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Anyone Tried The New FMCA/Verizon HotSpot Plan?
It’s not a secret that FMCA introduced this plan a few months ago, but had to pull it as they forgot to incorporate membership requirements. The news of this low priced plan spread like wildfire through the tech community and motivated many non motorhome owners to immediately sign up for a one-year FMCA membership so they could take advantage of this deal. The sign up rules were modified recently and the plan is back in place.
I have to admit I was skeptical, but after spending a bit of time looking it over this offer seems to be noteworthy and priced quite a bit less than what you can get by walking into a Verizon store. Here’s the basics:
– A Verizon JetPack hotspot device for $0.01.
– 25GB of 4G LTE data per month before throttling.
– $50 per month for a two year contract.
The walk-in price of this plan is $110 per month and the main difference seems to be the FMCA plan does not include a roll-over provision. However, on the surface it appears the FMCA did well by negotiating this plan.
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67 Replies
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That’s a good deal unless they hose you at the end of the 2 years at renewal. Is this for new service only?
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I’m an existing Verizon customer and while the registration was a bit complicated, I was able to add this as a sub account.
I’m not sure what you mean about what happens at the end of two years, but after the contract period you’re free to cancel or remain on a month-to-month basis. However, I’ll predict that before two years, much higher speed services (such as 5G) will be available that will motivate the user to move to a new hotspot device and plan.
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if only 25gigs would be enough….
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I’m at 890 for the Jetpack and 16g with rollover and no contract, so I may call and see if I can change the plan.
Andy, what I meant was at the end of two years they could up your rates at contract expiration.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
I have a ZTE mobley with ATT unlimited for $20 a month. Plugs into OBD port.
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I tried to get that ZTE Mobley from AT&T back in August. It turned into a fiasco. First it was out of stock (permanently, I suspect), so they sold me a different device over the phone and assured me the $20 plan was available for it. Next, they of course activated a much more expensive plan. When I called, they apologized and said it wasn’t available. I returned the device within the cancellation period, but continued to get billed. Five hours total over three days on the phone to get the monthly charges removed, and then they claim the device was water damaged. Zero chance of that, and they couldn’t provide a photo. They can keep the last $100 they’ll ever get from me. I had been a phone customer for the last 12 years. No more. Unreal corporate shenanigans.
I did just receive an interesting deal that I saw on an RV YouTube video. It’s unlimited 3G-only with a Verizon hotspot for less than $100 up front and only $5 per month. I’m testing it right now at home. I just watched a YouTube video with no buffering. Not bad at all!
I bought it from this guy:
http://stores.ebay.com/glselectronics/
He has a few models, but I went with the Novatel 6620L Jetpack.
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Tom, in reference to the two year contract, I’m less concerned about the carriers raising the rates at the end of the two year period than I am being locked into a contract with a technology that could be soon outdated.
My reasoning is (like battery technology) the wireless industry is on the verge of some major breakthroughs and by signing a two year agreement, we’re locked into a 4G system when 5G is on the horizon. FYI, it’s predicted that 5G will be here within the next two years and will increase the speeds 10X over 4G LTE.
4G LTE transfers data at a max of 1 gigabit per second. 5G has the capability of downloading data at 10 gigabits per second. So, in a perfect world, by the time this contract expires, there will be a new and faster way to connect.
This may not be of interest to everyone, but with the increased speed will most likely come better signal strengths and more secure connections. How does this pertain to the motorhome world? I’m glad you asked!
If you’ve camped in a packed campground, you know there’s only so much bandwidth each tower can handle and this results in dropped signals. New technologies are hoping to address these issues and provide viable wireless alternatives to wired connections. I guess we’ll find out at the next large FMCA meetup where many of the members have opted-in on this program, if there’s any complaints.
We’re also on the cusp of having new over-the-air Wi-Fi systems that could also be game changers in the way we connect to the internet without the need of wires or hotspots.
