4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
RogerSC
Contributor - Level 1

Sudden strange behavior of the Network Extender, it was fine before in the same spot in my house. It stopped it's startup sequence on step 11d according to the LCD display and registered a startup error there. Then, over a period of say 15 minutes, went back to step 11c, then 11b, and finally stopped at step 11a. It says "see user manual", but of course, there's nothing in the user manual about what the various steps are doing so that's really no help at all (as usual for these black boxes).

Can anyone please tell me about what happened here? I can log into the web interface, but it just tells me the same thing as the LCD, no help there either. I thought that the status indications were a lot better on this newest Network Expander, and in theory they are. But since there's no explanation of these statuses, might as well have 4 colored lights that do weird things again. Got to wonder about Samsung and Verizon, having this state of affairs be acceptable.

Thanks for any help...got no idea what's happening.

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
RogerSC
Contributor - Level 1

Booted up okay this morning, so there isn't a question at the moment. However, the question remains of what the point is of having all the startup step status codes available if there's nowhere that an owner can find out what each step is trying to do so that failures can be understood and remedied. There are only a couple of steps that tell you explicitly what they're doing, like "getting an IP address", which has never failed of course.

Anyways, I hate to be a whiner, but come on, why can't this be easier with all the status that one can get from their Network Extender? If it's "not enough GPS", that's something that doesn't appear in the LCD display, and was easier to tell with the old Extender with only the 4 oddly colored lights.

And why doesn't this expensive, intricate device try to reboot on it's own like the old Network Extender did? I can always power it off if I get tired of watching it trying to reboot, like I could with the old Network Extender. And I have to power-cycle it anyways to get it to retry if there's a temporary problem.

Okay, maybe I am whining just a little bit *smile*.

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

RogerSC, we don't take you as whining at all. This is why we're here to help you. The network extender can be a bit tricky if you don't know what to look for. We have created a public support page that can be seen here > http://vz.to/29Mo035  and you can view the extender's status codes here > http://vz.to/2vA2hdr   Does this help?

MarcusS_VZW

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
RogerSC
Contributor - Level 1

Thanks for the document pointers. I had seen the Network Extender troubleshooting stuff, but hadn't found the table with status codes in it for some reason. Or maybe I found that table, but didn't see the status codes there. At any rate, that should be helpful in the future, thanks.

The 11a. failure seems to indicate that the Network Extender couldn't get in touch with the management server, or that there was a communication problem between the Network Extender and management server. Not something that I can do a lot about, other than to wait for it to straighten itself out. Which is what I ended up doing, by hoping that things would be better by morning *smile*.

Thanks again.

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

RogerSC, I'm so happy to hear that these links were helpful for you. Please know that we're always here to assist with any wireless questions or concerns that you might have. Has this error since cleared itself? Please keep us posted.

KevinR_VZW

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If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
RogerSC
Contributor - Level 1

Yes, the error went away when I restarted the Network Extender in the morning. I've put it on a power strip so that I can easily power-cycle it. I do stuff with my router, and every time I do it hoses the Network Extender, and I have to restart it.

Which raises the question, why doesn't the Network Extender retry booting itself occasionally after it fails? If I'm not around and there's an interruption in its internet connection, the thing will just sit there, offline, useless. The old 3G Network Extender would at least reboot itself when the internet came back on. That was very convenient for when we were away, and there were house sitters taking care of the house.

That and the fact that my neighbors use my Network Extender all the time are my only problems with it. It works fine, but absolutely must have the management capabilities that the 3G Network Extender had. I've seen as many as 4 phones connected to our Network Extender, and none of them are our phones. So Verizon is essentially using my Network Extender and the internet that I pay for as an extension of their infrastructure. Doesn't exactly make me happy, as you might guess. I expect that there will be times in the future that we can't use the Extender because our neighbors will be fully using up the limit of the number of phones that can be connected. This is unacceptable from a customer point of view.

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

RogerSC,

We can certainly understand your concerns. We are always open to feedback & will be sure to pass along all of your concerns to the manufacturer. In regards to your neighbors having access to your extender, you may always reach out to our tech support team to have a ticket submitted to our network team. They can see about lowering the range of the extender so your neighbors are unable to access it. The tech support team can also review your account to ensure all of your lines are on the Whitelist so they receive priority over other lines.

ChristineJ_VZW

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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
RogerSC
Contributor - Level 1

Thanks, ChristineJ...but the 4G/LTE Network Extender doesn't have a "whitelist", that's the problem. It doesn't have any list, it's just open. The old 3G Network Extender did have that capability, though, and I'm surprised that the 4G/LTE Extender was released without it. Also surprised that you don't know that...unless Verizon added user management capability for the 4G/LTE Extender in the last few days. I'd love to hear that's the case, since that's what I'm waiting for.

But I would like a new management capability to work so that if you're not on my whitelist, then you don't get to use it...that would prevent my neighbors from using my internet (that I pay for) for making their calls. Not just give us priority. I don't see any reason that I should donate internet bandwidth to my neighbors, they already have their own. Let them use their own internet to make their calls, not mine.

I've had the transmitted power on the network extender as low as it will go, and that doesn't prevent my neighbors from using it. The lowest power setting does limit my access in some areas of my house, which, again, doesn't make sense to me. So I leave it at about 20% power, and can then use the Network Extender all over my house at that level.

The reason that I'm posting here about this is that I haven't found a solution that works for me. I just watch the number of connected lines go up and down while we're not using our own phones here. That doesn't make me happy.

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
RogerSC
Contributor - Level 1

Okay, I've decided to stop using the 4G LTE Network Extender until Verizon provides management capability for it. Both my wife's and my iPhone can use wifi calling, and now my Google Pixel can use wifi calling as well. Battery usage is better using the Network Extender, but I find I don't want to use it because of the serious drawbacks with it.

Too bad Verizon can't see their way clear to do this the right way for their customers. I keep getting, "I understand your concerns, but...." blah blah blah. I'm pretty sure that you don't understand my concerns. If you did, Verizon would add the needed management capability to the Network Extender that I so generously bought for my neighbor's use.

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Re: 4G/LTE Network Extender - Startup failure: step 11a of 14
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

I'm glad to have the chance to set the record straight. The current LTE Network Extenders offered by Verizon are set to that anyone within range can use them. We do apologize for any inconvenience.

JosephT_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the 'Correct Answer' button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!

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