Hi, all.
I realised today that having a 5GB cap on my main internet connection is pretty low, since I either go over it or edge close to it every billing cycle. It really sucks when they throttle it; it's worse than EDGE in most cases, and totally impossible to use with work. Since I found out that they now have a plan with a 10GB data cap, I figured I'd jump on it.
Turns out that not only would doing this extend my contract two more years (don't want to do this), it would actually increase the amount I pay now since the rate plan on the 5GB data plan was increased to $49.99 from $39.99. That obviously sucks.
Worse, I head over to Verizon's page and they're offering the same plans at, practically, the same prices. On top of that, they have real 4G coverage (FiOS- or cable-ike speeds) whereas T-Mobile's HSPA+ signal is not great in my area (not much better than 3.0 Mbps DSL connection).
I'm extremely close to switching (don't mind paying cancellation fees; could probably get some of them back from selling the modem) , but want to hear other people's experiences first. Does anyone here have a data plan with them and, if so, are you satisfied?
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
well i just signed up with tmobile oct 17th and today i am already over 1gb. I wil be switching back to sprint simply because they have the unlimited data. I am really pissed though because i don't like any of sprints phones.
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So let's start this off by saying I tend to be a very frugal person. So frugal that about a year and a half ago I opted to get the Galaxy Tab (7 inch) from Verizon on a 2 year contract for only $100 on a $35 a month 3GB data plan. I slapped Skype on it, grabbed an online number and tied that into my Google Voice account and for a total of $41~ a month ($6 a month on average for an online number for Skype and unlimited minutes) I had a device with unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and 3GB of data which turned out to be plenty since I used the wifi when I was at home. This was awesome despite holding up a 7 inch tablet to my head to make phone calls, which I didn't care. I mean yeah people look at you funny but I was the one laughing since I was saving over $50 a month on my phone bill. And I could play Angry Birds on a big screen! I really really loved this setup.
I sold that tablet to my brother 9 months ago now and he just kinda carried over the plan. I did that since I moved to Chile for that amount of time and now I'm moving back to the States come next week and I want a similar setup. No carriers offer data only plans though that work well in my area. I switched from AT&T to Verizon since big red's coverage was 100x better where I mostly used my phone. However the data plan I had gotten with that tablet has gone away due to the "Share Everything" stuff although it still is only $40 a month for the share everything tablet data plan but none of the newer tablets they offer catch my eye since I really want that 7 inch sweet spot which is actually able to still fit in most of my pant's back pockets. This brings me to my best thought so far but there's one large caveat...
Mobile hotspots. I have narrowed down the choice between Verizon's Mifi 4510L and US Cellular's Samsung SCH-LC11 and then using that to connect to a Nexus 7 which looks like a better and more powerful Galaxy Tab that I had only used a year ago. I'm definitely leaning more towards US Cellular though since they offer a 2 GB plan for $25 a month and only an extra $10 per GB used above the 2GB limit while Verizon's crazy pricing for their Mifi 4510L starts at $50 a month for 4 GB of data which I'd probably never use all of it. I never even used 2 GB from what I remember from before. Although that's still a huge bargain compared to pretty much everyone else who has opted for those ridiculously overpriced plans for their rinky dinky smartphones. I kid of course. The base pricing for the devices is $188.99 out the door for a pre-owned certified Mifi 4510L without a contract and $200 (after $50 MiR) for the Samsung on a 2 year contract. After a year the Samsung would save me $300 but that's also stuck on a 2 year contract, although if I had to cancel it'd only be $150 to do so and I'd still be ahead $150 above big red. But the one large caveat to this is the battery life which on the Samsung is about 3 and half hours active usage and the Mifi 4510L says 5 hours but the Samsung has a removable battery. Now I drive fairly often and at my work and home I'll more than likely have wifi access, thus negating the need to plug in the mobile hotspot, the tablet however would also use up more battery due to the wifi being on all the time. It's definitely a trade off but one I'm willing to make I believe since on the US Cellular (Which has really great service where I live although I don't believe I can get 4G from either) side of things I'd be saving $900 a year.* So what does xda think about this? Any thoughts or insight? Other suggestions that I more than likely missed? Or mistakes in my plan? (I've been known to make plenty of those.)
