Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
wirecomm
Newbie

I just purchased a FiveSpot...Best Buy helped connect the unit to both my Dell laptio...with Win 7 and my IPAD. Both units worked great in the store...when I got back home...I am in an RV park for the winter. Once home, the unit would not connect. I went back to Best Buy...it was checked again and it worked. Once home it would not connect....although after turning it on and off several times, removing the battery I was able to connect a couple times, but most of the time there was not a connection. Today I called Verizon support...they were able to get the unit working. After I disconnected from Tech Support..I shut down the unit and when I tried to get it started again....it would not connect. I went back to Best Buy...a tech there made some changes and told me it should work. Once home...it did not connect...going back to Best Buy I was given a new unit. It worked fine on both the laptop and Ipad....but again at home..no connection...Since I had helped install the WIFI in the RV park...and we had 4 hi-gain antennas in the corners of the park , I thought I would try the FiveSpot outside the park. One away from the park WIFI it worked fine. I traveled several places in town and the FiveSpot/IPAD worked great. For me the problem in the park seems to be the powerful wifi system we have here.

 

There was a Verizon rep at Best Buy today while I was trying to get the unit working...he indicated there is a connection problem with the FiveSpot....and that Verizon is working on the problem.

 

My problem is probably alot different than other peoples..but I was able to find out what was causing my problem. I will go back to Best Buy tomorrow and tell them what is causing my problem.

 

D

 

 

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
chamberlin
Newbie

(as you know, I am on my second Five Spot...and still was not working...)

 

Although the Best buy techs were still scratching there heads on my Five Spot connection problems as documented above, yesterday, they arranged to me get a older Mifi 2200 unit (new in the box) from another store and it arrived today. I am typing this post on the MiFi 2200 right now. It works perfectly, turns on and off very quickly, (unlike the five Spot!) and I have had NO problems with it so far today. Athough the Best Buy techs did not admit to any other Five Spot failures (and they have been selling them like hot cakes apparently), one of the wireless managers said he is going to request more MiFi 2200 units, and not the FiveSpots... the MiFi units have apparently been trouble free for 6 months of sales. The Novatel 2200 unit is made in Korea, the ZTE five spot in China. The MiFi is CDMA only, whereas the Five Spot is GSM sim card? world wide, but they both have the same performance specs etc. as far as 3G connectivity is concerned.... if you are having problems with your Five Spot, get a MiFi 2200 while they are still available! 

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
fmartin
Newbie

Having trouble connecting to 5spot wireless.  Works fine with USB cable.  The HP computer sees the AC30 with a strong signal, but it will not authenticate, I get a message that it is taking unusally long and it finnaly times out and fails.

 

I took the 5spot and the computer back to Verizon and they tried to get it going there.  What we found was that my computer had no trouble connecting to networks in the store or the MiFi unit they had, but I couldn't connect to another 5spot they had or mine.  Verizon had a computer of their own that could connect to either of the 5spots.

 

My computer is a HP Pavilion DV6700 Notebook PC and the wireless adapter is an Atheros 802.11 b/g.

 

Prior to visiting the Verizon store I worked with a Verizon Technician via telephone around 45 minutes to no avail, he suggested I bring it back to where I purchased it.

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
moates
Contributor - Level 3

I have provided some information below that may help.

 

The Fivespot differs from the Mifi 2200 in the way it acquires a Wifi connection.

 

Mifi – After the activation is successful, the Mifi unit can broadcast a Wifi signal as soon as it is un-tethered.

 

Fivespot – After the activation is successful, the Fivespot device would need to do the following before it can broadcast a Wifi signal:

Step 1 – Disconnect the supplied USB cable (if it is currently connected)

Step 2 - Power the device off (the power button may need to be held down for up to 15-20 seconds)

Step 3 - Power the device on (the power button may need to be held for up to 3-5 seconds).

Step 4 - Once the device comes back on, allow 10 – 15 seconds for the device to obtain a Wifi connection.

**After being tethered if the device is not set into Wifi mode (like instructed above), the device will not obtain a Wifi signal.

 

**Once the Wifi is broadcasting, the default SSID is Verizon AC30 XXXX. The default password would be the MEID (in decimal format) located on the battery cover.

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
chamberlin
Newbie

Thanks for your input Moates, but I think most of us here have tried that 100 times or more. It was made clear by Best Buy, the Verizon manual, and experimentation, that you have to fully disconnect from the USB cable and software and reboot the device before you can switch to WiFi mode on the Five Spot. But even doing that, the bulk of us that had problems with the device never saw the Five Spot show up on any WiFi network on multiple computers, netbooks, wifi cellphones, ipads etc... There is a problem with the firmware on the device or an incompatibility of some sort that is preventing the Five Spot SSID to be seen by normal wireless G enabled computers. The MiFi does not have this problem, and unless you are going international, I urge people to try to get the older MiFi 2200 instead of this problematic Five Spot device.

