Yahoo Error &Unable
to process request at this time -- error 999&
Problem: When trying to access a Yahoo
service (i.e. ,
or ), you receive the following error message:
Unable to process request at this time -- error 999
Unfortunately, we are unable to process your request at this time.
We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later.
Operating System: Any.
Background: This error appears to be
a &catch-all& error code that Yahoo serves up when it doesn't
have a more specific error code. It essentially means &Oops! Something
went wrong but we don't know what, so we'll just say that Error 999 occurred.&
The most common reason for receiving Yahoo Error 999 is due to some
sort of bandwidth limiting system that Yahoo has put in place on their
servers. Once you have exceeded your allotted bandwidth for a specific
period of time Yahoo gives you this Error 999 message and doesn't allow
you to access the service. People have primarily reported receiving this
error when they try to access Yahoo Mail or Yahoo Groups, but other Yahoo
services may also be affected.
Why has Yahoo done this? There are two reasons that I can think of:
To prevent .
To stop automated tasks from hammering their servers with hundreds
of requests a second.
There are many programs around that offer to automate access to various
Yahoo services, i.e. check your Yahoo mailbox every 5 minutes, archive
Yahoo Groups messages, download files from the Yahoo Groups Photos and
Files sections, etc. If you use one of these automated tools then there
is a very real possibility that you will run into the Error 999 message.
Normal human usage of the Yahoo services shouldn't normally generate
trigger the Error 999 message unless you're a very heavy user.
It appears that Yahoo uses your
to track the amount of traffic you're generating on Yahoo,
and once you reach the limit you get blocked by the Unable
to process request at this time -- error 999 message. Once
triggered you will find that your IP address has been blocked for a
period of time, somewhere between 2 and 24 hours usually.
Resolution Steps: I've seen many possible
solutions offered to get around the Error 999 message. Many of the solutions
seem rather dubious to me, but I will present them all here:
Suggestion:
Clear your browser's cookies and cache (temporary files).
Chances of Working:
Low. From what I can tell Yahoo isn't using cookies to remember
that you've been blocked, so clearing your cookies should have no
Suggestion:
Log into Yahoo through a different country's server. I.e. if you
usually log into Yahoo via
Chances of Working:
Low. Whenever I have tried this I log in ok but then get an error
message saying &Unfortunately, there is a server problem
preventing access to this page. We are working on this problem, and
functionality will be restored as soon as possible. Please try again
in 10 minutes.& This appears to be a slightly friendlier,
but no more useful, version of the Error 999 message.
Suggestion:
Use the &secure& option when logging into Yahoo rather
than the usual &standard& mode.
Chances of Working:
Medium. I have had reports that this can work when trying to get
into Yahoo Mail, but I suspect it won't help with Yahoo Groups.
Suggestion:
Double or multiple click on the &Sign in& button instead
of single click.
Chances of Working:
Low. I'm not sure what the rationale is be
maybe to try and confuse Yahoo while you're logging in? In my experience
this doesn't work.
Suggestion:
If you use a
then try turning it off.
Chances of Working:
Good. Because Yahoo appears to be using your IP address to track
your traffic usage, switching off your proxy (or bypassing your ISP's
proxy server and accessing the web directly) will result in you accessing
Yahoo via a different IP address (i.e. you will be accessing Yahoo
via your real IP address and not via the proxy server's IP address).
Thus Yahoo will think you're a different person because you're using
a different IP address.
Suggestion:
If you're using a
or some other access method that results in you using
a , try disconnecting from the Internet and waiting
a few minutes and then reconnecting.
Chances of Working:
Good. See previous suggestion for the reasons why this should work.
Obviously if you've got a static IP address (i.e. you're using a ) then this won't work.
Suggestion:
Access your Yahoo mailbox via .
Chances of Working:
gateway into Yahoo which allows
you to access Yahoo Mail. It's very limited but at least you should
be able to view your email. Doesn't help you access Yahoo Groups
or other Yahoo services though.
Suggestion:
Log into Yahoo Messenger and then try accessing Yahoo.
Chances of Working:
Unknown. I don't use Yahoo Messenger so I can't comment.
Suggestion:
Use a different browser.
Chances of Working:
Medium. I have had a report from someone that said they received
the Error 999 message when trying to sign into Yahoo Mail with Internet
Explorer. They switched to Firefox and the problem went away. This
suggests some sort of cookie problem to me, there shouldn't be any
real difference between accessing Yahoo with IE or an alternative
browser, other than having different settings within the browsers.
