NovatelMiFi 4620L Jetpack 4G Mobile Hotspot (Verizon Wireless)

The Orbic Jet Pack that I purchased has been very beneficial in allowing me to connect to the internet in places I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to.

don't work the power button don't work

I owned the  Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Modem (Verizon Wireless)  for more than 2 years. After my contract ended, I kept using it because it worked so darn well. Working well for me means that when I turn it on it connects to both the Verizon network as well as my connected devices every time, all over the Washington DC area, and other parts of the country when I traveled. The 2200 did this, consistently.About a year ago, I started looking at a replacement for the 2200. I didn't like what I saw. The reviews were alarming. Yes, some of these newer devices were supposedly faster at "4G," but some of the reviews of the newer models said they were unreliable, in that they didn't consistently work well. For me, there was no point in upgrading the device to a faster speed if it didn't work all the time.I am really glad I waited. I've had this device, the 4620L Jetpack, for almost 2 months now. It has worked every time I have turned it on. The connections are really quick. And, the speed at 4G is fantastic.One caveat: the plan I had under 3G with the 2200 was no longer offered by Verizon, and the cheapest plan for the 4620L is $15 more a month, with a higher monthly data use allowance. I don't use any more data than I did before, so I am effectively paying more each month, but at the higher speeds it is worth it for me.In sum, if you are upgrading you will like the faster speeds. If you are new to the MiFi product line, you will appreciate that it works as described.****UPDATE, July 2, 2012****As you may know, the Washington, DC area just got through a very bad storm and many people have been without power for days. I myself lost power for 2 days. During this time, neither my Cable company's internet service worked, and nor did the data service for my iPhone, provided by the major competitor to Verizon. The Verizon Jetpack, on the other hand, worked consistently during this time allowing me to stay connected to the internet to check on the status of power restoration, as well as do other critical things.The battery life of the Jetpack was impressive, but it certainly did not last the entire time my power was out. So, in addition to charging the Jetpack while driving, I used the  Brunton Inspire Portable Power  to keep it charged.****UPDATE, Dec 5, 2012****Since I have purchased this, I have had a chance to use other "hotspots." For exmaple, I purchased another brand for my mother to use in her assisted living facility. One thing that sets this product, the Novatel MiFi, apart is its smaller size. Its not apparant when shopping for them, but some other models are really quite large. The nice thing about the Novatel MiFi is that it is small and light weight, so you can slip it in your pocket and not really notice its there. By comparison, the model I got for my mother (offered by a different provider) is large and heavy.Also, just thought I would mention that this Novatel MiFi is still going strong. One of the nice things is that every couple months Verizon sends a firmware update, so I know that are actively supporting it.

I really want to say the device works; I really do. On the surface it works, but complications have turned it into a nightmare.---------The good:----------Works as advertised* (up to 10 devices all running on blazing fast LTE)-USB tethering too-Gets about 4 hours battery life with light LTE usage. Heavy usage I get around an hour.-Nice push button interface with OLED display. Lots of useful information without accessing the internal web panel.--------The Bad:---------Has a tendency to go "Dormant." Google: "4620L too dormant to use." If you don't have a application on your computer (i.e. a ping, downloading something, ect..) continuously accessing the internet, the MiFi will enter a "Dormant" state. Most of the time this isn't an issue, but it frequently doesn't leave the Dormant state. This leaves you with a dead internet connection and you have to power cycle the device. This happens frequently when I'm streaming online music; the connection will die, because of the burst nature of the traffic isn't enough from keeping the 4620L from going to sleep.-Obsolete Single band LTE. Only supports the 700MHz Upper C Band. Verizon is now deploying LTE on the 1.7GHZ AWS Band as well as the 700MHz Upper C Band. The newer MiFi 5510L supports both bands and will be the better device moving forward.-Charge Deficit. When your uploading large files on an LTE connection, the battery with discharge even if it's plugged in (i.e. the MiFi consumes more power than provided by the AC charger). The MiFi doesn't seem to accept high current charging, so this is a tremendous problem for me. I constantly find my MiFi in a "fail safe" battery protection mode after uploading ~1GB of data (i.e. the internet connection is dead again).-Mandatory over the air Firmware upgrades. This thing will hold your 4G internet connection hostage until you click okay for the firmware updates Verizon pushes onto it.---------The Ugly:----------These 4620L's die like flies. I'm on the 3rd warranty replacement within 6 months! They usually die during a botched over the air firmware upgrade. The net effect is that I've seen 4 of these MiFi's and I'm beginning to think I'll see 10 of them before the original warranty period expires...

Had the modem 10 days when the battery refused to charge or hold a charge. Called Verizon, had to take it into a store to be evaluated. They could not replace or repair the modem because I purchased it through Amazon. Contacted Amazon wireless and the first girl said (after 17 Minutes)she would send a replacement and confirmation email. The email stated she re-ordered the optional antenna instead of the modem. The email stated that the battery problem would be fixed with the new antenna.I called back and got another girl who understood that the antenna did not have a battery and it was the modem that needed to be replaced.They have one on the way.Love the modem and the speed, the portability and the ease of use. I just hope that the battery will last a little longer this time.