Verizon's new Mifi 4G LTE card. It sucks.

I’ve been in love with my Verizon 3G Mifi card since I first got it two years ago.  It was light years ahead of my previous roaming USB stick, was very dependable, and up to 5 people could use it at the same time.  It had one button, and it worked- all of the time. It is likely the best, most impressive piece of technology I have used since the invention of the cell phone.

Mifi cards allow you to carry the Internet in your pocket.  You simply turn it on, and presto!  You have an instant wifi spot where up to 5 computers, laptops, ipods, etc. can connect to the Internet.

So imagine my delight when I was contacted by Verizon and asked if I wanted a FREE 4G LTE mifi card!  Not only that, but they would LOWER my monthly billing to $50/month.  Too good to be true, right?  Nope, it was zero dollars and they shipped it to me for free too.

Up until yesterday, I used it for 4 weeks.  In one word – it sucks.  I can’t believe people use this device other than for a paperweight:

• It didn’t work out of the box.  After 4 calls to technical support (which I admit was fast), they shipped me a new SIM card, and then it worked. But not for long.  You see, it has to run off of the battery and you cannot use it simultaneously while being powered by your computer.  That means you can only get 2 hours out of it- max.  (The old 3G one does not have that limitation and works for as long as your laptop battery)
• It doesn’t hold a connection- at any speed.  About once every 5 minutes, it disconnects from the network, anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds.  While this is fine while you are surfing or responding to email, it’s absolutely worthless when trying to view a YouTube video or making a Skype call.
• 4G coverage is pathetic.  Yes, Verizon admits that they are building out their 4G network, but I found the coverage incredibly spotty in and around Philadelphia.
• One network bar in 4G is 10 times slower than full bars in 3G.  There were times it would try to hook into a 4G signal, but it was weak.  It would have been better to be at 3G speeds with full bars.  Of course, you can’t configure the card to force it into 3G mode.  This is a MAJOR problem and must be addressed.
• You can’t use it while moving.  I travel a lot, especially by train.  The card was useless on an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to DC.  My old 3G card worked everywhere along this route, except for the tunnels near Baltimore.  The 4G one would constantly lose a connection- for minutes at a time- making it impossible to use.  Amtrak Connect (Amtrak’s free wifi service), is not an alternative.  It too is painfully slow to the point that only using it for email is reasonable.

So in the end, I walked into my not so favorite Verizon store, and told them they could keep their 4G and reactivate my old 3G card.

And you know what?  I love it.