Network extender location problems

I live in Las Vegas Nevada and have to use a network extender due to poor coverage in my area. Problem, when I use the extender, it shows my location as Seaside, California, where I have never been some 500 to 600 miles away. I have an app for betting that requires that I be located in Nevada and not use a wifi connection. Any way to correct the extender to show my actual location?

Hello delrio!
That's way off! I'm sorry! I want you to be able to use your app! Is the network extender showing a red light for the GPS? Have you tried pulling the power source to restart the device? Let us know!
Katie H
VZW Support
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Similar Messages

Network Extender Problem

I have had the Verizon Network Extender for several years. I use it in a rural area. It worked fine initially but now all our Verizon phones have trouble connecting to it, i.e.. Even when the phones are within a few feet of the extender they show only one or two bars. #48 indicates they are connected to the extender, however if we move just a few feet away they drop the connection. We are then unable to make or receive calls.
I should add that all lights are blue on the extender and our internet connection is good. I brought the extender to our house in the city and even though we get good signals and connections without an extender in our house, the phones will connect and stay connected to the extender when it is installed at this location.
I should add that the rural location is on a lake and our phones will frequently show strong Verizon signals with the extender off. However, we are almost never able to make a call or receive a call at this location unless the extender is working.
My guess is the extender emits such a low power signal that the phones are looking at towers across Lake Superior and seeing those signals as stronger than the extender signal. Again we can't connect to those towers even though the phones show bars from them.
Can the extender signal be strengthened or set higher by Verizon personnel? It would appear that if that happened the phones would see the extender as the better signal.

Turns out my network system was assigned a "system id" that is way down the preferred roaming list of my Samsung. The Samsung Droid would avoid it at all costs, therefore would not connect to my extender. Once tech support changed the system ID of the extender to the same number as the area the extender is located in (318), the Samsung and all our other phones have been connecting without problems. Thanks to Chris who received my Verizon trouble ticket and solved the problem.

I've had a Samsung network extender for over a year and it's been great. About a week ago, my iPhone 5 stopped connecting to it. I've never had problems with this. All the lights on the extender are blue, so it seems it's working fine. Any suggestions

I've had a Samsung network extender for over a year and it's been great. About a week ago, my iPhone 5 stopped connecting to it. I've never had problems with this. All the lights on the extender are blue, so it seems it's working fine. Any suggestions?

Oh no! Lets ensure that you are connected. Have you tried to reset the Network Extender? Are other devices able to connect to the Extender? Is your Internet service up and running?
Share details so that we can help!
Thank you,
LenaA_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Network Extender problems w/Qwest customers during July 2011

I believe I have found the cause of the Network Extender problems surfacing in July, 2011. I am a customer who has been out of Network Extender usage for two weeks now. Read on....
Unbelievably, almost no one at Qwest, Verizonwireless, or Samsung (NE's manufacturer) has any idea what the cause is and neither Qwest nor Samsung knows that a problem exists at all.
After many hours on the phone to all three companies I finally believe I know the cause of the problem. The cause is an updated firmware revision that was pushed to all Qwest customers who use the Actiontec PK5000 modem/router. They have been pushing it out over the last few weeks, so the symptoms have been rolling rather than happening all at one time.
The latest version of the PK5000 firmware is QAP002-3.60.3.0.9.9 When the customer's modem receives that version update (unbeknownst to them), Network Extender is rendered inoperable... the modem does not recognize the NE is plugged into it and does not provide an IP address. The WAN light goes solid red, the GPS goes magenta and the SYS light goes red.
Because Qwest's PK5000 works fine with the upgrade (i.e. both wi-fi and ethernet connections work fine with my Macintosh MacBook Pro), they have no interest in solving my VerizonWireless problem.
Bottom line is VerizonWireless needs to get a patch created "yesterday" and made available to all Network Extender customers who use the Actiontec PK5000 Qwest modem/router immediately. I live in a rural area and despite the fact I've had a VerizonWireless cell phone for many, many years, I'll be forced into changing cell phone providers soon, as will every other NE user who has lost their NE usage because of this problem.
It boggles my mind that no one has figured this out and provided a patch for the Network Extender. Understandably, Qwest could care less this is happening, since their service is not effected. This is truly VerizonWireless' problem.
Now, what can you do??? Call customer service right now and get technical support. Give them the information above and let them know they need to develop a patch for the Network Extender to work with the new firmware (i.e. operating system) of the Actiontec PK5000 modem. It's only when they hear from a bunch of people that they will step up the urgency to find a solution. Thanks!

