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Old 04-20-2015, 03:34 PM   #1
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Verizon Jetpack?

I am not well versed in electronics or internet access issues. We are both retired now and are beginning to do a lot of air streaming. We would like to find the best (and least expensive) way to stay connected to the internet while we travel. I have recently read about the"prepaid" plan for the Jetpack, which would allow us to travel for a week or more, and only pay for internet for the time we are camping. I do not wish to pay for this access when we are home where we already have internet. The prepaid plan seems to be a good solution. Has anyone had experience with this? We are not ready to go full time yet, but are beginning to really enjoy the Airstream life!
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Old 04-20-2015, 03:43 PM   #2
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There are several threads here talking about its use. I think most comments are favorable.

I also lack tech savvy but its easy to use. Anywhere you can get a Verizon signal we can use jetpack. Easy to monitor your use and adjust amounts of gig. You can turn it off for some time also but double check that as there are some restrictions on that.

We NEVER use free public WiFi. Jetpack is small and secured with password. Can turn it on put in pocket and sit in public and use it. Nice to have when you need more than your phone. Sometimes you want to use laptop for ease or visual size.
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Old 04-20-2015, 03:44 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by jmichaelr View Post
I am not well versed in electronics or internet access issues. We are both retired now and are beginning to do a lot of air streaming. We would like to find the best (and least expensive) way to stay connected to the internet while we travel. I have recently read about the"prepaid" plan for the Jetpack, which would allow us to travel for a week or more, and only pay for internet for the time we are camping. I do not wish to pay for this access when we are home where we already have internet. The prepaid plan seems to be a good solution. Has anyone had experience with this? We are not ready to go full time yet, but are beginning to really enjoy the Airstream life!
Do you currently have a data plan through Verizon for your cell phone? If so you can probably set up your phone as a hot spot and use that. We live in the country and I use a Jetpack and family data plan at home for my internet access, since no cable or DSL, and it works good. I did not know about a prepaid plan. While on the road, we set up our phones as hot spots.
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Old 04-20-2015, 04:00 PM   #4
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Having had both ATT and Verizon aircard/jet pack service at one time or another. Hands down Verizon has far better coverage in much more remote places than ATT does.
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Old 04-20-2015, 04:08 PM   #5
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We were among the Millenicom users who were absorbed by Verizon when Millenicom shut down. Right now, our only Internet connection at home and on the road is our old Millenicom/Novatel 4510L on a grandfathered plan for 20GB at $99.99 per month. Overage charge is $8 per GB.

Does anyone know if Verizon has a cheaper data plan, perhaps with a little higher limit?
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Old 04-20-2015, 04:18 PM   #6
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Pay as you go

I have had a Tracfone for many years, my wife and son both have one. It costs us about $10 / month each (or less). My point is, I like pay as you go.

I have the Verizon Ellipses Jetpack. I have to provide technical support for a company I contract with. While in Florida for a month this winter I had my work laptop, personal laptop, 2 Tracfone smart phones and a Roku connected to that Jetpack. It worked flawlessly, I never had a problem and I had it inside the AS most of the time, even if I was outside the trailer on the laptop. It was about a foot away from the window by the door.

On the Roku we watched a movie. I won't do that again. That ate up about 6 gig of my available data. If not for that I would have had plenty of data for the entire month. I ran out on a Friday evening at exactly 5 PM. We left for home on Sunday, so that was almost perfect anyway.

The Jetpack was $50 at Best Buy, the AT&T model was $100. Verizon offers 3 plans: (AT&T offered only 2 plans. I don't know what they are as I opted to go with Verizon because of the coverage.)
250 mb / $15 / 7 Days
3 gb / $60 / 30 Days
10 gb / $90 / 30 Days

I chose the $90 plan for the 30 days. The device will tell you what your balance is and you can order more by phone if you run out. You purchase by phone then go to the Verizon web site to activate the purchase. At the end of the 30 days or 10 gb (whichever is first) your service ends. So use it up before the time runs out.

On the way back we ran into that heavy snow so I had to purchase another 3 gb so I could support while we waited for the roads to clear. Next time I'll buy the 3 gb for the month of support and not watch any movies on Roku. (I carry a hard drive that I can use with a media player to see lots of movies anyway.)

I used the Jetpack anytime we stopped. I just carried it in my pocket and if we stopped I just fired up the laptop. After we got back I used up the remainder of time and let that purchase expire. It's in my backpack now, ready for the next trip.

I used another brand (Kroger's) and I let that sit idle for over a year and had no issue getting it restarted. This is better than that brand but I don't know if it will go inactive or not, I don't think so but I'd check to be certain. I'm sure they will always be happy to take your money.
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Old 04-20-2015, 04:48 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Phoenix View Post
We were among the Millenicom users who were absorbed by Verizon when Millenicom shut down. Right now, our only Internet connection at home and on the road is our old Millenicom/Novatel 4510L on a grandfathered plan for 20GB at $99.99 per month. Overage charge is $8 per GB.

Does anyone know if Verizon has a cheaper data plan, perhaps with a little higher limit?
We were grandfathered in on a Verizon unlimited data plan, but when we wanted to upgrade our phones, they wouldn't let us keep it with the new phones. Our current shared plan is 30Gb/mo with unlimited talk and text for $130.
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Old 04-20-2015, 05:09 PM   #8
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I use the Jetpack for all of my travels, personal and business. I do not use public WiFi due to security concerns. The Jetpack works great. Combined with the built-in Wilson cell booster and an antenna on the Airstream, I can set-up a connection in most remote campgrounds.
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Old 04-20-2015, 05:15 PM   #9
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Some nice Jetpacks out there today. I have a 6620L which can use either 2.4 ghz or 5 ghz frequencies. It will drive up to 15 devices, has a battery that will give you somewhere between 10-15 hours of use, dependent upon the number of devices you have connected. The unit can also provide power to charge other devices like cell phones. I've yet to use it on the road but I do use it whenever I'm out to provide WiFi to my iPad and my wife's iPhone.

