New Truly Unlimited Data Verizon Plan - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Howard · Host

New Truly Unlimited Data Verizon Plan

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Are you aware of any restrictions that would prevent my MiFi 5510 from being activated on the new plan…the Verizon page doesn't show it but then it only shows the ones they have currently for sale. I'll call them and ask…but figured you might have some info on it.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Neil and Connie wrote:
Are you aware of any restrictions that would prevent my MiFi 5510 from being activated on the new plan…the Verizon page doesn't show it but then it only shows the ones they have currently for sale. I'll call them and ask…but figured you might have some info on it.

If you go online to verizon wireless ... under plans, select PREPAID and it will eventually ask you for your devices IMEI (think that is what it is called). That will tell you if your device is compatible.

I tried to do it online, but wound up calling Verizon ... easy process and as advertised, is actually unlimited data for the hot spot for $70 per month. The key is to ensure you get a PREPAID account.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Howard wrote:
So, here is the best news from Verizon in quite a long time. They recently introduced a truly Unlimited Data Plan for JetPacks.

For $70 month with no contract ($65 if you set up autopay), you can get a Prepaid Unlimited Data Plan for your JetPack with NO high speed data cap or throttling.

Our friends Chris & Cherie at RV Mobile Internet broke this news a few days ago. And today, I successfully migrated our current JetPack from the traditional post-paid plan to a new Prepaid standalone account to take advantage of this. Check out their detailed article.

Verizon Overhauls Prepaid – Introducing Unlimited Data Plans for Jetpacks

Just curious ... after I migrated my hot spot to the stand alone prepaid plan, it disappeared off my postpaid plan (on the website) ... but I can't figure out how to view the PREPAID plan online, whenever I log on it goes to the postpaid plan. Have you figured this one out?

Howard · Host

Ron, I've had the exact same problem. I can't get to the new prepaid plan online. I've tried to set up a new online account, but it keeps taking me to the post-paid just like you said. I called, and all they could tell me was I need to set up a separate account. Tried that, but unsuccessful so far. Let me know if you have any luck on that.

RonC wrote:
Just curious ... after I migrated my hot spot to the stand alone prepaid plan, it disappeared off my postpaid plan (on the website) ... but I can't figure out how to view the PREPAID plan online, whenever I log on it goes to the postpaid plan. Have you figured this one out?

Howard · Host

Neil, this is a quote from Chris & Cherie's site in the premium members report on this:

"Any branded Verizon Jetpack should be eligible to activated (5510, AC791L, MHS291L, 6620L, MHS900L, 7730L or 8800L). In general, we recommend sticking with the modern models, which currently include the AC791L, 7730L or 8800L. Going any older than that, and you are seriously diminishing your potential speeds and coverage."

Neil and Connie wrote:
Are you aware of any restrictions that would prevent my MiFi 5510 from being activated on the new plan…the Verizon page doesn't show it but then it only shows the ones they have currently for sale. I'll call them and ask…but figured you might have some info on it.

slallen · RV-Dreams Community Member

Howard wrote:
Ron, I've had the exact same problem. I can't get to the new prepaid plan online. I've tried to set up a new online account, but it keeps taking me to the post-paid just like you said. I called, and all they could tell me was I need to set up a separate account. Tried that, but unsuccessful so far. Let me know if you have any luck on that.
RonC wrote:
Just curious ... after I migrated my hot spot to the stand alone prepaid plan, it disappeared off my postpaid plan (on the website) ... but I can't figure out how to view the PREPAID plan online, whenever I log on it goes to the postpaid plan. Have you figured this one out?

You will have to call the prepaid customer service number to set up the account online. You will need to give them a different email address than what you used for your postpaid account. They will then send a temporary password to that email account and you can set up your online account. I guess you could also go into a Verizon store, but either way, you will have to deal with customer service.

-- Edited by slallen on Thursday 15th of November 2018 09:48:23 AM

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Howard (and Ron)...looks like this will be in our future...much better than our postpaid 30GB plan pricewise.

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

We moved both of our phones and the 6620L MiFi over to the new prepaid plan as soon as the link to Chris and Cherie's article was posted on the Escapees forum last week. The unlimited data is working great on the MiFi - we've been streaming Amazon Prime Video and NetFlix without any issues. We got phone plans with 3GB for each phone per month (about 3 times what we normally use on the phones). With my military discount, auto-pay discount, and a multi-line family discount, we cut our monthly Verizon bill in half... and got unlimited data on the MiFi to boot! (It ended up being $45/month for the MiFi, $30 for one phone and $20 for the other with all the discounts.) If you do this with your phones, be aware that you have to set up your voicemail box(es) again.

