Millenicom is data only, no voice. So keep the Verizon plan for your phones.

Barb

Thanks so much to all. I'm starting to figure this out!!!

Julie

When are you moving, Terry? We are "in residence"....

Jack Mayer wrote:

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When are you moving, Terry? We are "in residence"....

---

 

Jack,

I thought you and Danielle might be there, or at least close to arriving.

We retire from our jobs the last day of June.  Then, by fits and starts, we will work our way to Mountaindale, scheduled to arrive there on July 14.  We'll spend a bit of time in Elk City visiting friends and doing a couple of things to the coach.  Jo wants to replace all the 2010 carpet with the newer, better looking carpet.  Then maybe 2 days in Amarillo seeing my niece and her family, followed by some time visiting my sister and her family in the Oklahoma Panhandle, just before heading for Mountaindale.

Everyone is pretty close to counting the days, including our relatives in Colorado.  We've already got a camping trip planned when our nephew comes back to the states for vacation in August.  He is currently working in Dubai.  We'll be leaving our "luxury" behind and staying in tents.

We'll definitely look you two up and get in a little more visiting, maybe even some sightseeing.

Terry

Just did some searching.. Seems the Verizon guys may be right.. Tons of people just getting dial up speed.. Posts are stating Verizon raised prices to mellincom..

Tons of posts with people having issues in just the past 2 weeks..

ut oh..Verizon may be shutting the door on Mellinicom?

Glenn West wrote:

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We use Milenicon. Great fast service. We have been customers for years. Best deal out there for full timers. We have never come close to the cap. 20 gig is a lot.

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 I know it a good deal for the SIZE of downloading / uploading.. But at what SPEED does it operate at after the 5gb point.. 

Many, many people are saying it's like the walmart unlimited stuff.. booming out the gate.. then slows down.. Unlike Verizon that is booming for ALL the data.. not just the start..

I get aggravated easily.. ( ya think? ..lol ) I don't mind paying a little more for better  , faster service.. I think that where this is at.. I may get a millicom later if I see us hitting well over the 10gb.. But I'm staying at parks..not boondocking. Most have some level of free wifi, and I have big sky, that should tap wifi from a distance.. I can use the park wifi late nights and stuff.. well see...

I'm not sure what is to 'get ugly' about the shortage? Over the years of history we've been Millenicom customers, we have seen them go in and out of stock several times. Even Verizon is out of stock of 291 hotspots.

It could mean Verizon is gearing up for a new flagship hotspot device to offer, it could mean a shortage from Pantech (they are having financial difficulty, afterall). But it doesn't immediately mean 'its gonna get ugly'. Millenicom is still activating plans via 3GStore on other devices, even your own.

As far as the throttling, yes -it has been happening when it shouldn't. It's a glitch on Verizon's side and currently requires Millenicom calling and having the account reset. From everyone we've talked to who has called over the past months, they have not had a repeat. Just last month, we ourselves used 40 GB of data without problem (we bought a second block).

Some have reported the speeds on their Millenicom account are slower.. but we have also seen speed tests that show them equal. So many things effect speed/connection - such as frequency, antenna power and more. It's hard to isolate or take one-off reports. Even so, the 'slow' speeds are fast enough to be snappy.

We purchased a verzion unit and used it. We then bought the Millinicon unit and it worked the same, speeds and all. We can tell no difference in service just cost.

The Junkman wrote:

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Sometimes it's good ...sometimes it's not..

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 I have been a millenicom customer for 5 years now . They have been great . What is your deal ? If you have to look as hard as you are for reasons not to use them . Just don't use them . Your campaign is getting old. Move on !

-- Edited by Max Signal on Wednesday 20th of August 2014 08:06:19 AM

Neil and Connie wrote:

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Cherie…we're also Millenicom customers and have been very happy with our 3G only USB air card…I've got it hooked up with an amplifier and rooftop antenna to boost reception. 

I've been thinking about upgrading to the LTE capable device…does it have an antenna connection so I an use my existing amplifier and antenna. I'll have to check and see if the current amplifier and antenna support LTE…I would presume they do but don't know for sure. It's a Cybex or something like that amplifier and a maximumsignal.com antenna…I'll have to check on them and see unless you happen to know if a 3G amp/antenna works fine for LTE as well.