OK, what's the deal here. I've been having the same problems. Verizon gave me a new extender and I still have the same problem. The week of July 15th everything went dead. I live in downtown Denver and I still can't get service at my house. My network extender is no longer compatible with the PK5000 modem QWEST issued. Firmware got pushed out? uhh... OK that doesn't mean anything to me. Not my problem, but kudos to the gentlemen who figured that out.. Neither Verizon or qwest seem to not want to take responsibility.
So what's next? is there an extender on the market that is compatible with the infamous PK5000? Evidently, the guys @ Qwest I was on the phone with for 45 minutes seems to think it's some type of high speed low drag, technological phenomenon. I'd like to add that if someone from qwest or verizon tech support reads this, I do not have a land line at my house, I have never had a land line at my house so no I can't go to my desktop and troubleshoot the modem while on the phone. just to reinterate I live in downtown denver I do not have cell coverage at my house, and no it's not my house. Everyone in our area does not have coverage.
I've had verizon for over 10 years now and never had a problem. This is the first and biggest problem I had becasue verizon and qwest decided to "bundle" thier service offering...whatever that means.
I believe I have found the cause of the Network Extender problems surfacing in July, 2011. I am a customer who has been out of Network Extender usage for two weeks now. Read on....
"Unbelievably, almost no one at Qwest, Verizonwireless, or Samsung (NE's manufacturer) has any idea what the cause is and neither Qwest nor Samsung knows that a problem exists at all.
After many hours on the phone to all three companies I finally believe I know the cause of the problem. The cause is an updated firmware revision that was pushed to all Qwest customers who use the Actiontec PK5000 modem/router. They have been pushing it out over the last few weeks, so the symptoms have been rolling rather than happening all at one time.
The latest version of the PK5000 firmware is QAP002-3.60.3.0.9.9 When the customer's modem receives that version update (unbeknownst to them), Network Extender is rendered inoperable... the modem does not recognize the NE is plugged into it and does not provide an IP address. The WAN light goes solid red, the GPS goes magenta and the SYS light goes red.
Because Qwest's PK5000 works fine with the upgrade (i.e. both wi-fi and ethernet connections work fine with my Macintosh MacBook Pro), they have no interest in solving my VerizonWireless problem.
Bottom line is VerizonWireless needs to get a patch created "yesterday" and made available to all Network Extender customers who use the Actiontec PK5000 Qwest modem/router immediately. I live in a rural area and despite the fact I've had a VerizonWireless cell phone for many, many years, I'll be forced into changing cell phone providers soon, as will every other NE user who has lost their NE usage because of this problem.
It boggles my mind that no one has figured this out and provided a patch for the Network Extender. Understandably, Qwest could care less this is happening, since their service is not effected. This is truly VerizonWireless' problem.
Now, what can you do??? Call customer service right now and get technical support. Give them the information above and let them know they need to develop a patch for the Network Extender to work with the new firmware (i.e. operating system) of the Actiontec PK5000 modem. It's only when they hear from a bunch of people that they will step up the urgency to find a solution. Thanks!"

Problems with Network Extender

We have recently moved into a metal building as our home. Our phone signals are affected and so we did the research and bought a Verizon network extender. The bars on our phones went straight up to 4 and the VNE works great ... up until you use the internet for anything that takes a little bandwidth. I work in a home office over a VPN all day. I can be taking a call and as soon as I send an email (no attachments just an email), my call becomes choppy and unusable. I paid our ISP technician an hour's onsite visit to troubleshoot our in-home network and with his monitoring we noted that the bandwidth performance was drastically affected when the VNE is attached and working. According to FAQs, the bandwidth required for the VNE should be nominal. We have 10 mbps down and 4 up...and the VNE seems to cause all kinds of internet issues when plugged in.
Further, the GPS signal catches and stays for hours but then seems like when left unattended for hours the blue light goes away...if I pick up the VNE and just move it around, the GPS signal catches again. I have attached the "external GPS cable" just to see but if it gets the Blue light at all, doesn't that really mean the extra cable isn't necessary?
Does anyone have any suggestions how I can successfully use this tool?

