Verizon MiFi 2200

tedward1555 · 02-24-2010, 03:42 PM

So here we sit on the river banks in Little Rock Arkansas... great view of downtown, great river walk for walking my buddy Peabo... great friends to visit here in this city with great food..... But AWFUL wifi at this RV park. I finally had my fill with bad wifi at RV parks advertising "free wireless" or "free wifi".... and they actually have the weakest signals i've ever seen.
Today I went to Best Buy and purchased the Verizon MiFi 2200, signed up for an account and got it hooked up. So far so good with the exception of a 30 minute period this afternoon when I couldn't get a decent signal to save my life.
The reason for this post is to solicit feedback from other users, or ex users of the Mifi system... how do you feel about the speed?, how do you feel about Verizon coverage versus another provider, is there an add on product that can boost signal, any traps to look for or tricks to use to enhance.
All discussion and feedback is welcome.
Thanks
Ed

bdaball · 02-24-2010, 03:57 PM

We traveled many times with frends who had the luxuary of a blackberry. We always relied on "free-WiFi". It never worked well at any site we sat on. We heard every excuse possible. "It's your computer, etc. etc.".

We left home January 14th this year with a new MiFi from Verizon. DW has been emailing and facebooking almost every mile down the road and every park we have been in. We don't even bother to try and hook up to the park provided service..

Bill Adams · 02-24-2010, 04:38 PM

The mi-fi does not allow an external antenna like you could get it you had purchased one of the stand-alone USB air cards. This is one of the mi-fi's big drawbacks. You could get a USB air card with an external antenna port and plug it into a Cradlepoint router and get a larger service area, more flexibility and with the addition of some Wilson or Cyfre hardware pick up a signal from farther away.

SteveLevin · 02-24-2010, 05:24 PM

I have a Mifi and like it a lot. The lack of external antenna connector is a minor niggle, but more than outweighed by the fact that my wife and I (and friends) can just use the WiFi to connect without drivers, etc.

Steve

Bill Adams · 02-24-2010, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveLevin

my wife and I (and friends) can just use the WiFi to connect without drivers, etc.

Steve

Which is also true for the Cradlepoint.

gresults · 02-24-2010, 07:57 PM

I have the MiFi from Sprint.. And have used it all over the place with no issues, Including the living room when the DSL was down, If it where not for the XBOX Live, Would just use it full time since I happen to have unlimited usage which is rare now with most carriers, But have been with sprint for many years.

tedward1555 · 02-28-2010, 04:18 PM

well I've had the verizon mifi for 5 days now and I will say that I don't love it but I do like it. Most of the time when I have a connection the speed is great. In fact I would say all the time when I have a connection the speed is great. Getting the connection seems to be a small problem sometimes.
Then there is this weird issue that Verizon does not want you to charge it via a computer (USB) they say it will over heat... so they have installed a code in the software that can detect the difference between wall outlet power and computer power... there in lies the problem. Seems it's not great at recognizing the difference and sometimes it shuts down even on regular outlet power. The fix is rather cumbersome ... you have to turn it off, disconnect it from power, and take the battery out... wait five seconds and put the battery back in... turn it on, and reboot the computer to find the signal and enter the password.
If you ever get "invalid password" when you know for a fact that it's not.... do the above fix and you'll be ok. But please complain to Verizon about it so they will fix it with a future firmware update.
FYI
Ed

bdaball · 02-28-2010, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedward1555

well I've had the verizon mifi for 5 days now and I will say that I don't love it but I do like it. Most of the time when I have a connection the speed is great. In fact I would say all the time when I have a connection the speed is great. Getting the connection seems to be a small problem sometimes.
Then there is this weird issue that Verizon does not want you to charge it via a computer (USB) they say it will over heat... so they have installed a code in the software that can detect the difference between wall outlet power and computer power... there in lies the problem. Seems it's not great at recognizing the difference and sometimes it shuts down even on regular outlet power. The fix is rather cumbersome ... you have to turn it off, disconnect it from power, and take the battery out... wait five seconds and put the battery back in... turn it on, and reboot the computer to find the signal and enter the password.
If you ever get "invalid password" when you know for a fact that it's not.... do the above fix and you'll be ok. But please complain to Verizon about it so they will fix it with a future firmware update.
FYI
Ed

We charged ours at initial start up and have used the USB ever since.

jackrobinryan · 02-28-2010, 04:43 PM

Use it at home and on the road. Very happy with it so far since Sept 09. Have not had any instances of lost connections. None. Speed is OK. Don't expect FIOS-like performance.

There are some solutions to the lack of an antennae port at the 3Gstore which do have some limitations, but I haven't seen a need for one yet. Prefer to spend the $$ on other RV stuff.

tomsm · 02-28-2010, 05:05 PM

Like jackrobinryan, I have been using a Verizon MiFi for several months with no problems. I have not found a need for an external antenna, but if you think you might, here's a link to the 3GStore mentioned above. EVDOinfo Tip of the Week: Boosting Your MiFi's Signal : EVDOinfo.com

Ed, I think something may be amiss with your unit. As I said, I have used my MiFi for months and never had a power or shutdown problem. I put it in an upper compartment, plug it into A/C power, turn it on and leave it there for weeks. I think I would junk it and go back to my aircard & router if I had to go through your recovery procedure very often.

**JMonroe** · 02-28-2010, 05:24 PM

Bill Adams,

I'll be retiring soon, and will need to come up with an internet access solution for use at our 'cabin', which is far from any cable access, and if it could also be used in the motor home, all the better.

We have Verizon cell phone service, and it works fine at the cabin. Right now I'm using my work computer and a Verizon air card they issued to me. OK for email and forum crusin', but try to load an image rich web site... If I go on-line to their web site, they show no service in this area (???). The signal strength fluctuates from one to three bars.

Exactly what equipment would I need to set up a wireless network at my cabin, and in the motor home, and where would be the best place to get it? If I'm getting, on average, two 'bars' now, what performance improvements might I see with optimal equipment.

I assume all but the outside antenna could be moved back and forth between the motor home and the cabin.

Iron Man · 03-01-2010, 09:34 AM

I looked at the unit then decided to go with the usb 760 and the cradlepint mbr 1000. I needed some ethernet ports. I can plug it at the house and when we travel, plug it in the motorhome. I am currently using vonyage so I can fax from the motorhome which makes my life easier.

wagonmaster2 · 03-01-2010, 07:46 PM

Tedward1555 --

Can/would you explain what Mifi is, what you have to buy in order to use Verizon, and what cost is involved to do all this? I have been using a Verizon cell phone for a couple years now and very happy with the reception with it. I'm familiar with and use Wifi but as has been stated, there are places that has no connection with my laptop, even with the external small antenna I have connected to the laptop. Hopefully Mifi has something that will fill these gaps.

Thanks for any help on understanding what Mifi is all about.

Wagonmaster2

bdaball · 03-01-2010, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

Tedward1555 --

Can/would you explain what Mifi is, what you have to buy in order to use Verizon, and what cost is involved to do all this? I have been using a Verizon cell phone for a couple years now and very happy with the reception with it. I'm familiar with and use Wifi but as has been stated, there are places that has no connection with my laptop, even with the external small antenna I have connected to the laptop. Hopefully Mifi has something that will fill these gaps.

Thanks for any help on understanding what Mifi is all about.

Wagonmaster2

Go to the Verizon website or your local store and ask for a demonstration.
($29/mth or $59/mth, depending on volume of usage.