Back to the FMCA program, as you know I’m fairly critical about technology, but it seems the FMCA struck an advantageous deal for its members based on currently available subscription programs. As stated, the only negative I could find with the plan is the omission of unused minutes rolling over to the next month. I’ll add the hotspot device that’s being offered by Verizon is one of the best on the market and Verizon has pretty good coverage across the USA.
One final note…
When the iPad first launched, AT&T offered an unlimited data plan that cost $30 per month. This plan came under scrutiny as when it became popular, AT&T pulled the plan and started throttling data usage to the grandfathered users. The courts got involved and AT&T lost the case and those of us who have kept the plan in continuous operation get a true unlimited plan for $30 per month. The good news is that it can be transferred to new devices with the only caveat being the subscription must remain continuous. So, as new iPad models came out, the user could simply transfer the plan to the new device to keep it up and running. I’m currently using this plan on an iPad Pro (the jumbo model) and I’m happy I have it as it’s great not to have to connect to unsecure hotel or campground WiFi connections when traveling. However, it cannot be used for tethering so, unlike most phones it cannot be used as a personal hotspot to connect to a computer or other device. Otherwise, it’s a great plan.
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The more I read the happier I am with my set up.
Phone on when I want to make a call.
Jet pack on when I want to connect to the internet.
If they don’t work, oh well.
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Chad,What did you have to do as far as contacting Verizon to change your plan?
I am going to try the “flash srevice” for an existing unit I have.
Thanks
Jim
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Jim, the device arrives already flashed. I don’t know if this is something you can do with your existing device or service. The instructions specifically say to not reset the device. Mine came with two months of service, then you buy refills online or in some stores. At $5 per month, it would be a very nice Verizon backup for someone with service through another carrier. Time will tell if it’s good enough to be my primary. I just completed a speed test here in downtown Kansas City. 2.5 mbps down and 0.86 mbps up. Not bad for the money.
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Andy,
Can one assume your current phone, either iPhone or Android, would work with 5G?
Also, how much LTE data do you get for your personal hot spot? Right now, my “unlimited” plan comes with 15G of hotspot per line, and we use every bit of that.
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Can one assume your current phone, either iPhone or Android, would work with 5G?
Also, how much LTE data do you get for your personal hot spot? Right now, my “unlimited” plan comes with 15G of hotspot per line, and we use every bit of that.
Current model phones are not compatible with 5G. They will still work, but they don’t incorporate the components to work with the next generation of networks. It’s speculated the next generation of iPhones will incorporate the 5G chipset…but that’s just speculation. I’ll predict that CES in January will have quite a bit of news about 5G…but it’s not happening overnight.
The FMCA “unlimited” plan is setup to deliver 24GB per month before throttling. It’s my understanding that unlike some other plans that could give you more 4G bandwidth based on network traffic, the Verizon/FMCA plan will throttle at the threshold.
Comparing the FMCA plan to the existing Verizon 24GB plan, the FMCA deal is $50 per month vs. the Verizon plan priced at $110 per month. And, the hotspot is $01. The standard Verizon plan allows for one month of rollover data…meaning that if you only use it on your bus and you don’t travel for a month, you could have 48GB to use on the next trip.
As we’ve learned, data is consumed very quickly. I like that the hotspot offered in the plan displays the amount of used data on the LCD.
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This site has some valuable information.
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I read about the Mobley device and the connected car plan which was around 20 a month. I kept checking back to the AT&T site (we have AT&T phones) and it was not available and not available…. then one day it was! So i ordered it.
Then I got the ac adapter for it and we have it in the bus. It works great. It’s one of those with the 22GB then it slows down. Just like most of the plans.
So far so good!
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The 5G upgrade process has begun.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/verizon-upgrading-to-north-las-vegas-site-for-5g-broadband/
It makes sense that Las Vegas will be one of the first areas to offer 5G service as that’s where the majority of electronic-related trade shows are held. This way, manufacturers can offer product demos to the trade at their booths when the next generation products are unveiled. A similar roll out method happened when car cellular service was launched in the 1980’s and Las Vegas and Chicago were on the top of the priority list for the wireless carriers.
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