go and see what happens. Working great right now right out of the box. All JMHO

docj · 11-09-2018, 05:40 PM

I signed up for one of these today. It took >1 hour on chat and eventually on the phone to transfer my 7730l from my postpaid account to a new prepaid account. It can be done, but I ended up working with a total of 5 people before getting it done properly.

Be prepared to have to argue about the plan's specs; the person who eventually got me up and running told me at the outset that there was no such plan. That's even with citing the plan #28366. Be persistent but patient. The CSR who challenged me eventually thanked me for teaching him something he didn't know.

My speeds using Fast.com are in 4-8Mbps range. The CSR did warn me that there was always the risk of network deprioritization, but I told him that was a risk I was prepared to take.

turbopilot · 11-09-2018, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

My speeds using Fast.com are in 4-8Mbps range. The CSR did warn me that there was always the risk of network deprioritization, but I told him that was a risk I was prepared to take.

I think I understand what Verizon is doing. Apparently they want to give full throughput to post paid, capped users. If those users are getting their bandwidth then the prepaid folks will be served with full service. At peak times prepaid plans will be degraded irrespective of how much data has been consumed.

I don't have a problem with this idea but I will wait to see how it works in real life before buying a prepaid SIM.

Bottom line with prepaid "unlimited" plan is that you can buy as many $20/month SIMMs (15 GB hotspot capped) as you like and keep feeding them to a "hotspot" modem/router or MiFi device and have some assurance of fast reliable service.

turbopilot · 11-09-2018, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbopilot

Deleted

Here is the image I tried to post earlier. MIMO LTE-A antennas "rabbit ears" on the NA. These antennas are SureCall 9.5" Wideband cellular antennas. I used them on my EarthRoamers, lost several to low hanging trees. Tough antenna but they are mounted with double sided tape so that they can gracefully depart when challenged. For best reception you want these antennas above any metal object on the roof line of sight to a tower. Antennas are mounted with RG58 cable. I wanted to use cable with lower loss but it was a pain pulling the relatively thin RG58 to roof. Would have been much harder with stiffer cable.

ADS43264ME · 11-09-2018, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbopilot

Just finishing up my near total rebuild of the wiring and electronics in the front overhead storage area of the NA. I will document all the changes as I gain more experience with the changes.

For now here is the bottom line. Here are two speed tests I performed. For this test I used my new iPhone Xs Max. The Xs Max comes with LTE-A an modem chip so it is very fast on Verizon using it's own radio.

The first test was done sitting in the middle of my NA. The Xs Max was set up with WiFi off, so it was working on its own internal modem radio. Here is the speed test:

This is pretty darn good performance sitting inside a metal coach. The nearest Verizon tower was miles away. Previous iPhone models in the same place were much slower. So LTE-A really makes a difference.

For the next test I used my newly installed Pepwave MAX BRI MK2 LTE-A cellular router attached to two new MIMO cellular antennas on the roof of the NA. I again used my iPhone Xs Max for the speed test this time I turned on WiFi on the phone and connected to the Pepwave via a 5gHz WiFi connection.

Here is the result:

Amazing speed. When closer the Verizon tower I have seen as much as 60 Mbps UP/Down through the Pepwave LTE-A router.

These speeds are about the same as I am seeing at home with Frontier FIOS via glass fiber to the house.

So if you love lightning fast internet in your coach, LTE-A will get it but you need to have an LTE-A modem/router hardwired to MIMO antennas on the roof to get it.

Hi Turbopilot,

Did you try running a speedtest with the cradle point set up with the antennas installed directly on the unit inside the coach? I’m curious as to how much you pick up by putting the antennas on the roof. The craddlepoint has much better antennas than the phone so I’m curious how it compares inside versus outside.

Thanks.

turbopilot · 11-09-2018, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADS43264ME

Hi Turbopilot,

Did you try running a speedtest with the cradle point set up with the antennas installed directly on the unit inside the coach? I’m curious as to how much you pick up by putting the antennas on the roof. The craddlepoint has much better antennas than the phone so I’m curious how it compares inside versus outside.

Thanks.

I don't have a current version Cradlepoint. I have the Pepwave. In any event, in my experience with the Pepwave or Cradlepoint using supplied attached antennas inside the coach, I see speeds about the same as a smartphone. The metal structure of a coach significantly attenuates cell phone signals.