Mobile Hotspot Says I'm connected to internet, but websites timing out

[tennisjump]

Hello, I just got mobile hotspot for my Thunderbolt. I am connecting to the network and it is saying I have internet access, however when I try and load a website they are timing out.

To make matters stranger, my computer is showing recieving and sending packets, and I had a youtube vdeo half loaded, and it streamed the rest. But when I click on new websites it is saying connection timed out.

All help is appreciated thanks!

[dmc271]

This has happened to me in the past. I've seen a few others report similar issues. I'll assume you've already tried the standard solutions (reboot, battery pull, reseat the SIM card).

Have you tried connecting to the hotspot with another computer? Have you tried a direct USB connection rather than a WiFi connection?

For me, the solution was to turn off Auto Sync before using the hotspot feature (Menu -> Settings -> Accounts and Sync, and then uncheck Auto Sync). Don't know why this worked, but it did.

If the above doesn't work for you, it could be a network-related issue. To test this, try the following:

Can you ping sites from your computer when the browsing ability is down?

• If no, then it sounds like a DNS issue. In this case, try accessing a website by using its IP address rather than its domain name. For example, 206.112.186.66 is the IP address of lowes.com. If you can access a site via the IP address but not via the domain name, then it's a DNS problem. Call VZW tech support to report it. Use different DNS servers (e.g., Open DNS) in the meantime.

• If you can still ping sites, then it's not a DNS issue. So, next, try using a proxy server--such as proxify.com--to access the web.  If the the proxy server works, then you should call VZW support to report the problem, since it's clearly an issue on their end with specific sites.

When calling into support, let me forewarn you: Give yourself an hour or more for them to walk you through the usual steps (reboot, battery pull, reseat the SIM card). Also, if they assign you a trouble ticket, don't expect to be called back within the promised 48 hours (it's more like 2+ weeks). Instead, you have to be assertive and keep calling them back.

[geotahut]

I have the same problem.  After 30 minutes hot spot and computers say they are connected but nothing loads.  First 30 minutes is fine.  Tried two 4G Thunderbolts and had the same problem.  Tried three laptops and had the same problem.  Very frustrating!!

[TyroneGreen]

Welcome to the "CLUB"

Looks likes I am not the only one having this issue, it looks like the folks at http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/3688/64/ were able to replicate the issue, I followed the advised listed on their site and was able to replicate the issue. 

Verizon needs to fix the 4G Network.

[TyroneGreen]

Looks likes I am not the only one having this issue, it looks like the folks at http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/3688/64/ were able to replicate the issue, I followed the advised listed on their site and was able to replicate the issue. 

Verizon needs to fix the 4G Network.

[#6]

---

tennisjump wrote:

Hello, I just got mobile hotspot for my Thunderbolt. I am connecting to the network and it is saying I have internet access, however when I try and load a website they are timing out.

To make matters stranger, my computer is showing recieving and sending packets, and I had a youtube vdeo half loaded, and it streamed the rest. But when I click on new websites it is saying connection timed out.

All help is appreciated thanks!

---

Thanks for posting. I understand how this can be frustrating. In order to resolve your issue can you please PM me your mobile telephone number so I can research your account and see what kind of options we have for you? Thanks.

[deloswilbur]

If you are past the date to return, welcome to the LTE club of pain.  This problem has existed since December with no fix and no change.  The phone reps have actually got to the point they are admiting it and also admitting there is no chance to expect it to be fixed until the nationwide releae of LTE is complete.  Their focus is on customer base right now, not customer satisfaction.  If you look up the youtube video you will see it only has like 300 views.  Verizon has the advantage here as even with the internet avialable knowledge of this problem is not spreading fast so it's not affecting their customer base, when it does,  you will see action.

[missing_link]

I've been having the same problem with my Thuderbolt. It's frustrating and I'm at the point where I'll probably just cancel the mobile hotspot feature.

80% of the time it's near useless. It constantly drops data service, but stays connected to my computer.

It would be nice if Verizon would fix the issue, but support for older phones seems to be flagging considerably. 

[marby53]

I have this issue also.  I also experience an inability to start the app.  This sometimes is correctible by restarting the phone.  Generally I can't rely on the application.