If you have a Verizon Network Extender, you might be asking the infamous ‘Can you hear me now?’
Verizon has confirmed to PhoneNews.com that all Network Extenders nationwide are down, due to an outage. Representatives for Verizon could not provide an estimate as to when the service would be restored.
Verizon may be preparing to release an EV-DO version of the Network Extender, first shown to the public by PhoneNews.com earlier this year. Both the current femtocell and Verizon’s next-generation Network Extender are manufactured by Samsung.
This is a consistent issue and really needs addressed. 4 times our area has been out in just a few months. Tech support is useless. They keep having you reset stuff just to inform you after an hour that it’s there system.
Totally agree. Mine has been down all day. I don’t dare call and sit on hold forever because I know its their system. Already played that game. Sucks because I don’t have any service without it. 🙁
What the heck! I am getting really tired of this, we all paid just to have service in our homes, and its out constantly! I think verizon needs to fork over some money for these extenders if they cant get it right. I will be calling customer service, they usually are pretty fair and give in to reasonable demands…. so I will give them that, but still no excuse for these outages!
Wish I had known that Verizon have had multiple problems keeping their network extenders up and running before I forked out the cash for one. Also wish they respected their customers enough to post a notice on customers’ MyVerizon web access to give them status reports on outages so they don’t have to wait on hold listening to robots recite scripts over and over on how great their service is. Such treatment does not win friends.
Is verizon going to give its current network extender customers one of the newer versions or are we going to have to pay again?Because I will tell you right now I am not sending them another 250.00!!! I just got my extender around 8 months ago,if they were planning on making new ones so quickly they should have informed customers.Not only that but their customer service is a joke-I tried calling today when my extender when out and I needed a password to talk to them-I didn’t know it,my husband made it,so she would not even tell me if the problem was mine or theirs,I had to find out online.
I just spent more than $200 on Verizon’s/Samsung’s NE device last week. Had I known it relied on linking to Verizon’s NE servers via my I’net service in order to function I wouldn’t have purchased it. There’s no other reason in my estimation for this configuration but to lock the NE down – to control it. You don’t need WAN access to boost or repeat a cellular signal. This reliance on communication w/ Verizon’s NE network servers is the Achilles Heel of the service. My NE device went down around 11:30am EST this morning. I learned from Tier 2 support (~ 7:30p EST) that they don’t expect it to be up again until 9a.m. tomorrow – that the entire system has crashed resulting in a nationwide outage. To make matters worse, Tire 1 support is out of the loop. So NE customers calling in are being forced to jump through hoops in fruitless attempts to bring their NE devices online. I had to fight to get my call escalated to Tier 2 support. According to Tier 2 support, Verizon has called in Samsung to address the issue(s). The person I spoke w/ didn’t know the nature of the crash (hardware, software, load, etc.) just that Verizon’s loosing a lot of money because of this outage and that “…no one’s going home tonight…” I’ve already called the Verizon store to confirm I could return my NE device. I’m going to have to come up w/ another solution for SMS and telephone service in my home office. If they do manage to get the system up by 0900 tomorrow – that will have been a 22 hours outage – completely unacceptable.
Liz, current Network Extenders should continue to function once new models are released… you just won’t benefit from the new features (primarily, EV-DO/3G data access).
Joan in NC, the method of using internet connectivity was chosen because it makes the device far less expensive, uses less radiation, and can function even in places where signal is not strong enough to amplify/boost.
Thank you, Christopher P. I’ve searched all over trying to find why they’re using I’net for the NE service. Many thanks for the explanation. I’m sure my frustration plays a large part in my conspiratorial thinking.
I learned after submitting my previous post that Verizon’s about to add EV-DO support to their NE service – and that my current NE will not be upgradeable (to add EV-DO support). I will likely return my NE and, if Verizon gets their NE service issues sorted out, purchase the new EV-DO capable NE device. It would be nice to have my Verizon broadband service working in my home office as well.
This doesn’t apply to the Sprint Airave?
Thanks Christopher-I am just glad this did not happen while my kids are at school,as they would not have been able to call me in an emergency.I also think all Verizon customers affected by this should receive a credit on their bills for the whole day.
We have not heard of Sprint outages today. This appears to be on the server side with Verizon only.
Just talked to verizon… They said another 3 to 4 hours. My problem is… GPS light is blue. SYS light blinks slowly.
10PM PDT. Still down. Down all day.
