Mifi 4510L needs to be addressed...

[brigandier · Accepted solution]

Hello John,

I have finally resolved the issue (I think, still in testing but so far so good). It does appear to be limited to the particular Verizon tower I was connected to. After some searching I found a site that keeps track of cell phone tower locations ( Link: http://www.cellreception.com/towers/ ) and noticed that I was exactly in the middle of two Verizon towers, and my external antenna was pointing towards one and directly away from the other. So after getting my bearings, I performed the following steps:

1. Turned off unit, pulled battery and SIM for a couple minutes.

2. While unit still off/disassembled, pointed antenna dish to new tower.

3. Reassembled, powered up. No reset of settings was involved.

Sure enough, my usual "EvDO Rev.A" changed to "EvDO Rev.Ae" which I believe to be the second tower. Also sure enough, my connected time just went beyond the 2 hour mark.

So the moral of the story is this: If you are disconnecting every 2 hours (to the second) with the Mifi 4510L, call Verizon and figure out how to connect to a tower that isn't made of FAIL. Optionally, blow a few bucks for a directional antenna. The signal quality improvement is pretty massive (at least it was in my case) and it's ensuring I am connected to the working tower.

[John_Getzke]

Wonderful feedback!

Thanks for sharing your solution and that website.  I was not aware that there were public websites for the cell phone towers like that.  That website will definitly become useful in the future.

[jackib]

WOW, this is the first time I have actually seen a reason why all this is happening.  I am in the 4G LTE area, and I am close to two different extended areas on both sides of me.  I purchased this device 2 weeks ago tomorrow, and have had my trial period extended so that I can keep trouble shooting and they have also put in a ticket for a tech to come out and figure out what is going on with the towers in my area.  Mine will stay connected continuously on a US Cellular tower on EvDO only but the connection is slow.  On LTE Only, it drops the signal every two hours, sometimes in an hour, but I will need to look at my system logs so I can see if mine is doing the same thing yours is.  By directional antenna, are you using an outdoor antenna, and if so, what did you get?  I have the external magnet antenna that plugs into the device which did help my signal but doesn't prevent the dropouts.  I am going to look at the cell tower website that you posted as well.  I will also repost with my system log when I get back home.  It is good to see somebody figuring this out, because i have talked with three different technicians and getting different answers from all of them.  One of them even said it was the device overheating and shutting itself off! Funny, it doesn't do that while on EvDO only.  Third tech said it was my area....so why say I'm in 4G LTE area if I really am not, or if the service is going to be "iffy" at best?

[John_Getzke]

Jack,

Your results from (im assuming) 1st level VZW tech support are common.  I don't think that VZW gives them the tools and resources to properly answer questions of this caliber.  When it comes to field performance issues there is only so much they can do from thier desk/office.  In most cases you need to be escalated to a field tech to get to the bottom of it.

Still its important to call in and report these problems.  If they get enough complaints in an area then they can build a case to send someone out to examine the equpitment.  It also helps you build your case for getting out without fees if you can prove you have been working with VZW on the outages over a certain period of time.  Make sure you can get everything resolved before your trial expires and send the device back if it does not work the way you want it to.

[brigandier]

Hi Jack,

Your problem sounds pretty close to what I was experiencing. If it gives you any hope, I can happily say since I have pointed to the better tower it's not uncommon for my 4510L to hold a connection for more than 48 hours.

I currently live in a 3G only area (small town, won't see 4G for ages), so I bought a small Booster Antenna that operates in the 3G range only. The booster antenna can be found here: http://3gstore.com/product/2998_booster_antenna_wcables_for_novatel_mifi_4510l_improves_3g_only_not_...

Now for a *small* confession. I left this information out of my original posts and replies since I was 100% confident someone would come around saying "oh, well no wonder you're DC'ing!", but my directional antenna is home made. Being a computer tech makes me prone to trying some really archaic things in the name of science, so I decided to see what effect a stainless steel bowl positioned near the booster antenna would have on the signal. As soon as the diag showed my EvDO signal improve to the tune of around -15 DB, I was sold. So out to the shop I went, and this is what was born:

As you can see, I am using it inside the window that I keep the 4510L at. My solution is a bit hilarious, so if you feel the need for directional support you might just check the site with the booster antenna. They have several models, including indoor and outdoor directional.

EDIT: Also just for clarity sake, during all this my signal has been excellent using the above setup. I wouldn't expect an antenna to fix the problem I was having, as like said before, this appears to be a scheduled authentication thing happening at the tower you are connected to. The only reason my antenna got me out of the mess is due to it's directional capability forcing my 4510L to connect to a tower that wasn't plagued by this stupid auth bug.

Regards

[John_Getzke]

That antenna is sexy.

[brigandier]

I'm not sure which is more sexy. The antenna, or the 56 hour connection time I have right now in the middle of a large thunderstorm in a rural area. Still getting 5 bars.

[jackib]

LOL I wish I was that tech savvy, you're making me want to go rumaging through my stainless steel bowls to see what I could come up with, however I am sure I will need to go to the 3G store.  I have seen a Yagi antenna for about $70 which is directional and can be put outdoors but it says to use above the tree line.....geesh....why can't they just fix the danged towers and be done with it already?????

[jackib]

Ok,mine is dropping every two hours on the nose!!! I am going to get a directional antenna and see if pointing to any of the three towers I have around me will get a better LTE signal than the tower I am connecting to now.  As far as my 3G, it's on day two with no dropouts and constantly plugged in.  At least if I need speed while i am home I can switch to LTE for a couple of hours and hurry up and get done what I need to before the 2 hour time limit...it's a race against the clock with 4G I guess.  Keep your fingers crossed I can get a non failing tower to zero in on, to be sure one of the three will work! (all three are about the same distance from me on the map)

[wmhjr]

I wish mine were dropping every 2 hrs.  Mine drops at random (with excellent signal strength).  And when there is only 1 tower remotely near it, etc.

There are so many defects in the 4150 (and frankly, the VZ LTE network) that it blows my mind.  VZ should be ashamed of this situation.  It doesn't even rise to the normal level of VZ support quality.