Verizon WiFi issues

ozley · Jan 2, 2015

jcummins said:
Got a 20gb home broadband plan. Had the same issues. Got direct tv or other things attached to wifi... can't prove it but I believe it was part of the problem. Best thing you can do is change the password... And only use the password on your pc. I end the connection every time i stopped using the pc. My usage problems got under control doing that.

your Directv was calling home all the time.

EddieWalker · Jan 4, 2015

I changed the password and then after turning it off, Karen noticed that it had come back on again when she got on her Ipad. This is getting to be one of those conspiracy things for me. I know it turns itself back on. I'm guessing one of our Apple products is sending it a signal that it responds to and turns itself on to receive or send data on its own. We have two Ipads and an Iphone 6 in the house. Then there is my Samsung 6, the TV, which I don't think is doing anything, but who knows, and my Lenovo desktop computer. But for all I know, it could be the dishwasher!!!

Something is turning on the MiFi router after I turn it off and sending data through it. I have now gone to the next level and I'm unplugging it and removing the battery. This is the only way that I'm sure it's not going to send any data through it when I'm not around and not using it.

Eddie

MossRoad · Jan 4, 2015

EddieWalker said:
I changed the password and then after turning it off, Karen noticed that it had come back on again when she got on her Ipad. This is getting to be one of those conspiracy things for me. I know it turns itself back on. I'm guessing one of our Apple products is sending it a signal that it responds to and turns itself on to receive or send data on its own. We have two Ipads and an Iphone 6 in the house. Then there is my Samsung 6, the TV, which I don't think is doing anything, but who knows, and my Lenovo desktop computer. But for all I know, it could be the dishwasher!!! Something is turning on the MiFi router after I turn it off and sending data through it. I have now gone to the next level and I'm unplugging it and removing the battery. This is the only way that I'm sure it's not going to send any data through it when I'm not around and not using it.

Eddie

Your iPad has wifi and sends out requests looking for wifi networks pretty much anytime you do anything with it. Your hot spot sits there listening for devices that are asking if wifi is available. Kind of like, "Hey, are your there?" and "Yep, I'm here."

You're old enough to remember TVs that took a while to warm up, right? So they made them with warming circuits that kept the tubes warm, so when you hit the power switch, they seemed to come on instantly. They were never really turned off all the way.

Well, hot spots take a while to boot up, get their IP adresses set up, etc... just like booting up a computer. That would annoy people. They don't want to wait for 30 seconds for the thing to boot up, let alone walk over and turn it on. So, the vendor programs the hot spot to never really turn off. It kind of sleeps, but is sitting there waiting for any network activity and pops to "awake" ASAP.

Any computer, laptop, phone, tablet, smart TV, etc... with wifi enabled will wake it up. And you can pretty much guarantee that the vendor wants it awake as often as possible to run up your data usage any time that is possible.

As you have discovered, the only way to make it stop is to unplug it when not in use.

buckeyefarmer · Jan 4, 2015

my mifi runs on a battery. unplugging it just keeps it from charging. Mine also can be turned off by holding the button down a few seconds. Mine shows green light for 4G service, Purple light for 3G service, yellow light if off and charging, no light if off and not connected to power.

lostcreekranch · Jan 4, 2015

Eddie;

Feel your pain. Came back up to the house from feeding horses on Xmas day and found four family members, sitting side by side at kitchen island, all with iPads running and two also had smart phones in their hands texting (probably to each other?).

Got email on 12/26 that we had already used 100% of data for the month (20 gB).

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

buckeyefarmer · Jan 4, 2015

rlgustafson said:
Eddie;

Feel your pain. Came back up to the house from feeding horses on Xmas day and found four family members, sitting side by side at kitchen island, all with iPads running and two also had smart phones in their hands texting (probably to each other?).

Got email on 12/26 that we had already used 100% of data for the month (20 gB).

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

LOL, yea, when my family gets together and I bring my mifi, my family mooches internet off of me.

MikePA · Jan 4, 2015

EddieWalker said:
I changed the password and then after turning it off, Karen noticed that it had come back on again when she got on her Ipad. This is getting to be one of those conspiracy things for me. I know it turns itself back on. I'm guessing one of our Apple products is sending it a signal that it responds to and turns itself on to receive or send data on its own. We have two Ipads and an Iphone 6 in the house. Then there is my Samsung 6, the TV, which I don't think is doing anything, but who knows, and my Lenovo desktop computer. But for all I know, it could be the dishwasher!!! Something is turning on the MiFi router after I turn it off and sending data through it. I have now gone to the next level and I'm unplugging it and removing the battery. This is the only way that I'm sure it's not going to send any data through it when I'm not around and not using it.

Just to be clear, and nitpicky

, having it come on automatically is OK, it's the sending of data.

Perhaps I have lost track, but I thought you were trying to determine who or what is using up all the bandwidth?

1. Ensure the MiFi device requires a password to connect to it. My access point can support 2 types of connections; Password protected gives the device access to my home network which includes other devices, e.g., the printer, NAS storage, etc. The Guest network only provides access to the Internet. Great for, well, Guests, so I don't have to tell them my password.
2. You changed the password to connect to it.
3. Only change one device at a time to use this new password.
4. Monitor usage.

EddieWalker · Jan 4, 2015

I changed the password and nobody else had it. Only Karen is here and she didn't change it on any of her devices. When she turns on her Ipad, it shows that there is wifi available. When I changed the email, and turned off the MiFi device, she saw it go offline on her Ipad just like I saw it go offline on my desktop. She wasn't using her Ipad to be online, she was reading an ebook. When she went to read her ebook later on in the afternoon, she said the MiFi was back on again. I didn't turn it on, I wasn't anywhere near it.

So far we have not changed access codes to use it on anything but the desktop. My goal is to see how much the usage changes by disconnecting the charging cord and removing the battery.

Eddie

Professor Marvel · Jan 4, 2015

My Verizon account reset last night. I see that at 8:49 my account pulled in 3.4 gig of data. I was on my laptop at the time but did nothing different that should cause this usage. I guess something is updating or something but it seems to happen the first day of reset for the last 3 months. I won't waste my time looking to Verizon for help. Seems awfully coincidental.

MikePA · Jan 4, 2015

Professor Marvel said:
My Verizon account reset last night. I see that at 8:49 my account pulled in 3.4 gig of data. I was on my laptop at the time but did nothing different that should cause this usage. I guess something is updating or something but it seems to happen the first day of reset for the last 3 months. I won't waste my time looking to Verizon for help. Seems awfully coincidental.

Windows and OS X can be configured to auto update. Windows, and the number of patches that come out on Patch Tuesday plus anti-virus updates (not needed with OS X), will generate traffic.