We currently use the air card connected via USB to our WiFiRanger…and have a separate Apple Airport Extreme for our internal wifi with the Rangers wifi turned off, does the Pantech allow the same USB connection to the Ranger or do you have to use it's wifi…if the only way is to connect the Ranger's wifi to the Pantech's then I think the latency of the doubled wifi connection in the network would do bad things to the overall network latency. 

-- Edited by Neil and Connie on Wednesday 20th of August 2014 11:03:41 AM

-- Edited by Neil and Connie on Wednesday 20th of August 2014 11:05:40 AM

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 You will more than likely need to upgrade your boosting/antenna gear to use LTE, all new stuff out for that due to the new FCC rules... and they are on different bands then 3G.    We direct tether our MiFi into our WFR Go, but you can also do it as WiFi over WAN too. 

 - Cherie

Got the 291 Millenicom card... And the wilson mobile amplifier..

The wilson boosted my signal from 2 bars of 3g to 4bars of 4g.. Booming ! is all i can say. If I was stuck at 3g.. 2 bars.. I was pulling my hair out.. While the 4g is slower what I am used to on cable , it is tolerable and fast enough to cope with.

My question is.. I have the 291, rubber banded to the wilson base.. and leave both on 24/7.. Should I shut these down when Not in use ?

Also, I have the go2, new in the box, and so far have not found a need to use it or even set it up.. I also Have the sky.. Maybe I will need these when accessing other peoples wifi ?

Sounds like a signal issue . You should get the antenna Millenicom sells . That antenna will give up to 12 db Gain . Jack Mayer has tested it and has test results on his site

Well , They did it..

Ordered the mifi.. worked great for about 7 days.. then BAM !.. Speed went to crap.. Thought maybe it was me.. or my connection.. Waited a few days.. constant "no connect" pages.. slow map downloads, slow everything..

Just called.. Pulled the battery, memory card, and they did a "reboot" on their end.. BAM ! Service back on track..

I hope this does not happen weekly.. I will drop them like a rock.. and go verizon directly..

With AT&T's promotional deal for double the data.. we just actually made them our 'primary' with 40GB of data, and Millenicom our secondary connection. 60GBs of unthrottled, tetherable, abundant, affordable (comparatively) data! Woohoo.. OS updates, here we come! (We're happy technomads!)

More details on the AT&T deal: www.rvmobileinternet.com/promotion-get-double-the-att-data-on-mobile-share-value-plans/

- Cherie

$150 for 40gb is a deal.. But based on my usage, so far.. more than I will be needing.. so it's just added cost.

On the millinicom..They did the reset, sent me a email and reset my data usage to 0.. Same deal.. just like everyone says they do online.. If this continues, I will send the device back and move on. I don't want to play .. notice the or not? games on data speed..I want to be having fun out here, not worrying about getting ripped off.

I bet it won't be long before ATT does exactly the same..or adding something to the mix..At $150 for 40 gb, I would only be saving $30.. to leave the best network in the US? i don't know.. I'm in the boonies now, and need a booster to get verizon 4g.. I wonder how ATT would be here? However, if they are honestly offering 4glte at full speeds , all the time.. and Verizion/Millicom keeps up playing games, I will make the move..in a heartbeat.

 

edit-- "AT&T is expected to be substantially complete with its 4G LTE build by this summer. "  So we are talking apples and oranges? 

-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 30th of September 2014 03:34:55 AM

-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 30th of September 2014 03:40:41 AM

-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 30th of September 2014 03:42:11 AM

bjoyce wrote:

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http://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html is AT&T's coverage maps.  I find them reasonable for accuracy, just like Verizon.  Some places they show coverage that doesn't have it, due to hills and such.  Just like Verizon.   Since we picked up our AT&T hotspot in May 2013, we have had at least AT&T 3G at all of our stops.  In that time we have not had Verizon twice.  This is the opposite of our experience a few years ago, where Verizon won the coverage battle.  We have been in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington (La Conner Thousand Trails has Verizon only by the beach), Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan (Verizon around Buchanan is weak and flakey). 

---

 Are they "throttling" ?

I'm a verizon guy since the 80's..Always had at least 2 phones with them, since way back then..