Suggestion:
Access Yahoo Mail through an email client such as Outlook Express,
Eudora, etc.
Chances of Working:
Good. You can pay Yahoo for their Yahoo! Mail Premium service.
This allows you to access your Yahoo mailbox through Yahoo's POP3
and SMTP servers. See
more info.
Suggestion:
If you have a
then try turning it off.
Chances of Working:
Good. I've had a couple of reports from people that said turning
off their web accelerators fixed the Yahoo Error 999 problem.
Why might the suggestions above that involve changing your IP address
not work for some people? Possibly because your new IP address,
which prior to being assigned to you may have been used by someone
else that accessed Yahoo a lot, may have already been blocked by Yahoo.
It is for this reason that using a proxy server to access Yahoo is
a bad idea because many other people may be using the same proxy server
to access Yahoo, and Yahoo will attribute all these people's traffic
to the proxy server's IP address. In addition, you may actually be
using a proxy without knowing it! This is called &transparent
caching&, where all outgoing HTTP requests are intercepted by
a proxy (usually your ISP's proxy) and all responses are cached. This
sort of set-up is typically used in large companies, so you may find
that you can access Yahoo from home but not from work because other
employees have been using Yahoo heavily.
Why might the suggestions above, that I rate as having a low probability
of working, work for some people and not others? Possibly because
the person inadvertently changed their IP address (i.e. They decided
to clear out their cookies so they disconnected from the Internet,
cleared out the cookies and then reconnected. Low and behold it worked!
They then attribute clearing their cookies to fixing the problem, not
realising that by disconnecting from the Internet and then reconnecting
they probably received a different IP address).
Official Response From Yahoo:
Someone has reported receiving the following email from Yahoo:
The Error 999 code is a result of pirated IP addresses, and
the blockage has been instituted as an Abuse safeguard. In these
instances, Yahoo! has intentionally blocked these IP addresses. Yahoo!
monitors all network activity and when they notice a significantly
high amount of activity coming from a specific IP address or a proxy,
Yahoo! blocks it. The downfall to this is that most pirated IP addresses
belong to small business or home users. When Yahoo! blocks the IP
address to safeguard against getting hit, the original owners of
the IP addresses also get blocked.
This fits in with my theory of Yahoo monitoring traffic usage per IP
Another observation: It appears that being banned from one Yahoo service
doesn't ban you from them all. I've been banned from Yahoo Groups but
was still able to access Yahoo Mail.
For a lot more information regarding the Error 999 message see the following:
(ePrompter is an email retrieval and notification program)
(PG Offline is a program that allows you to backup
and restore Yahoo Groups)
Update (14 March 2005): I am 99% certain
that the Error 999 when using Yahoo Groups is caused by Yahoo's bandwidth
limiting. But I'm beginning to think that when using Yahoo Mail the Error
999 may also be used to signify other errors in addition to the bandwidth
limiting. This is because I've received several emails from people offering
solutions to the Error 999 while using Yahoo Mail and the solutions shouldn't
work if the problem was only caused by bandwidth limiting (everything
from changing browsers to emptying cache and cookies). So it is beginning
to look like the Error 999 when using Yahoo Mail can be caused by many
things in addition to bandwidth limiting, possibly something local to
the user (i.e. a browser configuration setting).
Update (12 April 2005): It has been reported
to me that the Error 999 can also appear when trying to access a
hosted website. Not only does this appear on sites hosted
for free but also on those that have paid for their hosting. The person
who reported this to me contacted Yahoo to complain and within six hours
their website was back online. However he is still getting the Error
999 messages intermittently.
Update (24 June 2005): It has been reported
to me that the Error 999 can also appear when trying to access the
message boards. I've been told that the problem goes away after
a while (anywhere from minutes to several hours). Also offered was the
suggestion of accessing Yahoo Mail via setting up your email client (i.e.
Outlook Express, Eudora, etc) to use Yahoo's POP3 and SMTP servers (only
available to those people that have signed up for Yahoo's Mail Premium
Update (17 September 2005): Since I originally
wrote this article I've received hundreds of messages from people that
have encountered the Yahoo Error 999 message. I am now 100% convinced
that this error is a generic catch-all error code that Yahoo spits out
whenever it doesn't have a more descriptive error to provide the user.
