Milenicom vs. Verizon

[cozygirl]

Many have posted about their happiness with Millenicom for their expanded internet coverage at a lower cost than Verizon.

My current contract is up with Verizon and we carry a Droid smartphone and an older phone for just txting. We also have a tablet and laptop. I'm grandfathered in with unlimited data on our phones right now, which I understand with any upgrade I loose that sweet option. We don't currently carry an aircard. At home we also get our Wifi and high speed internet coverage through our cable company Comcast which we'll leave behind when we take off full-time.

So when we take off on the road this year full-time, for increased data at a lower cost, I thought we would switch to Milleicom.

- I guess what I don't understand is do I still need phone service through Verizon for the any reason, especially the older txting phone. Or do I cut all ties with them? I just get lost on the old style dial up phone capabilities....and not sure of all the packages I need to secure.

- Does switching to Millenicom only supply me broadband internet and wifi capabilities? And would I need to get the package with the hotspot so we can connect all of our gear right and use in our vehicle as we travel?

- We are going with the Wilson antenna too. And I need to decide on a small 12V tv.

- Any other electronics or special setups I need to be thinking about?

So many of you are sure helping us getting on the road full-time and I so thankful for that!

[2yax2go]

First, I'd suggest you call the guys at Millenicom. They were very helpful as we were also considering what to do...at least about internet...I admit I never thought about whether or not it would work for the phone.

Second, we just got our Mi-Fi unit through Millenicom yesterday. We haven't fired it up yet, but intend to work on it the next couple of days as we are headed to Scamp Camp in Florida on Friday. I'll report back how that goes.

We actually ordered the unit through Wi-Fi Ranger because it was cheaper, the activation fee was cheaper, as was shipping by a small amount and if you like them on FB you can get a 5% discount that lessens the activation and shipping cost. There's also a promo code from the Technomadia website for 5% if you'd rather not do the "like" thing or don't do FB.

The service itself will still be Millenicom and works on Verizon's network so I'm hoping for good coverage as that's who we have our phones with right now and we get excellent signal in most places. We did buy the Wilson Signal booster as we are up in the Smokies and Blue Ridge Mts. a lot....hoping to pull in signals we usually can't get. The Wilson antenna might be added later.

Good luck.

[2yax2go]

OK...so even techno dunce me had ZERO issues getting this to work here at home. (believe me I am NOT the tech savvy person in this fambly) I'm actually picking up a 4G signal with very fast connection time here in the boonies of lower podunk.

It's set as a secure home network so now all we have to do is hit the road, park the rig and see if it works or if I have to reset it. I figure as long as me and the Verizon network can talk to each other I'm going to be a happy camper. (pun intended)

BTW...tech support Brian at Wi-Fi Ranger says this will also work on the fly. Since my Nook Color will work as a quasi-tablet that means Google Maps should be at my fingertips while we're wheeling (just in case Navi gives me lousy directions.)

Josie

[Raz]

Verizon mifi is currently our only Internet choice. A while back Millenicom was suggested. Unfortunately, both then and now they do not cover our location in Vermont. We renewed with Verizon last summer and received a new mifi card. Supposedly the local system has been ungraded to 4G, yet since last summer the system has been getting slower, sometimes reminiscent of dial-up. I suspect they have oversold which may be why Millenicom is not available to us. The obvious question is can someone with Millenicom service use it where Millenicom doesn't sell it's service or would you be shut out like we are? Raz

[honda03842]

We have stuck with Verizon because in our 315 day loopof the USA, and we were in a lot of nowhere places. There were only 4 days where we did not have a Verizon signal for our hotspot or phone.

