Taking Your Internet on the Go with Verizon’s 4G LTE Jetpack by Netgear

I am a NETGEAR Ambassador and I received this product in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion and review.

The Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot AC791L is a portable WiFi hotspot that connects your non-cellular devices to the Internet. Essentially, the Jetpack is a WiFi access point that uses the Verizon 4G LTE network as its internet connection. You can connect multiple laptops, iPads, iPods, and even desktop computers to the Verizon Wireless LTE network to reach the internet.

While there is free WiFi in many places, a hotspot is great to have when you want a guaranteed internet connection. The WiFi at the doctor’s office, airport, local coffee shop, and Amtrak sometimes just doesn’t work. In addition, WiFi doesn’t tend work well in moving vehicles. All of your first-world problems are solved because the Verizon Jetpack allows your laptops and tablets to piggyback on the Verizon Wireless LTE network when you’re on the go.

Made by Netgear, the Jetpack is about the size of a smartphone. It boosts a large battery, supporting up to 15 WiFi devices for 24 hours. You can share your Jetpack with your family, allowing everyone to get to the Internet. On a recent car trip from Washington to Philadelphia, one of our kids said that they planned on listening to iTunes radio the entire time. Having an iPod with a static music collection wasn’t good enough. They needed the ability to be constantly connected to the Internet, even if their device doesn’t have a cellular radio.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve come up with a list of places where the Jetpack will help you:

• When the “public” WiFi isn’t working somewhere.
• Providing internet to the entire car worth of kids
• Visiting a relative’s house that has no Internet or terrible Internet
• On vacation in a beach rental house
• When staying at a hotel that wants $20 for their Wifi
• When your home internet goes out

The Jetpack is easy to use with a status screen and three buttons to navigate through its simple menus. You can easily view your connected devices, battery strength, cellular signal strength, and the amount of data you have used in your billing cycle. Using the menu system, you can display the WiFi network name and password for the Jetpack. Once your laptop/tablet/phone connects to the device, it is possible to access an administrative webpage inside the Jetpack that lets you use a larger screen and keyboard to customize settings on the Jetpack, such as setting up your own customized the WiFi network name and password.

Another interesting feature for people who are on the go is the ability to use the Jetpack’s large battery capacity to recharge your movie device. The Jetpack comes with a USB cable that allows you to pull battery power out from the Jetpack and recharge your mobile phone. There are controls in the Jetpack to stop charging another device if the Jetpack’s own batteries are low.

The Verizon Jetpack AC791L runs on the Verizon’s 4G LTE network and it supports 4GLTE Advanced where available. If you travel internationally, the Jetpack can be used in over 200 countries. The AC791L Jetpack by Netgear sells for $199 with no contract, or can be purchased for $29.99 with a two-year contract. Monthly service starts at $50 per month for 4GB.

I received the Jetpack AC791L through my involvement as a Netgear Ambassador. All opinions are my own.