I can't see giving up something not broke, and working great... And through the years many have left verizon.. many have come back. Grass is always greener...

 

Problem here is the reseller , Millenicom.. Not Verizon. I think I would pay a little more for the verizon premium service if I need too.. Trying to save a couple dollars with Millenicon.. We'll see if it works out.

 

ATT is a good deal.. but it's NOT cheaper.. It's only cheaper if you use the data.. other wise, it's a higher price.???

 

 

 

We have been having issues with WiFi since we moved into this famcamp on Charleston AFB in 2012. We have Verizon phones with 4GB data, most months we were having to increase that Data. There is 'free' WiFi here, but there are so many high trees, we have only ever had sporadic success reaching it through the WiFi ranger. Now the Hubster is trying to finish off his BA and is doing the classes online, because of the useless 'free' WiFi here we have been using up to 10GB per month lately! It was getting pretty expensive.

2 weeks ago, we sent for the Millenicom. We have set it up and use it through the WiFi ranger. My question is, shouldn't the 'speed' be higher than 198Kbps? Even the 'free' famcamp WiFi is a higher speed that that, I am pretty disappointed with it so far, we have tried moving it around to get better signals but it just doesn't seem to be an improvement on what we had before? Any advice?

huggs Kim x

Thanks Mike, calling now for a reset As we already have the WiFi ranger, would the 'pole' on the ladder work just as well as the Yagi?

huggs Kim x

The Junkman wrote:

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I added a wilson "mobile" booster kit.. and a trucker antenna..

Went from 2 bars of 3 g to 4 bars of 4g.. speed is smokin..!

Yea, call for a reset.. these guys are either having technical issues or doing it on purpose..If you don't call, it will stay that way..It's like dial up.. lol

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 Thank you, we called for reset, went through lots of info with them, she said it can take up to 3 hours to cycle through their system....we shall see.

 

Huggs Kim x

The Junkman wrote:

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ATT is a good deal.. but it's NOT cheaper.. It's only cheaper if you use the data.. other wise, it's a higher price.???

 

---

 

At high data usage rates.. it's actually around the same or can be cheaper. But like you said, only makes sense if you need that much data, and we do And, we already travel with both AT&T and Verizon and love the combination of both. 

Our AT&T Mobile Share plan with unlimited phone & text for our two iPhones, and 40GB of shareable data - we're now paying $180 + taxes (we used to pay $130 for 10GB). We used to almost always have to add on an additional 20GB to our Millenicom plan, making it $179.98.. which we hopefully won't need to do in most situations anymore. 

So before...  50GB of data cost us $310

Now...  60GB of data is $270

For our needs.. $40 less per month for 10GB more.. is cheaper :)

 

AT&T has substantially expanded their network in the past year... and when you combine their HSPA+ network (which is somewhere between 3G and LTE speeds), they actually have quite a 'faster than 3G' network. 

 

Here's our Coverage? map showing Verizon's LTE vs. AT&T's 4G coverage (click to enlarge)..

There are plenty of places where one network excels over the other. 

 - Cherie

JayKim-no regrets wrote:

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 There is 'free' WiFi here, but there are so many high trees, we have only ever had sporadic success reaching it through the WiFi ranger. 

---

Before investing in more WiFi 'stuff'.. take a laptop or mobile device up closer to the WiFi hotspot in the campground.. if you get a substantially better surfing experience, then it may be worthwhile improving your antenna setup.  But, we often find.. the campground WiFi itself is a bit lacking or overloaded, and not worth repeating.  But, we love being pleasantly surprised sometimes :)

We do have a Ubiquiti Nanostation antenna on a flagpole mount (link is to our article showing the setup) that we use for getting altitude to get above other RVs and trees an such, and for distance.. and gives us much better performance than our Sky alone. 

Kim,

You are talking about two separate systems here for Internet backhaul (Internet connection). WiFi is a separate system from cellular, and the WFR (WiFiRanger) combines them (allows access to both) across your private LAN. So be careful about confusing them.

