Verizon's 4G (LTE) network is finally becoming a viable over-the-air data option for many users based in mid- to large-sized cities in the US. As of December 2010, the network officially launched in 38 markets, and the company announced in January plans to expand to 140 additional markets in 2011. By mid-2012, the carrier plans to have coverage in two-thirds of the US, finally offering some real competition to Sprint/Clear's 4G (WiMAX) offerings.

We here at Ars have been curious to see how Verizon's LTE offerings would perform in the real world, so we managed to get a hold of Verizon's recently launched LG VL600 LTE modem to test out. The modem is a USB dongle that works with Windows and (finally!) Mac OS X, and if our experiences are in any way typical, the device raises the bar for 4G speeds to new heights.

What you get

In the box is the modem, USB extension cable, and a clip if you should decide to plug the modem in via the USB cable and clip it to your laptop display—an accessory that strikes me as odd to include by default with the package, but who am I to judge? There's also a driver CD (Windows-only) and a number of "getting started" booklets, as well as the SIM card. The Windows-only driver CD is slightly annoying—usually, USB devices like this come with some minimal Flash storage with software on it for those emergency moments when you're on a new computer and need an Internet connection now, and this one does not.

For a USB dongle, this one is awfully fat. It's 3.88 inches long and 1.48 inches wide, and when plugged into the USB port of my MacBook Pro, it blocks access to the other ports on either side, making it impossible to use if I also want to use my other USB port (which I typically do, especially if I'm off covering an event on my own and need to tether my camera while remaining online). This problem is somewhat mitigated by the USB extension cable, though clipping the dongle to a laptop display is a little less than aesthetically pleasing. Still, it gets the job done.

The software, at least on the Mac, is ugly and only works when it feels like it. We ran into issues across multiple machines when the drivers refused to recognize the VL600 when it was plugged in, a situation that could only be remedied by a reboot. The software also feels the need to take command of other, non-VL600 USB modems we tried to use, something we weren't so fond of either. The dongle doesn't appear to work with Mac OS X's own built-in drivers, though, so you're pretty much required to put these drivers on your machine if you want to use the VL600. (Personally, I'm looking forward to uninstalling it now that this review has been published.)

The software not only allows you to connect to Verizon's LTE network, but also shows your data usage and other handy statistics. You'll want to monitor how much data you're using, too, because Verizon has caps on its LTE plans: $50 per month for 5GB and $80 per month for 10GB. Normally we would be fine with a 5GB data cap, but that's usually assuming we're using something much slower for OTA data. When you're using something as fast as this dongle (which we'll get to in a minute), it might be a little too easy to blow through 5GB of data on your laptop. This software, as ugly as it is, will help you keep track of it.

Data speeds: LTE delivers

The VL600 has an advantage over some other USB modems in that it can connect to both Verizon's LTE and 3G network instead of just one or the other; this means whenever you're outside of Verizon's LTE coverage map, you'll at least still be able to get online, albeit not at the LTE network's awesome data speeds.

And awesome those speeds are. Verizon uses 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), which offers a theoretical maximum of 100Mbps downloads and 50Mbps uploads on the 20MHz channel. As always, theoretical maximums aren't realistic when comparing against everyday use, but still, we were impressed with what we saw.

Verizon estimates that users will get between 5Mbps and 12Mbps downloads on a fully loaded network, but we were able to regularly get around 20Mbps down and 15Mbps up at various locations around Chicago. Additionally, we were able to consistently get around 16Mbps in San Francisco recently, and we've heard of numbers in the 18Mbps range for New York. So, at least for now, it seems as if users in major cities will be able to get even faster connections than what Verizon estimates.

Even Verizon's lower estimates would be a pretty major upgrade from the 4-5Mbps downloads we're used to getting on our Overdrive 4G through Sprint, or the 3-7Mbps downloads we're seeing on the Clear Puck. Since Sprint's WiMAX network (which it licenses out to Clear) has been around for much longer than Verizon's LTE network, there are likely lots more users bogging down the network than there currently are on Verizon.

Still, it's hard to resist Verizon's offering once you experience those speeds. During our testing, it was easy to forget that we were even using a wireless connection, which speaks well of the data speeds, but isn't quite so friendly to your download cap. As we mentioned earlier, a 5GB limit is a lot easier to respect when you're getting slower speeds (like, say, when using Verizon's 3G network).

But at something around 20Mbps, you may find yourself going over that limit sooner than later. 10GB is probably a more comfortable limit for anyone who will be using the dongle for more than a few days a month, but then you're also forking over $80 every month and don't get to share the connection with other devices (unless you do so manually via your computer's Internet sharing settings).

That's the major downside—in our eyes, anyway—to using the VL600 over something that's a dedicated hotspot: if you want to share, you have to have at least one laptop on hand to get the connection going. You can't just grab the VL600 and hit the road with a couple of iPads and some smartphones if the mood strikes. And on top of that, Sprint's WiMAX offerings are only $60 per month instead of $80 and there's no data cap, though that may end some day in the future.

Conclusion

The VL600 is a surefire way to bring extremely fast data speeds to your laptop when you are otherwise un-tethered from your home or work's Internet connection. It's not exactly the sleekest design on earth—we've used other USB dongles that don't block the other ports and come with Flash storage—but we're mostly willing to let it slide because the LTE network is so great.

How long those great speeds will last is anyone's guess. The speeds we saw will likely go down as more customers bog down the network, but we still expect Verizon to offer great data speeds for months (or even years) to come.

The downsides, in our eyes, come from the fact that it's basically a one-device modem. This is fine for those who have no use for a hotspot, but gives pause to some of us here at Ars. If I'm going to be sinking $100 or more (not counting service) into a new wireless device, I'm more likely to look at what's available to me in the dedicated hotspot arena.

The Good

Verizon's LTE speeds deliver. The best 4G we've used yet.

The Bad

Data caps—could be very easy to run over a 5GB or 10GB monthly limit

Fat modem blocks all the other ports around it

The Ugly