Now I do know that it doesn't have to be a tablet. I'm tempted to get the Galaxy S III off-contract and just use it wirelessly the same way. However I'll still be lugging the mobile hotspot wherever I'll be. Other bonuses to the hotspot is... It's a hotspot. Super easy to share my connection. Although I was able to do that with my old Galaxy Tab very easily as well so not a huge deal. Thanks to those that stuck through my huge post and seemingly large amount of rambling. I didn't mean to post this much but it just turned out this way.
*This is accounting that I never have to pay an extra $10 for a GB over the 2GB use and accounting for a $100 for a normal plan. I could go ahead and say I'd be saving $1800 over a normal smartphone plan although I have around $400 to put down at first so saying an average smartphone goes for $200 with a 2 year plan I'm still saving $1600 once those 2 years are up.
TL;DR - I'm cheap and want to get a mobile hotspot and use a tablet (Nexus 7) connected to it via wifi as my phone to get the cheapest monthly data plan and run all my talk and texts through Google Voice / Skype.
I've heard it is possible to get a data-only device from verizon, (tablet, modem, hotspot, etc) and put its sim card into a phone. After that the phone will have access to that data-only plan.
My question is this: Can I get a jetpack from verizon, sign up for a 4gb/month plan, then take that sim card and put it into my galaxy s3? I want to do this to get rid of my phone/text plan and have data only. I've heard some reports when doing this with an ipad and galaxy nexus, the phone is left with 3g speeds only.
Has anyone tried this, or have other knowledge about whether it will or will not work?
(On a side note, I called verizon today, asked about early termination fees, and they gave me a slightly cheaper minutes plan -- 200minutes for 29.99 as opposed to 450 for 39.99. )
Thanks.
How much is a hotspot 4GB plan? With the new plans, it's showing me $50 a month.
NCRoadster said:
How much is a hotspot 4GB plan? With the new plans, it's showing me $50 a month.
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$129 is the cheapest I can find from verizon itself. However, you can always get one used elsewhere.
340 + 129 + (50 * 24) = 1669
85 * 24 = 2040
Even with the cost of the hotspot and the cancellation fee, it makes more sense to cancel phone service. Besides, now I'd have 4gb data as opposed to 2gb, as well as some extra hardware which might be useful.
cammerpants said:
$129 is the cheapest I can find from verizon itself. However, you can always get one used elsewhere.
340 + 129 + (50 * 24) = 1669
85 * 24 = 2040
Even with the cost of the hotspot and the cancellation fee, it makes more sense to cancel phone service. Besides, now I'd have 4gb data as opposed to 2gb, as well as some extra hardware which might be useful.
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Looks like I misunderstood.
50 is the cheapest for 4gb hot spot plans. The prepaid plans are less generous -- 60 for 3gb/month.
Looks like for this to be cost effective, I'd have to sign a new contract--something I'm not excited about. Maybe a customer service rep could give me a better rate if I had my own hot spot. I'm less excited about this than I was. Although, at least with the contract price you can get the hot spot for "free".
I'm assuming you would end up using voip to make calls right? How much data would that end up using? Would it be cost effective that way?
Brian Gove said:
I'm assuming you would end up using voip to make calls right? How much data would that end up using? Would it be cost effective that way?
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Not a whole lot, I imagine. I don't have any hard figures, but I do know that I make most of my calls at home or school--where I have wifi. Figuring that in, I'd think my data usage going to voip would be trivial.
I thought I'd provide an update.
I now have a 5GB/month plan for $50. I have no voice or text on my gs3 except what is done over IP--this basically means that voice and text is free when on wifi, and nearly free when on 4g. Calls only take 1.2MB / minute--which of course only matters when I am away from home or school.