Hi vjamison812,
I want you to have the best experience using your cell service while at home. Every call connected to the extender should only be using an average of 40 kbps. Was the technician able to advise how much bandwidth is being used? We may need to reach out to our engineering team to confirm the manner that the Network Extender is connecting to your internet but the more information we have from your ISP, the more details we can provide. I also recommend you contact the manufacturer of your router if it's different than your ISP. Occasionally settings need to be changed to ensure better call quality.
Does the GPS light turn off or does it go from Blue to Red? The external cable is only needed when the light is Red and stronger connection is needed. Please ensure that the Network Extender is located in an open area, preferably in an elevated location near a window and in an upright position. Please provide more details as to exactly what happens with the light.
Thank you,
MariaC_VZW
Please follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Verizon should be giving me a network extender if I cannot use their phone here in my home even though they say I "should" have coverage. Verizon acknowledges that it is a problem of theirs...but I'm expected to pay my bill and can't use my phone?

I want VERIZON to send us a NETWORK extender at their cost because I pay my bill and am NOT receiving phone service from VERIZON as promised. I am stranded without the use of my cell phone in my home. My contract says that VERIZON will provide me service and I must pay...I DO pay. Why would VERIZON do this to a almost 7 year responsible customer? Our whole family uses VERIZON (seperately) and this is horrible customer service. VERIZON knows that many of the basic phones do not work as promised. I want a working phone. All VERIZON keeps saying is that my upgrade isn't until August? I don't want an upgrade, I want a phone that works. I am contacting the Attorney General's office to see what can be done. I have missed emergency phone calls and now will be in a snowstorm without a reliable phone.

First of all, Verizon does not guarantee service, even in areas where the map says there is full coverage.
Service provided vial radio waves can be affected by multiple things, such as foliage, buildings AND asmospheric conditions such as snowstorms.
Maybe you should have purchased the NE before the snowstorm, but then if your power went out, you would be out of luck. Of course, your power company says they will provide you power, but then again, sometimes there are outages.
If phone service is so important, there is NOTHING as reliable as a land line!!!

Trying to figure out a Network Extender Problem

So I am not at a loss for trying to figure out what's the issue with my NE that I just got since I've had VZW service issues in my home for months.
Network:
Cable Modem->NAT Server -> Switch -> Network Extender
I've never had any IPsec issues using VPN on any of my work laptops with either Array or Cisco VPN. I went into the NAT server and port forwarding 53,500,4500,52428 on both UDP and TCP. I've tested that it works to another laptop behind the NAT box using both bit torrent tests / windows RDP. So the forwarding should work. I know there is no front end to the NE (which is frustrating) since I am seeing traffic come out the NAT to VZW (and VZW has shown me the local IP). So any advice here? If I plug the NE directly into the Cable Modem, works great in about 5 minutes. I find it hard to believe that this thing won't work with a switch (as per Samsung).
Any other advice here? I might have to add a 3rd NIC to my NAT Server just to dedicate to the NE if I can get the above to work.
Thanks for the help!
--Erik

See https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1619850

Network Extender help

I've had a Samsung network extender for over a year and it's been great. About a week ago, my iPhone 5 stopped connecting to it. I've never had problems with this. All the lights on the extender are blue, so it seems it's working fine. Any suggestions?

Hello to you Zaym84!
I love a fellow techie! Thank you so much for already completing all of those steps as they're absolutely important to the troubleshooting process.
I want to ensure I understand. The network extender is still working correctly to provide you service in your home, but the GPS information being provided is inaccurate, is that correct?
Don't forget to ensure that the Network Extender is located in an open area, preferably in an elevated location near a window, and in an upright position.
I would like to provide some additional steps to ensure your device is making the best connection.
First you can set your Network Extender up to Managed connections to allow specific numbers instead. Here's how: http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=21844
You can then add contacts by follow these steps: http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=21845
Your ISP and router may have had an update that may have blocked certain ports. Although I'm unable to provide steps on enabling these ports I did want to provide a list of ports: http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=25525
Keep us posted on your progress!
Thanks,
MelissaM_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

Network Extender is awesome!!!!

