Verizon recently reached out to me and asked that I test its new Verizon 4G Jetpack device and share my findings with you. Little did they know that I’m especially well-equipped for this assignment for two reasons. First, I’ve used successive generations of Verizon WiFi and MiFi service, starting with the external PC Card proving a legacy laptop with on-the-fly WiFi capabilities outside the office. That was followed by an internal Verizon air card inside my old HP Mini netbook. Next up was my most recent experience using the Verizon 4G LTE external mobile hotspot for the past year.
The other way I’m qualified, beyond spanning the Verizon MiFi lifecycle, is that I test by really using it. No speeds and feeds here, and no benchmarks in a lab. You can refer to the secular press for those “boring” articles. It’s gonzo journalism here at SMB Nation, and I tested the Verizon Jetpack by way of commissioning two teen-agers…Did I mention that a ski adventure was the test field?
Factoids
The Jetpack supports up to ten (10) device connections at 4G and five (5) in 3G mode.
Longer battery life. We found the Jetpack had significantly longer battery life than the predecessor 4GLTE device.
Smaller size. The Jetpack’s smaller size was much appreciated by the teen-age testers.
You can gather more information here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=6397
Experience
Watch the video interview above as Max and Harry (the two teen-agers) describe their Jetpack testing experience. The device was tested on a round-trip drive from Bainbridge Island to Crystal Mountain, WA, (a local ski resort). Essentially, the two boys pushed the Jetpack to its limits by watching movies via Netflix while en route to the ski resort (a 2+ hour drive).
Both testers noted that the legacy 4G LTE device has a distinct lack of coverage in the remote portion of the drive (highlighted in yellow). The newer Jetpack had coverage problems toward the end of the drive (highlighted in green). Overall, the two teen-age testers gave the Jetpack high marks of approval.
Again – you can see the testers’ experience shared in the accompanying video (see above) for this story.
