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Old 04-17-2010, 06:47 AM   #43
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Sorry, thought it was the same Mi-Fi as this topic was discussing.
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Old 04-17-2010, 10:10 AM   #44
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Bill, my fault, I am just overly happy with my Sierra Overdrive w., and should not have posted a reply on a "Verizon Discussion". I was thinking MiFi and I knew mine was 150 ft. Very happy with it of course there is always the "my Cell" is better than "your cell". I am just happy with Sprint, have had them for 12 years, and when I need it it's been there. Of course we don't all go to the same place all the time.

PS: Sprint says all major cities will have 4G service by the end of 2010, they are installing 4G towers now. Thats why I went "Sierra 3G/4G, unlimited data in 4G. I almost switched to Verizon!

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Old 04-17-2010, 10:18 AM   #45
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I see that there are 2 separate devices and yours is not the MiFi. I should have known that.

1) Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless

2) MiFi 2200 by Novatel Wireless

Verizon is still going to have more coverage than Sprint and you will find that the Sprint 4G (where is does exist) falls away quickly as you get outside of the cities.
It will take many years to get the 4G coverage in all the places where 3G now exists and hopefully the providers will get more areas that now have 1X or no coverage up to some usable level.
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Old 04-18-2010, 10:05 PM   #46
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Driver, gotta go with Bill on this one. I've been using a Sprint Overdrive for about 10 days now and have seen very mixed results. It's problematical keeping it up and running, but the 4G coverage is not great. I'm sitting here in Dallas where they claim 4G coverage, situated 150 ft. from a major freeway(So close the noise drives us nuts!) and I get a 20% 4G signal. I see speeds of as low as .05 kbps down and .03 up with latencies in the 300-400 range. Switching to 3G coverage I get a 60% signal with much more reliable connections and speeds are actually improved, but not as good as Verizon's when they don't have me throttled back(that's another story).

Driving around in my car I was able to get speeds as high as 2500 down under 4G, but the spottiness makes me think they have a lot more work to do...esp. if us RVers expect coverage in areas we travel. For now, 3G is far and away the best way to go. Can't wait for May 4 when Verizon will put me back on "normal" speeds....then I'm dumping this Overdrive unit.
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Old 06-26-2010, 07:30 AM   #47
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Does Vonage work on Verizon Data Plan?

Interesting thread . . . I'm contemplating bagging my EXPENSIVE broadband at home (yeah, I know, it's FAST!) and going with a Verizon Data Plan - at home and on the road.

We now have a Vonage home phone --- is anyone using Vonage on the Verizon 3G data network? If so, which modem/router setup do you have to hook in the phone adapter? My phone adapter is a LinkSys PAP2.

I think we can easily give up some broadband speed at home to gain internet coverage on the road, but Mama wouldn't entertain messing with her home phone!

As info, in the event it makes a difference, our "IT System" consists of a MacBook, an iPad, an iPhone4 and an iPod Touch (which is actually my old iPhone), all of which would benefit from a WiFi connection. Thanks for your help.
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Old 06-26-2010, 09:25 AM   #48
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For what it's worth, we just went with the Verizon MiFi 2200 and their 5 gigabyte per month plan for home and travel use. So far, so good. Speed is better than the local WiFi service that we had. No DSL or cable available at our house. So say, the 2200 will accommodate up to 5 wireless devices at a time. We use two at a time with no problem.

There does seem to be a power up protocol that must be followed. That is to say; power up 2200 on battery first then plug in to 120VAC to keep it charged for extended use. If it's plugged in to 120VAC when you first power up, the computers don't recognize it. Go figure.

One other small anomaly - if you connect the 2200 to a computer via the USB cable, it will not connect in wireless mode with any other device. That forced me to get a USB wireless adapter for the desktop PC which did not come with wireless capability. The D-Link 150N cost $38 at Office Depot. To be sure, there are many cheaper and many costlier wireless adapters so it's a personal decision based on time, availability, price, and capability.

I'm now officially in over my head tech-wise.
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Old 06-27-2010, 12:46 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DiplomatDave View Post
[snipped]
There does seem to be a power up protocol that must be followed. That is to say; power up 2200 on battery first then plug in to 120VAC to keep it charged for extended use. If it's plugged in to 120VAC when you first power up, the computers don't recognize it. Go figure.
[snipped]

Have others found this? Been using this gizmo for two years now and have not seen a problem connecting with or without shore power.
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Old 06-27-2010, 06:00 PM   #50
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I wouldn't call it protocal. However, jumping online when powering up sometime seems to be a quiz as to which pocess we use.
OBTW, We are on a 3 month suspense while we are home for the summer. This option with Verizon can be exercised twice in one calender year with a one time $15.00 fee which we will extend to six months ending in December just before we head to Florida. We have DSL in a package along with cable and phone. Cheaper for us this way.

(I was over my head tech wise so long ago I don't have a clue!)
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Old 06-27-2010, 11:14 PM   #51
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Waiting for the router to connect makes sense of course. Router gotta detect a signal and complete the login sequence before gettin' goin'. I can connect to the router faster than the router can connect to the Net.

Which is different than using one power source over another to start the connection.
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Old 06-30-2010, 05:00 PM   #52
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I'm trying to make sense of all the phone / internet / router alternatives but I'm attracted to Verizon, 3G iPhone, MiFi 2200 and mac computers!
But soon to be migrating from Australia (full time RVing 5th wheel) I'm confused with pricing, contracts etc. because they are different setups in Aus.
Could someone please explain (in 4yr old language) what I need, what it costs...from initial setup of phone contract through to sitting in my RV with internet....what a nice thought...can't wait!!!!
Tom.
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Old 07-02-2010, 10:44 AM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shekinah View Post
I'm trying to make sense of all the phone / internet / router alternatives but I'm attracted to Verizon, 3G iPhone, MiFi 2200 and mac computers!
But soon to be migrating from Australia (full time RVing 5th wheel) I'm confused with pricing, contracts etc. because they are different setups in Aus.
Could someone please explain (in 4yr old language) what I need, what it costs...from initial setup of phone contract through to sitting in my RV with internet....what a nice thought...can't wait!!!!
Tom.
iPhone only works on ATT network now. Maybe Verizon next year???
For internet only, ATT, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and some smaller networks offer mobile broadband. I can attest Verizon has good nationwide coverage and performance. ATT probably second followed by others.
If you need a phone and talk a lot, take your pick but you will probably be stuck with a two year commitment.
For internet and casual phone use, I suggest prepaid phone and buy a broadband modem and subscribe to internet month to month.
For internet, get the modem plus a router (Cradlepoint or Netgear make wireless routers that connect to the broadband modem). Service from the major networks will be about $60US per month for 5GB max transfer. You can plug the modem into your computer and get along without the router, but are limited to that computer only.
Do some research on the various forums and company web sites. Hope this helps.
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Old 07-02-2010, 05:32 PM   #54
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Verizon 1st, Sprint 2nd, AT&T somewhere around 5th (in a 3 man race) when it comes to 3G internet coverage. Ignore the AT&T commercials which seem to imply that where they have coverage they have good speed or that their coverage of 97% of Americans has anything to do with geographical coverage area or, again, speed.
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Old 07-02-2010, 05:39 PM   #55
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Originally Posted by Bill Adams View Post
AT&T somewhere around 5th (in a 3 man race)
Wow . . . you give them more credit than they deserve! I'd place them about 30 spots behind last.

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Old 07-02-2010, 06:09 PM   #56
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