“We are aware that Network Extender customers >>in YOUR area???<<…." Huh??? How about ALL areas?
Anyway, come on, Verizon. You can do better than this.
My NE shows an open connection through my firewall to some VZW server in the midwest, but still a slow-flashing SYS, so it clearly is a VZW problem.
BTW, using Internet for NE service is the only thing that would work for me. There are no cell signals here at all. There are of course various cell amp repeater / antenna devices available you can try as an alternative to the NE if you have some marginal signal somewhere at your location.
I will however say again: I do object to being charged wireless minutes for running calls over my Internet.
If you have a phone with WiFi then I can't see there'd be much advantage to an EVDO version of the NE except possibly better battery life. Even with a non-WiFi phone I'd still want to wait and see what kind of bandwidth people actually get through the device before upgrading.
Also consider that if VZW starts charging for data usage – as seems inevitable for all carriers, and if they continue to adhere to charging for usage through the NE, then the EVDO edition of NE could potentially turn out to be a very expensive upgrade vs a WiFi-equipped phone upgrade instead – like the Droid.
Convergence is nice, but it has its costs.
Mine was down all day… its back up now though?
It’s 4:45a EST here and my NE is back online.
Thank you, Steve, for your thoughts on upgrading the NE in order to gain EV-DO service support. You make some salient points. I thought about it later and it dawned on me that – I’d only want the NE for support of EV-DO as backup if my Internet service went down. But as the NE requires my Internet service to be up in order to function, my reasoning for the upgrade doesn’t hold up.
I wasn’t aware the NE works where no signal at all was available – that it, in effect, the NE circumvents the need for a tower signal. I had it in my head the antenna I had mounted in a window was to p/u the nearest tower signal – however weak it might be – so that it could be “boosted” by the NE. In fact, the antenna is for GPS – not tower signal. (I assume the GPS is for E911 service? Is that correct?) Further, the NE is not boosting my local cellular/tower signal. Rather it is rerouting my VZW network connection through the Internet. Ahhhh, NOW I get it!
If the NE can connect customers w/ no or weak tower signal over the Internet then it is a great device to have. Yes, we are using our existing WAN connection to reach our provider’s NE network. Keep in mind that supporting and maintaining a dedicated NE network is not free for VZW either. It is costly as well. While I’m no fan of the inflated prices charged by cellular services including VZW, I don’t believe we should not be paying for using VZW’s NE network – even though we are connecting to it across our own WAN connections.
In my area there are NO carriers that can penetrate the noise and interference generated by the military training base that is located literally right across the street from me. Using an alternate method for connecting to the VZW network is the only “reliable” option for cellular and SMS service in this area.
The GPS serves two purposes:
1) E-911 service, to pinpoint where you are.
2) FCC Compliance. The Network Extender can only operate in areas where Verizon has an FCC license, and available spectrum to reserve for your extender.
Thank you, Christopher P. for your explanations once again. Much appreciated. One positive outcome of this outage was gaining a better understanding of how VZW’s NE service works. Now that I’m back at 4 (rather than 0) bars, my ire is quelled. Think I’ll mail in my rebate and keep the NE I purchased last week after all. Will keep fingers crossed hoping whatever they did to remedy yesterday’s nationwide NE system crash will hold.
“…current Network Extenders should continue to function once new models are released… you just won’t benefit from the new features (primarily, EV-DO/3G data access)…”
Christopher P., will there be any other functions on the new NE that could be useful to a 1x phone user (who needs the NE for only one phone)?
I currently do not use an EV-DO phone but would like to plan for future when my trusty 1x flip phone will need to be replaced. (Avoid having to purchase a new NE at the same time I need to fork over $ for a new phone.)
Thank you again for your news and for answering questions and responding to posts.
If this was a cell tower that was down they would be finned by the minute by the FCC for failing to provide service. Since this is basically a mini cell tower for areas where Verizon fails to provide signal like they claim they should they should get finned as well. I encourage everyone to write to the FCC and ask them to fine verizon for this outage. Only then will Verizon actually provide decent service for this.
Today’s Network Extender is useful only for voice and SMS, and clearly many have reported SMS issues. Ideally, you would be able to send text messages in an emergency, where the network would otherwise be overloaded.
SMS works a lot more reliably in overloaded situations than voice does, because the network can queue those efficiently.
As to an FCC fine, unlikely. The FCC does not fine carriers for a tower acting up. And, Network Extender is new technology. There’s a reasonable expectation that it will have trouble from time to time.
