Does anyone know how it works? Is it wireless? Is it battery powered? What are good brands? What should I look for?
My company uses Verizon MoFis. They are battery powered but can plug in to charge or use plugged in (USB). It works really well. Other than that, I don’t know what the different features are or if some are better than others.
To use Verizon MoFis, does your phone plan have to with Verizon? Or is it independent of who your cell provider is?
A relative recent review of the various options https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-mobile-wi-fi-hotspot/ You can get it stand alone. It has its own charges. I did not check pricing to see if it’s cheaper to stay with your own phone company.
Thanks for the link. That is very informative. I am on at&t plan. Trying to replacing broadband in an area broadband doesn’t work. According to the article, Verizon is the way to go.
We have 2 Verizon jetpacks that we use in our second home. The area doesn’t have any broadband available. 15gb for $20 (each). Technically unlimited, but it ratchets data speeds way down after it hits 15.
H bought a signal booster antenna in May after repeated poor cell reception. Not cheap, but it’s made a huge difference. We are also able to use our Verizon iPhones as hotspots.
@zeebamom Thanks. Yes, it is for my second home. Why do you need 2 jetpacks? Can’t you share one? I have no idea how much gb we will be using. After reading the article linked by @Singersmom07, Verizon jetpack is the way to go. We are on at&t. I am thinking we will switch to Verizon. I can start out with 15 gb and see how it goes.
@Iglooo - we have two so when one gets to 15gb, we can switch to the other and not lose speed. The cost for both is less than a cell phone & data plan.
We’ve only hit the limits a couple of times.
This past week we’ve used ~11gb. 6 people here Thursday til today. The cell booster antenna helps a lot; our family guests really didn’t have to get on the WiFi.
If the cell reception is good where you’re at, it should be ok. If it is poor, consider an antenna. Ours is a WeBoost home antenna, ~$1,000 on Amazon. Everyone was able to access data with no issues. We used an old cellphone to find the towers and positioned accordingly. We’ve had this place 5 years and this is the first time everyone was happy with reception.
Bear in mind you may not be able to stream much in the way of video.
No Netflix? That will be hard. Is there a way to power it up to stream?
We have the worst cable here on the Olympic Peninsula in WA - very basic and no ability to get satellite. My husband uploads shows and movies to watch on his iPad and we make do.
It’s possible that we could stream, but we just try to avoid it and save the data.
A lot depends on where you are and what is available.
I have in-laws in Olympic Peninsula! Where I am, it is the same, no broadband no satellite.