Alternatives to 4510L?

[AHepburn]

So we're getting pretty fed up with this crappy 4510L pile of crap - what other alternatives are available, or are we doomed to only having an internet connection about 80% of the time?

[John_Getzke]

Your only alternatives from Verizon are the Samsung SCH-LC11 or the Fivespot.  Only the Samsung is a 4G LTE device though. 

Unless you want to switch to a different network or purchase a unsupported older 3G model your choices are pretty slim.

[#3]

@AHepburn I understand your frustration issue with connectivity.  If I was only able to connect 80% of the time I would be looking for alternatives too!  I can definitely help to resolve your connectivity issues.  Can you tell me if you are getting an error messages?  Does the lack of connectivity happen everywhere or a specific location?   How long have you been having these connectivity issues?  Please answer these questions so I can further assist you in getting this issue resolved.  Thanks. 

[AHepburn]

"Can you tell me if you are getting an error messages?"

I get no error messages. I'm running a Toshiba Satellite laptop with Windows Vista (all updates current) and have a program called Networx running as a monitor. It has a small icon in the bottom tray that shows download and upload activity numerically. When everything is working I see numbers over 1K for both DL and UL - when I lose connectivity the numbers drop to 0. Also, Vista's network icon is the 2 monitors with a blue "i" on them - when I lose the connection the "i" disappears and the status changes from "Local and Internet" to "Local Only". These episodes can last anything from a few seconds to several minutes, and occur on average about every 5 minutes or so.

My wife is experiencing the same issues on her Asus netbook running Windows XP with all current updates.

"Does the lack of connectivity happen everywhere or a specific location?"

It happens everywhere - our home is in San Jose, Ca and is a strong 4G signal area. This week we are in LAs Vegas, NV at a campground - also with a strong 4G signal. We've also experienced the issue at our son's home in Campbell, Ca with a strong 4G signal, and at a campground in Morgan Hill, CA with only a 3G signal.

"How long have you been having these connectivity issues?"

Ever since we bought the unit on 1 Aug 2011. The first time we took it from a 4G area to a 3G area it got stuck in 3G mode and we took it to a Verizon store and the tech updated the firmware which got it back into 4G mode. Then when the firmware update was announced a few weeks ago we ran that - that actually made the problem worse.

We are very disappointed with the device and want to get it resolved, because it's our only internet connection. We travel a lot and want to keep in touch with friends and family but it's extremely frustrating. If we have to replace this unti with something else that is more reliable we will, but right now we're not happy...

[#5]

AHepburn, please PM me your name and mobile number for the device. I want to submit a trouble ticket to our network team for this issue. If a ticket has already been completed, we may need to replace the device. It is possible to lose connection in some areas, but it definitely should not be to this magnitude you are experiencing. 

[AHepburn]

Okay - a trouble ticket was opened on 10/5 - yesterday was so frustrating that we took the piece of crap to a Verizon store for help. Their solution: "Oh, you should be running VZ Access Manager" so we loaded that at the store. It made no difference. Today the piece of crap has dropped from 4G to 3G twice, and still loses the cell signal on a random schedule. Oh, and we have not heard a peep from whoever is hanfling that alleged truoble ticket - we're almost ready to go postal on this crap...

[AHepburn]

Oh - and another question: I have the thing set to show a system log, but the time shown in the log is one hous slow - how do I change the time to my local time?

[John_Getzke]

The Verizon store rep is incorrect or misinformed.  VZAM does not have anything to do with the connections of the MiFi 4510L.  Unless something has changed recently then VZAM is, in fact, incompatible with the MiFi 4510L.  The only thing VZAM is good for is managing and viewing your online Verizon account details.  Its no surprise you noticed no improvement with this software.

I would check in with Verizon Tech Support again on your ticket.  Your chances are better with them that you get a rep who actually has experience supporting the device.  Call the 1-800 number and ask for an update to see where it is at.

As for the time zone problem, there does not appear to be an option on the MiFi Admin page which allows you to configure a different setting.  I would assume that like your cell phone the MiFi would be able to find out what the time is from the towers it is connected to.  I have never had to configure the time zone on my MiFi.

