Network Extender Setup Experiences

[driverseven]

I learned about the Network Extender a few days ago and just got it installed. So far, I'm happy. I had virtually no voice calling inside our house --  I believe it's because our neighborhood is in a bit of a valley. (We also have weak AM/FM radio reception.)

I thought I would share my experiences in case it helps others.

Setup wasn't too bad -- it took about an hour.

The GPS light went blue in about 10 minutes but the SYS light did not.

I couldn't find an explanation on why the SYS light wouldn't go out. I went to the Verizon Wireless website and found the Network Extender was listed in my account as active. (That's when I discovered this community, and at first, I started to think it was a network outage).

The SYS light eventually went out after another 10 minutes or so.

Even then, with all lights blue, it did not immediately work to improve calls on the phone. I tried calling with the phone over and over for maybe another 10 minutes. The manual said to dial #48 but all I got was a "verizon wireless" recording that said the call did not go through. This didn't make sense -- my phone couldn't get a signal before. Now it was reaching a number but it was the wrong number???

Eventually, calls started to go through. Even when it did start to work, I did not hear the "beep" on the line you are supposed to hear at first.

Now, I do hear that tone when I start a call in the house. After a period of time, I tried the #48 number and it now has a recording that says "You are under network extender coverage."

So I guess the lesson is -- it just takes time for the device to get fully setup, even after the lights are all blue.

Other experiences worth noting...

1. I have a WiFi router (dosn't everyone?) so I was concerned during setup when I saw in the guide that the device should be 3 feet away from a WiFi router -- especially since the cable they give you is just about 3 feet!! However, this doesn't seem to matter. While I first placed it at the maximum length of the cord, now that it's working, I moved it to within just 2 fee of the router and both are working fine.

2. When I set it up, I wanted to make sure it would work, so installed the corded antenna and put it outside a window. Now that I have it running, I put the antenna back inside the house and next to the device (about 2 feet from a window). The GPS light has stayed blue and it is working fine.

I hope this helps others.