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HOW TO: Run Your Internet Company Sans Internet

Moving to a new office is exciting!  We worked out all the details and made all the necessary arrangements to get the moving process in motion.  We even ordered brand new business cards with the address of our new office suite.  After all that, we still ran into one major problem.  Our internet provider was not ready for the move!  They were not able to switch our internet to the new office until about a week later.  We have access to WiFi phone connections, but this would not cut it for running a business.  This meant we had to think quick and come up with a plan to get internet access so we could do our jobs for the first week in the new office.  There are some detrimental moments in the business world where the only option is to find a way to make things work.  This was definitely one of those moments!  For NowSourcing, no internet means no business!  Thanks to our friends at Guthrie/Mays, we were able to use Verizon MiFi devices to hold us over.  The devices that were available to us were the USB UM175, UML290, and MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspot.

USB UM175

UML290

Our plan was not as smooth sailing as we had hoped it would be, but we managed to pull it off.  The MiFi 2200 is supposed to support up to five devices, but we were unable to get it to support more than two of us.  We found out this was because we did not yet have 4G access in our area.  Even with one or two people, the connection was not constant.  There were several times throughout the day where everyone using the MiFi 2200 lost connection and had to wait for it to return.  Unfortunately, we did not have the most convenient timing.  In fact, we barely missed a major expansion of the Verizon 4G network in our city!

MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspot

We had fewer problems with the other MiFi devices.  Both of the other devices plug right into the USB port and come with software to install.  After plugging them in and installing the software, most of us had no problems establishing a connection and staying connected.  The connection was even fairly quick.  I had no issues playing streaming video on YouTube with the USB UM175.  However, a coworker was unable to get it to work for his PC.  We are not sure why it wouldn’t connect.  I have a PC as well and we followed the same process to set it up.  We also tested the UM175 on a Mac and had no issues.

Even though we hit a few potholes along the way, we are grateful that the Verizon WiFi devices were able to sustain our internet connection during the week we were waiting to get our internet provider to move our access point.  When working properly, the connection was efficient enough to run our business.  However, its a good thing it wasn’t any more than a week!

If you are considering buying the USB UM175, UML290, or MiFi 2200 3G Mobile Hotspot, we recommend doing your homework first!  Try to seek advice from people who have your operating system and have used the model you are considering.  Also, find out if anyone near your location is using it and if the connection is strong in the area.  If you take the time to make sure they will work for your location and setup, Verizon MiFi devices can be very handy!

 

 

1 Comment

  1. Dorothyaz35

    We did experienced the same problem as yours. We moved our office to new location. All were set and we are all ready to start working. Late then we realized that none of us has an internet connection. That was really sucks because our work depends on the internet. Any lag of the connection surely affects our performances. That day, our company lost million and you don’t have any idea how upset our boss is.

    Dorothy

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