Picture messages are not consistently processed by the Jetpack. At one point, you could send a picture message to the Jetpack and it would display the text of the message and then it gave the URL of a Verizon web site where you could go to pick up the picture. However, going to this URL did not display anything but an error message (which I don't remember). Now when you try to send a picture message, it doesn't seem to work at all. The message sequence (connection) starts, the picture is uploaded and then the send is aborted with an "INVALID DESTINATION ADDRESS", which is confusing. I had just sent a simple text message to the Jetpack not a minute before using the exact same phone number from my address book, so I know I got it right.
Datahero,
I am sorry to hear you are having issues with receiving text messages on your jetpack. Lets investigate. What is the URL that you are provided to view the picture? What make/model jetpack do you have? When you send normal text messages to the jetpack does it take you to the same URL as the picture messages or are you just able to view the text message from the Admin page? When was the last time you were able to receive a picture message on the jetpack?
LindseyT_VZW
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The last time I tried sending a picture message to the Jetpack was about six months ago. I do not remember the URL it reported. The picture message was sent from the same device as I have identified, below
The Jetpack is a model MiFi 5510L. It is running software version 1.34.23. It's performance has been unremarkable. Daily, I use it for 3 hours while commuting a train and 8 hours at my cube. Other than issues due to faint signals, I have experienced no device failures. It seems solid.
Normal text messages sent to the Jetpack display on the Jetpack. Any message that appears on the Jetpack will be available for view on the Admin page and display as sent. I have found no exceptions to this. Text messages are never accompanied with a URL unless the URL forms part of the text message itself.
Aside from having long text messages getting silently dropped after a certain (undisclosed) length, I have had no trouble sending text-only messages to the Jetpack.
I am attempting to send a picture message from the exact same device (a Samsung Intensity) that I have sent the text-only message, before. This Samsung has successfully sent picture messages to a verity of cellphones (such as an LG VX 5400) and smart phones (iPhone, Android) over the years, I don't think I have a problem with it.
I have never fully successfully received a picture message on the Jetpack. Given the display, I never expected a picture to appear. About six months ago, the text of the message would appear along with a notification of a picture attachment to a URL which did not work.
The only thing that has changed is the failure mode. Now, all the Samsung does is report a "INVALID DESTINATION ADDRESS" when trying to send to the Jetpack.
Your current firmware (10/15/13, pushed Feb 2014) likely fixed the issue and uses the Invalid Destination Address as the default response to a picture in the text message. Considering the device lacks the necessary logic to process and display modern pictures, try using small bitmap images the size of emojis. If those fail I think you’re out of luck.
I am confused. Do you mean to say that the current firmware that I'm running, software version 1.34.23 fixed the problem? This is contrary to what I have observed. It works now WORSE then it did before. Before, the sending cellphone indicated a successful send and I received the text part of the message on the Jetpack. It noted an attached picture message and reported a URL to go view it. Surfing to the URL never worked, ever. The performance is now worse because, with the same cellphone running the same firmware, the send fails with an error message of "INVALID DESTINATION ADDRESS".
The Jetpack display is a single bit depth, perfect for displaying text, icons and emoticons. It is obvious that it was never intended to display a picture, nor did I expect it to. I expected the text part of the message to display (it did) and some indication of attached picture (which it also did). I did not expect the indicated URL to not work. I thought that part of the software was finished.
Now with the current (1.34.23) firmware, the sending cellphone gets a fails with an error message of "INVALID DESTINATION ADDRESS". The Jetpack gets nothing. This appears to be reduced functionality and not a fix.
Yes, that is exactly what I mean. 1.34.23 fixed what Verizon, Novatel, the programmer or network administrator determined to be a bug that allowed you to do as described. It is designed to process and display text messages not pictures. It may be less functional, but what a user wants and what Net Admin is going to let the user do are two different things. From the point of view of someone that’s been on both sides, they may see what you are doing as an attempt to find a weakness in the system.
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