ViaSat Satellite Internet Service.......

[Axxe55]

Seems I have the same issue. When it was just tv it ran well, added my phone and wife’s laptop then it eventually goes down. Oh well. Hope this has helped others to avoid wasting their time!!

At least with two of us having pretty close to the same issues and responses to those issues, it might be fair warning for others to avoid the HomeFi device.

Thanks for updating and providing that information.

 

[Daley_G]

I've been watching this thread pretty closely and would like to thank those of you who have posted your experiences from rural locations. FIL is in E. Texas and while he does have DSL, he's looking for a better option. There are business-class solutions where the carriers have what they call an unrestricted pool that means there are no data caps and no throttling, you just pay for the data you consume. What I don't know is whether or not this is available to the consumer (I've only done it from a business account). Also, the fact that these modems are overheating suggests to me they're only capable of basic web-browsing and that's how they're able to claim multiple devices - video streams burden the radio more than it can handle. I personally have deployed more than a few dozen Cradlepoint devices for branch offices, but they're not cheap.

 

[Katydid1984]

At least with two of us having pretty close to the same issues and responses to those issues, it might be fair warning for others to avoid the HomeFi device.

Thanks for updating and providing that information.

I hate that you got scammed; I do appreciate you letting everyone know how it went and how they treated you. Hopefully they get you your refund and you can be done with them.

 

[Darqhelmet]

I've been watching this thread pretty closely and would like to thank those of you who have posted your experiences from rural locations. FIL is in E. Texas and while he does have DSL, he's looking for a better option. There are business-class solutions where the carriers have what they call an unrestricted pool that means there are no data caps and no throttling, you just pay for the data you consume. What I don't know is whether or not this is available to the consumer (I've only done it from a business account). Also, the fact that these modems are overheating suggests to me they're only capable of basic web-browsing and that's how they're able to claim multiple devices - video streams burden the radio more than it can handle. I personally have deployed more than a few dozen Cradlepoint devices for branch offices, but they're not cheap.

Oh cradlepoints, how I don’t miss working with you. Haha

It if it’s all you got it’s all you got and they do work, most of the time…

 

[Darqhelmet]

Just got off the phone with NextLink. Guy spoke perfect English.

Asked some questions, said their system showed we did have data communication. Explained that it quit working and I found some broken wires (technically true) so I spliced them as a temp solution.

He’s concerned since we have a tower and said they would have to look at the installation photos to see if they would need 2 techs on site so one could climb. Told him the cable was on the ground but didn’t seem to matter. Probably not something he is supposed to say yes or no on. Supposed to pass it on to dispatch and they would contact me with a repair date. Wouldn’t give me an estimate on when that would be.


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How big is the tower?

 

[Younggun]

How big is the tower?

I think it’s about 40’. We put it up ourselves because we live in a bit of a creek bottom. Trees on the hills will kill the signal without it and they won’t even install. They do charge extra for installation on the tower. We have to dishes on our tower, and my sister just up the road has the same setup with one dish.

It’s the basic 3 pole tower you tend to see with television or CB/ham antennas mounted on. Nothing fancy, got it cheap. Lots of them laying around next to houses now that nobody uses OTA broadcast signal anymore.


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[Younggun]

More like 30-35’ I guess.

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[Darqhelmet]

Hmm same boat for me I’m in the bottom of a depression ringed by trees. I was told I need to go up 80’ to get line of site or convince about 9 neighborhoods to cut some trees down so I have LOS. I’m thinking the tower will be easier at some point.

 

[Axxe55]

I've been watching this thread pretty closely and would like to thank those of you who have posted your experiences from rural locations. FIL is in E. Texas and while he does have DSL, he's looking for a better option. There are business-class solutions where the carriers have what they call an unrestricted pool that means there are no data caps and no throttling, you just pay for the data you consume. What I don't know is whether or not this is available to the consumer (I've only done it from a business account). Also, the fact that these modems are overheating suggests to me they're only capable of basic web-browsing and that's how they're able to claim multiple devices - video streams burden the radio more than it can handle. I personally have deployed more than a few dozen Cradlepoint devices for branch offices, but they're not cheap.

HomeFi device was advertised as being able to support up to five devices, and stream without buffering.

It will stream without buffering, as long as all you are doing is watching TV. As soon as you connect another device and start using data, within about ten minutes or so, it starts losing internet connection, and the device is much hotter than when only using one device at a time.

The size of the unit, leads me to believe there is no cooling fan, and the heat sinks are not enough to handle the additional load when more than one device is connected.

Wireless High Speed Internet For Rural America | Portable Wifi Router

Home Fi

homefi.info

CONNECT UP TO 5 DEVICES​

Connect your phone, tablet, TV, or laptop.​

Fast and Reliable LTE Internet​

Stay Connected on the go! Stream, video chat and enjoy stress-free access to connectivity whether at home or on the road!​

FAQ:

HomeFi offers refunds on first-time purchases within 14 days of receiving your device in the mail. To begin the return process, please email contact@homefi.info within the first 14 days of having the device. A refund may take up to 7 business days to process and will begin once HomeFi receives the device back.Note: Shipping costs are non-refundable and any additional return labels costs will be deducted from your refund.

Yes, HomeFi is the perfect choice for fast and affordable home internet, plus it can be used on the go as a portable hotspot device to ensure you have high-speed internet connection wherever you are. It’s perfect for home internet, streaming, video games, uploading, downloading, working from home, and any other wireless needs! It’s especially useful in rural areas across America.

We’ve partnered with Simo Connect to use their patented cloud SIM technology that automatically connects the device to the strongest available signal in its area. We’ve combined that with our affordable data plans across the top networks to ensure our users have access to high-speed and high-bandwidth internet both in the home and on the go!

