|
He also said as long as you could connect, you couldn't argue because there was no promise of the speed on the contract. The tech support guy was very rude and basically said this speed is normal and "broadband". He also tried to come up with excuses such as you are indoor although he had to agree that my signal strength was good. I've own a Verizon data card for over a year now and the connection speed is becoming extremely slow. (So basically even if your speed was 1K, they wouldn't see a problem with it).My conclusion, I will never use Verizon again. The avg download is about 400K and upload 140K. I tested everywhere including in house, on the road, airport etc. These are significantly slower than what I was promised at the store and the results of my tests when I first bought it (800K/400K).I called Verizon.
This sped things up again, but, over time or when I travel, I seem to have to repeat this process a lot to keep a decent speed. I originally gave this product one star because I was getting 90kbps downloads and 7 kbps uploads. After a call to tech support, they walked me through the process of reinitializing the modem and reactivating/reinstalling it.
I just control it from the menu bar. I just typed in my Administrator password and 30 seconds later the card was working. NO reason to install the Verizon software at all. Just got this today and installed on my 10.5.3 Macbook Pro computer. Works great even in weak signal areas. It went through about a 90 second process and activated it. I just plugged the card in and the OS asked me if I wanted to activate the card. It then promted me to install a port.
3/29/09 Update: It still works great, although as a primary ISP, there are now many choices with faster service and no data caps. I have 3 bars at home, where I do most of my work, usually 1.2 mbps there. I've switched my phone to ATT for the iPhone, but won't consider dropping VWZ data until ATT has tethering and stable 3G everywhere I go. If you found this post, you probably don't need to hear this, but for noobs.
Before you buy, look at a local coverage map and make sure there is service where you plan to use it. As of December, my family's log cabin on a dirt road on top of a mountain in central Vermont has 4 bars of RevA coverage. I've had mine for a year. There were a few software glitches at first (I was one of the 1st Mac users), but those have been resolved. In Manhattan & Boston, it's faster. I'm single, and if I just want to get out of my apartment at night, I can go to any restaurant/coffee shop to do my paperwork, not just hotspot.
However, Verizon's Northeast coverage is only getting better. Very important re: the service, there is a strict 5GB/month limit on all new contracts. File sharing (P2P) is strictly forbidden; when detected, VZW will slow down your service. This is best thought of as a supplemental service for people who need to work away from a desk. Even works in rural parts of Vermont on Extended coverage; it's feels like dialup there, but if I have to get an email out or enter data and there's no nearby hot spot, it still works.Did not get the USB card because what was available last year was so wide it would have blocked the power port. Also, it's slower and more expensive than cable or FIOS. Current software and service is flawless.
VZW BB is not a good choice for multi-person access (ie, families), or for anyone who plans to do a lot of uploading or downloading of large files. On the Mac, it's on the left, so it doesn't interfere with mousing. Can't speak to using it on a train because I've never done that.I'm a marketing rep and it's my only ISP; with it, I've got coverage in all the places I go. I like that it's less obtrusive than the USB cards or a tethered phone, and I can talk and do data, because the phone isn't tied up.
Fantastic speed. Have it installed on MacBook Pro on Mac OS 10.5.2. Works perfectly without any driver install.
|
