Data Plans and Tethering Questions... ***Ask HERE***

[efparri]

1st off thats NONE of your business that someone is using 3G because of the economy..
2nd, When times are tough, you CUT what is un necessary and keep what is necessary...
3rd, a cell phone with the abilities to tether comes in MORE handy than paying for a home internet svc especially when $$ is a big issue...
hmm lets see i cant afford dsl at the house at this time... my cell phone has unlimited data.... i have the ability to tether... hmm what shall i do until i get back on my feet...??

You are making it everyone's business by constantly bringing it up. What is your problem? Are you looking for parental approval? Too bad that Apple does not have an application for that.

[Shroomster]

59.99
550 Rollover, unl N&W, unl M2M
30.00
Unl Messaging
10.00x2
Unl Data (smartphones do not qualify for this data price)
Total = 109.99+taxes and fees.

$30 is the messaging?

and the $10 is data per line?

and smartphone = anything that has a qwerty correct?

[efparri]

and smartphone = anything that has a qwerty correct?

No, they must have a QWERTY keyboard and have either Symbian 60 or higher, Windows Mobile Standard or Professional, BlackBerry, Palm or iPhone operating systems. The AT&T website has all the smartphones it sells in a single list: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-pho...martphones.jsp

[GSMinCT]

dsl lite is NOT my problem... you wana pay for my 6M svc...??
go ahead and put that on your wish list... but dont hold ur breathe

wow, i dont recall stating that im downloading or have downloaded 3TB of data.. So b4 you start throwing #'s out, know b4 u do so...
wow again, talking as if u know what your talking about... There is NO CAP ON CELLULAR DATA PLANS....
who said i was tethering while moving..??

good 4 u

Cable is more expensive than 6mbit DSL, and its still not very expensive. Especially when compared to wireless data. 12mbit/s from Comcast for $42/mo, with 250GB transfer? That's pretty good. AT&T DSL is unlimited, 6mbit is $35/mo.

I never said you downloaded 3TB a month, but if you download 30GB on AT&T 3G data, a system that is made for the heaviest users to be hitting AT MOST 5GB, that is like downloading 3TB on a cable modem system, that is wired, has fiber backhaul to the node, and can handle hundreds of GB's a month on an individual account without a problem, but was not designed for pure waste of bandwidth. 30GB is by no means wasting bandwidth, BUT that is what a WIRED home connection is for. If, somehow, you could get AT&T 3G, but not cable, DSL or Wildblue, then I could see using 3G data. But really, where is there AT&T 3G and not DSL/Cable?? Both are shared mediums, they are just different in scale.

1st off thats NONE of your business that someone is using 3G because of the economy..
2nd, When times are tough, you CUT what is un necessary and keep what is necessary...
3rd, a cell phone with the abilities to tether comes in MORE handy than paying for a home internet svc especially when $$ is a big issue...
hmm lets see i cant afford dsl at the house at this time... my cell phone has unlimited data.... i have the ability to tether... hmm what shall i do until i get back on my feet...??

A smartphone with data is a luxury for those who can afford it or a business tool, not a basic utility like some sort of a phone, broadband, water, sewer, electricity, etc.

Right, you cut what is unnecessary, i.e. smartphones with data plans.

[-banned-]

Right, you cut what is unnecessary, i.e. smartphones with data plans.

ok yea thats what im gonna do.... Sell my pda / smartphone and BUY a cheap basic 3G phone.... or try to find one for free.... and STILL have to pay for a data plan on the cell phone.... yea that may make sense in ur reality but not mine.. im really saving $$ monthly there...

I paid $35 a month for dsl lite at 768 / 128 that can ONLY be used at the house....
I pay $30 a month for 3G data on my cell phone that works outside w/ a pc and inside my home w/ a pc.... best of both worlds....

When $$ becomes tight, you cut out what is un-necessary... and the way i see it, the home dsl gets cut out....

and if u still dont follow my drift then i can help you...

[GSMinCT]

ok yea thats what im gonna do.... Sell my pda / smartphone and BUY a cheap basic 3G phone.... or try to find one for free.... and STILL have to pay for a data plan on the cell phone.... yea that may make sense in ur reality but not mine.. im really saving $$ monthly there...

I paid $35 a month for dsl lite at 768 / 128 that can ONLY be used at the house....
I pay $30 a month for 3G data on my cell phone that works outside w/ a pc and inside my home w/ a pc.... best of both worlds....

When $$ becomes tight, you cut out what is un-necessary... and the way i see it, the home dsl gets cut out....

and if u still dont follow my drift then i can help you...

If someone is tight on money, they shouldn't sign a contract for a smartphone with a data plan. They are luxuries for those who can afford them, a basic cell phone is a necessity to communicate and for emergencies.

[-banned-]

If someone is tight on money, they shouldn't sign a contract for a smartphone with a data plan. They are luxuries for those who can afford them, a basic cell phone is a necessity to communicate and for emergencies.

Who said anything About signing a contract with a smartphone and data plan... When $$ is tight.... NOBODY...

Where r u gettin this info from...? What r u reading..?

[GSMinCT]

Who said anything About signing a contract with a smartphone and data plan... When $$ is tight.... NOBODY...

Where r u gettin this info from...? What r u reading..?

If they don't have a contract, they can switch to a more affordable service that would better fit their needs. However, most smartphones require a contract, hence that comment. Of course, the same logic applies to BUYING one at all.

