Verizon MiFi

[dieseldiva]

We just got this device last week and we're really enjoying it. For teams that carry two laptops, or want to, this is THE THING!! You can now BOTH be connected to the internet at the same time and at the same price that you were paying for your air card.

Our Fed Ex discount with Verizon was a better price than Verizon was offering and with a $50 rebate offer it was well worth the money!

This little thing is your "hot spot" for as many as five computers if you'd ever have any use for that many, maybe in meetings and such.

Once you set it up, you no longer need to tether it to your computer. You're free to lay it on the shelf, put it in your pocket, or, as we do, plug it in to the wall socket for constant recharging of the battery. Your computer will "sniff out" the signal, just as it does any other wifi you may be using now.

Anyway, so far, so good. We'll keep you posted.

 

[bernieh48]

I know Sprint has one too. Not sure how good it works.

 

[DannyD]

How much per month? I went to the Verizon site & I found that w/ a laptop purchase you can get teh laptop & that for as low as $40. Ironically I couldn't find the price of just the verizon service w/out the laptop.

 

[dieseldiva]

I think THIS is the page you're looking for. I don't like the options they're showing now for 'limited' amounts of data used. If I were a new customer to Verizon, that would be something I would have to look at very closely.

Because we've had an air card with Verizon for several years under an unlimited plan, we're grandfathered in to unlimited now at $60 per month.

I should add that although I'm not happy about the changes to the plans they're offering, I still think they're competitive with the other carriers.

While I'm at it, I'll update my opinion of the Mifi and say that we have zero complaints with this little device. We've used it all over the country these past few weeks and the coverage and speeds are the same as they were with our air card, even when we have multiple devices logged on. We both have laptops and I use it with my I Pod as well.

 

[Crazynuff]

The Mifi wil work in Canada . Verizon gave me this response when I inquired about that .
Thank you for contacting the Global Support Team. We will be glad to assist you with the MIFI device for Canada. The MIFI will work in Canada due to its CDMA technology. In case if you were to use the MIFI in Canada, the pay as you go rate would be $0.002 per kilobyte. If you intend on using quite frequently in Canada we have our GlobalAccess plan that would better benefit than the pay as you go option. The Global Access plan is $129.99 per month and will provide you with up to 5 GB for an allowance. After allowance, you will be billed at $0.05 per megabyte. Please visit www.vzw.com/international for more of our global information. We have advised you that the MIFI will work in Canada, rates and plans. For more assistance, please contact the Global Support Team at our 24 hours a day, 7 days week global roaming hotline at 908-559-4899.

 

[redytrk]

We both have laptops and I use it with my I Pod as well.

Do you mean I-Phone?

 

[dieseldiva]

Do you mean I-Phone?

No redy.......the I Pod Touch is wifi capable and they're adding more and more applications all the time.

 

[dieseldiva]

The Mifi wil work in Canada . Verizon gave me this response when I inquired about that .
Thank you for contacting the Global Support Team. We will be glad to assist you with the MIFI device for Canada. The MIFI will work in Canada due to its CDMA technology. In case if you were to use the MIFI in Canada, the pay as you go rate would be $0.002 per kilobyte. If you intend on using quite frequently in Canada we have our GlobalAccess plan that would better benefit than the pay as you go option. The Global Access plan is $129.99 per month and will provide you with up to 5 GB for an allowance. After allowance, you will be billed at $0.05 per megabyte. Please visit www.vzw.com/international for more of our global information. We have advised you that the MIFI will work in Canada, rates and plans. For more assistance, please contact the Global Support Team at our 24 hours a day, 7 days week global roaming hotline at 908-559-4899.

We won't be using our mifi in Canada. We did not and will not modify our truck with the speed limiters and should we find ourselves in the western parts of Canada, we still won't use it. I'm pretty belligerent about paying extra for anything from these leeches, hence my joy at being grandfathered into the unlimited plan.

As a side note on the billing.....we were in Laredo recently and Verizon billed us for Mexico use!!! Watch your bills folks!!

 

[redytrk]

I`m saving up for one of these things. Hopefully Carol will be back on the truck and it will be of good use.

P. S. Wonder if the Verizon people know they could be sued for infringing on the trademark established with the Delphi MiFi XM Radio? (Any lawyers out there who want to get rich?)

 

[Crazynuff]

I`m saving up for one of these things. Hopefully Carol will be back on the truck and it will be of good use.

