Verizon Unlimited Plan & Sierra Wireless Devices

[jmmec]

Hi,

I currently have 3 lines with Verizon on their old 30GB Shared Plan for around $185/month:

• Main phone line (Motorola phone)

• Line 2 and Line 3 used to be Jetpack devices, but those were replaced with Sierra Wireless MC7455 and EM7565 many years ago via a SIM swap. The VZ website knows that Sierra Wireless devices are connected to line 2 and line 3.

I am thinking about switching to the VZ "Get More" unlimited data plan -- which allows "connected devices" based on my reading of the FAQ below -- since this would drop my bill to around $120/month or so:

Pricing varies by device:
$5 – Hum or connected smartwatch
$10 – NumberShare device
$20 – Standalone smartwatch*
$20 – All other connected devices

https://www.verizonwireless.com/support ... plan-faqs/

The connected devices would be limited to 15GB/month per line.

Has anyone signed up for a Verizon Unlimited data plan (Get More, Do More) for their main phone line, but also have a second line that has a Sierra Wireless device (EM7511, EM7565, etc) on the plan, either added prior / after the plan switch?

When I tried to switch to their "Get More" plan, the VZ live chat person said that their system doesn't think that the Sierra Wireless devices qualify as "connected devices", and because of this, they cannot add the modem lines to the "Get More" plan.

I have an old Jetpack, so could swap the SIMs into it, and have it register with the network so that the 2 data lines show up as Jetpacks, and then do the plan switch. Once I'm on the new plan, I would SIM swap back into the Sierra Wireless modems, but now I'm wondering if VZ will prevent them from connecting to the network?

Thanks!

[BillA]

You will probably run into several issues with your current limited Verizon plan.
First, since your total data usage is capped at 30GB for all three lines, there's no way to bypass that limit with any mobile router. You must have a completely unlimited phone data plan, then the hotspot data limit could by bypassed.
Second, another forum user has ran into a similar issue using his mobile router on a $20 Verizon unlimited data only plan. Apparently, they flagged his router as an incompatible device, and there's not much he can do other than switching to another carrier. You can read about it here > https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=784

If you're willing to switch, here are some options...
Switch to a Verizon reseller which doesn't have these restrictions, for example Visible $40 (low speeds, high latency), PagePlus $55 (normal speeds/latency but a bit pricey).
Or if you can do without Verizon, then try ATT $35 (slower speeds, normal latency), Tmobile/SimpleMobile $50 (high speeds over 100Mbps with good signal, low latency), Sprint $60 (normal speeds/latency, weak signal).

[jmmec]

Hmm, thanks for the reference to the other post, but there seem to be two separate issues?

Issue #1: data-only SIM on an Unlimited Plan as a Connected Device

It seems that this:

I had 3 Verizon lines on an unlimited plan (not business) and decided I no longer need the 3rd line. I tried using it in a cradle-point and had to call Verizon to get the SIM to work. At that time they put me on a "data only" plan for that number. It cost $20 a month, 15g limit.

https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=24 ... t=30#p5074

Is what I'm saying in my post: my main cell phone would be on "Get More" unlimited, but the two SIMs for the two data lines would be placed on "data only" plans that cost $20/month each, where each line is capped at 15GB. This is pretty much what the Verizon FAQ discusses:

https://www.verizonwireless.com/support ... plan-faqs/

Sierra Wireless devices are authorized for use on Verizon, so I'm stumped why they don't consider them as "connected devices" when trying to put them onto an Unlimited Plan in accordance with the FAQ above.

Issue #2: voice-provisioned SIM in a data-only device

But I realize that you're referring to his experiment that went badly:

What would happen if I put a sim card in from one of my other unlimited phones which are not being throttled on data, only hotspot?

Well, I tried it and immediately got a detailed (phone, sim, device info) message from Verizon...

https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=24 ... t=30#p5076

But in the case above, it sounds like it was a voice-provisioned SIM that he put into his MOFI and Verizon detected & rejected it. Maybe I'll take the SIM out of my Motorola Phone and put it in a hotspot to see if I get the same message, but my phone isn't on an unlimited plan so it might not trigger their detection mechanism.

I guess VZ is doing this to prevent people from using the TTL hack to bypass the 15GB limit for connected devices on an unlimited plan. But this isn't what I want to do.

This is crazy, eh...