Essentially Yahoo is saying &Something has gone wrong, but I don't
know what so I'll just say Error 999 and leave it at that&. Bandwidth
limiting is one situation that can trigger this error, but so can many
other things. Because Yahoo isn't providing a more detailed error message
it is extremely difficult to work out exactly what the problem is. The
problem could be at Yahoo's end or the end-user's end, it could be permanent
or temporary.
Update (12 October 2005): I've had a
report from someone that had a
that is designed to speed up web browsing. With the accelerator
turned on they were receiving the Yahoo Error 999 message, but when they
turned the accelerator off the error message didn't appear. This could
be due to the accelerator using a proxy server (see my notes above about
proxy servers and how they can cause an Error 999).
Update (28 October 2005): I've had a
report from someone that suggested something that works for them:
I had a friend with the 999 problem. It was caused whenever
she cleared out cookies and temp internet files. I managed to clear
using the following: when you receive the 999 click on the
yahoo home page link on the 999 then click on the login link
enter your username and password as usual which
will be rejected. If you then enter your username and password again
it should log you in. Sounds crazy but it works.
Update (13 February 2006): I've had an
email from Lee Harvey pointing out that he gets the Error 999 on the
Yahoo sports pages and that repeatedly attempting to reload the page
fixes the problem. Lee has written a
script for
that does this reloading automatically. See
for more info.
Update (23 July 2006): Yahoo have now
put up a much better error page that goes a little bit further to explain
the problem. They now suggest that you scan your computer for spyware
and viruses (yup, the old &blame it on a virus& excuse!), and
they also say:
This problem may be due to unusual network activity coming from
your Internet Service Provider. We recommend that you report this
problem to them.
This answer seems to hint at the bandwidth limiting system that I talk
about above, where Yahoo monitor how much traffic your IP number has
used and cuts you off after a certain amount of time.
The new Error 999 page also has a link to a form that you can fill in
to get help from Yahoo. Just don't hold your breath while you're waiting
for a reply!
Update (22nd November 2006): I've had
an email advising me that the Yahoo Error 999 can also occur when using
Yahoo's 360& service. Apparantly it happens a lot when attempting
to do mass deletions in the blog or of front page comments:
I have another thing to add... I have gotten this error 999
every single time I have attempted to do mass deletions on my 360
blogs. Wether it be the blogs or many front page comments. At a certain
point around 40 blog posts or a few hundred front page comments it
goes directly to the 999 error.
Seems that Yahoo may be employing this &error& as
a way to for a &cooling off& period to members who may
be trying to shut down their 360 profile. I used to do the blogging
for around 7 to 12 hours per day - (addicted to it) I NEVER once
got an error 999 problem from surfing and blogging for hours on end
- but doing mass deletions when I was closing the blog down??? well
that's when I hit the 999 error wall constantly.
A Yahoo engineer that works on Yahoo 360 &has a bit more to say
about Error 990 on the 360& service .
Update (24th March 2007): If you get
the Yahoo 999 Error when trying to upload a picture to Yahoo Profile
then try the instructions found at:
Update (4th June 2007): Several people
have contacted me saying they are getting the Yahoo Error 999 on the
service. This seems to occur a lot when people try to put
links in their answers, if they remove the link then the error goes away.
I've done some testing and found that I can answer questions and insert
links into my answers, so obviously adding links doesn't always result
in an Error 999. It may have something to do with how many questions
the user has answered recently, i.e. heavy users of Yahoo! Answers may
see this problem more than light users.
Update (15th August 2007): Rick Gallagher
contacted me and said:
I found your suggestions for handling the 999 error encountered
on various Yahoo! pages. I discovered a little something involving
Yahoo Answers that might help.
I used your suggestions for Answers about including links and
found that removing the link worked. I went back and added a different
link which was accepted. I later went back and tried to add the original
link which again failed. Looking at the difference, I found that
the link with the problem did not have &www& as part of
the link. Adding that eliminated the error.
Update (22nd September 2007): I've been
told that the Yahoo Error 999 is now occuring on the
bookmarking site.
back in 2005.
Update (3rd December 2007): I've had
emails from several people saying that they are receiving the Yahoo Error
999 when they try to send email via Yahoo Mail and they include an email
address within the body of the message. Some people have suggested adding
extra characters on either side of the email address, i.e. you might
add square brackets like this: []. Could it be
that this is some sort of anti-spam effort on Yahoo's part?
