VERIZON 4G LTE Broadband Router with Voice

[jimmy54]

I am thinking of using this device in my vacation home to monitor and control a wi-fi thermostat.  Can I leave it on 24X7 unattended for a few months at a time?  Is it reliable or does it need constant rebooting.  What kind of data usage might I expect?

[7e18n1]

Nope!

Nope, it will need to be rebooted.

Data usage is controlled by the users and equipment connection to the LAN side of the router. Otherwise, the router itself uses a negligible amount of data measured in kilobytes per month. 

If long term reliability is your concern have a look at the Craddlepoint or Pepwave embedded modem/router M2M devices from the 3GStore.com.

However, if you expect to control this HVAC Wall mounted Wi-Fi thermostat, over the internet, then you’re in for another surprise: the lack of a public facing IP address. There appears to be three alternatives to this problem:

Try setting up a VPN client on your end through a VPN Server on the internet

Obtain a static IP address from Verizon Wireless for the one time fee of $500

Use another provider with a public IP address.

[John_Getzke]

Agreed.

Jetpacks are not intended to be a permanent connection or a home internet connection replacement device.  There are many better alternatives if that is what you want to do.  For example the 4G LTE router or a USB modem and compatible CradlePoint/Peplink router.

[JoyceIndirctAgent1]

The Verizon 4G router broadband with voice works great for monitoring a thermostat from another location.  I have Nest and used to use Verizon Mifi but it isn't designed to stay plugged in all of the time like the 4G broadband router.

No need to a static ip address or anything else.  Nest system lets you search for your wifi and enter the passcode and it continues to stay connect without any problems.  It does have a battery so it should stay on with electricity off for short periods of time.  I am thinking that I will probably purchased a battery backup that features surge protection also for emergencies in the future.

[7e18n1]

Thanks for the info! The Nest HVAC wall thermostat is an embedded computer running Linux, which uses the wireless 802.15.4 spec to connect wall thermostats in the same building and exchange information over the internet. The parent company is Google so it is no surprise it gets through Verizon’s CGN.