Since my first call to Verizon was an evolving one, the MiFi was switched first and then the phones were done in a separate system transaction. It took a second call to get all three lines on the same family account and that agent stepped me through creating a new on-line account to manage auto-pay and change things if I need/want to after all the lines were combined on the same account.

Bottom line - we're happy campers!

Rob

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Howard wrote:
Neil, this is a quote from Chris & Cherie's site in the premium members report on this:
"Any branded Verizon Jetpack should be eligible to activated (5510, AC791L, MHS291L, 6620L, MHS900L, 7730L or 8800L). In general, we recommend sticking with the modern models, which currently include the AC791L, 7730L or 8800L. Going any older than that, and you are seriously diminishing your potential speeds and coverage."
Neil and Connie wrote:
Are you aware of any restrictions that would prevent my MiFi 5510 from being activated on the new plan…the Verizon page doesn't show it but then it only shows the ones they have currently for sale. I'll call them and ask…but figured you might have some info on it.

How are you "seriously diminishing your potential speed and coverage" with a 5510? Isn't 4G the same on any device that is capable of it? What is different on the AC791L, 7730L or 8800L that makes them "preferred"? Don't want to come across as flippant... but inquiring minds want to know... we also have an old 5510 from before we went back to Comcast for our data. Since we can't do that once we hit the road (hopefully next year) we are also hoping the 5510 might "do the job" without having to buy new equipment.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

The 5510L does not have all the new frequency bands Verizon now owns and does not have GSM, which is needed in Canada. I know we had to replace our 5510L with a 7730L to use in Canada. We still have the 5510 and might start with it. Note that the 8800 has the most bands and should get the best coverage, but does not support 3G or 1X in extended network areas.

5510L - LTE 700/1700; CDMA 800/1900

7730L - LTE 700/850/1700/1800/1900/2600/AWS-3, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100,CDMA 800/1900 ( https://www.comparecellular.com/mobile-internet/novatel-mifi-7730l-mobile-hotspot/specifications.asp )

8800L - Bands: 850, 1800, 1900, 2100, 1700, 2600, 700, 2500 ( https://www.pcmag.com/review/364932/verizon-jetpack-mifi-8800l?tab=Specs )

-- Edited by bjoyce on Friday 16th of November 2018 07:57:38 PM

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for the explanation Bill. Since we intend to be in Canada a significant amount of time in our travels (family) I guess the "upgrade" will be necessary. Didn't know the 5510 was not not suitable in Canada.

Julie and Ray · RV-Dreams Family Member

Went to a Verizon store and they knew nothing about this (as Chris & Cherie suspected). Check out their very detailed and thoroughly researched article and go prepared - unlike what I did, trust that every Verizon store would know. www.rvmobileinternet.com/verizon-overhauls-prepaid-introducing-unlimited-data-plans-for-jetpacks/

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Second Chance wrote:
We moved both of our phones and the 6620L MiFi over to the new prepaid plan as soon as the link to Chris and Cherie's article was posted on the Escapees forum last week. The unlimited data is working great on the MiFi - we've been streaming Amazon Prime Video and NetFlix without any issues. We got phone plans with 3GB for each phone per month (about 3 times what we normally use on the phones). With my military discount, auto-pay discount, and a multi-line family discount, we cut our monthly Verizon bill in half... and got unlimited data on the MiFi to boot! (It ended up being $45/month for the MiFi, $30 for one phone and $20 for the other with all the discounts.) If you do this with your phones, be aware that you have to set up your voicemail box(es) again.

Since my first call to Verizon was an evolving one, the MiFi was switched first and then the phones were done in a separate system transaction. It took a second call to get all three lines on the same family account and that agent stepped me through creating a new on-line account to manage auto-pay and change things if I need/want to after all the lines were combined on the same account.

Bottom line - we're happy campers!