Update (3rd December 2007): Three people
have contacted me today to say they get the Yahoo Error 999 when trying
to send an email that contained a
address. I had a look at the CraigsList discussion forums and found lots
of people there talking about this problem but no definite answers. One
suggestion was to removing the &remailed& line as this seemed
to avoid the error.
Update (5th December 2007): A couple
of people have reported that the error only occurs for them when sending
from their Yahoo Mail address to a HotMail address but not to a Gmail
Update (6th December 2007): I've had
the following reported to me regarding the Yahoo Error 999 while using
Yahoo Mail:
I found that removing the "remailed to you" lines _and_ the "CRAIGSLIST
ADVISORY" text immediately allowed my replies to get sent. No other
emails had problems, and bandwidth usage was not an issue. Thanks
for posting the info.
Update (19th February 2008): With regard
to Yahoo Answers I've had a very interesting comment sent to me from
MP. Seems they're having problems putting links to Wikipedia in their
answers and they suggest:
It MIGHT be the case that if too many answers with the same
link are given, that, because an automated system on Yahoo might
think it's a form of spam, it's blocked. And obviously, wikipedia.org
is mentioned in answers massively.
If that's the case, i think Yahoo's automated systems aren't finetuned
correctly.
Anyway, i think the Yahoo error system should and could be more informative
to normal users if that's the case.
Update (19th January 2009): I've had
the following reported to me regarding the Yahoo Error 999 while using
Yahoo Answers:
I have a little more on the Yahoo Error 999. I found that, in
Yahoo Answers, this seems to be triggered by arbitrary content in
a response. This very evening, I was posting an answer about transistors
-- no links, nothing remotely evil, and got the dreaded 999 error
in multiple browsers on multiple computers. My solution: try posting
the first paragraph. If that works, go back and edit the response,
pasting back the full reply. This seems to bypass whatever crazy
bits they employ to screen the original post.
Update (2nd February 2010): I've had
the following reported to me regarding the Yahoo Error 999 while using
Using the FireFox plugin SEOquake will *quickly* make
Yahoo's Site Explorer give you this error. For about the first 20
listings, SEOquake will get the site info, then get an error on the
rest, and spit out that error if you reload the page or access another
page on Site Explorer. I logged in to Yahoo, the error went away
once, but it then quickly came back.
Recommended Reading For Yahoo Users:
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Kyocera K404
Samsung SCH-a790
Nokia 2128i
HTC Touch Pro&
Samsung SCH-i830
Verizon AD3700 Global USB Modem
HP& Mini 110-1046NR Netbook
Motorola C333
Samsung SCH-a795
Motorola V60p
Samsung SCH-a990
Nokia 2285
Nokia 6236i
Samsung Renown&
Motorola T720
Samsung SCH-n330
Samsung SCH-a610
Verizon Wireless G'zOne Type-S Push to Talk without Camera
Motorola C343
Samsung SCH-a890
Verizon Wireless U630 PC Card
HTC Apache XV6700
Motorola V65p
Verizon XU870 Global ExpressCard&
Motorola V276 Prepaid
Nokia 2605 Mirage
BlackBerry& 7750
Kyocera SE47
Verizon Wireless XV6600 without Camera
Motorola T300p
Nokia 6305i
Verizon Wireless V640
Samsung SCH-a530
Motorola V120e
Kyocera KX444
Samsung SCH-a970
Mobile Broadband FAQs
Mobile Broadband provides high-speed Internet access for your data-only devices through our network. You can use Mobile Broadband to access the Internet through a computer, laptop, tablet or any other compatible data-only device, including a:
There are 2 types of data-only plans available:
- This is a standard monthly plan that requires a contract and you select a set monthly data allowance which you're billed for at the end of your bill cycle. If you go over your data allowance, you'll receive an additional 1 GB of data to use for a set fee. Your plan can include just your data-only device, or you can add up to 9 other devices to your plan and share the data across all of them.
- These plans require no long-term contract, and you can select from daily, weekly and monthly data allowances, depending on the type of device you have. You add money to your prepaid account ahead of time, and based on your usage, the money is deducted from your account as needed. You can also purchase additional data allowances at any time if you find you need more.
No, Mobile Broadband provides complete Internet access. A separate Internet service provider account isn't necessary.
