MiFi 4510L will not connect to my FTP

[ja1111]

Until yesterday, I used the Pantech UM175 USB modem and a Verizon 3G data plan. I "upgraded" to 4G and the MiFi 4510L MiFi device, and now cannot connect to my website for upload/download through any of my FTP programs. With the UM175, I never had any issues...didn't have to do any configuration or special setup. It connected every time, and worked flawlessly. However, the new 4G device, though working okay on all other online applications, simply will not connect to my FTP. I've used my regular web program, which contains an FTP client. And I downloaded two other programs (FreeFTP & SmartFTP) and could not get an FTP connection with either program. However, if I log off the MiFi 4510L and log on to my home network or any of several neighbors' networks, I have no problems logging into my FTP. I spent about an hour on the phone with Verizon Tech Support this morning. The fellow I talked to was very patient and really tried to solve my problem, but couldn't help. I went into the config program and tried Port Forwarding and a couple other options, but to no avail.

Has anyone else had this problem...and maybe a solution?

Thanks.

[ja1111 · Accepted solution]

Regarding my own message of about an hour ago...I started digging around in my FTP program and found a setting named "Use Passive Mode". Thought I'd try it and see what happened...IT WORKED! I can now log on to my FTP with my MiFi device.

In the documentation for my FTP program it states regarding "passive mode", "You may need this option if the FTP server is protected by a firewall".

[#3]

Ja1111, thanks for posting how you resolved this issue!

[ja1111]

Thanks for the great service I always get from everyone at Verizon!

And I do not want anyone to think that the Verizon Tech Support team had given up on helping me with this issue. I had spoken to a gentleman named Edgar in El Paso, who had spent about 45 minutes on the phone with me dealing with this, and really exhausted every resource he had to try and help me solve the problem. He even called me back about an hour later, after researching the problem further and was ready to take the problem directly to Novatel...but fortunately I had stumbled upon the solution in the meantime and I let him know what it was.

This kind of service is why I have never used another provider...Verizon support is top-shelf!

[deloswilbur]

Ja1111 it's refreshing to see a positive opinion on here, I will be curious to see if that positive opinion carries through the next few months as you use the 4510L. 

I hope you have better experience than I as I was the same way about Verizon until Decmeber, from that point to now I have become an embittered person that would happily pay the $175 and drop them tomorrow if there was any other option in the area I live. 

As such to save you some frustration, if you should start running into problems with the 4510 I wil save you some searching.  When it starts to act up, if you are in a strong 4G area you may have to lock it to 3G if in the fringe global should be fine as it will try 4G then drop to 3G and stay there until it locks up.  It will lock up about 1-2 times per day.  The steps to fix are hold reset button in (not power but the reset button that you need a pin to push) until the display shows all icons, release, wait 1-2 minutes  and then hit the power button once to turn on.  Luckily for you the FTP is a constant connection so that one will stay steady if you are able to use 4G but any web browsing or sporadic connection will break every 5 - 20 minutes and that is only fixed by disconnecting and reconnecting.  You can try Verizon service for that problem but like the rest of us have gotten over the last 8 months the response will be "We know there are problems with the network, but the effort right now is on expanding the network and there are no resources available to work on existing problems"......yes, I am serious about that response......

Good luck

[ja1111]

Thanks for the tips...we'll see how it goes. I had one of the older 3G models that worked flawlessly. So far, no problems with the new one, but I travel extensively and it will be interesting to see how it performs as I move around the country.

[deloswilbur]

I had the MIFI 2200, that device was awesome.  It's the main reason I switched from the other USB 4G devices to the 4510L, however this one is night and day from the 2200, doesn't even seem like the same company made it....

[mys]

Hi, what's another wayof connecting to our MIFI? I have an HP XP Sp2. Tried to upgrade to SP 3 manytimes but it's saying the "expected software is not available in mysystem". Not what's the problem.  Please if anyone know any ideas on how I can solve this issue before I return this MIFI. Thanks so much.

[John_Getzke]

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mys wrote:

Hi, what's another wayof connecting to our MIFI? I have an HP XP Sp2. Tried to upgrade to SP 3 manytimes but it's saying the "expected software is not available in mysystem". Not what's the problem.  Please if anyone know any ideas on how I can solve this issue before I return this MIFI. Thanks so much.

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Mys,

Your problem is unrelated to the original poster's problem.  I suggest you start a new thread so that more people will be able to review your problem and offer thier solutions.

[kiheiman]

I have using a 4510L for the past few days and have noticed a few quirks.  The device works good as a wifi hotspot.  I have two Web cams on the unit.  However, I need to access the 4510 from the Internet to see live video from the cameras.  The port forwarding does not seem to work.  I have tried using the HTTP Web Browser port and the Telnet port.  I can never connect.  The main reason that I went with the 4510 feature was because of the port forwarding feature.  The port forwarding worked fine on the same two cameras behind a Linksys wireless router going to a non-Verizon Internet provider.

Has anyone else got the port forwarding feature to work?