[BillA]

Hmm, thanks for the reference to the other post, but there seem to be two separate issues?

But in the case above, it sounds like it was a voice-provisioned SIM that he put into his MOFI and Verizon detected & rejected it. Maybe I'll take the SIM out of my Motorola Phone and put it in a hotspot to see if I get the same message, but my phone isn't on an unlimited plan so it might not trigger their detection mechanism.

I guess VZ is doing this to prevent people from using the TTL hack to bypass the 15GB limit for connected devices on an unlimited plan. But this isn't what I want to do.

This is crazy, eh...

There's only one way to tell, you gotta try it.
If the sim doesn't work in the router, don't waste any time, just put it back into the phone to see if you got any warning messages from Verizon.
If it gets flagged by Verizon, you could also try replacing your existing modem with a non Sierra brand (such as a Quectel EP06-A or EM12-G), which hopefully won't be flagged as a MoFi.

[jmmec]

Ya, but the problem is that once I switch off the current $185/month 30GB Shared Plan, then there's no going back since it is an obsolete plan.

It would be nice to have a monthly bill of around $120+taxes, but I need to continue using my Sierra Wireless devices (even if they are capped at 15GB each), and it's not clear that VZ will properly treat them as "connected devices" on an Unlimited plan.

[BillA]

Ya, but the problem is that once I switch off the current $185/month 30GB Shared Plan, then there's no going back since it is an obsolete plan.

It would be nice to have a monthly bill of around $120+taxes, but I need to continue using my Sierra Wireless devices (even if they are capped at 15GB each), and it's not clear that VZ will properly treat them as "connected devices" on an Unlimited plan.

If you would like to stay on the Verizon network, look into PagePlus a Verizon reseller, they have $55 truly unlimited plan which seems to work in the router just fine. With auto-pay it's only $50/month/line, which makes the old unlimited Verizon plan a moot point. You could keep your Verizon lines (maybe drop one of them), and sign up for one PagePlus unlimited line to use in the router. Sometimes you have to be flexible in order to have unlimited data for your router. Remember, carriers are NOT your friends, they are out to rape your wallet any way they can. lol

[jmmec]

Hmmm, thanks for all your help!

Depending on what I read, it sounds like PagePlus is deprioritized. My current plan is never deprioritized, except during tourist season when VZ is excessively congested at times, affecting everyone. I work remotely, and rely 100% on 4G, so switching to an MVNO seems too risky.

I don't know if TMO provides good service in my area. I'll look into that. I do use AT&T as a poor backup since it has much poorer speeds compared to VZ.

Unfortunately I don't have options like cable or DSL, and no desire to go with satellite, unless Starlink takes off and is a reliable and fast solution.

[BillA]

Hmmm, thanks for all your help!

Depending on what I read, it sounds like PagePlus is deprioritized. My current plan is never deprioritized, except during tourist season when VZ is excessively congested at times, affecting everyone. I work remotely, and rely 100% on 4G, so switching to an MVNO seems too risky.

I don't know if TMO provides good service in my area. I'll look into that. I do use AT&T as a poor backup since it has much poorer speeds compared to VZ.

Unfortunately I don't have options like cable or DSL, and no desire to go with satellite, unless Starlink takes off and is a reliable and fast solution.

My pleasure sir... Of course carriers will disclaim everything under the sun to cover their butts (they're not your friends, remember?!), however as far as PagePlus de-prioritizing, most carriers do, but usually only when a tower is congested during peak usage times (could be as short as seconds or minutes), then it returns to high speed.
I can tell you from experience that on Verizon/PagePlus I get around 50Mbps down, on Tmobile/SimpleMobile around 100Mbps in a good signal area, and on ATT around 30Mbps (Sprint no comment;). The easiest way to tell if you have good signal in your home on a particular carrier without actually signing up for service, is by simply inviting friends over with phone service on all major carriers, and running a couple of speed test in and around the house (speedtest.net). Don't worry about the bars, sometimes even with one or two bars you can get decent speeds (LTE can be weird like that). Keep in mind, phones have tiny built-in antennas, so with a router's external antennas (even the short sticks it comes with), generally you should get better signal/speeds.
You probably don't wanna to go with a satellite service like Rob Lowe ("Don't be that guy!" lol), unless you enjoy waiting for websites to pop up, and paying an arm and a leg for service.