On that note, you could try restting the device and SIM card to see if you can pull in better information.  Let us know if you need the steps to complete those actions.

[AHepburn]

I actually reset everything several times a day - whenever it starts dropping the connection a lot I pull the battery and SIM card for a minute or so to reset it. That seems to help a tiny bit with the connection issue, but doesn't do anything for the time. I figured it would get the time from the tower, but I find it hard to believe it's connecting to a tower that is one hour behind local time - that would be a tower many miles west of the Pacific coast!

[where]

---

John_Getzke wrote:

As for the time zone problem, there does not appear to be an option on the MiFi Admin page which allows you to configure a different setting.  I would assume that like your cell phone the MiFi would be able to find out what the time is from the towers it is connected to.  I have never had to configure the time zone on my MiFi.

---

I've reported this as a symptom in my issues both in this forum and in my many fruitless calls to Verizon.  When I start having issues, the clock on the MiFi starts drifting.  Within an hour, it is a few minutes off.  Within a few days it is an hour off.  Power-cycling does not help.  A hard reset pushes the clock back to 1980 (I think Jan 6, of all dates) then it is reset from the cellular network usually within an hour or so, if I manage to stay connected that long.

An interesting technique I used to determine if the time stamp was off or if I was only seeing stale events was to open the connection log, ping an external web site, then continue to press F5 to refresh the log and watch for the ICMP packets.  And they appear during the pings.  So the clock really is off.

Verizon replaced the devide twice and I still have this symptom when it starts dropping network connections on me.

This should mean something to some engineer out there.  I just don't think that they are listening ...

[AHepburn]

Okay - I've been complaining about the lack of communication regarding this issue - I downloaded and installed the new update yesterday and I'll be cautiously optimistic and say it looks like it has solved the problem: the clock is now reporting the correct time, and I have not lost the internet connection since I restarted the device after the update.

Now we'll wait and see what other issues pop up!

[jlthorpe]

Good luck. i updated mine too and within an hour it was doing the same thing again. i don't know if they can EVER fix this piece of junk. What's so sad is that the 2200 3g model NEVER failed me except where there was zero network available.

[AHepburn]

So, allegedly a trouble ticket was opened on 10/5 for this issue - I guess there are no reps at qork because we have not heard a peep from Verizon since then. Is the ticket still open, or does Verizon expect this issue to resolve itself? I'm spending a lot of money for this thing, and it is NOT WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BryceDWhite]

Wow - connections 80% of the time?  I'd kill for those kinds of numbers.  I commute 1.5 hours each way from Chicago to the NW suburbs everyday and I'm darn lucky if I get 50% connection rate.  I agree that the last firmware upgrade made things worse and I don't know if it's the device or the network, but either way it's a pile of crap.

[karter59]

Yea what a pile of crap indeed! I have the latest firmware and the wifi on this thing still drops out about 2 or 3 times a day. Why cant they make a device that you dont have to reboot constantly. When it works its great but I dont understand why they choose to ignore a problem like this. It just pisses off your customers! Its a good thing for verizon there is not a better alternative out there yet.

[pmar4015]

To jump on the dogpile, I as a recent MiFi 4510L user (about 2 weeks) am also quite unhappy with the product. Of note, I am using the product with the latest available firmware available. Suffice it to say, I am very dissatisfied with erratic nature of the product in terms of connectivity.

To ask a stupid question: has any member of the community had any success with any particular troubleshooting technique? Given the level of dissatisfaction I detect from the boards, any type of troubleshooting is an exercise in futility to say the least; therefore, I am not hopeful but thought I would ask the question.

[karter59]

I am using a cradle point mb95 in wireless as wan mode and had issues with

the wifi on the 4510 dropping out which would require a reboot of both

devices. I put the two devices practically on top of each other and have

been working now for about week without rebooting. The issue i have is that

i am on the edge of a 4g cell so i have to have the 4510 in lte only mode

otherwise it will just stay in 3g mode. Just sucks when 4g goes out as i

have log on to 4510 and change it back to cdma/lte mode.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Phone

[John_Getzke]

,

The technique for troubleshooting MiFi connection issues is a personal preference at best.  Depending on the nature of the problems and the symptoms which have been shared there are a variety of paths that you can go down.  Some of those paths lead to solutions while other lead to limitations of the device and VZW network.  Its hard to generalize connection problems and say you should always do A,B,C.....