Rob

Almost as good as Rob ... I am on Verizon and DW is on AT&T to get the best shot at good WiFi. Regarding my Verizon plan my WiFi MiFi went from 24 GB to unlimited and my phone is also unlimited ... both for $100 per month, which is down from $156 per month. A $50 per month savings and I still need to work on getting my Military Discount. So far so good😉

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

bjoyce wrote:
The 5510L does not have all the new frequency bands Verizon now owns and does not have GSM, which is needed in Canada. I know we had to replace our 5510L with a 7730L to use in Canada. We still have the 5510 and might start with it. Note that the 8800 has the most bands and should get the best coverage, but does not support 3G or 1X in extended network areas.
5510L - LTE 700/1700; CDMA 800/1900
7730L - LTE 700/850/1700/1800/1900/2600/AWS-3, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100,CDMA 800/1900 ( https://www.comparecellular.com/mobile-internet/novatel-mifi-7730l-mobile-hotspot/specifications.asp )
8800L - Bands: 850, 1800, 1900, 2100, 1700, 2600, 700, 2500 ( https://www.pcmag.com/review/364932/verizon-jetpack-mifi-8800l?tab=Specs )

-- Edited by bjoyce on Friday 16th of November 2018 07:57:38 PM

So this new plan includes Canada as well as US? Great…we had no data coverage up there last summer…well, we had the minimum 250 MB or whatever they give you before they start charging you buckets of money for data up there.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Second Chance wrote:
We moved both of our phones and the 6620L MiFi over to the new prepaid plan as soon as the link to Chris and Cherie's article was posted on the Escapees forum last week. The unlimited data is working great on the MiFi - we've been streaming Amazon Prime Video and NetFlix without any issues. We got phone plans with 3GB for each phone per month (about 3 times what we normally use on the phones). With my military discount, auto-pay discount, and a multi-line family discount, we cut our monthly Verizon bill in half... and got unlimited data on the MiFi to boot! (It ended up being $45/month for the MiFi, $30 for one phone and $20 for the other with all the discounts.) If you do this with your phones, be aware that you have to set up your voicemail box(es) again.

Since my first call to Verizon was an evolving one, the MiFi was switched first and then the phones were done in a separate system transaction. It took a second call to get all three lines on the same family account and that agent stepped me through creating a new on-line account to manage auto-pay and change things if I need/want to after all the lines were combined on the same account.

Bottom line - we're happy campers!

Rob

Rob .. thanks for the tip on re setting up my voicemail ... I wouldn't have thought of that.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

"So this new plan includes Canada as well as US? Great…we had no data coverage up there last summer…well, we had the minimum 250 MB or whatever they give you before they start charging you buckets of money for data up there."

I suspect this new plan does not include Canada. Our old plan does, so that is why we upgraded hotspots. If we moved to the prepaid plan for the dedicated hotspot, we would use our postpaid phone hotspots in Canada. Be warned that Verizon Canadian service is at about the lowest priority you can get. We had a hotspot and two phones in both British Columbia and Ontario last year and in both areas the service was flaky. Friends with AT&T or T-Mobile had much better service.

Dave and Denise · RV-Dreams Family Member

Do you have to have a "JetPack"? We simply use our phones as our WIFI hotspot and never have really understood why you would have a jetpack. I would like to move up to this plan. We currently pay about $50 but throttling occurs around 10g...

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dave and Denise wrote:
Do you have to have a "JetPack"? We simply use our phones as our WIFI hotspot and never have really understood why you would have a jetpack. I would like to move up to this plan. We currently pay about $50 but throttling occurs around 10g...

Yes, you need a Jetpack/Mifi/Mobile hotspot device. There are many reasons some of us like these devices better than hotspotting our phones. #1, They often pull in a signal better with many reporting that they have data on their Jetpack and not on their phones in fringe areas. #2, You can leave your computer running, including downloading, while you are away with a hotspot device. #3, You can set up a wifi printer on the hotspot and not worry that you can't print if the person with the phone is away.

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Bill...we made do pretty well with CG WiFi but being unable to do anything after we left the rig was a bit of a pain. We’ve no current plans for any more trips across the border... ut might do another trip to Alaska some day...although the earliest that might happen would be 2021 or 22.

Howard · Host

Technically, you don't have to have a JetPack on this plan. You can put a phone or tablet on it. However, using your hotspot on your phone or tablet is not an option on this plan, so, practically, a JetPack would be needed to use your laptop or computer.

Bill discussed some of the advantages of a JetPack over using a phone's hotspot. It is a dedicated data device while a phone handles both voice and data, and therefore doesn't handle data quite as well (although you may not know it if you've never had a JetPack to compare it to).

Dave and Denise wrote:
Do you have to have a "JetPack"? We simply use our phones as our WIFI hotspot and never have really understood why you would have a jetpack. I would like to move up to this plan. We currently pay about $50 but throttling occurs around 10g...

