Disable Wi-Fi on 4620L Hotspot while tethered to laptop

[AJ500]

Is there a way to disable all RF transmission from the 4620L hotspot when tethered via USB to a laptop?  Turning off SSID broadcast.only disables the broadcast.  I can still connect to the 4620L via wi-fi from any device that has been manually configured with the SSID.  There are times when I want no RF transmissions from the 4620L -- an environmental issue, not a security issue.

[John_Getzke]

Hello,

Yes there should be a way to configure your MiFi 4620L to turn off the radio when tethered.  This used to be the default option until one of the most recent firmware updates I believe.  I'll take a look at my device tomorrow and share the steps with you to disable it. 

[AJ500]

Thanks,

I look forward to your reply and learning how to turn off the radio.

[noshooz]

Try this, from the device's admin page: Advanced --> Settings --> check the "USB tethered mode" box.

[AJ500]

I have tried that but it doesn't disable the Wi-Fi (at least on the firmware version I'm running).  I think I need different firmware or a program that uses the API to turn off the radio..

[noshooz]

I read through the manual and couldn't find out how to actually turn off the wi-fi. It may not be an available option. Hopefully John can find out how to do it.

[John_Getzke]

Noshooz found the steps I was going to look for.  If this doesn't disable the radio the way that you want then you will be out of luck.

[Weth · Accepted solution]

You do realize the RF transmission to the cell phone tower from the MiFi is a much more powerful RF transmission than the WiFi transmitter?   Impossible to  disable all RF transmission and have a functioning device.   Having said that, there is no option to turn off WiFi on this device from my review. 

[AJ500]

Thanks Weth.  I should have known that.

[vzw_customer_support]

You found a great question AJ500. And thanks for the help John & noshooz. Weth was right though, there's not a way to turn off all RF transmission of the 4620L without turning off the entire device (which would make it impossible to connect through WiFi or tethering). Turning off the Broadcast SSID was a great start to avoiding random other devices from finding your Jetpack, but the option to connect will still be there as long as the Jetpack is powered on.

Thanks for trying to look out for your environment.
JenniferH_VZW

Please follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport