Child Item

Site Totals

61430 Questions Answered 270 Categories

MIFI no signal when tethered but works fine WIFI - Mac Snow Leopard

I manage an authorized agent and previously worked for a corporate store for 8 years. I have literally done hundreds of VZAM installs and have multiple computer certifications so I'm pretty knowledgeable in what I'm doing. However my knowledge of Mac OS isn't great.

My customer came in yesterday wanting a MIFI and we got it connected but I can't figure out if this is a error of her laptop or the device. We tried more than one MIFI with same results.

When we try to tether the device it says that it needs to be activated every time we plug it in. So we activate it and then it says that it is not getting signal and unable to connect.

We unplug the device and give it a few seconds and then we are able to Wifi to the device and it gets internet access just fine.

We have uninstalled VZAM and installed the most current version from VZAM.net She also uses a USB760 and wants to continue using it as well. When I plug it in it makes me Activate it every time we interchange the devices but it still gets signal and still works using the same VZAM. We spent 13 hours on the phone with tech support yesterday and know one can figure it out.. so I turn to the forums and have seen only one instance where this has happened before and there was no answer due to they gave up. Why can a USB760 tether to this MAC Snow Leopard OS but the MIFI cannot? As I've said before we tried it on multiple MIFI cards to have the same result.

Comments

shirleylacroix

I have the same issue and spent about 5 hours on the phone with Verizon Tech Support. They did not fix the problem. I then had to get a new device at the store the next morning and still the same problem. The VZAcess Manager thinks the device is not activated although it is because I could use it as a WiFi device. However, tethering does not work and the tech guru thought that I would never be able to get Firmware updates, etc. without the tether. I installed and reinstalled two different versions of VZAccess Manager. I really want this device to work but returned it and am back to my old USB727. I'm actually using the USB727 without the VZAccess Manager software at this point.

Any ideas on how the heck to activate this device? I am using Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro.

Ideas appreciated as I'm still eligible for a free device.

stonekeepers

I have been using the MiFi on my Macs with Snow Leopard for several months and just noticed this problem. The service seems very slow also.

I used to have Sprint and switched to Verizon last fall...thinking about switching back...even though I know it will cost me the termination fee. The MiFi is a great idea, but unfortunately does not work well for me.

stonekeepers

I did some research on this and it seems that this is intentional. When the MiFi is tethered, it does not allow any other users. This is true for both the Sprint and Verizon versions. There are some posts on the evdo.com forums about ways to change a config file on the Mac to make it work, but it seems pretty complicated and the latest firmware update will reset the fix.

mulveyr

ChampaignTel wrote:
I manage an authorized agent and previously worked for a corporate store for 8 years. I have literally done hundreds of VZAM installs and have multiple computer certifications so I'm pretty knowledgeable in what I'm doing. However my knowledge of Mac OS isn't great.

My customer came in yesterday wanting a MIFI and we got it connected but I can't figure out if this is a error of her laptop or the device. We tried more than one MIFI with same results.

When we try to tether the device it says that it needs to be activated every time we plug it in. So we activate it and then it says that it is not getting signal and unable to connect.

We unplug the device and give it a few seconds and then we are able to Wifi to the device and it gets internet access just fine.

We have uninstalled VZAM and installed the most current version from VZAM.net She also uses a USB760 and wants to continue using it as well. When I plug it in it makes me Activate it every time we interchange the devices but it still gets signal and still works using the same VZAM. We spent 13 hours on the phone with tech support yesterday and know one can figure it out.. so I turn to the forums and have seen only one instance where this has happened before and there was no answer due to they gave up. Why can a USB760 tether to this MAC Snow Leopard OS but the MIFI cannot? As I've said before we tried it on multiple MIFI cards to have the same result.

I just got my Mifi yesterday ( and I won't even begin to get into the he!! that was my attempt to get the thing activated with Verizon ).

I saw the same thing on Snow Leopard. What I discovered was that the MiFi turns *off* as soon as you tether it to the laptop, and it would give the "No signal" message in VZAM. The message is misleading - it looks like it detected the mifi, but the mifi had no signal. The power LED is also on, but the mifi isn't talking to the network - just charging.

So - press the power button on after tethering, wait 30 seconds, and you can then activate/tether. VZAM will show that there's a signal.

I have to say that my experience with the device so far, in terms of software and activation, has been absolutely abysmal.

shirleylacroix

I did FINALLY get a MiFi activated at a different Verizon store. It was my fourth unit and now I am happy. One thing I noticed was that when I uninstalled the earlier version of VZAcess software it left lots of things in the trash. Before I went to the new store to try again, I uninstalled all VZAccess software and then emptied the trash. I then shut down the computer and then restarted. I then reinstalled the latest version from the Verizon website. At the Verizon store, I activated the unit and had no issues. I still think my first unit was defective and that I wasn't getting a clear signal at the store to activate the 2nd unit. The weird thing was that it really was activitated b/c the WiFi part worked but when I tethered it I would get the message that I needed to activate.

This weekend I hooked up the unit to my MB Air. Before installing I followed my own advice above. It recognized that the unit was activated and tethering worked like a charm. Could it be about the "stuff" in the trash. No idea! I just came back from a business trip and used my WiFi - it was great. I plugged it into the electric outlet and used my computer throughout the room.

Don't give up! I'm very pleased with the unit and now leave my USB727 behind!

jasonjwwilliams

I had the same issue. Re-installed a few times...here's the steps that got it working for me:

1.) Activate the MiFi either at Verizon store or on a Windows machine running VZAM.

2.) Disconnect the MiFi from your Mac if it's connected.

3.) Uninstall VZAM from your Mac. Check System Preferences->Network and remove any latent WWAN devices you had (if any are left behind)>

4.) Reboot the Mac. Login and the reboot a second time.

5.) Login to the Mac and install the latest copy of VZAM from vzam.net (DO NOT CONNECT THE MIFI yet).

6.) Reboot one more time.

7.) Login and open VZAM. Connect your MiFI and it should work.

lookinforanswer

First of all, the MIFI is designed to work as a single connector to the internet when plugged in directly. This means no other devices can connect to it, it doesn't give off the WIFI signal. If you unplug from the machine then the WIFI becomes available again.

As far as use of the USB760, the Snow Leopard has Built in WWAN support so it's possible to use one or the other without even having the software. The menu status bar shows the RSSI, allows activation and more.

Just wondering why the VZAccess was even needed.?

lookinforanswer

Was also wondering if anyone has successfully installed and used the USB760 with the MIFI also installed on the 10.6 Snow Leopard.

lookinforanswer

Never mind. Resolved.

Child Item