P. S. Wonder if the Verizon people know they could be sued for infringing on the trademark established with the Delphi MiFi XM Radio? (Any lawyers out there who want to get rich?)

It's Novatel that markets the MiFi 2200 that is available through Verizon and Sprint .

 

[Dreammaker]

As a side note on the billing.....we were in Laredo recently and Verizon billed us for Mexico use!!! Watch your bills folks!!

They billed me $400 plus one time I was sitting in Fort Erie just north of Buffalo. I have an air card and it said I was using the Verizon Wireless signal. I called the boys and girls at Verizon and we had a long chat about life, liberty, and their pursuit of profits. Long story short, they got rid of the Canadian cost and gave me my normal unlimited plan for the month. If you haven't or didn't complain loudly, then I would go for it. My experience shows they are willing to work with you on those border problems. They told me if your phone shows Verizon Wireless then you are good to go on your computer. Since then I have called them when I am near the border sitting for awhile. They document my call and I have never had another problem.

 

[dieseldiva]

I called Verizon and they took the charge off of the bill.

 

[Dreammaker]

We just got this device last week and we're really enjoying it. For teams that carry two laptops, or want to, this is THE THING!! You can now BOTH be connected to the internet at the same time and at the same price that you were paying for your air card.

Our Fed Ex discount with Verizon was a better price than Verizon was offering and with a $50 rebate offer it was well worth the money!

This little thing is your "hot spot" for as many as five computers if you'd ever have any use for that many, maybe in meetings and such.

Once you set it up, you no longer need to tether it to your computer. You're free to lay it on the shelf, put it in your pocket, or, as we do, plug it in to the wall socket for constant recharging of the battery. Your computer will "sniff out" the signal, just as it does any other wifi you may be using now.

Anyway, so far, so good. We'll keep you posted.

How is the gizmo working for you? I am up for my 2 year upgrade. It will be free with the upgrade. Happy with my aircard, but the MIFI looks like it will add some functionality. Some of the reviews on verizonwireless.com are ecstatic - sort of like the best invention since the beginning of the computer age. The only complaint seems to be the battery life if not plugged into AC. What's your experience?

 

[dieseldiva]

You can take all of the ecstatic reviews and triple them.....I love this thing. It's your air card on steroids.

I read those forums before I purchased as well and I'm glad that I did because that complaint of the short battery life is one that caught my attention too. It gave me reason to question the techy on the phone before I made my decision and it turned out, I wasn't thinking correctly about how the thing works.

Let me explain...

I pictured this thing to be just like my air card, in that it stayed plugged into one computer while feeding wifi to the others. Not so, as a matter of fact, if it's plugged into one, it will only served THAT ONE. After you set it up, it doesn't need to be tethered to anything, as long as it's turned on, it sends wifi signal.

Now, for the battery life, and this is the answer that was the icing on the cake. The battery lasts about 2 1/2 hours so if you want to take it away from a wall plug, that's about how much time you have. If you need longer than that, then I see what the complaint is. I can't think of a situation that I need that kind of time so it isn't an issue for me...BUT, when I mentioned that complaint to the techy, he informed me that it WILL work while plugged into the wall...constantly recharging, if you will, and constantly sending out signal. THAT was the part that sold me and that is how we use it....turned on while plugged into the wall and there's zero interruption in our internet time. Now, you DO have to unplug from the wall and even unplug from the charger to turn the device off but that's just something you're going to do when you put it away anyway.

Sorry for the long-winded response but I really am excited about this little thing, as you can tell!! If I've left anything out that you want to know, give a holler.

 

[Dreammaker]

You can take all of the ecstatic reviews and triple them.....I love this thing. It's your air card on steroids.

I read those forums before I purchased as well and I'm glad that I did because that complaint of the short battery life is one that caught my attention too. It gave me reason to question the techy on the phone before I made my decision and it turned out, I wasn't thinking correctly about how the thing works.

Let me explain...

I pictured this thing to be just like my air card, in that it stayed plugged into one computer while feeding wifi to the others. Not so, as a matter of fact, if it's plugged into one, it will only served THAT ONE. After you set it up, it doesn't need to be tethered to anything, as long as it's turned on, it sends wifi signal.

