Verizon Network Extender 2

Hi, 

Verizon was kind enough to send me a Network extender for free (as a loaner) until i ever leave verizon.  But i cant get it to connect.  Anyone have any experience with this.

I hooked the ethernet cable to my router (hughesnet satelite) service,  then the other end to the extender.  Then hooked up the power cord, then removed the GPS and used the 20ft GPS cord to put the GPS in my room where i do have some signal. 

However the extender is still bouncing between and showing getting IP and then "conntecting to the verizon network 8a of 14"  then goes back to get IP

Any Ideas ?      I did start a chat with verizon support but they sent me to the FAQ section which i found nothing that helped.

I did find this, not that it helps but ill check my router software drivers and also open a port for it to see if that helps.

https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-204105/

I can test it using #48 on my phone but it says i am not connected to the extender.

Well, the extender can only extend what is there. If it cannot get a usable connection to the Verizon LTE network, it can't "extend" anything.  If the signal is so poor nothing can work, it's that poor for the extender as well. The extender is most useful where the LTE signal is good outside but doesn't penetrate a building well.  It can usually pull in the outside signal and re-broadcast it inside the building, so phones and computers can work ok.

I didn't understand the part about your Hughes satellite & GPS. Not sure what either has to do with the Verizon Extender 2.
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/verizon-wireless-network-extender-review/

It sounds to me like your "Extender" is a micro-cell  not an extender at all but a micro-cell.

What. you ask is a microcell?  Kind of like a wi-fi hotspot but in reverse. It connects to the internet via yoru dedicated data service (Hughes) and then acts like a cell "tower" so you can Talk with the phone. More in a bit on that.  You see As a Ham Radio operator I have 2 such devices in front of me.

The problem may be the "Lag" (ping time) with the hughes net service. it may be too long and the Verizon device is giving up.. How to fix it I do not know (Short of a faster connection)

How my 'D-Star" hot (and cool) spots work is much the same

They connect to the internet (Via Wi-Fi to my Cell phone's mobile hot spot in my case) and one of them then "Broadcasts" like a repeater tower (only very short range) to my  Mobile radio. IT acts almost exactly like a "Tower" based repeater 25 miles away but only for about 250 yards.

The other one the "Radio" is in "Terminal" mode.  Imagine A SKYPE type phone (Directly connected to the internet again via the Wi-Fi hotspot on my cell)  I just talked to a ham in California.. From just east of Flint MI. using that terminal mode "Radio".

Your Verizon extender works exactly the same way as my hotspot... It takes the radio (Cellular phone's radio) direct to the internet without reaching out to a too far away tower.

Thanks


The user manual says Verizon 4G LTE network extender 2 but ahhhh ok makes sense now, i think your right its like a mini tower.  Now they did say that since i am using sat net hughes that it might not work because of lag time but they wanted me to test it.  Or it may not work because of low signal strength to start with.

I think i found the issue, actually i think there are two.  One is that i had to update my peplink soho firmware which is done, the second issue is that the jetpack from verizon wont be actually hooked up until the 14th, and i am running the ethernet through that part of the manual switch box.  So for that issue i will put the ethernet directly into the extender from the sat and see what happens, at least that way i know that if it works then my only issue now is net and i can wait till the 14th to get that going.

As far as the GPS its a small box that says GPS on it, and what is suppose to happen is that it has a 25 ft cord on it, that way you can unplug the GPS little box from the extender and move it via the cord to where you do have signal (like my room) then it will extend that signal. 

I may have to wait till the 14th when everything is running re both internets.  It was actually cheaper to get two internets than to get DSL locally and there is no cable service here.   

Thanks for the info, ill keep testing what i can. 

John's right, it's a micro cell. I had one, they work great once you get them going. Gives you a circle about 100 yards in diameter (at least that's what I got). My understanding is that they will work on sat internet, I had mine on cable.

I believe the purpose of the GPS is to ensure you're setting it up only where you say you are, the GPS coordinates are sent back to Verizon (AT&T has one also) and if the coordinates don't match the address you gave them it won't work

YAYYYYYYY  after connecting it directly to the net it fired up finally and i have 4 bars all over the place in the RV now.... whoooo hooooooo    used to be only 1 or 2 bars and if i turned my head i lost the signal. 

I ran the gps wire into the bedroom where i have to sit and talk and velcro'd it to the wall,  so now all i have to do is turn it off for now and wait till my jetpack is activated on the 14th and im good to go.  I dont have a static splitter one E out and two in adapter, i have a push button but to use it now i need a static adapter with no button.  Its ok ill wait till the 14th.  Im so happy,,,,,

Thanks all, your awesome!!!    How nice of verizon to send me a $200 to $300 piece of equipment for free as a loaner.... there must be an incentive somewhere lol

The GPS is used for network time sync'ing and E911 location reporting...

NY_Dutch said:

The GPS is used for network time sync'ing and E911 location reporting...

Click to expand...

