Verizon Unlimited Data Plan for Jetpacks

[remoandiris]

Printed out the Technomadia article cited above and took it to the Verizon store I got my 8800 from.  Got a new SIM, new account, and new number.  

8800 STILL shows the "No Data" statement mentioned in the article.  Will not know if the issue is really fixed until the beginning of next month when I use the 8800 again.  If it isn't fixed, I'll move to Option 2, Open a trouble ticket.

[Big5er]

Getting the new account and number fixed mine last month, no trouble since. Instead of "No Data" mine consistently shows "Data Usage: 1.00 MB used".

[Dutch_12078]

My prepaid plan rolled over on my 6620L yesterday with no glitches. I got the expected "activated" and "paid" messages, but the data usage is still showing as "10240.00/10240". Maybe VZW is getting their act together?

[ARGO]

OK, read a LOT of the thread here. Have a Jetpack with supposedly unlimited. After maybe 10 hrs of HGTV, it tells me it's dropping & I see a lot of buffering. Does 10 hrs use that much ? What solution has anybody arrived at? We have no other source at home like cable, this was supposedly going to serve both home & OTR. I'm getting ready to drop the plan & float-test it.

[edatlanta]

7 minutes ago, ARGO said:

OK, read a LOT of the thread here. Have a Jetpack with supposedly unlimited. After maybe 10 hrs of HGTV, it tells me it's dropping & I see a lot of buffering. Does 10 hrs use that much ? What solution has anybody arrived at? We have no other source at home like cable, this was supposedly going to serve both home & OTR. I'm getting ready to drop the plan & float-test it.

Try rebooting it.  Mine buffers at times after a long run and a reboot fixes it every time.

[ARGO]

Well, I turn the Jetpack OFF when we're not actually watching stuff. Tks for the reply.

[dewilso]

Got my 8800, on the prepaid yesterday. It is much slower than my phone on the same tower, often half the speed, or less. It also randomly drops the tower connection, with the WiFi remaining connected. At other times the WiFi signal disconnects. The tower I’m on, at Rainbows End cannot be crowded. Anyone else ?

[docj]

37 minutes ago, dewilso said:

It is much slower than my phone on the same tower, often half the speed, or less.

I think my prepaid Jetpack is usually half to two-thirds the speed of our phones.  But if you're doing a speedtest on the phone itself rather than on the phone's hotspot that's not a fair comparison.  I've always found that the phone hotspot speed is significantly less than the download speed the phone measures on its own.

But, despite that, I think it's only been twice in the past several months that I've had to use the phone's hotspot because the Jetpack's download speed wasn't enough for streaming.  Usually, it's in the 2-5 Mbps range which is enough to support a 720p video signal.

It's my understanding that the dropped connection issue is mostly a problem with the 8800.  We have a 7730L and rarely have any such problems.

Edited March 21, 2019 by docj

[Al F]

On 2/17/2019 at 5:20 AM, Al F said:

This last week (Thursday) I figured out how to consistently recreate the "no internet" problem with my 6620 JetPac.  My JetPac is also showing the "10240 data usage" figure which never changes.  No indication on the JetPac if the 10240 figure is bytes, Mbytes or Gbytes.  

I figured out that the problem occurs when I reach 860MB of data. Note this is bytes not bits of data, as some download speed tests or data monitoring apps display "bits" as in small "b" instead of Bytes with a large "B". 

I use www.testmy.net for download test as it allows me to specify a download size of 200MB.  Consistently on the 5th download, I get the "no internet".  Sometimes the JetPac just stops sending data to the computer and then takes several minutes before the "no internet" to show up. 

I determined the 860MB of data from the "Networx" app on my computer used to monitor the data in and out of the computer.  Networx used to be free, but now is a fee only app.  Great little app for monitoring data.  

This week I will start a chat session with Verizon to try to get this fixed. 

Don't know what fixed the problem, but my "No Internet" problem went away sometime in early March.  I guess Verizon fixed the problem. 

[dirtyboots]

3 hours ago, Al F said:

Don't know what fixed the problem, but my "No Internet" problem went away sometime in early March.  I guess Verizon fixed the problem. 

The issue of 'no internet' got really bad on my Jet Pac, losing signal 2-3 times per day, then 'bingo' - got a notice from Verizon that my auto-pay was now activated (was set-up, but never worked at all) and now everything is as it should be.  Still on my toes waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far, all is well.  This all happened towards the end of February.

Edited March 22, 2019 by dirtyboots

[GlennWest]

Well, I signed us up today. We are now unlimited and 2 phones 4 gig each. Verzion prepaid. Got the cheezy jackpak. See how it works out. If not will change.

[Bill Joyce]

I find that tethering the 8800 to my Pepwave  Surf SOHO MK3 via USB keeps the prepaid plan alive better than using it via wifi.  

[dewilso]

I gave up dinking around with this on the prepaid plan dropping tower & WiFi connections at different times.

[docj]

On 3/26/2019 at 11:16 AM, dewilso said:

I gave up dinking around with this on the prepaid plan dropping tower & WiFi connections at different times.

