LTE is fast.
Well, at least it is when you’re on a network relatively uncluttered with other LTE users. Imagine a wireless broadband network is an interstate highway. Under the best circumstances, using Verizon’s 4G network is like barreling down Interstate 80 in western Nebraska going over 80mph. I should know—I’ve driven that stretch of highway far more often than anyone should, and I’ve even used Verizon’s network there from the passenger seat thanks to the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L. The Jetpack is speedy, and its battery has a greater capacity than an eight-year-old’s bladder.
If you work for Ars, you work from home. Or Starbucks. Or anywhere you can find a broadband connection. Feeling the need to have backup broadband at home and broadband I wouldn't have to share with folks at the local Panera and Starbucks, I purchased a Sierra Overdrive WiMAX hotspot from Sprint in May 2010. That device had some irritating quirks, but I was satisfied with both local coverage and the speeds (around 3-5Mbps). But WiMAX is on the road to obsolescence, so when faced with the expiration of my contract and a vacation to a place where Sprint’s 4G network didn’t reach, I decided to move to LTE.
If you want LTE in the US, you’re really limited to Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and Metro PCS at this point. Sprint’s LTE coverage is currently minimal (but growing) and Verizon’s is the broadest. But Verizon also has the most restrictive broadband caps. In my case, coverage trumped other considerations (Verizon is the only telecom with LTE coverage in Breckenridge, Colorado, where I spend time every year), so I went with the Jetpack 890L.
Usage
Priced at $19.99 with a two-year contract and including a $50 rebate, the 890L offers battery life of up to five hours and supports up to 10 WiFi connections at once when on LTE (this drops to five if you’re using 3G). It has a not–terribly-bright OLED display that will, at a glance, communicate signal strength, battery life, number of WiFi users, and the existence of new messages. There are three buttons on the front that allow you access to some basic device management features.
Verizon's LTE network (at top) was typically faster than AT&T's on my iPad. But falling back to AT&T's HSPA+ network was more pleasant than using Verizon's 3G.
Verizon’s LTE coverage does appear to be significantly broader than AT&T’s. But when I went out of LTE range, AT&T’s HSPA+ network provided me with a faster surfing experience (as high as 5Mbps) than Verizon’s 3G network.
After about two-and-a-half hours of interstate driving, my son informed us of his urgent need to find a rest stop. His bladder was full—and the Jetpack’s battery was still over half full. I consistently get over five hours of battery life from the Jetpack, and on the return trip from Denver, we managed over six hours (almost all in 3G coverage areas). When using it during a downpour, I did not observe any significant speed drop.
Caveats
The downsides to the Jetpack are few, but one may be a deal-breaker. First, after about three or so hours of consecutive use, pages began stalling as they loaded. Manually reloading fixed the problem, but it was a pain. Slow page loads are something I’ve experienced on three different occasions in two different locations. Second, if you use Dropbox or some other file-syncing solution, be aware of your syncing settings. The first time I fired up the Jetpack, my MacBook Air performed a Dropbox sync that managed to use up 75 percent of my monthly bandwidth allocation.
And that leads me to the biggest drawback to the Jetpack: Verizon’s bandwidth caps. Verizon charges $20 per month for monthly line access; data is extra. I went with 4GB of shared data (although this is my only Verizon device) for $30 per month. 6GB is $40 per month, while 8GB costs $50. You can add data in 2GB increments up to 20GB for $110, and if you go over your allotment, you’ll pay $10 per GB.
If you’re not going to be doing much more than surfing and e-mailing, you should be fine. But if you want to stream some video while on the road or need to move massive files around, your bandwidth well will quickly run dry. It’s a shame—this is the first wireless broadband device I’ve seen that could legitimately replace a wired home broadband connection, but doing so would be prohibitively expensive.
Whether the Jetpack is right for you depends on your needs. If you are looking for broadband redundancy at home, it’s a good—but pricey—backup. If you travel frequently and need broadband connectivity no matter where you are, it will do what you need. And with Verizon’s excellent network coverage, LTE speeds are widely available. Verizon boasts that its LTE network covers over 75 percent of the US population in 371 markets across the country, and I've yet to run into LTE network congestion problems. If, however, you’re irritated with your home cable broadband or DSL provider, the Jetpack isn’t a viable replacement. Sadly, that won’t change unless Verizon significantly relaxes or drops its bandwidth caps. Don’t count on that happening anytime soon.
The good
- Fast speeds of up to 13Mbps
- Latencies as low as 39ms
- Excellent network coverage
- Seamless handoff between 3G and LTE cells
- Ease of configuration
- Battery life better than advertised
The bad
- Occasional hiccups loading webpages after a few hours of consecutive usage
- Automatic syncing services may eat into your data allotment
The ugly
- Verizon's bandwidth caps
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