Back to 3G for Verizon’s famed reliability




CLARIFICATION — I failed to make clear that my main beef with
Verizon Wireless’s network isn’t really about dropping 4G coverage.
It’s about the intermittent failure to keep a connection at all,
whether 4G or 3G.

For most purposes, Verizon’s 3G network is plenty fast for me,
which is a credit to Verizon. And I had virtually no problems with
it when I was a 3G customer, using a 3G MiFi card. The trouble
started with the 4G upgrade.

When out of the 4G coverage area, the MiFi 4510L 4G hotspot is
supposed to fall back to 3G. But neither 4G nor 3G worked for me
for more than a few minutes, on the train. However, when I used my
3G enV Touch phone, I had no trouble establishing and keeping a
connection.

That information would seem to suggest the problem is with the
MiFi 4510L card. However, at times the card works perfectly; as it
did when I was using it Tuesday night at home. But at other times
at home, the MiFi card is balky and needs repeated attempts to
connect. And customer forums contain complaints
about the MiFi 4510L that parallel my experience.

So is it a network problem? A MiFi problem? Or a combination of
both? Verizon has contacted me, and when I find out what’s
happening, I’ll post the results.

——————————-

ON SOUTHBOUND AMTRAK, AT SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Verizon Wireless
built what is arguably the nation’s most extensive and reliable 3G
data network. But 4G isn’t going so well, so far. I’ve seen that on
the Amtrak heading from San Diego to Los Angeles, and now I’m
seeing it on the return trip.

The Verizon Wireless 4G network was so flaky and intermittent
that I shifted to Amtrak’s WiFi for
my previous blog post. But on the way back, both networks
proved so intermittent, especially the Verizon Wireless 4G network,
that neither were acceptable. I’ve read the news reports of their
unreliability, but getting this much personal experience of it is
the kind of participatory journalism I’d rather not get.

So I went back to Verizon Wireless’ older, slower but more
tested 3G data network. I plugged my old and battered, but reliable
LG enV Touch into my laptop PC, and I’ve been connected without a
dropped connection now for more than 20 minutes. Before,
connections were dropping every 3 to 4 minutes. I scarcely could
get logged in and then the connection would fail. (Update, make
that more than an hour on the 3G connection – I am writing and
revising this blog entry as events unfold).

4G is up to 10 times faster than 3G, and I appreciate the speed.
But if the connection is unreliable, speed doesn’t matter. Even
aside from
Verizon Wireless’ 4G outages, the 4G connection can’t be
trusted. I don’t know whether it’s VZW’s 4G network at fault now,
or my Novatel Wireless MiFi 4510L 4G card, but 4G is not nearly as
stable as 3G.

That I can get the most reliable connection with my antiquated
cell phone doesn’t speak well of the 4G network or devices. Certain
of my more friends who sport advanced Droid phones laugh at my
primitive battered old cell phone, but it gets me online reliably
with very little headache.

Speaking of reliability, Amtrak’s physical infrastructure could
use some. My Saturday afternoon train was delayed more than an hour
in the trip oher passengers were told to get off the original train
around 5:15, and the repl_acement train started moving at 6:30. We
paused to get hooked to another train, and of this writing are once
again southward bound . . . destination Solana Beach.

Call staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at 760-739-6641.

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Article source: http://www.nctimes.com/blogsnew/business/scitech/back-to-g-for-verizon-s-famed-reliability/article_148c2b99-1f29-5ec2-a1e7-1ef31726453b.html

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  4. Verizon Deals With Second Outage This Month
  5. Verizon Wireless Brings the Power of Its 4G LTE Network to Stockton, California, on October 20