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Phone Hotspot VS JetPack/MIFI


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I have always used my phone as a hotspot as needed when we travel and never thought much about getting a Jetpack.

 

Is there a marked difference in a computer or a network for example, being connected to a phone hotspot for Wi-Fi  or is it better to use a Jetpack to create the Wi-Fi?

We use Verizon and I can add one for $10.00 to my existing account, if it's that beneficial.

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Much depends on the quality of the device.  A new phone with all the latest radio bands and carrier aggregation will outperform an older Jetpack and vice versa.

Another consideration is whether you receive extra hotspot bandwidth when you add that hotspot for $10.  Do you need the extra bandwidth?

The biggest consideration may be convenience.  Do you have peripheral devices operating off of the hotspot, like cameras and such.  If so, leaving a Jetpack at home in one place all the time is much easier than having everything reset when you arrive home from grocery shopping with your phone.

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We have Verizon. When we got new phones about 18 months ago, we could get a hotspot or a tablet with no equipment fee just the monthly line charge. We got a hotspot and a tablet. The hotspot has a fixed limit of 15GB before speed is throttled to 500MB which is virtually useless. The tablet has the same limit on hotspot or tethering usage, but is unlimited for on device usage. We have used over 250GB in a month and not noticed a significant speed reduction from prioritization. We can use the tablet for on device streaming or project video to the TV through the Roku device which can not be done with the Mifi. I have not noticed  significant speed difference between the tablet and the Mifi. I have had more issues tethering the Mifi (8800L) to my Wifi Ranger Spruce router than I have with the tablet. I wish I had gotten a second tablet instead of the Mifi.

Edited by trailertraveler
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1 hour ago, trailertraveler said:

The hotspot has a fixed limit of 15GB before speed is throttled to 500MB which is virtually useless

Not to be picky, but the speed of your hotspot after it is throttled is ~500kbps, not 500MB. "kbps" stands for kilobits per second and it's a measure of speed (a very slow speed). "MB" stands for Megabytes and is a measure of a quantity data, not its speed.

 

1 hour ago, trailertraveler said:

I have had more issues tethering the Mifi (8800L) to my Wifi Ranger Spruce router than I have with the tablet.

I've you're having issues tethering to your Ranger, feel free to contact us and we'll assist you in resolving the problem.  Normally, tethering is foolproof and rocksolid stable.  I tether a Jetpack7730L to a WiFiRanger Aspen and it runs for weeks without supervision.  FWIW are you sure that your 8800 has the latest firmware update?  The earlier firmware versions had issues relating to dropped connections.

Edited by docj

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2 hours ago, trailertraveler said:

We have Verizon. When we got new phones about 18 months ago, we could get a hotspot or a tablet with no equipment fee just the monthly line charge. We got a hotspot and a tablet. The hotspot has a fixed limit of 15GB before speed is throttled to 500MB which is virtually useless. The tablet has the same limit on hotspot or tethering usage, but is unlimited for on device usage. We have used over 250GB in a month and not noticed a significant speed reduction from prioritization. We can use the tablet for on device streaming or project video to the TV through the Roku device which can not be done with the Mifi. I have not noticed  significant speed difference between the tablet and the Mifi. I have had more issues tethering the Mifi (8800L) to my Wifi Ranger Spruce router than I have with the tablet. I wish I had gotten a second tablet instead of the Mifi.

We run our Roku all the time with our Verzion mifi. 

 

 

 

Edited by GlennWest

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56 minutes ago, docj said:

Not to be picky, but the speed of your hotspot after it is throttled is ~500kbps, not 500MB. "kbps" stands for kilobits per second and it's a measure of speed (a very slow speed). "MB" stands for Megabytes and is a measure of a quantity data, not its speed.

 

I've you're having issues tethering to your Ranger, feel free to contact us and we'll assist you in resolving the problem.  Normally, tethering is foolproof and rocksolid stable.  I tether a Jetpack7730L to a WiFiRanger Aspen and it runs for weeks without supervision.  FWIW are you sure that your 8800 has the latest firmware update?  The earlier firmware versions had issues relating to dropped connections.

Thanks for the correction, my bad, I edited the post. 

The Mifi says the software is up to date. There is no mention of "firmware" in the 8800L menus. As for contacting Wifi Ranger I have done that a couple of times. They were of little help as the problem is sporadic and the 8800L is not one of the devices that they test. One rep said he had heard of issues with the 8800L. Since I can always connect wirelessly, they were not overly concerned and did not seem to appreciate that in situations where the Verizon speed is not very fast (which we encounter fairly often in the places we like to visit) that the difference between tethering and a  wifi connection can make a substantial difference in streaming quality.