 

[Younggun]

Hmm same boat for me I’m in the bottom of a depression ringed by trees. I was told I need to go up 80’ to get line of site or convince about 9 neighborhoods to cut some trees down so I have LOS. I’m thinking the tower will be easier at some point.

Just got a call back on the service ticket. Someone’s supposed to be here between 1 and 5 tomorrow. So not too bad if they actually make it.


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[Psssniper]

And spaceX is currently deploying more satellites as I type this giving all of us that have had deposits with them since day one a renewed sense of false hope once again!

 

[Darkpriest667]

and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting
and waiting

No it’s not. I was on the waitlist since it opened. One they aren’t delivering shit, it’s a scam to get 100 bucks out of you. Two their constellations are so low on the horizon if you have any trees you’re screwed. It’s vapor ware like most things Elon all hype shit products. We need good cellular coverage of ISP’s to actually roll out fiber.

They will never roll out fiber to your area. The Cellular companies do not care about you.

As far as scam and their constellations being so low.. Here is the current satellite map

There are 4 entities that have put human beings into stable orbit -- NASA (US government) Roscosmos (USSR/China) CMS (China) And SpaceX (Elon Musk)

So maybe you should keep your scam and vapor ware comments in your pocket. The man has done more for electric vehicle technology and human space flight in the last 10 years than anyone or any other organization has in the last 60 years. He got both done faster than any government or any other company.

 

[Darqhelmet]

They will never roll out fiber to your area. The Cellular companies do not care about you.

As far as scam and their constellations being so low.. Here is the current satellite map

View attachment 297760

There are 4 entities that have put human beings into stable orbit -- NASA (US government) Roscosmos (USSR/China) CMS (China) And SpaceX (Elon Musk)

So maybe you should keep your scam and vapor ware comments in your pocket. The man has done more for electric vehicle technology and human space flight in the last 10 years than anyone or any other organization has in the last 60 years. He got both done faster than any government or any other company.

His cars fit and finish are crap, my buddy is a nut and has owned every Tesla from the old converted lotus roadsters, we have a friend at spaceX in CA and it’s shocking some of the stories he tells us about how stuff is done. Google Tesla solar roof and look at the nightmare rollouts that had been. Will a product come to market some day. Sure. Will it be the hype up product that is going to fix all rural internet. No. Go read Reddit for those that have it. Or hell look at the people that have been on the wait list for over a year. 5G is going to be a better more realistic option before Elon gets his network built. Don’t buy his bullshit.

 

[Daley_G]

@Axxe55 I suspect you're right with the overheating issues - that thing will not last long with those thermal cycles. Also, thanks for the additional detail and thorough reviews (from you and others).

 

[Psssniper]

@Axxe55 here’s the email after I said cancel
Seems backend support has made some network updates for me! I replied that I’ll give it a try but in no way does that rescind my cancellation.

 

[Axxe55]

@Axxe55 here’s the email after I said cancel
Seems backend support has made some network updates for me! I replied that I’ll give it a try but in no way does that rescind my cancellation.

View attachment 297783

This one I received this morning, like the last three.

Home Fi​

We weren’t able to renew your subscription due to an issue with your payment information. To continue enjoying HomeFi’s high-speed internet, please update your billing information. Update Billing Infromation​ Please click on your active subscription and click Update under Payment Method. A link to update your credit card information will be sent to your registered email address. Please make sure that your payment card details are up to date. It will be automatically retried in 1 day(s). If you have any questions, please contact us by replying to this email or text us at 650-459-3911. HomeFi

 

[Axxe55]

@Axxe55 I suspect you're right with the overheating issues - that thing will not last long with those thermal cycles. Also, thanks for the additional detail and thorough reviews (from you and others).

I am by no means an electrical engineer, or work on electronics, but in my previous career field, I did lots of electrical work on vehicles, heavy equipment, etc. etc.....

I understand that electrical components will generate certain amounts of heat during operation. That is normal. But electrical components have to have a way to mitigate excessive heat during normal operation or they will over-heat. Usually done with cooling fans and heat-sinks.

When only one device is connected, it seems to operate as it is suppose to. The problem, and the over-heating seem to happen when another device is also using the device. I had no way of accurately measuring the heating difference, but it was noticeable just from holding the device in the hand. When it would shut down, it was much hotter than when only being used for one device.

 

[Psssniper]

So another homefi “update” and they asked me to try it again, made it 35 min and then it started the disconnect reconnect cycle. Just for fun took the devices temp and this is what I got, not assuming it’s that accurate of a measurement. Being the curious guy that I am I put the device on a towel over an ice pak. Been running a solid 60 min so far and no hiccups. I’m not an electronics guy by any means but maybe heat is their problem?

 

[Axxe55]

So another homefi “update” and they asked me to try it again, made it 35 min and then it started the disconnect reconnect cycle. Just for fun took the devices temp and this is what I got, not assuming it’s that accurate of a measurement. Being the curious guy that I am I put the device on a towel over an ice pak. Been running a solid 60 min so far and no hiccups. I’m not an electronics guy by any means but maybe heat is their problem? View attachment 297818 View attachment 297819

I think you are drawing the same conclusions I reached.

I just put mine in the freezer for about ten minutes the other day..

Went right back to working. I mentioned this to HomeFi Support several times. They informed me that the device getting warm was normal. Getting warm during operation, yes I would agree that was normal. But getting hot during operation when more than one device is using the HomeFi isn't normal IMO. I pointed this out to Support, several times. It was pretty much ignored. That was about when I mentioned the device was either defective, and needed to be replaced, or we wanted to get a refund.

The crickets started at that point!

 

[Psssniper]

Maybe we could hire out as consultants?

Edit: somewhat tempted to get a small chunk of copper 4x4x1 to use as a heat sink and keep this POS seeing as its all I have out here.