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Second Chance wrote:
We moved both of our phones and the 6620L MiFi over to the new prepaid plan as soon as the link to Chris and Cherie's article was posted on the Escapees forum last week. The unlimited data is working great on the MiFi - we've been streaming Amazon Prime Video and NetFlix without any issues. We got phone plans with 3GB for each phone per month (about 3 times what we normally use on the phones). With my military discount, auto-pay discount, and a multi-line family discount, we cut our monthly Verizon bill in half... and got unlimited data on the MiFi to boot! (It ended up being $45/month for the MiFi, $30 for one phone and $20 for the other with all the discounts.) If you do this with your phones, be aware that you have to set up your voicemail box(es) again.

Since my first call to Verizon was an evolving one, the MiFi was switched first and then the phones were done in a separate system transaction. It took a second call to get all three lines on the same family account and that agent stepped me through creating a new on-line account to manage auto-pay and change things if I need/want to after all the lines were combined on the same account.

Bottom line - we're happy campers!

Rob

I just spent an hour online with Verizon ... they insist there is no Military Discount offered with prepaid accounts. I have a prepaid phone with unlimited data and an 8800L jetpack with unlimited data ... for $100 a month. Much better than before, but disappointed that I couldn't get a military discount after 26 years of service.

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

RonC wrote:
Second Chance wrote:
We moved both of our phones and the 6620L MiFi over to the new prepaid plan as soon as the link to Chris and Cherie's article was posted on the Escapees forum last week. The unlimited data is working great on the MiFi - we've been streaming Amazon Prime Video and NetFlix without any issues. We got phone plans with 3GB for each phone per month (about 3 times what we normally use on the phones). With my military discount, auto-pay discount, and a multi-line family discount, we cut our monthly Verizon bill in half... and got unlimited data on the MiFi to boot! (It ended up being $45/month for the MiFi, $30 for one phone and $20 for the other with all the discounts.) If you do this with your phones, be aware that you have to set up your voicemail box(es) again.

Since my first call to Verizon was an evolving one, the MiFi was switched first and then the phones were done in a separate system transaction. It took a second call to get all three lines on the same family account and that agent stepped me through creating a new on-line account to manage auto-pay and change things if I need/want to after all the lines were combined on the same account.

Bottom line - we're happy campers!

Rob
I just spent an hour online with Verizon ... they insist there is no Military Discount offered with prepaid accounts. I have a prepaid phone with unlimited data and an 8800L jetpack with unlimited data ... for $100 a month. Much better than before, but disappointed that I couldn't get a military discount after 26 years of service.

I could very well be mistaken, Ron. It could just be that we have the multi-line and auto-pay discounts and no military discounts. As you say, though, two phones and the JetPack with unlimited data for $95/month (plus taxes) is pretty darn good.

Rob

Rickl · RV-Dreams Family Member

Second Chance wrote:
RonC wrote:
Second Chance wrote:
We moved both of our phones and the 6620L MiFi over to the new prepaid plan as soon as the link to Chris and Cherie's article was posted on the Escapees forum last week. The unlimited data is working great on the MiFi - we've been streaming Amazon Prime Video and NetFlix without any issues. We got phone plans with 3GB for each phone per month (about 3 times what we normally use on the phones). With my military discount, auto-pay discount, and a multi-line family discount, we cut our monthly Verizon bill in half... and got unlimited data on the MiFi to boot! (It ended up being $45/month for the MiFi, $30 for one phone and $20 for the other with all the discounts.) If you do this with your phones, be aware that you have to set up your voicemail box(es) again.

Since my first call to Verizon was an evolving one, the MiFi was switched first and then the phones were done in a separate system transaction. It took a second call to get all three lines on the same family account and that agent stepped me through creating a new on-line account to manage auto-pay and change things if I need/want to after all the lines were combined on the same account.

Bottom line - we're happy campers!

Rob
I just spent an hour online with Verizon ... they insist there is no Military Discount offered with prepaid accounts. I have a prepaid phone with unlimited data and an 8800L jetpack with unlimited data ... for $100 a month. Much better than before, but disappointed that I couldn't get a military discount after 26 years of service.
I could very well be mistaken, Ron. It could just be that we have the multi-line and auto-pay discounts and no military discounts. As you say, though, two phones and the JetPack with unlimited data for $95/month (plus taxes) is pretty darn good.

