cowgirl8":3qugklkz said:
We can get a booster to help. Our signal is pretty good out here thank goodness. I know a neighbor uses one for streaming movies, so its possible..Just having unlimited will make me happy..
I have the Verizon "hotspot doohikey", and have had one for nearly 3 years now--upgraded to a newer version last year. It's what Verizon calls a 4g LTE mobile hotspot or simply--jet pack.
We also have a Wilson cell sig booster. Do not 'cheap out' on the booster if you have a weak cell tower signal. We first tried one you stick the antenna on a window. It was little better than no amplification at all and only provided boost for the room it was in.
Verizon does sell some but we went with the Wilson from Best Buy--some WalMart sell them too. Antenna mounts outside the house, coax runs inside to the actual amplifier, which plugs into 110v outlet, and signal from amp goes by wire to an output antenna which provides the wireless hotspot. Get the kind that floods the whole house if you intend to use the signal in different rooms. Ours does. I think it was around $350 when we purchased it.
Make sure the booster is rated for 4G--lots of them still being sold that wont boost a 4g signal. You will want a bi or omni directional antenna. All amps have a specific range that they work within--meaning they only boost a finite amount between what the receiving antenna gets and what the device sees from the booster. Don't expect any booster to be able to amplify a barely existing signal to a world shaking up down data transfer speed. You will need to know exactly where the best cell tower for your home is located--Verizon can tell you how to do that, tho it will probably take a phone call to a Verizon help. Most Verizon outlet stores can't provide the info to you--they can only tell you if you are in a coverage area or not. You'll need to give them your physical address--knowing your GPS coordinates is a big plus too. You don't want to be placing your booster antenna on the opposite side of the house from where the signal is coming form.
"Unlimited data" is a subjective term. Your jetpack (and even the booster) can only handle a finite amount of data at a time. The more devices you have in use at any given time will restrict the data flow--divide it between the different devices. I can tell the difference between me alone being logged on and when my wife is also logged on with here laptop, even with the booster. Unlimited means you won't be charged for anything except what you use--no overages, but the tower itself has limitations. It may seem you are the only one in the area on high speed internet, but if that same tower provides service to a town that sits between you a and the antenna, you will find 'unlimited' doesn't mean what you may hoped it would.
Streaming video takes 2 things--ability to use a large volume of data (set by your Verizon plan--in your case-unlimited), and more importantly, the technical ability to use (take in) that data at a high rate of speed--both up and down. Watching a movie requires a constant refresh rate--the pixels change constantly. Your connection icon may show a full 5 bars or whatever way yours indicates strong vs weak connection, but the thing you have watch for is the speed at which the signal is traveling--known as up/down transfer speeds. Slow up/down means you will see significant lag in the movie--excessive buffering, or even pauses.
When you purchase your hardware, make SURE, you can return it for a full refund if it doesn't work to your satisfaction--especially in the case of the booster.