The Verizon Wireless KPC680 turns out to be a great mobile broadband card. Fast network speeds. OS X and Windows capable. For OS X users - the connection software isn't necessary. The drivers are built into OS X and time to connect is faster through the Control Panel.Unfortunately, if you have epilepsy or may be seizure prone, you'll have to make some modifications. See the white area just above the red Verizon band? There are red and blue lights behind the translucent, white cover. When connected, the bright blue light flashes on and off. About twice a second.
Constantly.
So if you're trying to concentrate while connected: SOL. It's like someone has placed an emergency signal at the edge of your peripheral vision. In a well lit space, it's annoying. In half-light conditions, it will give you a headache after 20 minutes or so.
I called Verizon Support for advice since couldn't find the control panel / setting to turn off the blinking. There isn't one. Their suggestion: Tape over the white area. However, doing this may overheat the card and void the warranty.
So I got a roll of electrical tape and taped over the translucent cover. This actually looks okay and works pretty good - completely blocking out the blinking light. And the plastic casing doesn't seem to feel warmer than before.
So if you're looking into wireless broadband - this may be your card. Just be sure to ask Verizon to throw in a roll of electrical tape. ;)
1 comment:
How do you get it to use the native OS X drivers? I was under the impression that there is no native support for this card. When I put mine in without the VZManager installed, it doesn't show up in the Network pref pane.
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