Here is a rough outline of the process:
1. Purchase used 4g hotspot on ebay: $70
2. Activate and sign up for data plan for it: $50/month + 1 time activation and fees (35+15)
3. Take sim card from hotspot and put into phone. Cut it to correct size if necessary. It was with me.
4. Check Verizon website to make sure that phone now shows up with a 5gb data-only plan.
5. Transfer number from phone to google voice: $20
This step also automatically cancels the phone contract all at once: $340
6. Download and purchase GrooveIP: $4.99
6. Make sure that wifi stays connected when screen is off. The Galaxy S3 has some problems with this. I eventually settled on a program called "REGPON Wifi Keep Alive" from the play store.
7. Make sure everything is configured properly. I used another number to repeatedly call the phone and make sure that it would ring at various intervals of sleeping.
Voila--a 5gb data-only plan on a galaxy s3 with "free" unlimited voice and text.
I may save only a few hundred dollars over the course of the contract that I cancelled, but now I have a hotspot (just have to return sim to it to use it) and much more mobile data.It's also neat seeing on myverizon that I have this phone and am eligible for an upgrade.
sounds like the trouble and effort outweigh the monetary savings.
thats just an opinion though.
glad youre happy with what you got from VZW
ddurandSGS3 said:
sounds like the trouble and effort outweigh the monetary savings.
thats just an opinion though.
glad youre happy with what you got from VZW
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Yeah, I probably wouldn't have done it if it were only for the financial savings.
Probably breaks down something like this:
1/3 b/c cost saving
1/3 b/c better (more capable) plan
1/3 b/c principle of the matter and the fun of making it work.
It used to irk me every single month to see that overpriced/underused/unchangable* plan on my bill.
*in the ways I wanted
Real unlimited w/o throttling. For as long as you stay with them. I have been with the various iterations of cingular/at&t for about 30 years now. They tier and seperate device charges, give a little less for a little more. I am really fed up with them. Verizion is s.o.s. also. Thing is t-mobile has a history of crappy phone selection and their customer service is rated low. this is a limited time offer and Gold and Platinum users are given priority, not sure what the hang that amounts to, but it is a wierd clause. My AT&T chains will be not be severed until Nov. and I am thinking of switching, getting a low cost phone till one of the next gen phones come out. Be nice not to have to worry about a data limit. Just like the ol' days.
I have been a loyal Sprint customer for ten years now (please don't judge). At one point, I was even on SERO and my wife convinced me to switch to a family plan (once again, please don't judge). Anyway, here I am today out of contract with 2 smartphones (Evo and Epic 4G), 1500 anytime minutes, an Airave (since Sprint doesn't work in my home), terrible 4G service (in Central Florida) and a $155/month bill all after a 22% discount. I'm ready to make a drastic change.
After looking at Sprint's website, combined my wife and I use a monthly average of 1200 minutes (about 1000 of them are mobile-2-mobile), 3000 text messages, and about 1.9GB data. We are pretty equal on data on texts, but I use about 300-400 minutes and she uses the rest (her phone doubles as a work phone).
I have been going back and forth with either renewing Sprint, signing my life away to Verizon, or going prepaid. The benefit of going with Verizon is that I also get a 17% discount (work) off their service. However, that only covers the data plan (stupid). So, I could fork over about $138+tax and move to unlimited everything with 4GB of shared data. My wife likes this idea because we don't have to worry about roaming and Verizon has decent service in Central Florida (as well as other places that we travel). Plus, she can get an iPhone 5 (but she may change her mind if navigation doesn't improve). Since we have a newborn though she is constantly taking pictures with her phone and sending them to family so I thought an iPhone 5 would be decent for that.