My Jetpack 7730L had a "disconnect" this afternoon but it's the fist time in weeks that it has done this.  We've suffered some network management over the past two weeks due to the Spring Break crowds on the TX coast.  But, despite that, we've had no problems streaming video whenever we have desired.

[remoandiris]

For those of you using an 8800, how many bars of signal strength do you typically have? 

All I seem to get, regardless of location (city or rural), is 2.  I get the occasional 3rd bar for a second or two, then it is back to 2 bars.

[Second Chance]

32 minutes ago, remoandiris said:

For those of you using an 8800, how many bars of signal strength do you typically have? 

All I seem to get, regardless of location (city or rural), is 2.  I get the occasional 3rd bar for a second or two, then it is back to 2 bars.

We have four bars right now (Las Cruces, NM). It's been as low as two out in the boonies and as high as five when there was a good tower nearby. 

Rob

[docj]

9 hours ago, Second Chance said:

We have four bars right now (Las Cruces, NM). It's been as low as two out in the boonies and as high as five when there was a good tower nearby. 

As has been stated in many other threads, the number of bars displayed by your Jetpack (or phone) is only weakly correlated with its effective download and upload speeds.  These are all digital devices; once they receive "enough" signal having a stronger signal doesn't buy you anything.  When the signal is weak some data packets may get "lost" and have to be resent, but if the signal is strong enough to avoid packet loss then the speed is what the speed is going to be in any particular situation.

Furthermore, the indicator bars on your device are only a relatively crude indicator of signal strength.  The only way to know the actual signal your device is receiving is to obtain that data from the device's Settings menu or via an installed app. Signal strength is measured in negative dBm (decibels) with stronger signals having smaller negative numbers.  A signal strength change of 10 dB is equal to a factor of ten change in strength. Most current generation devices can operate with signal strength on the order of -105 to -110 dBm without any noticeable loss of speed.  By comparison, a very strong signal might have a strength of ~-85 dBm, a difference of 20-25 dBm which is a factor of >200 stronger.

If Verizon engages in network management to slow your device down at times when the local tower is heavily loaded, it does not do so by reducing your signal strength. I'm pretty sure that Verizon literally has device by device control of the speed you measure when you use the internet.  For example, I would guess that some (or all) of the lower speed you measure when you use your phone as a hotspot compared with the speed measured on the phone itself is due to the speed Verizon "allows" your phone to have rather than a limitation of the device itself.

Edited March 28, 2019 by docj

[richfaa]

Changed over to the Beyond unlimited Verizon plan recently. It does say we MAY be throttled in a high usage area at 15 gigs. We are over 15 Gigs here in Florida near WDW and no slow down yet.

[Second Chance]

20 minutes ago, richfaa said:

Changed over to the Beyond unlimited Verizon plan recently. It does say we MAY be throttled in a high usage area at 15 gigs. We are over 15 Gigs here in Florida near WDW and no slow down yet.

Different plan than being discussed here.

Rob

[Bill Joyce]

21 hours ago, richfaa said:

Changed over to the Beyond unlimited Verizon plan recently. It does say we MAY be throttled in a high usage area at 15 gigs. We are over 15 Gigs here in Florida near WDW and no slow down yet.

I have two phones and a still under contract Jetpack on Beyond Unlimited.  When the Jetpack hits 15GB, it slows down to unusable.  When it gets close to 15GB I get email telling me it will slow down and then email when I hit 15GB to tell me it will now be slow.  The phones also have a 15GB hotspot/tethering limit before they slow down.  It is all clearly displayed both when I log on to the website and check usage and on the MyVerizon app under "Details". 

I also have the prepaid $65 plan and can use way more than 15GB a month.  The Jetpack under contract has faster speeds than the prepaid plan, so I am enjoying it for $20 + taxes for the next couple months the contract runs and then will decide if I am keeping it.  

[richfaa]

Interesting..None of that has happened to us....yet.

[docj]

On 3/30/2019 at 8:51 AM, richfaa said:

Interesting..None of that has happened to us....yet.

Here's the relevant plan info.  There are two separate types of limits.  One is the "high usage area" one under which you may have your speed limited.  The other is a very simple if you exceed 15GB or 20GB (depending on your plan) you will be limited to 600kbps.  Believe me it is automatic and does occur.  Attached is the relevant section of the Verizon plan info.

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by docj

[richfaa]

Well then we have the "May be temporarily slower plan" but it has not been temporarily  slowed yet .We do not normally use Mobile hotspot/  tethering but may in the future.

[Dutch_12078]

We have both AT&T and Verizon hotspots on "May be temporarily slower" plans, but we have yet to experience any slowdowns that were any worse than what we've usually encountered on busy towers at peak times even while still within the no slow down limits. Even streaming at peak times hasn't been noticeably affected.

[Technomadia]

We have indications that this plan may soon be retiring - if you're interested in this plan, we recommend getting it activated ASAP just in case:

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/verizon-prepaid-65-month-unlimited-jetpack-data-plan-pudp-retiring-soon/