You’re never going to beat the coverage and reliability of a cellular network, especially with Verizon. Choosing the slightly more expensive cellular versions over the WiFi/LAN version is really going to offer the best coverage, especially if you’re already used to the coverage from a 3G version.
The downfall to the 7170 WiFi/LAN kit is that it’s only as good as your network in your home or business. If the network goes down during the outage, so does your monitoring.
For example: If the power fails and you have no battery backup on the networking equipment and the generator fails to start for some reason, you won’t know about that failure until the in home network comes back online.
This is also the case for the newer Generac Evolution 2.0 Air Cooled units that come with WiFi included. It’s a great feature and we have almost all of our local customers here connected to make sure they don’t have problems, but there are limits to the service when we are relying on their own networks to function. Something as simple as a network password change renders the WiFi useless until it’s updated with the new password.
That all being said, if you have fairly reliable internet and a small battery backup on your equipment, the 7170 WiFi/LAN accessory is still a great option at a cheaper price (by about $50). The yearly subscription is also a little less than the cellular version since they’re not paying Verizon for your device. It’s also a good option (the only option) if you don’t have Verizon coverage in your area.
The ability to run a hardwired cable to the device is also attractive for businesses and other locations where getting a cable to the generator isn’t a problem, or WiFi coverage isn’t great.