Rob

I told my brothers-in-law about this prepaid plan and they extended a military discount to him.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Who knows ... sometimes it may depend on who you talk to, but the agent I spoke with was very clear, no Military discount on pre paid plans.

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Now that this has been available for awhile and a bunch of us have gotten one of these prepaid plans…has anyone seen any issue with throttling of data due to overloaded cell towers? It's winter so a lot of folks are fixed in one place for the season…which means more load on the towers (maybe) and I figured the question was worth asking.

I saw on another thread a comment about Verizon just trying to sell what's left over with these inexpensive prepaid plans and while the cost is attractive…if the prepaid plans get prioritize to zero for network management then it's not really much of a bargain.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

I thought I was on this post ... seems that there is one other that is older (with a very similar Subject Title) and I inadvertently posted on an old post. Terry shut me down.

So I'll repost this EXTREMLY RELEVENT AND TIMELY info here.

There is one other "feature" of prepaid plans. It is ALWAYS subject to "network management" ... that little bit of Verizon psycho babble means that it is at the bottom of the barrel with regard to priority. As I NOW understand it there are 3 levels of priority on a cell tower. 1. emergency services and first responders 2. POSTPAID PLANS and 3. PREPAID PLANS. This was news to me (due to my stupidity) and while I knew that it was "network managed" at all times, I assumed it would be like it was when I was "network managed" with my postpaid plan ... but it's different. Prepaid accounts will literally get kicked off (as in ZERO cell service) if a tower is saturated with postpaid calls, texts, video streaming ... etc. Ask me how I know this. I know it is always a "buyer beware" world ... but I really wish I had fully understood what "network managed" in the PREPAID world meant before I jumped on to this prepaid deal. A bit of buyers remorse, accompanied by greater knowledge thanks to Technomadia. The way the "network management" works with POSTPAID accounts, is when the tower gets saturated or you hit your data limit you get throttled down. The way it works with PREPAID accounts is that you don't get slowed down (remember "no throttling", you get ejected off. Bummer. We are in a rural area which Appears to be served by just one cell tower and is very near an RV Park (what are the chances of that😳). This is our second night of ZERO cell service from Verizon. We are on our “back up” AT&T system which is slower, but at least it’s working. Unlimited, Unthrottled ZERO signal is still ZERO.

I have a brand new 8800L. Based on what I have learned, I believe that the “prepaid unlimited, unthrottled” plans are Verizon’s cleverly packed deals to “sell what’s left”. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!! To be clear ... this is MY FAULT for not being smarter about what I was buying. This is to help others with their decisions.

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 01:09:29 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 01:23:35 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 01:24:35 PM

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well Ron, aren't you the bearer of bad news. I had high hopes that this "solution" would be a real boon for us... now you have me wondering and hoping for a better plan to evolve in the future. Still, what's available today is a far cry better than what was available when I started researching this topic 5 years ago. Perhaps this 5G stuff will open up new possibilities. I'll stay tuned for further developments... confuse

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

BiggarView wrote:
Well Ron, aren't you the bearer of bad news. I had high hopes that this "solution" would be a real boon for us... now you have me wondering and hoping for a better plan to evolve in the future. Still, what's available today is a far cry better than what was available when I started researching this topic 5 years ago. Perhaps this 5G stuff will open up new possibilities. I'll stay tuned for further developments...

Well ... it is information that I wish I had had. I will say that when it works, it is fantastic. Possibly this is unique to my location (which happens to be where we spend 5-6 months a year!). Happens in the evening ... I assume it is due to many others with postpaid plans doing what is becoming increasingly popular ... streaming Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. Whatever the reason, we are toes up with Prepaid Verizon in the evening. Fortunately, we also have AT&T so we do have a plan "B". The Verizon works fine all day ... until the sun goes down and the streaming begins.

The following is from rvmobileinternet.com:

Traffic ALWAYS Lower than Postpaid

In addition to this plan being always subject to network management, prepaid traffic is already lower than postpaid on prepaid plans. This means when you're in congested markets or trying to surf at peak times, you may feel the pain even more. There could be slower speeds for a few minutes at a time (or even hours), 'bursts' of speed or even just no data throughput in really saturated times or areas.

When you're in non-congested markets - you may notice no difference than postpaid accounts (other than, you get lots of high speed data!).

But if you have critical needs where temporary periods of slow to sluggish performance would not be acceptable, this plan may not be one you want to rely on.