If you're a full timer traveling everywhere it's all about good coverage. We have gotten rid of all non-wireless services at home, Comcast and land lines, and use our portable services while home.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

Verizon mifi is currently our only Internet choice. A while back Millenicom was suggested. Unfortunately, both then and now they do not cover our location in Vermont. We renewed with Verizon last summer and received a new mifi card. Supposedly the local system has been ungraded to 4G, yet since last summer the system has been getting slower, sometimes reminiscent of dial-up. I suspect they have oversold which may be why Millenicom is not available to us. The obvious question is can someone with Millenicom service use it where Millenicom doesn't sell it's service or would you be shut out like we are? Raz

I don't know if they are still doing it, but when I signed up for Millenicom's 3G Verizon plan 2 years ago there was no Verizon coverage at my address. I called Millenicom, explained that I would be using the equipment for traveling, and they sent me the modem. Since that time Verizon has improved - they now have a usable 3G signal at the house, and, unfortunately, 4G about 1/2 mile away!

I've had no problem using the Millenicom Verizon service all over the US, at least in areas covered by Verizon.

[2yax2go]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

Verizon mifi is currently our only Internet choice. A while back Millenicom was suggested. Unfortunately, both then and now they do not cover our location in Vermont. We renewed with Verizon last summer and received a new mifi card. Supposedly the local system has been ungraded to 4G, yet since last summer the system has been getting slower, sometimes reminiscent of dial-up. I suspect they have oversold which may be why Millenicom is not available to us. The obvious question is can someone with Millenicom service use it where Millenicom doesn't sell it's service or would you be shut out like we are? Raz

Raz...what tech service told me was that the mi-fi unit would work anywhere there is a Verizon signal. Your slow speeds are probably due to the cell towers...they're probably being used by lots of folks at one time and there's not enough towers in your area.

Millenicom also supports a bring your own unit service for the same price, BUT the units have to work on SPRINT's system. And, they will tell you which ones you can use when you talk to them.

The info I got from the tech is that Verizon provides the widest service currently at both 3G and 4G. They plan to have their entire network 4G compatible by the end of 2013 and thus far neither Sprint nor AT&T can keep up.

My Novatel unit will work at either of Verizon's 3G or 4G depending on the towers available where we are...and how many people are using them at the same time. The speeds boil down to the Mhz being used, the towers available to carry them and the number of peeps (phones, computers, tablets, etc) online at any given time.

We did buy a signal booster to enhance the available signals if they are not strong enough to keep a reliable connection and we may yet need to add an external booster antenna if we're dead set on the possibility of having signal when in the mountains and when we finally go out West. RVsue has a Wilson antenna that seems to be working well for her boondocking out West in BLM sites where the towers are few and far between.

[Raz]

I can tell when the school kids get out. It really slows down.

[2yax2go]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

I can tell when the school kids get out. It really slows down.

Yeah...we have that with our cable internet hook-up, too.

[Shirley LaMoine]

Verizon is my cell carrier and I'm lucky to have one of their old unlimited data plans. Living in Colorado if you don't have Verizon you typically don't get service in many of the mountain towns.

[cozygirl]

Guess I'm still trying to weigh out how much data I'll need vs. cost through Verizon and/or Melli.... I guess I'm used to the Comcast cable box in the bricks home. Streaming music and movies, books, and blogs on laptops and tablets on the road full-time as well as use in the car going down the highway - I can see the extra data going up. Wondering how much data that is all going to curtail?

And a phone call to Melli...good idea.
Unlimited data with Verizon is sure not cheap :O(

[2yax2go]

We don't know yet what our usage will be....we have old flip phones with no texting or web on them...talk only and we have never gone over the 1100 minutes we share on Verizon. But, none of that affects what we'll be using the Millencom service for anyway...our computers and using the Nook like a tablet on the fly.

The 20Gig a month through Millenicom is likely to work just fine as we are not in the habit of downloading movies or playing those multi-player games. The tech said we'd have to stream 12 movies to possibly use up the allotment. (also they don't really cut you off @ 20G...they just slow down the service unless you are consistently go over by a good bit..then they'll slap you a little harder.) We may have to consider what to do about automatic updates for everything except our AVG, saving that to do at the end of the month or something.