No, you don't have to subscribe to a Mobile Broadband plan to use the Internet on your tablet or laptop when connected to Wi-Fi. However, if you'd like to access the Internet when not connected to Wi-Fi, you'll need a .
The Verizon Wireless network incorporates secure storage, mutual authentication, 128-bit encryption and airlink ciphering to protect your data transmissions. We always recommend you use a
and firewall software to provide additional security for your information.
Mobile Broadband service is currently available with:
Yes, you may use any Mobile Broadband device that has been certified by Verizon Wireless to be compatible with our network, including devices not purchased directly from Verizon Wireless.
If you did not purchase your device from Verizon Wireless, please be aware that certification of a device for use on the Verizon Wireless network does not mean that Verizon Wireless has made any determination as to the function, call quality or other functionality provided by the device. The device provider is solely responsible for the representations of its product function, functionality, pricing and service agreements. Verizon Wireless does not in any way warrant that the certified device: (a) will operate or operate without error on the network (including the network of any other carrier accessed while roaming or otherwise), or with available Verizon Wireless branded p (b) will operate without the need for periodic upgrades or modifications to
(c) will operate indefin (d) will not be subject to service disruptions or interruptions due to government regulation, system capacity, coverage limitations, radio signal interferenc or (e) will not be adversely affected by network-related modifications, upgrades or similar activity. Also, you should contact the device provider from whom you purchased the device for questions about its operations and capabilities. Verizon Wireless representatives may not be able to troubleshoot operational difficulties encountered with devices not purchased from Verizon Wireless.
Yes, your VPN product should treat the Mobile Broadband data network exactly as it treats the I however, we recommend testing your specific VPN over the Mobile Broadband network before you deploy the service. Our national data sales team, in conjunction with system engineers and data solutions managers, work with customers and VPN providers to enable secure, wireless access to their VPN over our Mobile Broadband network. Your Verizon Wireless Customer Service Representative can provide additional information on VPN access over the Verizon Wireless networks. Verizon Wireless Data Sales Engineers are also available to meet with your corporate IT group to answer any questions and ensure a smooth implementation.
No, we don't currently provide email accounts. However, you can use the Mobile Broadband network and your Internet browser or Virtual Private Network (VPN) client to access your existing email accounts. With Mobile Broadband service, you can still send and receive email while away from your home or office.
If you have a business account, check with your IT department regarding intranet access requirements.
Our Mobile Broadband devices come with a software installation CD that will help you set up the necessary drivers and software on your computer. After installation, there will be a few automated steps to activate the device, and then you'll be ready to start browsing.
You'll need to add an additional mobile number to your account for the data devices. The data devices have their own mobile number and , just like a mobile phone.
The extender cable can be used to ensure that you're receiving optimum signal strength for your Mobile Broadband service. This cable plugs into your USB port on your laptop and the USB modem.
The stronger the signal strength (found on the bottom-left corner of VZ Access Manager), the more likely it is you'll receive the highest speeds available on our network. If you're using Mobile Broadband inside a building, locating yourself close to a window or purchasing an extended antenna for select devices will provide the best speeds.
Yes, the data used by all the devices connected to your Verizon Jetpack or mobile hotspot will count toward the data allowance for the Jetpack or hotspot.
You can check your unbilled monthly data use for your Mobile Broadband device through the following options:
My Verizon Mobile - Open the
app on your mobile device and your usage will be displayed on the main page.
Online - Refer to the usage meters in the My Plan section of the
Note: For business accounts, you can check usage in My Business Account or Verizon Enterprise Center.
In VZAccess(R) Manager - Click the Usage tab.
By phone - Call #DATA from your Verizon Wireless mobile phone and follow the prompts to hear your usage.
Note: You must have your Mobile Broadband device mobile number available to check usage.
Some of the apps or activities that may lead to high data usage are:
Streaming videos or music
Uploading and downloading photos or other large files
Apps that sync regularly or run in the background
Apps that require a continuous Internet connection
Online games
For more information and to get a better estimate of how much data you might use, refer to our .
Yes, we send text messages to your Mobile Broadband device, which you can view by selecting the Text Messaging tab in VZAccess Manager. These messages will appear when your usage reaches 50%, 75%, 90% and 100% of your monthly data allowance.
However, until the beginning of your first full
for your Mobile Broadband service, there will be a time lag that can be as long as 8 hours between the end of a data session and the point at which your data usage for that session is applied to your account. Therefore, it's possible that you may exceed your usage allowance before receiving a text message.