If you frequent seasonal locations where Verizon might not have the capacity to serve a temporary population swell (like popular snowbird locations or big events), you may feel the lower priority even more.

Tip: If you notice your speeds suddenly drop and they don't recover, try rebooting your Jetpack - sometimes reconnecting to the network forces the carrier and device to renegotiate the connection in your favor.

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 01:39:32 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 01:43:59 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 01:47:59 PM

Howard · Host

Well, that's too bad, Ron. We knew that prepaid took a backseat to postpaid in high volume areas and times when we signed up. So far, we have experienced some slow times, but never zero.

We've been able to stream ourselves with the prepaid unlimited, but the quality seems to vary depending on what service is providing the stream and whether or not it is a live or a recorded event and, as you stated, the time of day. Everything works great early in the morning (and the middle of the night), and then it gradually slows a little as time goes on throughout the day until the slowest time in the evening or during the height of sports programming on the weekends.

We kept our postpaid plan (at a lowered data usage level), and use it if the prepaid JetPack plan gets unbearably slow. The device we kept on the postpaid plan (a home-type modem/router) was always faster even when we had the JetPack on the postpaid plan, and we didn't want to give it up. Still, although it is faster, we tend to have enough speed and service on the prepaid plan to use it as our primary.

Certainly, if our service went to zero, I would not be happy, but so far we are pleased with the cost savings and the service (most of the time).

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

As I said in my "rant" ... we are in an unusual location, served by one tower, which gets overwhelmed (apparently) in the evenings. The saving are great, but at a cost. We will likely get a prepaid account too, for those times when AT&T won't work and the Prepaid is off line. Since this is an educational site ... learning has occurred for Ron and I'm sharing. Seems that there really is no free lunch. It's not a bad deal at all, just go in with eyes wide open. And, to repeat myself, it's my fault for not doing my due diligence.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

UPDATE with a smile.

Been struggling with the 8800L since I got it ... it could be the plan, it could be the device. Chris and Cherie sent out a message that indicated there "could be" a network problem with the prepaid unlimited ($70 ... $65 with autopay) plans. They cited reasons, but not relevant to this post, enroll on their service if you want the 4-1-1. Bottom line, if you go into a Verizon store and have them take your current line off your account and then have them add it right back, this is supposed to be a fix for the need to constantly have to reboot ... which was my issue. So off I go to Verizon ... explaining exactly what I wanted to do. You can imagine that vapor locked the operation ... so they put me on the line with 2nd tier tech who told me that what I was asking was news to him, but that he thought he could help me from his end. He had me reset the device to "factory" settings and then power the device off and remove the sim card. He then put me on a 10 min hold while he did "something" that involved data limits that I was hitting that he described as "high" ... duh, UNLIMITED. After the 10 min hold, he came back and said to put the sim card back in and power the device back up. Shut my mouth!!! The thing has now been working at full speed for about 6 hours. Before it was a 2-3 hour max before a reboot was necessary. Maybe I'm declaring victory too soon, but it certainly seems to be working. Bottom line, the dates you went on the plan may or may not be impacting your devices hot spot ... and changing that seems to resolve the issue. It's not the new device (8800L) it is the network. But it's fixable. I wish I could tell you what the 2nd tier guy did during those 10 mins. but it seems to have worked. Unlimited, high speed data is a beautiful thing. Back to being happy.

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

RonC wrote:
UPDATE with a smile.

Been struggling with the 8800L since I got it ... it could be the plan, it could be the device. Chris and Cherie sent out a message that indicated there "could be" a network problem with the prepaid unlimited ($70 ... $65 with autopay) plans. They cited reasons, but not relevant to this post, enroll on their service if you want the 4-1-1. Bottom line, if you go into a Verizon store and have them take your current line off your account and then have them add it right back, this is supposed to be a fix for the need to constantly have to reboot ... which was my issue. So off I go to Verizon ... explaining exactly what I wanted to do. You can imagine that vapor locked the operation ... so they put me on the line with 2nd tier tech who told me that what I was asking was news to him, but that he thought he could help me from his end. He had me reset the device to "factory" settings and then power the device off and remove the sim card. He then put me on a 10 min hold while he did "something" that involved data limits that I was hitting that he described as "high" ... duh, UNLIMITED. After the 10 min hold, he came back and said to put the sim card back in and power the device back up. Shut my mouth!!! The thing has now been working at full speed for about 6 hours. Before it was a 2-3 hour max before a reboot was necessary. Maybe I'm declaring victory too soon, but it certainly seems to be working. Bottom line, the dates you went on the plan may or may not be impacting your devices hot spot ... and changing that seems to resolve the issue. It's not the new device (8800L) it is the network. But it's fixable. I wish I could tell you what the 2nd tier guy did during those 10 mins. but it seems to have worked. Unlimited, high speed data is a beautiful thing. Back to being happy.