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Old 04-20-2015, 05:26 PM   #10
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We have had our 4G LTE Jetpack just over two years now. It has been a must have for work as a camp host, and traveling is so much better when the co-pilot has access to the laptop. Verizon has been the best carrier we have used. I worked for ATT for almost 33 years and I get a concession on cell service, but ATT does not work well in most places we go, so why bother.
I do not know about vz's pre-paid options, ours is a monthly contract with multiple devices.

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Old 04-20-2015, 05:27 PM   #11
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If you have cell phones with Verizon, you already have a data plan. A jetpack will use that data just like a phone, but it will provide wifi for computers, pads and phones. You can adjust the amount of data in your plan by buying extra gigs per month if you are going to be on the road and then adjust them back when you are not.
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Old 04-21-2015, 07:19 AM   #12
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In February, while wintering in Key West, I added the " Hotspot" to my Verizon plan. They tell me that the Jetpack option would be a 4G connection and that the hotspot is a 3G and that the jetpack would be much faster. So far for me the hotspot has proven to be sufficient but I'll hang on to the jetpack option if I change my mind on that. I don't know if the security aspect is any different between the 2 options. But so far the hotspot has worked well for me.
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Old 04-21-2015, 07:48 AM   #13
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I tried the verizon jetpack for a while. While using it it worked well. The problem I had with it was that after not using it for several months I "lost" the use of that phone number. That meant going back to Verizon, having them swap out the SIM card, assigning a new phone number to it. In other words, essentially having to start all over again. They told me they were supposed to charge me a reconnection fee for this, but waived it. The same thing happened the next year. You can see what I was trying to do was use it, as advertised, in other words only use it when I needed it for out of town use, and let it sit idle when I did not need it. Too much hassle for me.

Since then, I have changed from a different carrier for my cell fone itself, and now have Verizon for it, so I use the cell phone for a hot spot.
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Old 04-21-2015, 07:53 AM   #14
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Trying to keep it simple plan on about $50 dollars for 5GB per month. I have both AT&T and Verizon and Verizon seems to work much better.
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Old 04-21-2015, 08:54 AM   #15
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In February, while wintering in Key West, I added the " Hotspot" to my Verizon plan. They tell me that the Jetpack option would be a 4G connection and that the hotspot is a 3G and that the jetpack would be much faster. So far for me the hotspot has proven to be sufficient but I'll hang on to the jetpack option if I change my mind on that. I don't know if the security aspect is any different between the 2 options. But so far the hotspot has worked well for me.
I think this depends on the model of your iphone. I know my 5s uses a 4g connection when using it as a hotspot. Earlier versions of iOS only supported 3g. I think the iphone 5 had 4g and all the models before were limited to 3g - not 100% sure which one went to 4g.
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Old 04-21-2015, 09:19 AM   #16
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FYI, We had 2-smart phones with VZ and used the 4G phone as a mobile hot spot for a while. Then discovered it was less expensive to get a 4g LTE Jetpack than using a phone to be a "HOT SPOT". Who knew? We keep upgrading phones but he Jetpack is still working great after 2 years. Call Verizon and compare options. See if they have a plan that will work for your budget.
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Old 04-21-2015, 10:40 AM   #17
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I have about 10 years of experience with Verizon data plans and various USB connection devices and Jetpacks or their equal. My words of wisdom (ha) are these:

1. Plans are constantly changing as is available equipment. What I have now is not necessarily what you can get if you are looking to sign up. Plans and equipment come and go very rapidly. Verizon's "grandfathered" plans are especially flakey, and they have lots of ways of removing you from them. So, don't think that a any plan mentioned here on the Forum is one which you can get if you go to sign up.

2. The best source of Verizon information is generally a genuine Verizon store, that is one which is company owned, not a franchise operation. Ask when you go in the store if at all unsure. Although not perfect, Verizon company stores seem to give the best and most current information on their rates and plans and products. I have had some sad and pathetic information from non company stores, where I was told totally incorrect information so the sales staff could make a sale. One even told me that all cell signals now go by satellite and so I would always get a signal wherever I was in the United States. How I wish. I left that place quickly.

3. If using a lot of data, or if you think you can download movies or even a lot of You Tube clips you will find out how expensive things can be and how rapidly you can go through your data allowance. I have found the average cost per GB of data is about $10 when delivered over the cell network. That is not cheap. If you are used to unlimited data on a home DSL or Cable net access, be careful of your expectations on a cell network. You may be shocked at your usage and costs.
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Old 04-21-2015, 05:02 PM   #18
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I think you're correct ESLOSER. I have an older Iphone4 so that might explain the 3G connection. So far it works for me so, All's well.
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Old 05-22-2015, 07:24 AM   #19
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Best Buy currently has IPad minis with 32GB and wifi for $279 with a 2 year Verizon contract.

The mini can then replace the JetPack and serve as a hotspot for other devices without the lessening of service found when using your phone as the hotspot.

If you're in the market......


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Old 05-27-2015, 05:43 AM   #20
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Picked up the new mini yesterday, and love it.

Very fast, small and no jet pack to carry and charge.



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