I like the idea of buying a couple of Galaxy Nexus's and going with two Straight Talk lines. We have been on Android devices for so long I hate to give them up especially after seeing Jelly Bean in action. Plus to me an iPhone is just like my iPad just pocket sized...why do I need two? However, if we travel to an area where there is no service the phone doesn't Roam, it just stops working. She is in sales and unfortunately has to work at times such as Christmas where we will be in an area where T-Mobile and/or AT&T don't work but Verizon does.
I thought about even putting her on Straight Talk and me on TMo $30 using the VOIP (since I work from home I don't see myself going over 100 cellular minutes a month if I'm careful).
Now, I've been reading about Solavei ($50/mnth) which allows roaming but I'm not to keen on MLMs. (I've seen MLMs break a few friends). However, since you don't have to participate in them this could be an option.
So, the question is, what would you do? Is the Galaxy Nexus worth the $350 on a prepaid vs. buying an iPhone 5 and getting locked for another 2 years? The money isn't really the issue (since we are already budgeted for the $155 per month but it would be nice to save some $$). How often do you find yourself Roaming on Straight Talk or TMo? How is the VOIP? What about Solavei (I read a forum about it and it sounds enticing, but once again MLMs bug the hell out of me).
I guess I'm not looking for some straight answers, but maybe someone to help me straighten out my thoughts. I really appreciate any feedback.
Thanks for reading.
Our contract with Sprint is coming to an end July 31, 2013 and I'm tired of how much we pay for how poor our Sprint service is.
My wife and I both have an Epic 4G Touch (WiMAX) which we never got service for in Louisville, KY, and Sprint has now abandoned.
I'm not going to stick around in hopes of them ever starting up LTE here.
I've started shopping around, and I really want to switch to T-Mobile.
A co-worker and I sit on the 4th floor of a concrete and steel office building right next to North facing windows. My Sprint 3G bandwidth (Sprint has no "4G" here) is 539kbps/434kbps to a server in town. His T-Mobile 3G bandwidth (test phone did not have 4G) 4299kbps/2302kbps!
My wife can get a ~20% through her office for Verizon, and my mother, who is on our plan, gets 50% from AT&T.
Trying to compare different carrier sites can get confusing, so I built a Google spreadsheet with a lot of numbers and some guessing.
I've spent roughly a week working on it and I've found it to be exceptionally helpful.
So helpful, I want to share it with all of you.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An3-IhR4bhJvdDJQNjBWWjVpbEtVaU03b2VYZGRVWFE&usp=sharing
I've removed the discounts from the formulas, and put a sales tax field so you can change the sales tax percentage should yours not be 6%.
If you're familiar with how spreadsheets work, you can easily add lines (rows) or service add-ons (columns).
Actual communications taxes and fees vary greatly, so I adjusted the amount to be 14% since that's the number that made the Sprint page match what my account is (not exactly I have a 25% discount on mine, but it would match sans the discount [-ish]).
I don't have a tax law degree nor the time to research exact numbers for every place. This will still give you a rough estimate, and err on the high side hopefully. If you know exactly what yours are, feel free to change it to exactly that.
The sheet is shared publicly, anyone can view without having to login.
If you want to change some stuff you'll need to copy it to your Drive (File > Make a copy...) or download it (File > Download as...).
All sheets except for the Comparison sheet have 3 smartphones and a flip phone.
All you need to do is change the prices to what you get on the carriers' websites.
Watch for cells where I left personalized notes
The Comparison sheet aggregates the data from the other sheets so you can view them all together.
I discovered, from my own needs, T-Mobile would save me around $1000/year.
Mods, please move if this would better serve someplace else.
Feedback is greatly appreciated!
A 500 MB data cap? Ouch...
seandop said:
A 500 MB data cap? Ouch...
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It's actually more than we need, so there's no point in paying extra for unlimited.
The data used by all 4 lines on my Sprint account is ~800MB on an average month.
So T-Mobile's 500MB is more than enough, but AT&T's 300MB is only enough for one of the lines; unfortunately the next size up is 3GB lol
This is why I used the 1GB ATT Mobile Share plan.
If you need unlimited data, just change the numbers to reflect what you need.