Good to hear, Ron. We were having a slightly different issue with our 8800L, so I'll tag on an update to that. The problem was that, after going to sleep (not being used for a while), the 8800L wasn't broadcasting the SSID again so the PCs couldn't reconnect when we opened them back up. Going into the settings and changing the JetPack so it never goes to sleep seems to have cured that. Perhaps a future software update for the JetPack will cure that... We also took the advice of someone on another forum and put the JetPack charger on a timer to avoid the overcharging and battery expansion we experienced with our 6620L. Two hours a day of charging is keeping it topped off - and I may be able to back off on that a bit.

Rob

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

X2 on the timer. How are you guys doing? Settled somewhere for the winter?

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

RonC wrote:
X2 on the timer. How are you guys doing? Settled somewhere for the winter?

We're not "winter settlers," Ron. We have, however, become stuck in the Augusta, GA, area for some extended medical appointments. We hope to be out of here by the third week of March - if not sooner - and heading west. Y'all?

Rob

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Currently "wintering" near San Antonio ... heading out West on 01 April ... generally towards Yellowstone for 3 weeks, but several stops enroute.

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 6th of February 2019 05:02:57 PM

vannchan · RV-Dreams Family Member

Good news about your Verizon fix. And even better news about going to Yellowstone. My son and I love that place. And if you like rodeos, Cody has one nightly, at least in summer, and we enjoyed it.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

vannchan wrote:
Good news about your Verizon fix. And even better news about going to Yellowstone. My son and I love that place. And if you like rodeos, Cody has one nightly, at least in summer, and we enjoyed it.

Hey John ... are you on the road full time yet?

vannchan · RV-Dreams Family Member

No, not yet. The downsizing is going slower than I'd like, but my wife says she wants to do the estate sale in March - hopefully that deadline will work its magic. So hopefully, not long after the estate sale, we can move into our rig full time and sell the house. (The delay has worked out as we needed some warranty work done and left it with our dealer. Turns out one of the parts took a real long time to come from the factory so we haven't gone back to pick it up yet. I think it should be ready soon.) I am definitely planning on retiring next January so I have a little bit of time to decide which direction to go first. We have one good friend in Washington state and two others in New Hampshire and South Carolina. I am leaning towards Washington state first.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Good luck ... it will happen just keep pounding the rock😉

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Howard wrote:
Technically, you don't have to have a JetPack on this plan. You can put a phone or tablet on it. However, using your hotspot on your phone or tablet is not an option on this plan, so, practically, a JetPack would be needed to use your laptop or computer.
Bill discussed some of the advantages of a JetPack over using a phone's hotspot. It is a dedicated data device while a phone handles both voice and data, and therefore doesn't handle data quite as well (although you may not know it if you've never had a JetPack to compare it to).
Dave and Denise wrote:
Do you have to have a "JetPack"? We simply use our phones as our WIFI hotspot and never have really understood why you would have a jetpack. I would like to move up to this plan. We currently pay about $50 but throttling occurs around 10g...
The phone on a prepaid has ZERO hotspot .... none. You can put a phone on it, but it is really for a jetpack. The reason most full timers or long timers use jetpacks is that phone hotspots have very little data ... so for our purposes, not really an option, except for brief periods.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

I just learned another advantage of a mifi/jetpack/mobile hotspot when you have a cell booster that requires the boosted device to be in a small area, like about everything WeBoost (Wilson) makes. You put the hotspot where it gets the signal and use wifi calling and texting on the phones. Not all phones and plans support wifi calling, but many do. I know our two Samsung S8+ phones on Verizon support it, since we used wifi in Taiwan to make calls and to text.

Dutch · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use VOIP apps on our Verizon Android phones to make calls using our AT&T hotspots any time we're in a poor Verizon service area. With our Max Amp booster, the hotspots can be be located pretty much anywhere we want them in our coach, and of course our phones also work anywhere in the coach when the boosted Verizon signal works well.

