Verizon Wireless Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCHLC11 Review

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4G is all the rage right now, sadly my phone only has 3G like the majority of everyone else I would think. Having a tablet or laptop with built-in internet access is nice but it’s limiting as you can only use that device to access the internet, but with a portable hotspot anything you own can have internet access anywhere you go. Verizon has been the forerunner for spreading 4G LTE all over the nation and they’ve sent me over their 4G mobile hotspot to review, it’s the Samsung SCH–LC11 to be exact. So let’s just get into it…

Product Name: Verizon Wireless Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Sponsor:  Verizon Wireless

 

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11

Introducing the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot – Small enough to fit in your pocket, but powerful enough to bring the Internet to your whole family wherever your wireless phone works– no cables required. Just power it on and instantly connect up to five Wi–Fi–enabled devices. And now with the power of Verizon 4G LTE, your connection is faster than ever. You can download 20 photos in a minute or a song in just four seconds. That’s 10 times faster than 3G!

 

Features:

  • -4G LTE Mobile Broadband and Mobile Broadband capable
  • -Connects with up to Five Wi–Fi Enabled Devices
  • -Chipset: MDM9600
  • -Slim, durable and compact design
  • -4G SIM Card compatible
  • -Service Status Indicator (LED) –4 Color
  • -VPN Compatible
  • -Auto Connect

 

Technology Bands:

  • -CDMA 1xEV-DO Rev. A/Rev. 0: 800/1900 MHz
  • -4G LTE (700MHz)

 

System Requirements:

  • -WiFi802.11b/g/n connectivity
  • -One Type A USB Port – FOR CHARGING PURPOSES ONLY with included Wall/USB Charger

 

Specifications:

  • -Dimensions: 2.32”(H) x 3.54”(W) x 0.45”(D)
  • -Weight: 2.7 oz.
  • -Battery: (1500mAh)
  • -Usage: Up to 216 mins.;
  • -Standby: Up to 9hrs.
  • -SAR:1.13W/kg – Body

 

Full Retail Price:  $269.99

2-Year Contract: $149.99

online Discount: -$50.00

Verizon PRICE: $99.99

 

Price: Starting at $19.99 on Amazon at time of review, depending on service type.

 

A Better Look at Things

The Samsung SCH–LC11 comes in a nice little Verizon branded box.

Inside you’ll find the hotspot, micro USB cable, USB style AC Adapter and documentation.

The hotspot is about the size of a credit and many of them in thickness. On the top is the power button and LED indicators of Wi-Fi, 4G and 3G while on the side you’ll see the micro USB connection.

Flipping it over you’ll find a removable cover that slides off to reveal the battery, sim card slot and the ID and password for the hotspot

Installation, Testing and Comparison

So for testing I used it with my Acer Aspire Once D250 Netbook and with my phone which is a Samsung Galaxy S Captivate.

The first thing you have to do is charge it, simple to do.

The next thing is link it up to your internet enabled device like my netbook, it’s easy to do as it’s just like any other wi-fi connection. You’ll find the Samsung SCH–LC11 and then enter the password and then after a few seconds you’ll be accessing the World Wide Web at 4G speeds.

For testing I used a couple web based speed tests. In my time doing this I’ve learned that there are difference between Firefox and Internet Explorer so I ran the same test in both browsers.

The first test I ran was a Java based test at Broadband Reports, and surprisingly they were very close.

The next test I ran was at SpeedTest.net:

Here we can see a slight drop in download speeds using Internet Explorer, but nothing special.

I found also that the Samsung SCH–LC11 doesn’t really like being indoors, or far from windows anyway. I had the hotspot on my desk to the left of me and got slow speeds, then I moved it to the right off of my desk and closer to the window and the speeds I got about tripled.  

In my area apparently 4G isn’t as fast as other areas, but it’s still much faster than 3G. Reading other reviews and knowing some people that have 4G on their phones I know faster speeds than what I got can be achieved.

Basically depending where I was in the Pittsburgh area the speeds fluctuated, and sometimes it was an extreme drop.

Battery life was decent, and the ability to charge from USB is convenient.

My last set of test was using my phone and the SpeedTest.net app that I got from Marketplace.  I ran the test on the AT&T 3G network, my home Wi-Fi network and then with the Samsung SCH–LC11 4G hotspot.

My internet is supposed to be 25/25 on FIOS and I do have 802.11N but for whatever reason it was slow today. AT&T 3G speeds are no comparison to Verizon 4G as you can see.

Summary and Comments

The Samsung SCH–LC11 mobile hotspot from Verizon wireless has a cost of about $100 if you get it from Verizon, but I’ve seen it as cheap as $19.99, but it depends on which plan you subscribe to. If you need fast access everywhere, then I’m sure you’ll be happy with the SCH–LC11.

 

DragonSteelMods gives the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11 a 4.5 out of 5 score.  

 

 

 

 

 

Pros:

  • +Small and portable
  • +Decent speeds overall
  • +Good battery life

 

Cons:

  • -Speed is erratic in my area
  • -Slower speeds indoors

 

review# 700

 

Disclosure: This product was given to DragonSteelMods for review by the company for review purposes only, and is not considered by us as payment for the review; we do not, never have, and never will, accept payment from companies to review their products.

To learn more about our review policy, testing methods and ratings please see this page.

 

 

….Just realized this is review number 700 for us.. not bad…