The network extender has enabled me to go from a signal that ranged from -97dBm to -102-dBm, to around-64dBm to -78dBm. For the first time since December 2007 when I moved to my new home. I can make and receive calls in my home without asking the caller if I can call them back from my landline phone!
BUT... now despite all the lights on the network extender being a solid blue color as they should be, the weather widget on my HTC Incredible 2 shows my current location as being a town almost 90 miles away. My location on Google maps is showing correctly. I'm pretty sure the problem is the network extender, since when I was at work yesterday my location on the weather widget was correct. Any suggestions??

Hello,
BLed, I am glad to hear you are having a great experience with the Network Extender. I can confirm the GPS the Network Extender uses is strictly for Enhanced 911 capabilities. It does not interact with any other location based services or track where you are at within your home. I would suggest checking the other GPS services provisioned on the device, press Menu>Settings>Location. GPS is most accurate when not in a building so the results you get while in your home can't be definitive though I understand 90 miles is excessive. I am happy to continue troublshooting your GPS concern.
reanbow8, check out the Network Extender website for pricing, reviews and FAQ related to this product. As you can see by the previous post the extender is beneficial for buildings experiencing low signal quality. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Network Extender Ripoff?

I really feel as if this whole Network Extender is kind of a rip off of sorts. If you establish service in a good area and then relocate your service to a bad area, then a network extender at your expense is reasonable. However, I established service to the location I am currently residing, also my billing address, and I have ZERO service. It is terrible.
Verizon's fix for this problem is to sell me a $250 Network Extender! Why did you allow me to establish service in an area that you know has terrible coverage?!? Verizon should have at the very least made me sign a disclaimer acknowledging that service at my billing address was none. I feel this is a gimick to make more money off customers. It is out of my control that I live in a dead zone. The reason that I chose Verizon is because they have the whole "Don't be afraid of Dead Zones" slogan. Bologna. Thanks Verizon for forcing to spend yet more money on products I shouldn't have to buy in the first place.
A free Network Extender is what I would have expected, a discounted extender would be at the very least. When this contract is over, so is the relationship with VZW for me. "Can you hear me now?" Nope, don't even have a signal..........

kpaul1016 wrote:
However, I established service to the location I am currently residing, also my billing address, and I have ZERO service. It is terrible.
Verizon's fix for this problem is to sell me a $250 Network Extender! Why did you allow me to establish service in an area that you know has terrible coverage?!?
My post was in response to these two lines. Verizon allowed you to establish service in an area with terrible coverage because they give you 30 days to determine if you can live with the weak spots in their network.
You made the choice to stay with Verizon even though they didn't have great service in your home. Sometimes, in order to get what's important to us, we have to compromise. You need the benefit of good reception in areas where Verizon's network is strong, so you chose a provider that doesn't cover your home. If you don't want to pay $250 for a network extender, buy one of the older 1X models on eBay, they work just as well for calling/texting and were going for only $100 new, so I doubt they're expensive used.
Your post was not about the Network Extender, it was about wanting a free handout because you made a decision that didn't meet your needs.

IPhone 4 and network extender troubles

I live in an area where I need a network extender to receive a signal. All has worked perfectly fine in the last 4 years I've been with Verizon, until about 4 weeks ago when my daughter was trying to send me pictures that I never received. I then noticed a picture I had sent her didn't go through either. I'm usually connected to wifi, but when I'm not and try to access the internet it says "could not activate cellular date network".   I have tried every suggestion I could find on the internet from other people who have had this issue with no luck, and I do mean everything from toggling off and on this and that, to taking my phone back to factory settings, which by the way, even with no back up and just adding one picture and one contact this issue exists. When I'm in a 3G area I have cellular data and the phone works fine, including being able to send and receive pictures and being able to access the internet, so I have no reason to believe it's the phone or the settings. I'm thinking it has something to do with the network extender not playing nice with my iPhone because my husbands Android is able to send and receive pictures and access the internet with no problems.   I would also like to note that about 2 weeks ago I contacted support to see if they had any news, the tech tried sending me a picture which I did just randomly receive about 2-3 hours later, along with a picture my daughter had sent me earlier in the day. I asked her to send me another one which I got, but after that I tried sending her a picture and the problem was back.
I have been in contact with technical support and network support, who haven't really helped me. I don't think they know what the problem is so they just ignore me, as it's been 8 days since I've heard from them. I think 4 weeks is plenty of time to at least narrow it down. On my first ticket they asked me to run a speed test, which I did and they were going to check the towers. They called me on my cell, but I missed the call, thanks for leaving that VM though, no cellular data=no VM, so I didn't know until days later you left a message saying no problems were found. So I had to start over again, two weeks since the problem started.   On my second ticket they said they didn't do the first ticket right, a week later they called back asking for another speed test, which came back above minimum requirements, they were going to pass it on to network support and here I wait 8 days later, 4 weeks total with no end in sight.
Today I stopped at the Verizon store hoping they'd have some suggestions. They said they couldn't do anything on their end, I'd have to call technical support...The only thing they told me that was new was something about a security breach with Samsung extenders, and maybe an update was pushed to my extender that's not playing nice with iPhone. But how do I check on something like that, who do I report this to??   If that was the case wouldn't Verizon tech support know about it? I'm not getting any help and I don't feel like anyone at Verizon really cares, but you can bet if my payment was 4 weeks late there'd be an issue.
Any suggestions?

