MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
norky
Newbie

Brand new JetPak that discharges to 0% even though it is plugged into AC power source.  I use this heavily so rather than rely on battery power, I keep it plugged into an electrical power source all the time. Twice now the battery power has discharged to 0%

Doesn't seem right to me, is this normal?

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
John_Getzke
Champion - Level 1

Charging problems are normally associated with bad contacts on the device itself.   If the contacts are bad the battery will have a poor connection to its power source and fail to charge from time to time.

I would give VZW tech support a call and see if you can get your MiFi replaced under warranty.  If the problem remains under the new device then call them back and get the battery replaced. 

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
norky
Newbie

Thank you for the response, I will call Tech Support

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
Azi
Newbie

In case Tech Support was unable to help you, Or if someone else has this issue; from my own experience, when this problem occurs the battery indicator will say either 0% or 100%. As far as I can tell it's a bug in the firmware and does not represent the true battery charge state. If you power off the device, remove the battery and then put everything back and power on again you should see the true state of charge indicated.

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
norky
Newbie

Thanks for your suggestion but this did not seem to help me.

I am now even more confused because after contacting verizon support they

sent me out a completely new unit. Out of the box it seemed to hold a

charge just fine when it was being used. It was staying around 95% when

being used and plugged into power.

Now it seems that the new unit is starting to do the same thing. It loses

its charge while being used while plugged in. The unit also feels hot to

the touch.

I am at a loss on what the problem might be.

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
John_Getzke
Champion - Level 1

Can you confirm for us when this problem happens if the device actually shuts off or not? What you are describing may match the post provided by Azi. If I read Azi's post correctly the 0% battery indicator is not correct on these devices and should not be relied on. I haven't had a chance to whitness this particular issue so it would be nice to capture some confirmation on the forums.

If we disregard Azi's post then the next step would be to take out the battery of the MiFi and leave it plugged into a wall for its power source.  If the MiFi powers down while plugged in then the power cord/surge protector is bad.  If the MiFi remains powered on without issues then the battery is bad. Either way you will likely have to call into VZW one more time for another replacement part to get this issue resolved. 

Please keep us posted on your progress.

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
norky
Newbie

Okay, here are the results of my testing as suggested.

I let the device run down and received the warning to plug into power or it

would shut down. When it reached 0% it shut down.

I then removed the battery and plugged the device and charger into 3

different electrical outlets and the unit powered down.

So, I guess I need to call customer support and get another power

cord/charger. Makes me wonder what is going on when two of these Jetpaks

have had issues of one sort or another. Wonder if the first unit was

defective or whether it was also the power cord.

On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 5:20 AM, John Getzke

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
John_Getzke
Champion - Level 1

The MiFi's take a common mini USB port for its data/power.  Chances are good that you have a phone or other mobile device lying around which can plug into MiFi as a temp work around.  If you do you could confirm for VZW that the original charger is bad and save yourself some troubleshooting time over the phone.

Thanks for all your confirmation.  It does sound like you are having hardware failure somewhere in the charging proceedure.  I think we will get this resolved for you when we get the right parts.

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
norky
Newbie

I don have a question about the charger. Mine is a micro USB not the mini.

The connection seems to be a bit loose where the it plugs into the device.

When it is plugged in there is a good bit of wiggle room instead of a

secure tight fit.

Can someone confirm that this is the norm for this device or is it perhaps

the reason for the problem? I currently am out of town and I unfortunately

do not have another charger to test it with.

On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 5:47 AM, John Getzke

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Re: MiFi 4620L Jetpak 3F40 battery discharging
Azi
Newbie

Mine fits snug, no wiggle to the power connector.

However mine will not power up without the battery inserted.

I do not have any issues with charging mine while my tablet and cellphone are connected.

how many devices do you have connected to the wireless signal at a time?

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