This thread requested experiences with the Tech Connect+; I’m reporting about mine so far. Sorry for the long post.
I'm excited about the possibilities with Tech Connect+ service with Sprint. I purchased the service on Sunday Nov. 13, 2018 evening and my Franklin R910 mobile hotspot device arrived today (Tuesday) around noon. While working other tasks, I charged the device. When I got around to powering it on, it would not connect to Sprint's network, showing "No Service" on device.
Sprint’s network maps indicate great coverage at my current location (at home RN), so I figured it was time to call in help. From the FMCA FAQ for Tech Connect+, I saw instructions for contacting Sprint’s Tech Support at (800) 543-3622, and to have the “PTN” (device mobile number) at the ready. I found the number (but not labeled as “PTN”) by connecting to the device via WiFi, and it is on the "About" page; it showed "My Number 0000009444", which definitely did not look like a proper telephone number to me. Dauntless, I called Sprint, but unfortunately, without a valid mobile number the support system would not let me in, booting me with a message something like call back when you have the number.
I've been in this industry for nearly 40 years, so not a dummy; but, at this moment I was stuck. Since it was raining and cold outside, I was determined to not have to find and visit a Sprint store (I’m otherwise an AT&T customer). During my research before buying, I had read various forums on FMCA.com. I recalled seeing a name, Jason Gabbard, of FMCA who was helpful to a fellow who had a problem. I chose to reach out to him. Problem was, there was no contact info for him, so I called FMCA at (800) 543-3622, asked for him and left a telephone voice message. About 15 minutes later I received a call from Brett, who apparently works for Jason. That was 3:15 pm.
We did some research, like photo of special numbers inside the phone and information from “About” page and “Debug” page. Feeding all that to him, Brett agreed the PTN was bogus, even though I appeared to be registered properly in the two distinct systems that he accessed. We terminated the call while he investigated further. A few minutes later, he called me back, had worked some magic, and then conferenced in a Sprint fellow on the phone with me for the final steps. We walked through the unit powering on, registering properly, upgrading etc. The problem was resolved by 5:15 pm. Actually, Brett had to excuse himself briefly near the end of the call; apparently the building was being locked up for the day, and he needed to let them know he was still there!
After the hotspot found Sprint, it upgraded itself fine. My provisioning of the device password and two SSIDs for WiFi was trivial. Playing with the menus via the web interface was reasonably informative. Connecting from my devices seemed painless and reliable.
Unfortunately for the OP, I cannot speak much about the performance of Sprint’s network, as I’ve only had a few minutes of experience with it. The email and web pages I’ve messed with have loaded fine, but I haven’t had a chance to try out much video.
The hotspot for my initial performance check showed only 3G (and network of eHRPD) connection, not LTE, so that was disappointing, especially since I’m in an area with “4G LTE excellent signal”.
· The SpeedSmart app on my iPad (older model, Air 2 running iOS 12.1) showed not stellar results: latency of 748 ms, download of 1.12 Mb/s, and upload of 2.48 Mb/s using 4.03 MB at 6:24 PM ET.
· Compare that to my iPad running through its 4G connection to AT&T, with latency of 777 ms, download of 8.83 Mb/s, and upload of 1.62 Mb/s using 11.86 MB at 6:39 PM ET.
· Compare that to my iPad running through its WiFi connection to AT&T fiber, with latency of 6 ms, download of 57.14 Mb/s, and upload of 72.96 Mb/s using 133.0 MB (while the Netflix video discussed below was running).
Rebooted the hotspot and it came up LTE
· Reran SpeedSmart, latency of 55 ms, download of 2.33 Mb/s, and upload of 0.32 Mb/s using 3.01 MB at 6:43 PM ET, which seemed to be repeatable over the next few minutes.
I did watch a few minutes of Fox News via DirectTV app on my iPad for a while. Netflix took about 15 seconds to initially buffer the video, but it seemed fine for the few minutes of test. Fox and Netflix were viewed while LTE was held onto by the hotspot.
· Reran SpeedSmart during Netflix, with latency of 587 ms, download of 2.44 Mb/s, and upload of 0.35 Mb/s using 3.16 MB at 6:56 PM ET. This weekend will be more informative to me, as I plan to watch several college football games. I’m not planning on rigorous tests, but just wanted to give some initial results. YMMV.
Also, the battery level seemed to drop quickly; down to 70% about 1-1/2 hours into using the device. However, I don’t have confidence in my view here, since I didn’t check the charge level when I started and I rebooted the device multiple times throughout the afternoon (causing power-expensive signal reacquisition attempts each time). I don’t think I’ll care about battery life, since the hotspot will mostly be plugged into power in the coach.
Kudos and thank you to Brett of FMCA for excellent member service.
Alan
2017 Tiffin Allegro RED 37PA
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee (diesel) lurking behind