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal (THIS IS A FIX)
InternalPhoenix

I was having the same problem that most everyone posting previously had.  I purchased Fivepot from Best Buy, and was not getting a signal.  The devices I was trying to connect (iPad & phone) would show that the wifi was there, and even allowed me to enter the password; however, it didn't actually provide the internet.  I was really frustrated, but I figured out a way to fix the issues.  I live in Indiana, USA, and this is what I did:

 

1- Connected Fivespot (turned off) to computer, and opened VZAccess Manager

 

2- Powered on Fivespot

 

3- On "Networks" tab (should be the default window), I waited for my device to show up, and made sure it was selected (do this by clicking on the name once - mine showed up as "Verizon Wireless - VZAccess" with signal strength to right)

 

4- I then clicked "Network Selection" (fourth button from right under "Network" tab)

 

5- To the right of "Network Mode:" (first drop-down box), I changed the setting from "Global" to "CDMA" (since in the USA, on Verizon, that is the only network we use)

 

6- I then Clicked Close (no need to change "Network Selection" - leave it on Auto)

 

7- I then Powered off Fivespot, and Disconnected Fivespot from Computer

 

8-  I then took off the back cover, removed battery, and then removed SIM card

 

9- I put battery back in, put cover back on, and then powered the Fivespot on

 

10- Fivespot now works flawlessly!

 

I encourage you to try this, it helped me, and I assume it might helps those who are still having issues.  Taking out the SIM card, and changing to the CDMA network, won't make a difference if you are in the US.  To use the SIM card, and Global Capabilities, you have to activate that service anyway, and I believe that would most likely fix the connectivity issues as well.

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
apriljellybean
Enthusiast - Level 2

I had the same issue and was on my 3rd computer because they thought it was the computer. It would connect fine when tethered but not wirelessly. It would recognize the fivespot and I would type in password and it would say security key mismatch. I finally got someone at Verizon to stick with me and not just pass me along (I was sent back and forth between Verizon, Best Buy, and Toshiba for 3 days). Everyone knew there was a problem but no one knew how to fix it. This fix worked for me, hopefully it will work for you.

 

Go to Start Menu

Click on Control Panel

Click on Hardware and Sounds

click on Device Manager

Click the arrow next to Network Adaptors

Right click on the wireless lan (mine was Realtek)

Click update driver software.

 

That should be it. I hope that is your same problem.

 

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
chamberlin
Newbie

I just want to re-iterate for anybody just joining this thread, that some of you who are posting solutions, don't realize that there appears to be at least two distinct problems with the Five Spot. Some of you can't log into the device on WiFi (password mismatch etc.) and others like myself can't even find the Five Spot on any WiFi enabled device. So when posting a solution, please state your exact problem:

 

 

1) Works on tether, computer found it on WiFi, but can't connect to it after entering password

 

2) Works on tether, but computer can't even find it on the WiFi network

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal (Mismatched password)
handrelectric
Newbie

I have had some of the same issues.  Fivespot would work as long as it was connected to the computer.  When I disconnected it, I could see the Wifi connection but when I would put the password in it told me to there was a mismatch.  I did this 100 times.  But I tried what AprilJellyBean suggested and now mine is working fine. 

 

I did the following:

Go to Start Menu

Click on Control Panel

Click on Hardware and Sounds

click on Device Manager

Click the arrow next to Network Adaptors

Right click on the wireless lan (mine was Realtek)

Click update driver software.

 

At first it came up with a with a yellow exclamation mark then it went off and has worked fine.  I hope this is a permanent fix.

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Re: Fivespot not sending WiFi signal
MY5ISJUNK
Newbie

My 5 is the biggest piece of JUNK I have used.  After 4 plus hrs on with tech support, 2 hr of my office tech people working the problem and 4 different computers, a second go round for 40 min with me on with Verizon tech support that ended with them telling me to take it back to the store. 2 hr with Best Buy representatives on the phone with Verizon Tech support to get the NEW MY 5 to work, no resolution to the same problem as the previous MY 5 JUNK that everyone else is having.  On top of that while I was sitting in Best Buy waiting on a fix three other people brought in the My 5 with the same issues.  Talked with the Best Buy manager about sending this **bleep** poor excuse of a product back to Verizon due to the amount of time his employees were wasting on trying to resolve the same customer issue and he agreed.  I hope the rest of the Best Buy cooperation does the same and pulls My 5 from there shelves.  At this point I was just **bleep** at the MY5, so I tried to get the WI FI devise as a substitute and be able to continue with the service, Best Buy that I was at did not have the device but there was one at the store across town.  Off I go, get there and they want to charge me an additional $55 dollars for their "old model".  I for one am looking at other cell phone companies, I have had it with Verizon and their **bleep** poor Customer Service.

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