Verizon LTE Network Extender with Visible

[dberning]

Has anyone been successful in using the Verizon LTE Network Extender with Visible?  I have an extender that Verizon sent me a few months ago when I was with them but after powering up the extender now that I have switched to Visible I get to Connecting to SeGW server and it gets stuck there.

[rjniles]

The Net Ext will not work with Visible, Just use WIFI calling.

[upstate-SC]

Use WiFi calling, why this extender? while it does the same thing.

[Gr8tech1]

A network extender boosts data, wifi calling is not the same thing.

[MRWalter]

When we moved here in 2020 (before 5G here) the Verizon 4G signal strength was 1 to 2 bars.  I complained, Verizon admitted that their antenna was far away and sent a 4G LTE Network Extender.  When I set it up we suddenly had full bars.  I then upgraded by phone to an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, purchased directly from Samsung and the LTE Network Extender still worked.  That's in spite of the documentation at: 

https://www.verizon.com/support/4g-lte-network-extender-faqs/
"1. What is an LTE Network Extender?
An LTE Network Extender enhances your indoor and 4G LTE data and voice coverage to provide better service for your 4G LTE mobile devices. It's an extension of our 4G LTE network that's placed directly in your home or office. The LTE Network Extender works with all Verizon-sold 4G LTE mobile devices for 4G LTE data service and HD Voice-capable 4G LTE devices for voice service."
Again, my new (then) unlocked phone was purchased directly from Samsung, not "Verizon-sold 4G LTE mobile devices for 4G LTE data service...".

Yesterday I switched to Visible and I have not been able to get the LTE Network Extender to connect.  

Additionally, regarding the function of the LTE Network Extender and voice vs data, 
https://www.verizon.com/support/4g-lte-network-extender-faqs/

states:
"6. Will the LTE Network Extender affect the number of bars that appear on my mobile device?
Yes, once your device has registered with the LTE Network Extender, you'll notice the number of bars for the 4G LTE icon may increase."
I take to mean that with more bars, both voice and data quality and speed will improve.

All that said, it appears that Verizon has moved or added a new antenna closer to our house (within line-of-sight, about 1/4 mile away), without the LTE Network Extender we still get 5 full bars!  Sadly, with 5 bars and WiFi disabled, late at night with little suspected network traffic, speedtest.net shows my phone getting only about 45 Mbps download, and 21 Mbps upload.  With 1 Gbps CenturyLink fiber and WiFi enabled, my phone gets about 300 Mbs download and 160 upload. 

I'm OK with the slower Visible 4G LTE data rate at home because we use WiFi, but I'd like the data to be a lot faster without the Network Extender for when we travel.  Maybe it will be faster when we travel to a large city on the other side of the mountains from home.

Not 100% certain that I'll stick with Visible over Verizon yet.  Our phones are 5G capable, but inside our home the 5G signal is too weak to pick up.  The Verizon 5G antennas are pointed North and South, and the tower we can see is straight East of us, and... probably 50 to 100' higher.  

[MRWalter]

According to Verizon, their LTE Network Extender increases the signal strength. it raised ours from 1 or 2 bars to 5 full bars.  see:  
https://www.verizon.com/support/4g-lte-network-extender-faqs/

Which related in part (emphasis mine):
"1. What is an LTE Network Extender?
An LTE Network Extender enhances your indoor and 4G LTE data and voice coverage to provide better service for your 4G LTE mobile devices. It's an extension of our 4G LTE network that's placed directly in your home or office. The LTE Network Extender works with all Verizon-sold 4G LTE mobile devices for 4G LTE data service and HD Voice-capable 4G LTE devices for voice service."

FWIW, when I began using the Verizon LTE Network Extender it was with a Verizon-sold Samsung Galaxy S7 4G LTE phone.  When I replaced that with an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G directly from Samsung, it connected to the LTE Network Extender without problems.   Under Visible, that same phone won't connect to the Network Extender.  But we get 5 bars 4G LTE now from a closer Verizon antenna.  Even with 5 bars, speedtest.net shows only about 40 Mbps download and 22 Mbps upload at about 3AM with suspected uncongested network traffic.  With 1 Gbps CenturyLink fiber Wi-Fi enabled, data flows much more briskly: about 330 Mbps download, and 260 Mbps upload.

In a nutshell, I'm disappointed with the non-Wi-Fi 4G LTE data speeds, but at home using Wi-Fi it doesn't matter.  However, when we're driving in larger cities, I'm really hoping that we get plenty of data speed to keep the Waze app happy, and for various browser searches.

I'm just starting me second day on Visible (not 5G, too cheap and we have a lousy 5G signal in the house), not 100% certain that whether we'll stay with Visible or revert to Verizon.

[kyleknapp]

I'm in a similar situation. I was already on Visible, but my wife was using Verizon, and was frustrated with dropped calls and poor reception, even with wifi calling. So we got an LTE Extender from Verizon. Suddenly she has all 5 bars, and, surprise surprise, so do I.

But this week I persuaded her to switch to Visible (a savings of almost $80/mo). Suddenly we're both back to 1 bar. 

I look at the Extender, and the screen says "Connecting to SeGW server Please wait..."

Can anyone explain what this means?

It has been showing this same display, with a spinning circle, for days. I tried rebooting it, but the same thing happens.

[DeanKevin64]

I am not sure about network extenders but you could look at signal boosters. Not sure if they are the same but maybe the Verizon extender is somehow tied or registered to a Verizon account so when you ported over both accounts it was maybe disabled.

I use a SureCall signal booster but the bad thing is I bought it off of eBay to save some money and it turns out it is an older model that only boosts band 13 and my phone jumps or searches through bands and doesn't stay on 13 even though I get 5 bars next to the output antenna and the other 3 bands are 1 maybe 2 bars. It is a type that mounts inside the house to a window and needs 30 feet of separation or some walls between the receiver the window sits in to the output antenna so it doesn't cause interference. You can also get outdoor type antenna's also. Also, these boosters comes with a label that says they need to be registered with the carrier or it goes against FCC regulations and Visible doesn't register these.