How old is the extender? Can it support 1x or both 1x and 3G? Try checking the Network Extender space for more suggestions and similar questions.

Verizon Network Extender

Any success stories using the Verizon Network Extender? I'm not having much success. I tried setting the VNE up by connecting it to my AirPort Extreme and got blue LED's on power, GPS, and WAN fairly quickly, but the SYS LED was solid red. After an hour with no change I tried connecting the VNE directly to the modem thinking there may have been a conflict between the VNE and the APE. No such luck, in this config both the SYS and WAN LEDs remained red.
I called Verizon Tech support and they had me reconnect the VNE to my APE and once again the SYS LED remained red. I spent several hours on and off the phone with Verizon Tech support running some tests and doing some troubleshooting but didn't get anywhere. The tech finally told me he would need to submit a troubleshooting ticket and that they would get back to me within 24hrs.
My Google search didn't reveal anything concrete either. There were a number of people reporting success using the VNE with APE as well as a number of people reporting problems. The threads were a year or more old and none had any real solutions.
I'd like to here from fellow forum members of their experience with the VNE.

Hey chaseyDog,
I am very sorry to hear about your troubles with the Network Extender. I know they do help a lot in terms of your service indoors so I can understand how much you want them to work. It seems like you have done a lot with your NE and we want to make sure it's working properly. Do you have any update on how it is working now? Was there a resolution provided to you from the ticket? Please let us know since we only want the best for you! Thanks!
MichelleG_VZW
Please follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

How can I get my 4g phone to reliably and seamlessly talk to my network extender?

I moved a few months ago, and ever since I've had major problems with dropped calls on my phone.
Before, I was on the inside of a large concrete apartment building, and I had the 3g network extender. Because I was near the center of the building, despite the courtyard in the middle, I had no problem connecting to the 3g extender, as there was no meaningful competing signal.
Now, I'm across the street, but on the outside of the building. Calls were able to connect sometimes from within the apartment (without the extender) because there is some cellular coverage. However, we would occasionally drop calls on all three VZW cell phones in the apartment, I reactivated the network extender. This has helped the two other lines (a Stratosphere II/Galaxy Nexus and a Galaxy S4) immensely. However, my phone will consistently drop calls just a few seconds in - excluding the Lumia, which doesn't hit the network extender and therefore seems to drop slightly less often since there is no handoff. I typically see 1-2 bars of signal.
A few of the troubleshooting steps I've tried:
I have gotten a brand new SIM from a VZW corporate store
I hate tried multiple phones - Galaxy S3, Nexus (the same one that another household user has not had any problems with), and a Lumia 822
I have ensured that I'm on the network extender via #48 - I get on the extender on all phones except the Lumia 822, which doesn't drop calls quite as often. This is even the case when I'm connected to LTE on the Android phones; this makes sense, since the extender is 3g/1x only, and all voice calls are over 1x.
I have tried multiple distances between the phone and network extender - both very close (within 3 feet) and farther (15 feet + wall)
I have tried my phone(s) without cases, and typically use a thin TPU rubber case on the galaxy S3.
I hate tried factory resets on all three phones.
I have ensured that my phone number is on the network extender access list.
If I disable LTE (some phones are easier than others; for example the GS3 makes this rather difficult. The menu under Settings > More Settings > Mobile Networks < Network Mode) offers three options: Global, LTE/CDMA, and GSM/UMTS. However, third-party apps can adjust this; for example, "Advanced Signal Status" can (via Addition Info > Device Information). When I set my phone to CDMA only there, I get a solid connection. #48 still tells me I'm on the network extender, and I have 5 bars of signal. I use another app, SignalCheck Lite, to give me solid signal readings.
Signal Measurements:
Galaxy S3, CDMA only (via 3p app), <3 feet from extender
5 Bars, connected to wifi and non-LTE signal, will not drop calls
1xRTT: -61 dBm
EvDo: -72 dBm, SNR 8 dB
LTE: No connection
Wifi: -64 dBm
Galaxy S3, normal LTE/CDMA mode, <3 feet from extender
1 Bar, connected to wifi and presumably LTTE signal, will drop calls FREQUENTLY
1xRTT: -66 dBm
EvDo: No longer shown in app; eHRPD is shown with no connection
LTE -117 dBm, SNR 7dB
Wifi: -67 dBm
Given that the 1xRTT signal is reasonably strong in both cases, my suspicion is that a handoff is occurring incorrectly. It's prioritizing the LTE base station over the extender, despite the large signal discrepancy. My understanding is that a handoff can occur from extender to VZW tower, but not the other way around - so one it has transferred over, it will inevitably drop, often just a few seconds into the call.
However, the 'CDMA only' is not a good solution. Along with not being something normally in the device's settings, this is a major inconvenience - even if it were the settings screen, that's 5+ taps every time I enter or exit my apartment. (Nor can this be automated with a tool like Tasker.)