Since you are in a fixed location, for cellular you can use a yagi to increase the reception of your cellular signal. You might also consider using a Sleek amplifier in ADDITION to the yagi for best 4G reception. On cellular. I would try the yagi or panel antenna alone first. Putting it on a painters pole at your ladder might be the best location - getting it high is ALWAYS a good thing. But you DO have to pay attention to the cable distance and type of cable used. Since it is an analog signal it will lose power over distance and also by using "lighter" cable. This is an aspect that cannot be ignored. The entire system has to be properly designed to get maximum benefit.

On the wifi capture side - Do you have a WiFIRanger Mobile in addition to the router (Go2, I would guess)? Or just the Go2 router? If you have just the router then you can improve wifi capture SIGNIFICANTLY by adding the Mobile. But that will ONLY be of benefit if the wifi provided by the FamCamp is fast enough to be of benefit. I would take a laptop near the antenna that is closest to you - close enough that you have 4 or 5 bars (depends on your computer) - and then run a speed test. Use Speedtest.net. See if the reported speed is "viable". Try it during several times of the day when you would be using it. If it is a viable system then you can consider how to improve your capture of wifi. Otherwise, depend on cellular and put your money there.

If you want to understand how all this works and your options then consider buying The Mobile Internet Handbook. There is no better source of info (other than Chris and Cherie). Disclosure: I did contribute content to the book.

Jack Mayer wrote:

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Kim,

You are talking about two separate systems here for Internet backhaul (Internet connection). WiFi is a separate system from cellular, and the WFR (WiFiRanger) combines them (allows access to both) across your private LAN. So be careful about confusing them.

Since you are in a fixed location, for cellular you can use a yagi to increase the reception of your cellular signal. You might also consider using a Sleek amplifier in ADDITION to the yagi for best 4G reception. On cellular. I would try the yagi or panel antenna alone first. Putting it on a painters pole at your ladder might be the best location - getting it high is ALWAYS a good thing. But you DO have to pay attention to the cable distance and type of cable used. Since it is an analog signal it will lose power over distance and also by using "lighter" cable. This is an aspect that cannot be ignored. The entire system has to be properly designed to get maximum benefit.

On the wifi capture side - Do you have a WiFIRanger Mobile in addition to the router (Go2, I would guess)? Or just the Go2 router? If you have just the router then you can improve wifi capture SIGNIFICANTLY by adding the Mobile. But that will ONLY be of benefit if the wifi provided by the FamCamp is fast enough to be of benefit. I would take a laptop near the antenna that is closest to you - close enough that you have 4 or 5 bars (depends on your computer) - and then run a speed test. Use Speedtest.net. See if the reported speed is "viable". Try it during several times of the day when you would be using it. If it is a viable system then you can consider how to improve your capture of wifi. Otherwise, depend on cellular and put your money there.

If you want to understand how all this works and your options then consider buying The Mobile Internet Handbook. There is no better source of info (other than Chris and Cherie). Disclosure: I did contribute content to the book.

---

 Wow! Thank you Jack

That is a lot of info, will have to save this one for hubby, my (illiterate) tech mind just cried 'uncle' lol. Really appreciate you guys responding, thank you to everyone

 

Huggs Kim x

The Junkman wrote:

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bjoyce wrote:

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http://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html is AT&T's coverage maps.  I find them reasonable for accuracy, just like Verizon.  Some places they show coverage that doesn't have it, due to hills and such.  Just like Verizon.   Since we picked up our AT&T hotspot in May 2013, we have had at least AT&T 3G at all of our stops.  In that time we have not had Verizon twice.  This is the opposite of our experience a few years ago, where Verizon won the coverage battle.  We have been in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington (La Conner Thousand Trails has Verizon only by the beach), Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan (Verizon around Buchanan is weak and flakey). 

---

 Looks like 3g is the buzz word..

As this map puts the others to shame..

 

http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/4g-lte.html

---

As  Cherie said, AT&Ts HPSA+ (which they call 4G, but I mark as 3G) is faster than Verizon 3G.  I would rather have AT&T 3G than no service from Verizon.  

I do not have a 4G amplifier, I am waiting on one of the good ones.  I might have had usable Verizon service at the two places I did not with a good amplifier that boosts multiple devices without degrading.   I can wait, because I have both Verizon/Millenicom and AT&T.  

-- Edited by bjoyce on Tuesday 30th of September 2014 04:16:56 PM