A couple years ago I started using Visible and bought a Slate router for the data phone. Worked fine. A few months later I bought a Creta for the second phone. Worked ok, not as well as the slate, but ok.
Several months ago the Slate died. I went through the process of messing with it, resetting, and even the never-to-be-repeated process of putting new software on it (at least I think that’s what I was doing). But, it was dead. Just set there booting and crashing. Once in a while it would stay up, but the first time the phone tried to shove any data through it, it crashed.
So, that one lasted about 18 months.
Bought a Beryl.
Creta still worked 'til about 3 - 4 weeks ago, when it also died. Boot/crash/boot repeat. Resetting didn’t help, wasn’t gong to screw with it any further.
HOPEFULLY, the replacement phone I’m getting WON’T have the “only 1 decide can be connected to the mobile hotspot” so I DON’T have to buy another router.
So, how long do these things NORMALLY last when they’re actually used? The Slate and the Create appear to be good for about 18 months before they go in the garbage. Is the Beryl any more robust or is it going to compost in a year?
My Slate has seen little use - mostly as emergency backup. I was going to press it into full service, updated the software and let it run overnight. All was well. Took it to location, and started the reboot/recycle" process. Useless. Caught me out on the job, and I was not happy. I thought maybe the plastic reset button got stuck, so I pried that out to reveal the bare microswitch. Still in the cycle. Cant get ethernet wire connection. DHCP won’t give address. Pressing the microswitch will cause it to reboot as expected, though it has one light, occasionally the three then restarts.
I love the written capabilities. Can this be brought back to life, or does it go to electronics recycling?
If it’s heat, it’s heat inside the case despite the ambient temp. These two dead routers sat on a desk in a room that’s air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. It’s the home office where I work.
Don’t know what killed them, only know that one day they worked perfectly, next day dead. Each somewhere between 18 mo and 2 years.
As I said, I wasted a bunch of time messing with the software on the Slate, updating and screwing around for hours - it cost more in wasted time than the router originally cost. DIDN’T waste the time when the Creta died. I just put it on the display shelf with the dead Slate to remind me not to buy any more of these routers.
Yeah. We have three phones, two personal ones and a data-only phone. That one is always plugged into one of the routers, and my personal phone is plugged into another router when I have two functional ones… Right now, all that’s left is the Beryl 'cause the Slate and Creta died.
Visible is screwing around, raising their prices, and changing their program, and they’ve made bunch of phones “incompatible”, so a LOT their customers are going to have to buy new phones - including us since both our Moto G7 Power phones are on the “incompatible” list. I’m HOPING the replacement WON’T have the “only ONE device can be connected to the phone’s mobile hotspot at a time” limitation Visible has on their phones so I can do away with ALL these &^%$#@! routers.
And, BTW, if the thought is that the routers are dying because of the power demands to keep the cell phones charged - they don’t. They’ll put a little charge in the phones initially, but NOT enough to keep a phone charged. If left connected to the router, the phone will eventually go dead. Usually takes a few days to a week, but the routers definitely aren’t passing through enough current to keep the phones charged. I just looked at the phone plugged into the Beryl, and it’s down to 57% charge since Saturday.