Now, for the battery life, and this is the answer that was the icing on the cake. The battery lasts about 2 1/2 hours so if you want to take it away from a wall plug, that's about how much time you have. If you need longer than that, then I see what the complaint is. I can't think of a situation that I need that kind of time so it isn't an issue for me...BUT, when I mentioned that complaint to the techy, he informed me that it WILL work while plugged into the wall...constantly recharging, if you will, and constantly sending out signal. THAT was the part that sold me and that is how we use it....turned on while plugged into the wall and there's zero interruption in our internet time. Now, you DO have to unplug from the wall and even unplug from the charger to turn the device off but that's just something you're going to do when you put it away anyway.

Sorry for the long-winded response but I really am excited about this little thing, as you can tell!! If I've left anything out that you want to know, give a holler.

Thanks for your response. Any noticeable difference in signal strength from your prior aircard and the mifi? Do you know if the battery is replaceable or do you have to buy a new gizmo when the battery won't recharge? Along those lines, will the mifi still work plugged into the ac if the battery is dead? I know a lot of MP3 players don't have replaceable batteries. When the battery won't recharge, you have to buy a new MP3 player.

 

[dieseldiva]

Thanks for your response. Any noticeable difference in signal strength from your prior aircard and the mifi? Do you know if the battery is replaceable or do you have to buy a new gizmo when the battery won't recharge? Along those lines, will the mifi still work plugged into the ac if the battery is dead? I know a lot of MP3 players don't have replaceable batteries. When the battery won't recharge, you have to buy a new MP3 player.

The speed and signal strength are the same as with my air card. The unit DOES work after plugged in to the ac when the battery goes dead....did that one already. Yes, the battery is replaceable....as witnessed a short time ago when I asked DD and he opened the thing to verify and KNOCKED ME OFF LINE!!!

 

[Dreammaker]

The speed and signal strength are the same as with my air card. The unit DOES work after plugged in to the ac when the battery goes dead....did that one already. Yes, the battery is replaceable....as witnessed a short time ago when I asked DD and he opened the thing to verify and KNOCKED ME OFF LINE!!!

Gotta love the curious types. Finding how to take stuff apart and put it back together. Thanks for your comeback. I talked with Verizon and was told that if I upgraded to the mifi I would have to change my unlimited plan to the 5 gb plan. That's a showstopper for me. I looked at my monthly usage. Sometimes I am double that. I told them what you wrote about, i.e., being grandfathered after upgrading the equipment. She would have none of it. I might try again to see if I can get somebody else to be levelheaded about it.

 

[dieseldiva]

Gotta love the curious types. Finding how to take stuff apart and put it back together. Thanks for your comeback. I talked with Verizon and was told that if I upgraded to the mifi I would have to change my unlimited plan to the 5 gb plan. That's a showstopper for me. I looked at my monthly usage. Sometimes I am double that. I told them what you wrote about, i.e., being grandfathered after upgrading the equipment. She would have none of it. I might try again to see if I can get somebody else to be levelheaded about it.

I would keep trying if I were you...I was afraid that the information would be different from person to person within Verizon, a lot like the DOT!! As a matter of fact, we spoke with someone the other day that was interested and I suggested they NOT go into the store for that very reason. Try again and if the person doesn't want to grandfather you in, ask to talk to their supervisor and take it from there. I've heard of people seeing things more clearly when they're reminded of how long you've been with them, what you've spent in that time, and maybe you'll have to take your business elsewhere....hey, whatever works!!

I really think these two new plans they're offering are gonna come up and bite them. The people are WORN OUT with paying more and it makes no sense to offer a device that connects 4 more computers and then offer only plans that are limited....unless of course, it's a scam that they don't want to talk about!??

 

[redytrk]

Gotta love the curious types. Finding how to take stuff apart and put it back together. Thanks for your comeback. I talked with Verizon and was told that if I upgraded to the mifi I would have to change my unlimited plan to the 5 gb plan. That's a showstopper for me. I looked at my monthly usage. Sometimes I am double that. I told them what you wrote about, i.e., being grandfathered after upgrading the equipment. She would have none of it. I might try again to see if I can get somebody else to be levelheaded about it.

Amazon.com: Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem (Verizon Wireless, Phone Only, No Service): Cell Phones & Service

You might cosider buying the device W/O renewing your cotract with the 5GB cap. Amazon sells them for $219

 

[dieseldiva]

Amazon.com: Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem (Verizon Wireless, Phone Only, No Service): Cell Phones & Service

You might cosider buying the device W/O renewing your cotract with the 5GB cap. Amazon sells them for $219

I'm not so sure you could activate the thing without Verizon's involvement???