If you want to set different thresholds and/or specify the phone numbers and email addresses where alerts will be sent, you can do this on the
page in My Verizon.
Note: If you have a business account, you can manage your alerts in
Yes, downloads for OS updates, anti-virus and other software updates will count toward your data allowance. You may want to change your device settings so these updates won't automatically download until you approve them.
4G LTE is the fourth generation of wireless. 2G brought us digital voice and text messaging.
brought us smartphones, fast web browsing and apps. 4G LTE brought greater
and faster speeds, making it possible to have more complex apps.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the next generation of wireless which uses an IP (Internet Protocol) based infrastructure. LTE helps us to continue meeting increasing demand for a higher bandwidth.
XLTE is of the next advancement of our 4G LTE network. It doubles our 4G LTE bandwidth in cities nationwide. For more information about XLTE and 4G LTE, visit our
Refer to our
to see if 4G LTE service is available in your area.
4G LTE Mobile Broadband is a type of high-speed Internet access that lets you use data-only devices on our 4G LTE network. XLTE is of the next advancement of our 4G LTE network. It doubles our 4G LTE bandwidth in cities nationwide. For more information about XLTE and 4G LTE, visit our
Refer to our
to see where 4G LTE service is available.
4G LTE Mobile Broadband has many benefits.
Speeds up to 10 times faster than on our 3G network
Average download speeds of 5-12
Average upload speeds of 2-5 Mbps
Widespread domestic and international roaming potential
More responsive Internet connections for multimedia-based apps, like online gaming, video conferencing and security camera monitoring
Access to a wider array of devices
Devices with backward compatibility with our 3G network, which ensures your connections are maintained even in non-4G LTE coverage locations
Access to critical information and apps at all times, in all places
Double the 4G LTE bandwidth in XLTE markets with XLTE compatible devices -
4G LTE Mobile Broadband is available in cities and towns across the US. To see current availability in your area, check the .
Additionally, our 4G LTE devices also provide connectivity to our existing
network, available in thousands of cities and towns across the US.
4G LTE Mobile Broadband service currently supports:
Windows(R)
Mac(R) OSX
Plus, we're continually working to add new operating systems that support Mobile Broadband. For the latest information, please visit our
Yes, our 4G LTE devices are compatible with our 3G network. So even if you travel to an area without 4G LTE coverage, you may still be able to access the Internet through our 3G network.
3G is the third generation of wireless technology that was introduced after analog and digital phones. It usually includes high-speed Internet access and greater calling capacity than before. With 3G, smartphones and tablets became more popular and easier to use with the Internet.
3G Mobile Broadband provides high-speed Internet access for compatible mobile devices. 3G Mobile Broadband offers the following typical speeds:
Downloads - 600 to 1.4
Uploads -500 to 800 Kbps*
When in Mobile Broadband markets that don't yet have EV-DO Rev. A, you can expect download speeds of 400 to 700 Kbps and upload speeds of 60- to 80 Kbps.
* These speeds require an EV-DO Rev. A-capable device. Mobile Broadband speed claims based on our network tests with 5 MB FTP data files, without compression. VZAccess Manager will indicate when you're in a Rev. A coverage area.
3G Mobile Broadband is available in thousands of cities and towns across the US. To see current availability in your area, check the .
Although individual file sizes and user experiences will vary in size, the chart below shows estimated file sizes of common file types.
Estimated Size of Common File Types*
E-mail (1 page without attachments)
Word Document (5 text pages)
Typical Web Page Lookup1
Low Resolution Digital Photo
PowerPoint(R) Presentation
(20 pages text and light graphics)
*The above examples are just estimates, based on approximate size assumptions. Actual file sizes and user experiences will vary.
1Graphically intense pages or pages with video can exceed 3MB.
No, 3G devices don't have the required technology to connect to the 4G LTE network.
With Mobile Broadband Built-in, your laptop, tablet or other device includes all of the necessary hardware and software required to connect to our network, allowing you to be more efficient on-the-go with minimal hassle. You don't need to carry around a card, hotspot or some other device to connect to our network.
To see if your device has Mobile Broadband built-in:
Locate your device's ID number by following the steps on the page.
Enter your device's ID number in the Enter Device ID field.
Click Check Device.
You've successfully learned your device's Mobile Broadband capability.