Ah OK thanks

Glad you got it working..... . Microcells are fairly common.. I know of a few restaurants and hotels that have 'em. They work great... Very common in the big city.. T-mobile also has a device like that. THey call it a "Hotspot" but  Well I read about 'em when they first started putting them out.

Kind of handy actually because one type is designed to, for example. be attached to a lampost or mail box or some other FIXED object by the cell company... (IE: Restaurant) no GPS needed on those.

But with a Micro cell (As someone said 100 yard circle) you have the location of the cell. you have the location of the incident the caller is reporting to 9-1-1.

Thanks, i got some trim today to cover up the GPS wire that leads to the bedroom. 

Question, is there any security risk with this?  Is my info still as private as it was before or can my neighbor also use the stronger signal.  It sounds like this is limited to just my phone and is private, i just wanted to check to be sure.

We just replaced a 3G "extender" with a 4G "extender" and, unfortunately, had to replace the cell phones at the same time.  So we disconnected the 3G extender and installed the 4G extender.  I called Vz to verify that the install was working since the cell signal strength on the phone seemed low.  They told me to dial *48, if I recall correctly, to test the extender connection, the response was negative.  They said our cell phones were not "compatible" since we did not have a settings option that was needed.  I was ready to return the extender to VZ.

Before returning it however, I decided to "re-boot" the phones... power OFF, then back ON which I always do as a first step when something digital stops working...  Then everything started working great... 5 bars of 4G LTE all over the house on these cell phones.  The extender basically allows VOIP cell phone service.  If your cell phone allows VOIP, you don't need an extender.  As someone else mentioned, the GPS allows the first responders to know where your are if you call 911 for instance and get the correct time.

If you do not have a fast internet connection with low latency the extender won't help much if I understand VOIP correctly.  If your internet connection works fine, you won't even need access to a cell tower. 

I don't understand the security issues though.  Anyone could use the extender cell signal I guess?  We live in a rural area so it's no concern to us but in an urban area, it could be awkward, maybe?  Maybe it's secure, I just don't know.

Here is a article from Forbes regarding the security of net extenders

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markgibbs/2013/05/09/verizons-wireless-network-extender-no-control-over-who-gets-access-but-you-get-to-pay-the-cost/#7f7913265781

djw2112 said:

Here is a article from Forbes regarding the security of net extenders

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markgibbs/2013/05/09/verizons-wireless-network-extender-no-control-over-who-gets-access-but-you-get-to-pay-the-cost/#7f7913265781

Click to expand...

that's rather scarrrry

The range is so short that the scary possibilities are actually quite limited.  They ought to be more upfront about it, though.

I remember when AT&T introduced them, and our sales rep tried to convince me to install one in the office. When I asked, "You are going to charge me for a device which reduces your costs and increases mine?" she had no answer and we never spoke of it again.

They're nice to have if you need one, but the idea of being charged for one is madness.

I was seriously looking at them because cell reception was dismal at our house (we live 15+miles from the city) but one day phone service dramatically improved. Must have brought a new tower online, or perhaps added a directional antenna facing our way. No longer have a need...

Now i understand why they let us use it for free.  They are saving tons of money on area testing by having users have the units locally.  Once i got into the extendor admin area and saw all the signal stats, tons of them, it all made sense now.  They dont have to pay us to test their markets so they hand these out to do the testing and they dont have to pay techs to do it. 

Thats how they know where their weak areas are in the long run and where to improve.    Basically they give us free equipment to exploit us in the end lmao... wow

Well in a manner of speaking they ARE paying you with the free hardware.. but yes it is to their benefit.

djw2112 said:

Now i understand why they let us use it for free.

Click to expand...

Now they are. When the carriers first introduced the nano/pico/femto cells they were charging $200-$500 per. It was an AWESOME scam!

Especially since back then, there wasn't typically a way to restrict who used it - anyone close enough to might end up riding your bandwidth. At least with AT&T, on some of the cells, you can now authorize who is allowed to use it, so randoms don't end up on your network.

Yes John you are exactly correct, however as you  said they get the better deal.  How much does a tech cost to do the testing i wonder?  This little box goes for approx 280 bucks and im guessing that that same $280 would not pay a tech for very long to do testing, so yeah they get the much better deal.

I have had a full day to use this thing and here is my first impression, it might change but here it is....    I can have clear signal 2 bars without it in one spot in the house or with it 4 bars of signal anywhere on my whole lot but horribly cutting out and people cant understand me sometimes. 

So i guess if i want to walk around the yard and keep repeating myself its fine, if not ill have to go back to one spot in the bedroom to talk on the phone or message people.  The weak point of these things is the lag time of the net, if there is lag you will also get lag signal.  I do wish there was a way via the phone itself to choose between the two options.  For example if i am on a really important call i can just press a button on the phone to disable it and sit on my bed and talk in a clear conversation. 

But i guess thats how things evolve, you get people to test it and eventually it gets better, im willing to suffer with it if in the end they put a new tower up somewhere around here.