AdaS_VZW,
I'm not sure if the area has been surveyed; it's a large group of apartment buildings about a within a couple miles of Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia, so I would imagine that it probably has, but I'm not sure. How would I find out?
I understand that the Network Extender does not support LTE connections (I know there are two models, the 1x-only and 3g, both made by Samsung - I have the 3g model, SCS-2U01). I know that it can support a 3G data connection, but that should be irrelevant - I'm always connected to my wifi network in my apartment.
What's particularly vexing, however, is that both a Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Nexus in my apartment (the other lines on my account) do not seem to have this issue. While I haven't done so with the S4, the Nexus exhibits this problem when my SIM is in it - and again, this is a fresh SIM from just a few weeks ago.
I'm currently trying to disable Mobile Data when in the apartment to see if that will make it more stable. I'll post in a day or two with results from that.
Shawn

Verizon Wireless Network Extender and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Customer Service experience

It was a dark and stormy night...
For the past eight years, I had been happy with Verizon wireless service. Great coverage and rarely a dropped call. However, all of that changed when I moved into a lovely mid-century modern condominium. The solid concrete walls and ceilings were blocking my attempts to communicate with the outside world (i.e. order pizza).
Enter the Verizon Wireless Network Extender! My own personal cell tower! Alas, the VWNE was $250, which was a lot of money. So, being the resourceful recycling advocate that I am, I procured a refurbished one and hooked it up to my network. Then I called Verizon to begin what would soon become one of the Bottom 10 Least Enjoyable Experiences in customer service history (note: obvious foreshadowing).
The first technician I spoke with was Benjamin, who was actually quite helpful. He noted the VWNE's MAC address and other information before attempting to allow me to access my unit. But he could not. Why? Apparently the unit was still registered to another Verizon customer. He told me the matter would be forwarded to "Verizon Correspondence Support" who would contact the registered owner and get their approval to reassign the unit.
A week later, I called in to ask about the status of my request, but was told by Darryl (another tech from the VWNE department) that the "Verizon Correspondence Support" department did not exist. Did. Not. Exist? Fine, I explained the situation again, and Darryl eventually told me he would submit a special access form which may resolve the problem. He apologized for the mixup, thanked me for my patience, and told me to wait 24-48 hours for his return call with the results.
120 hours later, I called to ask about the status of the change access form because I had not received a callback. Michelle, another representative of VWNE support, told me there was no record of this form having been submitted. No. Record...? After which, she made no effort to help me after reading through my transcript. In fact, quite the opposite. To paraphrase...
"I'm sorry we wasted two weeks of your time leading you to believe we had a solution. Actually, there is no Verizon Correspondence Department, there is no special access form, and no tech will be calling you back. Furthermore, I will not allow you to use our unit because the previous owner hasn't filled out Release Form 27B stroke 6. For all I know it might have been stolen. Perhaps by you? I guess we'll never know for sure, because I won't contact the owner for any reason. In fact, there is nothing I can do to help you whatsoever. But if you like, feel free to throw our network adapter in a landfill. Thank you and have a nice day."
OK Michelle, here's the deal. I don't even WANT this doohickey. You see, all I want is for my phone to work. That's why I am calling you. To get THIS piece of your equipment working, at my expense, so that I can continue to be a Verizon customer. Seems like I'm doing my part. Why is this so difficult?
"Sorry"
Lesson of the story? DON'T BE A MICHELLE. If a customer is in trouble and you can't solve his/her problem, contact a supervisor and work out an alternative. In my example, perhaps Verizon could have provided me with an "official" VWNE? At a discount? Or have a technician sent out to examine the signal? Really, *anything* is better than being brushed off. After being brushed off.
After being brushed off.