To connect your laptop or tablet to our network:
Make sure you have a Verizon Wireless
inserted in your laptop or tablet. If you're not sure the SIM card is inserted in your device, you can find instructions for inserting your device's SIM card by referring to your device's User Guide.
If you didn't set up service when you purchased your device, you can do so from your laptop or tablet.
Disconnect from any Wi-Fi connections.
Connect to the Verizon 4G LTE Network using your device's network settings. Refer to your device's User Guide for help with this.
Open your Internet browser and navigate to . You'll automatically be taken to the account activation page to set up service.
You've successfully completed the steps to connect your device to our network.
Note: You may need to complete further steps to connect your device to our network. Refer to your device's User Guide for help.
With some models of netbooks purchased from Verizon Wireless, you may need to make sure that the power switch (if any) for the embedded wireless card is in the "on" position, and also launch VZAccess Manager.
If you purchased your netbook elsewhere, you may or may not need to check the power switch for the embedded wireless card (if any). Some netbook vendors also use connection manager software other than VZAccess Manager.
Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) require their customers to authenticate before sending email from other networks, such as our network. Please contact your email service provider for assistance in configuring your mail client.
There are several possible resolutions.
Physical Connectivity
For PC Cards, make sure the card is fully inserted into the PC Card slot. Remove and reinsert if necessary. Try another PC Card slot on the computer (if available).
For USB Modems, make sure the modem is fully inserted into the USB port. Try another USB port on the computer (if available).
On laptops with embedded Mobile Broadband device, there may be a physical on/off switch. In addition to this physical switch, your laptop may come with software to turn on/off the Mobile Broadband device. Please refer to your laptop's manual for the location of the physical switch and/or software used to control the embedded Mobile Broadband device.
Drivers may not be installed or were installed incorrectly
The Drivers and Connection Software for the PC Card, USB Modem, or embedded Mobile Broadband device must be installed prior to using these devices for the first time.
If the PC Card or USB Modem was inserted before driver and software installation, unplug it, then remove the drivers through Control Panel & Add/Remove Programs. Reboot the computer, and then reinstall the drivers prior to re-inserting the PC Card or USB Modem.
On laptops with an embedded Mobile Broadband device, turn off the device. Remove the drivers through Control Panel & Add/Remove Programs. Reboot the computer, and then reinstall the drivers prior to turning on the device.
Note: Your device drivers and connection software may be found on . Software may also be found on the CD included with your device.
Another program or device may be using the port
Verify that there are no programs running that use the same COM port resources as the modem.
If so, exit/close the program and retry. Example programs: HotSync, , FoneSync, Fax Controller, etc.
Windows Update or Service Pack issues
The computer should have the latest service pack and/or updates from Microsoft Windows Update.
Visit Windows website to determine if your system requires updating.
There are several possible resolutions.
You may be in an area that only has 3G coverage
If your device has 4G LTE Mobile Broadband capabilities (EVDO) you will achieve Mobile Broadband speeds within the 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage area. When you're in an area that doesn't offer 4G LTE Mobile Broadband services, your device will seamlessly connect to the 3G network (if available). When connected to our 3G network your connection won't be the same speed and throughput as 4G LTE.
Signal Strength
A poor signal on your device will contribute to slowing down your connection speed.
If you are experiencing poor signal strength, try moving to a different location.
Check to make sure your antenna is fully extended (if applicable).
Also refer to our
to determine the level of coverage in your current location.
There are several possible resolutions.
A firewall or Internet security may be interfering
Try disabling your firewall temporarily for troubleshooting purposes. Sometimes a firewall or security program isn't properly configured and changes must be made to the program to allow the mobile network connection.
If disabling the firewall or security program allows you to browse web pages, then contact the maker of the program for further configuration support. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a built-in firewall. You can disable this for troubleshooting purposes through the Control Panel & Windows Firewall.
Your Web Browser may not be configured properly
Your browser may be set to connect through a proxy or configured to use a specific connection other than the mobile connection.
Check your Internet Settings under Control Panel & Internet Settings. Contact Technical Support at (800) 922-0204 for further help on this portion of your Internet browser settings.
Call us at (800) 922-0204 for questions and concerns about your Mobile Broadband service.
These errors are usually caused by a data provisioning issue. Contact Technical Support at (800) 922-0204 for help if you encounter either of these error messages when trying to connect.
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