MiFi Success in the City, part 1

melindaparmer · EVDO Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2009 Posts: 2

I'm in a transitional phase of life... It involves two long-distance moves in the past year and a new job starting next week. I went from rural (where we did have phone and DSL but no cell phone or cable TV) to mid-sized city with cable and now I'm moving to a large city with a million choices of everything including electric companies!

I was able to use the internet service at my interim host's location for free. My initial transitional cell phone was TracFone but I could see I was going to have to upgrade and possibly choose to have only a cell phone and no land line, so I started researching, which brought me to this site. I was looking for both telephone and internet solutions.

I decided that since I will be transitional for a while - an undetermined length of time while I figure out a new job and new housing - I would try the new Verizon MiFi set up for internet. I'm really wanting to get an iPhone for cell phone, and no land line.

I ordered the MiFi from 3GStore, received it today and proceeded to set it up after charging it for 2.5 hours (waiting for that was the hardest part!). I have a Mac Powerbook G4 Alum on OS 10.4.x as well as a Dell Windows XP desktop that doesn't currently have airport/wireless. I easily breezed through the initial setup - only to be caught by 2 issues:

(1) getting a MyVerizon account setup. They send the password to your cell phone. But hey - I don't have a Verizon cell phone! I had to call them, and they ended up retrieving my text message and setting up the account for me.

(2) SMTP server - I saw from previous posts that Verizon did have an SMTP server setting to use to send email from Entourage/Outlook/whatever. Guess what: the rep told me today they have discontinued that feature! I had to get on the phone with my email provider to set up their SMTP server for my emails (I was using the host's ISP SMTP). Yes, yes, "get gmail" is the standard response - but I already have established email addresses that I want to use and I don't want to use GMail!! Problem solved - the new SMTP settings work.

It's very easy to switch back and forth from the current ISP where I am temporarily to the MiFi, although it seems I have to use both the Mac software and the VZAccess Manager to do it. The initial speed test was slow, but the second one (performed about 1 minute later) was close to the speed test I did afterwards using the cable through the wireless router.

Speedtest 2 on Wifi was 1.45 down, .036 up and pinged .86ms, and with Cox it as 1.64 down, 0.25 up and pinged .34.

My final decision to MiFi was based on trying to figure out which internet and phone service to use in the new big city - I didn't want to sign a long term contract when I'm not 100% sure how long I'll be at the address/job/city. I don't plan to get cable TV or a land line phone for a while, if ever. The MiFi will go with me wherever I end up and may even be the permanent solution.

Part 2 will be when it works after I move and set it up in the new location!

melindaparmer · EVDO Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2009 Posts: 2

Part 1.5 was when I took it on vacation and it worked great!

Part 2 - now set up in the new city, and getting a connection but not the speed I got before I moved. I need to work on trying different solutions around the new house.