Im just looking forward to the 1xx/evdo airave. Maybe sprint will release theirs with evdo and 4g capability. Can’t wait. All I know is that my current airave works like a charm except for a couple of drops when I’m driving away and the switch to the towers isn’t that smooth. Other than that it gives me full signal strength at my house.
FYI, since yesterday’s “upgrade”. My GPS light now stays solid red until it connects – about 10 minutes after powerup. It doesn’t indicate a GPS error condition as described in the manual. Just wait it out.
I have used 1x data over the NE in the past for modest data (Exchange email and light browsing) and find it perfectly adequate for that purpose, though obviously not as quick as 3G or wifi. I was actually a little suprised when I got it as I wasn’t expecting the NE to do any data at all. I would still recommend a WiFi phone for anyone relying on the NE extensively, EVDO or otherwise.
I don’t do a lot of SMS but I do send and receive SMS over the NE connection on occasion without any noticeable issues.
My biggest problem has been voice quality: on occasion the other end not hearing anything or bad breakup. It could always be my connection of course but I show low latency and jitter even when this is going on so I tend to think it is overloading at the cellco/vzw end of things, but who knows? To be fair I can’t say it’s any worse than typical cell site problems when roaming, and it doesn’t happen that often. Possibly this latest upgrade or whatever it was will provide a more reliable connection.
Overall I’ve been pretty happy with the NE.
Been down for two days here in Bailey, Colorado. I agree customer service has mastered the art of lip service. Hopefully Verizon can resolve this issue soon.
[…] with the network extenders at the time you were doing this. Here's an article from Tuesday 7/27: Verizon Network Extenders Experiencing Outage Nationwide | PhoneNews.com ..during that outage, my NE has a blinking Sys light. Hope this helps you […]
[…] Verizon Network Extender suffers outage (is the 3G version about to appear?). […]
Looks like the system is down again? Does anyone know a direct link to a system status page for the NE are Verizon? Or a number to call? (Milwaukee, WI)
It’s down for me as well… the SYS light just sits there and blinks red. It would be nice to have an online status page. Anybody have a link to one? (Southern California)
Mine is down as well. Got on here back in July to see what the issue was and found out it wasn’t just myself having trouble. Got on here again this morning to find out if anyone else is having trouble,thanks for sharing. My extender just flashes the red SYS light(Carthage TN)
Down here in NYC as well. Blinking red sys light.
It has been down since around 10:00pm here in D.C. Blinking red sys light.
It has been down since some time over night here in PA. Blinking red sys light as well.
I just received my network extender yesterday, plugged it in and it worked fine. By last night it was down. I called Verizon this morning and they said it was their network. It just came back about 45 minutes ago. Should I keep this device? We get one bar inside on 1X and are thinking of dropping our landline. We can go outside to make calls. On top the roof I get 3 bars! We’re near Burlington, VT.
Down in NJ as well for most of the morning. Slow blinking red light. Was good for the last few months.
Ohio is down also. Frustrating!!! It usually works Great! it only drops calls when I drive away form the house.
Yep, down in San Diego too.
Down most of yesterday, so there pretty much goes the “down for a 3G upgrade” theory. I really thought Verizon had better network engineering than this.
David: I can’t tell you whether to keep the unit or not, but for me it’s a lifesaver since I live in a canyon area with no signal anywhere. But if you have signal at the top of your house there are generic cell range extenders and antennas available from a number of courses that wouldn’t require the NE or the use of your Internet connection and would probably prove a little more dependable. They would also allow you to use other carriers.
It’s happening again, Dec15 . I just put this in last week and paid full price for it, and now it’s down! I called Tech Support and they said “Network Extenders are having problems, stay on the line for anything else.”
That blows!
I have had my network extender under a year and 4 days ago the sys light starting flashing red. I tried unplugging it and plugging back in. No change. l unplugged internet router and plugged back in. No change. I did voip test. Nothing. I even took it in to internet provider and had their tech talk to Verizon tech to try to resolve it. No problem with internet.
This morning Verizon told me to call Samsung, which I did. I just talked to Manager in Advanced Support who says you do not repair device. How do you not repair your own equipment?
My SYS light has a slow blinking red light for the past week and we are unable to use our phones in our home. I phoned the tech support @ verizon and they told me my extender is the first generation and I need to purchase a new one. I am not willing to fork out $250 especially if the problem is on there end. I reset it a couple of times and it still does not work. Anybody else having these issues ???