In general here are the most common solutions I use for troubleshooting:

1. Update firmware to 2.23
2. Lower your MiFi to B/G down from B/G/N
3. Lower your MiFi to 3G only connections
4. Reset your MiFi to the defaults
5. Reseat your SIM card
6. Attach an external Antenna
7. Purchase a car booster kit from Wilson Electronics
8. Power down your MiFi when not in use
9. Store your MiFi in an area where it is not exposed to extreme heat or cold
10. Try different locations and look for consistencies or gaps in service
11. Replace the MiFi under warranty

Chances are that if your problem is not resolved with the easy steps that you will need some trial and error troubleshooting to get to the bottom of it.  This forum is a good tool if you don't mind sharing your info with us.  We can normally go above and beyond 1st level VZW tech support, but it may not be as fast as talking to a rep on the phone.

[wmhjr]

John, I would frankly also add that while this forum may not be as fast as a rep on the phone, I have yet to talk to a single rep that had a single solitary clue about this product.  In each and every case, the support rep claimed to have "never heard of this issue before".  There are only two possible conclusions to that.  Either they are intentionally dishonest (which I doubt) or they are being instructed to say this so that VZ can hide behind ignorance.  There is too long of a track record at this point to even remotely accept that these issues have not been widely discussed. 

This is clearly the best place to come to try and get visibility of making the (poorly designed and supported) device(s) work as well as possible.  Unfortunately, so many of even your recommendations are a process of "giving up" and accepting less than acceptable performance as "good enough" - such as "Lower your Mifi to 3G connection only".  As an example, if I'm going to use the 4150 as 3G, it is worthless to me.  I already have 3G devices.  Just another example of how we should not be Verizon "Fanboys" but should instead maintain the pressure on a substandard organization to provide at least some focus on what are clearly high severity, critical defects.

[John_Getzke]

,

I'm flattered that you have chosen to respond to me and others in so many of the threads about the 4510L.  Its nice to have feedback from a top 10 VZW customer and confirm that these problems are not specific to even the little guys.  Hopefully my feedback and suggestions have done more than to frusterate and add to your current issues with the device. 

My goal is not to come off as a "fanboy" of VZW but to simply work with the tools and resources that are given and available to us all.  I've learned that keeping threads positive and solution focused helps people from going off on tangents and improves the quality of the forum.  As a result we have been able to semi-confirm the limitations of this device as well as many of the issues which can be configured around.

Feel free to use me and the forum as a resource if you need extra feedback from the community at large.  I'm happy to share my experiences with the device as well as the solutions I have discovered.

[wmhjr]

John, first of all - please don't construe that I directed the "fanboy" label at you.  I did not.  You're a really helpful contributor to the forum.  I appreciate your comments quite a bit.  It's just unfortunate that they're even required to be honest. 

As far as the large national accounts (I won't say Global, as for the record, even with a 45% share of Vodafone, I don't consider VZ to really be global).....

What I can say is that we have a very significant amount of spend with VZ on both sides of the house.  Interestingly, VZ is trying to better streamline what has admittedly been a poor "silo" approach where we needed to deal with multiple parts of the business.  They are reorganizing on the large corporate side (don't think it applies to SMB and definitely not for consumer) to aggragate wireless and business so we have "one throat to choke" finally.  Not much detail quite yet - the reorg is only at a high level without the detailed underpinnings being obvious yet.  But for us and LTE, suffice it to say that we have been singularly unimpressed with both the performance and the availability of the VZ LTE offering, and proof of concepts have failed miserably - even with dedicated VZ resources.  They were already off the board, so on top of my experiences with the MiFi, the account team even suggesting LTE as an additional solution for us was pretty funny.  That's exactly why I'm so completely convinced that this is an engineering issue which may not actually be able to be resolved.  If it were, I have to believe they'd move heaven and earth to solve the issues for the select customers who spend tens - if not hundreds - of millions of dollars annually.  But, they haven't.  Large enterprises are dealing with the exact same issues as John Q Public.