Millenicom's bring your own unit is unlimited for the same $ 69.99 as long as you are not using it for commercial purposes and don't mind using the Sprint network.

We're still trying to figure out what or if to do about the phones...trying to make heads, tails and hooves of what's the best for us gives me a pain between the eyes.

[honda03842]

We have traveled for 12 years now and have never used more than 700 minutes of phone time, 250 texts and average about 5 gigabytes of data a month. Nooks use hardly any data. We don't download movies.

[cozygirl]

I feel your pain... No, I'm really beginning to get this. 2yax2go...thanks so much! Sounds like we are looking for similar uses. Downloading 12 movies...wow, that won't be us, so that will save on the data. When you figure out the phone end of coverage....hope you pass it on. DH is happy with his txting only phone. I need the Smartphone so have to decide what service I want to back that up with. Always been happy with Verizon...just thought Millenicom would save me some $$. I just want to be able to use more than one electronic going down the highway or boondocked in the mtns. I understand I won't always have coverage...but when I do I hope Wifi works when I power it up.

[cozygirl]

Norm and Ginny....Not sure I'll be able to beat that! But as we get into this full-timing gig this year my interests maybe will change and I'll be less into being connected all the time!

[honda03842]

Carla,

Our use of the phone, computer and internet has changed dramatically since we began. The phone now dominates over the computer for both of us. Our smart phone has replaced a significant percentage of every thing we used to do on the computer. The only emails we do by computer are long ones and similarly with web sites like this.

The phone is our camera, phone, email service, GPS, Place Locator, news, weather, sports, newspaper, calendar, notepad, contact list, Geocaching tool and Nook (I read more books on my phone than Nook because I always have my phone with me.) We use it for word games with friends and nieces. It has Tango and Skype for face to face conversation, particularly with young people. We each use about a gigabyte a month on the phones. The smart phones abilities and uses are almost too large..... I can't imagine I'll ever know all it's uses.

It's interesting that you said your "interests may change". Being on the road for long periods has been life changing for us in many ways... ways I could never imagine.

We camped in a deep valley in Elko area's Ruby mountains and had both Verizon phone and internet. We do use a wilson signal booster.

[2yax2go]

Norm and Ginny...I could kick myself for not snagging the mi-fi unit when we took my son off our shared plan...could have grandfathered ourselves in on the unlimited thing and had the hot-spot to boot. Ain't that always so with hindsight?

As is we could downgrade the number of minutes, but it's not any cheaper to do so with the way Verizon has restructured their plans.

I have seriously considered Boost Mobile as the monthly fee reduces by $5 for every six months you reboost on time. The downside is that they operate on the Sprint network and I'm just not convinced they will provide the coverage we think we need.

T-mobile buys minutes from all the carriers so your network is based on the phone you buy. They have some interesting plans as does Straight Talk through Wal-mart, but I need to do some more research on those.

But, I digress from the original point. (no surprize there)

For the time we'll have internet hot-spot through Millenicom using the Verizon network and cell phone service through Verizon directly.

[Raz]

We get 5 gigabytes of data only (no phone) for $50. Every month we come close to going over. No movies, no video, just email, a couple of forums, some shopping, and web browsing. The frustrating part is that Verizon does not have real time metering. You get snap shots. Some days we use 100 megabytes, some days 300. It gets recorded when they get around to it. At 4.5 gb, we stop.

[honda03842]

We have a Samsung Galaxy 3S and it has realtime data monitoring built into the phone.

It will notify you when you reach a specified data usage, say 75% of your data allowance, that you set. As well you can choose to set a limit to data used per month.

[Ed Harris]

Let me throw something else in here.

You can also get a Magic Jack and use it with the Millennium and thus have a "Home Phone" wherever you are as long as you have the Internet connection.
You pick what area code you want it to be in and it offers free calling and Voice Mail essentially and is pretty slick.

I am not suggesting niot getting a cell phone and plan at all but the MJ can help augment that and keep the minutes down if you have another way to talk.