Follow up: I acquired another VWNE from a local seller, just in case he had to be contacted for the Nuclear Priority Phone Release Code (geez). Ironically, it wasn't necessary, because said fellow had already left Verizon after too many negative customer service issues. Oops.
The good news is that Verizon was able to properly activate the second unit. I was connected to a VWNE tech named Bertha who was VERY helpful and treated me like a human being. Which made all the difference and restored my faith in humanity. I requested that my story be relayed to upper management so that the hordes of secondhand VWNE buyers wouldn't also get burned by Verizon's "hands off and look elsewhere" policy. Bingo. Finally. Done.
Epilogue: Until Verizon eases up on their needlessly stringent policy, beware the unchecked VWNE! Be sure to get the MAC code and check it with a local store/tech support before buying it.

Add Cell Phone Network Extender to Apple Network

I am currently running a Time Capsule which gets its internet feed from a cable modem (Cablevision). I am trying to add a mobile phone network extender (Verizon micro cell) which requires an internet connection (via Ethernet cable) to create a cell phone call, since I have no towers in my area.
The Verizon micro cell requires a VPN output from the router; the TC does not support VPN. So the Verizon micro cell does not get an internet connection if I connect it to the TC via one of its ethernet ports. It does connect to the internet if I connect it directly to the cable modem.
APPLE: WHY DOESN'T THE TIME CAPSULE SUPPORT VPN?!? Honestly, enough is enough, I like the plug and play part of Apple equipment, but maybe, just maybe some people need semi-pro utility out of your equipment. End of Rant.
I could buy another cable modem from Cablevision and simply plug the Verison micro cell into that, but it costs $45 per month, so that's out of the question.
I would like to understand whether the solution I've been given from a very helpful Cablevision tech guy will work and how to execute it with minimum disruption to my network (currently the TC feeds an Airport Express elsewhere in the house as a network extender, so I really do mean minimal disruption, please). In essence, it involves cascading the Linksys to the TC.
I am told to connect the cable modem to a router (I have two unused Linksys routers, one wireless and one without WiFi; my preference is to use the non WiFi router so I don't have two wireless signals), and then connect via the Linksys ethernet ports to the Verizon micro cell and the other to the TC. Apparently this is possible if the TC gets a WAN connection, as opposed to a LAN connection, from the Linksys. The micro cell works fine already, so I guess it just doesn't care.
According to Apple, the input that I'm already using, from the cable modem to the TC, is a 1 GB ethernet WAN port for connecting a cable modem. When I cascade the Linksys to the TC, the TC doesn't see an internet connection, though, and it makes sense that there are conflicting IP addresses causing the problem. The port out of the Linksys works fine as if I switch the wiring, the micro cell gets an internet connection no matter what.
Question 1: How do I configure the Linksys so that its output is something the TC can handle? Will the configuration screw up the signal that's going to the micro cell which is already OK?
Question 2: Or what do I do in AirPort Utility to set up the TC to see the signal correctly (ie as a WAN signal) from the Linksys?
Question 3: Is there anything else I need to know?
Despite the "Go Dog, Go" style of writing above, I know my way around configuring Linksys routers, so your reply can be quite technical. Thanks in advance.
H

Well, not much telling unless you ask the carrier that you are trying to use. If it will not work with the SIM you are trying to use, there could be any number of reasons with a phone that has not been purchased through an authorized reseller. I'm afraid no one would really be able to answer your question without a lot more information.

Network extender location problems

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