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

I switched from Verizon to the AT&T Wireless Internet system. It's the same price per month, but mine includes taxes. I have tested the speed of both services - in the same locations. At most times of the day, AT&T is around 54/16 mps. Unless Verizon has made significant changes, the AT&T 4G system is at least twice as fast. But then ISP and physical bandwidth differ by area and connection type. One could get more or less depending on where you are.

The AT&T Nighthawk Hotspot Router is basically the same as the Verizon Jetpack. I chose to get the slightly larger AT&T Wireless Internet Router device, instead. It is portable, but really designed to be plugged into AC power. It's a couple inches wider, but comes with a LAN port and two phone jacks. I find the LAN port useful for a wired connection to a desktop computer. In the cost of either company's device, you are paying for a separate phone number. Since I am paying that cost anyway, I get the added benefit of being able to plug in a cordless phone, which uses that number, to the back of my device.

It is not unlimited data. But at 50 gigs per month it is way more than I need to serve my purpose of streaming a few movies, some Xbox gaming, email, and a lot of normal internet use.

Regardless of which company one uses, I pass along this tip to save some money. Connecting your cell phone thru these Wi-Fi devices allows you to reduce your data plan on them.

gemert · RV-Dreams Community Member

TXRVr, what ATT device is it that you bought? I have the same type of device called the Homebase Home phone and internet device. It's old and does not incorporate MIMO so it is not as fast as I would like. It's on my ATT Unlimited + plan for an extra 20 a month. What divice do you use? Thanks.
Jerry

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

gemert: Here is a link to the AT&T webpage on the device - https://www.att.com/devices/netgear/nighthawk-lte-mobile-hotspot-router.html#sku=sku8820339 .

gemert · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thank you.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Since I full time, we have both Verizon and AT&T devices. The AT&T is the wireless home phone and internet ... but we have the new device as the old one is considered obsolete by technomadia. I have a 100 GB plan which is bumped to 150 GB because we bundled it with DirecTV. Our Verizon is the latest MiFi 8800L with the unlimited prepaid plan. Which ever one is working best where we are at is one we use. For example, where we are now, AT&T is 2-4 Mbps download speed and Verizon is 30+ Mbps download speed. There are times when AT&T is faster ... but not many. When we were in Utah the AT&T was dead ... nada. Just FYI the AT&T wireless home phone will not roam in Canada (actually it supposed to be a HOME phone and internet, so it isn't designed to roam at all) ... ask me how I know this. The big plus on the AT&T wireless home phone is a lot of data pretty cheap. My 100 GB (bumped to 150) is $80/month plus a $20 line charge ... so $100/month for 150 GB. The Verizon 8800L is a prepaid truly unlimited plan so it is the preferred option.

A word of caution regarding the Nighthawk ... it CANNOT be used on the "wireless home phone and internet" plan ... only the device designed for that plan will work. The Nighthawk is an awesome hot spot, but you will run into the the usual data caps associated with most "unlimited" plans. If you want access the high data limits for the wireless home internet , you'll need that specific device.

-- Edited by RonC on Friday 1st of March 2019 04:20:18 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Friday 1st of March 2019 04:23:02 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Friday 1st of March 2019 04:26:52 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 13th of March 2019 11:25:00 AM

Dutch · RV-Dreams Family Member

A couple of weeks ago, we were at Rodman Campground about midway between Palatka and Salt Springs, FL. Our Verizon Jetpack signal would only give us low end 0.75-1.5 down 3G speeds, but our AT&T hotspot gave us 25-30 down and 15-20 up pretty consistently. The VOIP apps on our Verizon phones handled our voice services over AT&T just fine. Last week we moved 12 miles down the road to Salt Springs, and the situation is just the opposite. Verizon is giving us 30-40 down, and 20-25 up, while AT&T is running at 2-3 down and 0.5-1 up. With prepaid unlimited plans on both providers, we haven't found any place yet where we didn't get good service from one or the other, and often from both. At just under $90/mo total for the two services, we're happy with the results we've seen. Both of our plans are subject to network management, with the AT&T plan unmanaged until we 22GB, but we haven't seen any worse slowdowns on busy towers than we normally see anyway before management kicks in.

-- Edited by Dutch on Friday 1st of March 2019 08:40:56 PM

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

This is the link for my device. Bjoyce's link is for the Nighthawk. That's more "jetpack" style. Mine has the extra ports that I previously mentioned. The Nighthawk does not.

https://www.att.com/buy/connected-devices-and-more/att-wireless-internet-paramount-black.html