The Mifi seems to tether fine to my old Go2.  

Edited by trailertraveler
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12 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

We run our Roku all the time with our Verzion mifi. 

Yes, I do too, but that uses hotspot or tethering data which does not last long if you have a 15GB limit before throttling as I do. I was talking about projecting the tablet/phone screen image to the Roku using the Smart View feature of the device. The data used doing that is counted as on device data which is not throttled.. As far as I know, you can not stream to the Mifi and project that video to the Roku/TV.

Edited by trailertraveler
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1 hour ago, trailertraveler said:

 Since I can always connect wirelessly, they were not overly concerned and did not seem to appreciate that in situations where the Verizon speed is not very fast (which we encounter fairly often in the places we like to visit) that the difference between tethering and a  wifi connection can make a substantial difference in streaming quality.

With all due respect, with the quad-core processor used in the Spruce, I think you'll find little difference between USB tethering vs WiFi.  With your old Go2 this was a much more significant issue.

Joel (AKA docj)

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When I first was using Wireless, I had a Pantech Mifi that was several times faster using WiFi-As-WAN as the connection than the USB cable.

Pantech spent a lot of trying to solve that until I quit the Mifi.  I changed over to a wireless modem because the Pantech would burn up its battery when USB connected.

The modem was designed to be on the USB cable and since the modem has a constant source of current, it did not restrain the transmit power like a MiFi does to save battery life.  I had better range to wireless towers because it is your transmit power that determines the range far more than the towers power.

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11 hours ago, docj said:

I think you'll find little difference between USB tethering vs WiFi.

Not in my experience when the cellular signal is on the slow side like 5-6MBS which is still not all that uncommon in many of the places that we like to stay. This past winter in a couple of places in Florida was the first time I have seen cellular speeds anywhere near some of the speeds reported by individuals on this forum.  I don't think the speed of the processor changes the fact that the radio has to receive the signal and then retransmit it.

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2 hours ago, trailertraveler said:

I don't think the speed of the processor changes the fact that the radio has to receive the signal and then retransmit it.

If you use a router with dual radios (2GHz and 5GHz) you can eliminate the need to receive and retransmit data packets using the same radio.  Most newer phones, laptops, etc, support both bands.  Just use one radio to connect to your hotspot and the other radio to connect to your network devices.

Edited by docj

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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29 minutes ago, docj said:

If you use a router with dual radios (2GHz and 5GHz) you can eliminate the need to receive and retransmit data packets using the same radio. ..Just use one radio to connect to your hotspot and the other radio to connect to your network devices.

Not really, it may speed things up but the communications to and from the hotspot to the router are still using the same radio (which can not transmit and receive at the same time) as are the communications to and from the router to network devices. A true two radio system has one radio dedicated to receiving signals and another to transmitting them. if everything is working properly, I typically get the best speed at the network devices by tethering the cellular device and connecting network devices by ethernet to the router. This results in the cellular device being the only radio being used as opposed to the three in the scenario  you describe.

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7 hours ago, fly2low said:

Joel

I am having issues with tethering my Samsung phone to a Spruce.  Given the less than stellar service I have recently gotten from the company, I haven't bothered to call.

What phone are you using?  What problems are you experiencing?  Dropped connection?  

Please PM me your concerns about you previous interaction with customer service along with your Spruce's ID number and your contact information.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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I realize the OP was inquiring about tethering but think they may be helped by this info?  I  recently switched from using a VerizonLTE tablet (Samsung Tab) to a JetPack 8800l and simply transferred my $20/mo, 15GB unlimited plan to the JetPack. Between the faster processor in the JetPack and addition of an inexpensive Netgear 6000450 MIMO antenna I have more than doubled performance and range of my mobile wifi setup. The folks at rvmobileinternet.com have a very informative video that details benefits of MIMO technology.  FYI, I abandoned a Weboost RV setup a year ago as it provided little useful benefit IMO.  I'm hesitant to take the plunge into hard-mounted (wifiranger, Wineguard, etc) equipment as technology moves too fast to justify piercing the shell of my motorhome. 

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To address the original question as to which is best - hot spotting off a smartphone, or using a Jetpack - here is our guide to the pros & cons of both approaches:

 

 https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/mifijetpack-usb-modem-or-smartphone-hotspotting/

 

And for the above mentioned video & guide on MIMO vs Boosters, you'll find that here:

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/understanding-and-optimizing-cellular-signal/

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