[stride]

If I have a unlocked smartphone from tmobile, and use it with ATT, do I have to pay for the smartphone or data plan to get internet?

[-banned-]

If I have a unlocked smartphone from tmobile, and use it with ATT, do I have to pay for the smartphone or data plan to get internet?

Hmm, call AT&T and find out.....?????

[-banned-]

If they don't have a contract, they can switch to a more affordable service that would better fit their needs. However, most smartphones require a contract, hence that comment. Of course, the same logic applies to BUYING one at all.

Buddy you lost ur mind, went to another planet for a cure, but came back and ur still lost and clueless....
You have no idea what ur talkin about yet u keep on going and going like the energizer bunny but on the wrong path..
Drop it and move on cause ur WAY off course...

[medgirl2001]

If I have a unlocked smartphone from tmobile, and use it with ATT, do I have to pay for the smartphone or data plan to get internet?

If you use data, you will have to pay for it some way or another, whether it's through a data plan or paying by the MB. Paying by the MB can get very expensive very quickly.

If the phone is an unlocked smartphone that AT&T doesn't carry, you may be able to get away with the cheaper data plan.

[GSMinCT]

If I have a unlocked smartphone from tmobile, and use it with ATT, do I have to pay for the smartphone or data plan to get internet?

You'll be fine on MediaNet Data since they don't know what it is and didn't pay a subsidy on it.

Buddy you lost ur mind, went to another planet for a cure, but came back and ur still lost and clueless....
You have no idea what ur talkin about yet u keep on going and going like the energizer bunny but on the wrong path..
Drop it and move on cause ur WAY off course...

No, its simple reality. If you can't afford a smartphone contract don't sign up for it. Smartphones are luxury items for people who can afford them.

For people who are tight on money, there are many pre-paid options, from both America Movil (Tracfone, Net10, StraightTalk), and Sprint (Virgin Mobile), which combined span across all four major US networks. There are also regional non-contract carriers like Pocket and MetroPCS. That way, if they can't afford to add credit or a month of service, the phone just shuts off, and no creditors are going after them or anything like that.

Of course, the underlying point is also that there shouldn't be any cell phone contracts, the monthly bills would be lower, and people could get out whenever they want. They would also have to face the facts about how much phones cost, as Blackberries would be $500+, and Droids and iPhones would probably be $700 or more.

[RF9]

I thought I'd mention these mobile broadband solutions. I know these aren't AT&T and this is the AT&T forum, but I wanted to share what else is out there for people looking.

AT&T's mobile broadband being $60/month contract, the problem is I don't use it enough to justify the cost. I simply don't need mobile broadband often enough to pay $1,440 for 2 years.
You can pay for tethering for $60. At least that's only $30 on top of your smart phone data plan, but that isn't offered on all phones (iPhone) and it's also a hassle to add and remove the tethering plan just for a day of use here and there.
Of course there is always tethering against the TOS on your $30 smart phone data plan. And at least on an iPhone you have to hack (jailbreak) it. That's all fine and I've gotten by, but I've forever been on the search for a pre-paid mobile broadband solution where I can just pay a reasonable price for the rare times I want to use it.

I have a AT&T GoPhone SIM that I can add 100MB for $20, and use the SIM in a spare phone set up as a wifi access point or in a 3G laptop card. To this day, this has been my 'solution'.
But tethering ties up your phone, and can be difficult to share with more than one computer. And even my GoPhone solution has more than it's share of hassles.

The point of this post is that I wanted to share two solutions that were recently made available:

1) Recently launched (actually I think the official launch is CES 2010) DataJack http://www.datajack.com/ offers unlimited 3G mobile broadband.
It uses the T-Mobile 3G network (with EDGE fall back.)
Pros:
*No contract or minimum requirement
*PrePaid Pay only for months you want to use it.
*$40 for 1 month unlimited use (which is even great if you used it every month.) 3G HSDPA
*Use it for 12 consecutive months, get the 1 month free.
Cons:
T-Mobile native coverage area, which at least in metro areas is no problem.

2) Virgin Mobile Pre Paid Broadband http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband offers limited Pre Paid broadband.
This uses the SPrint EVDO 3G network with 1xRTT fall back
Pros:
*No contract or minimum requirement
*PrePaid Pay only for months you want to use it.
*Pay $10 - $60 for 100MB to 1GB. Pay only what you use when you want to use it.
Cons:
*Data rates are more expensive. This is only for the occasional user.
*Sprint's coverage area.

Virgin Mobile is not the solution for someone who wants to use the service a lot. It is, however, perfect for people who need it only a few times a year. Paying even $40 or $60 for 600MB-1GB is better than paying for months of service I don't use.
I find this to be great for the occasional traveler to get online, or in an emergency when home broadband goes down.

DataJack is the better solution as it has better rates. It's even great for someone who needs broadband all of the time. As long as the T-mobile coverage area works for you, you're set.

Now. Both product also work with the Aluratek ZALiP mobile 3G Broadband router. It has a lithium ion battery for portable use. This will give you a mobile wifi hot spot.
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0320742
Now Cradlepoint makes better routers, but as of now I believe they do not support DataJack YET (I'm sure they will soon) and cradleport is 2X the price for the battery powered mobile version.

Now I personally am getting both products. Virgin Mobile as well as DataJack. Partly of curiosity so I can try them myself, partly for redundancy. Also, unfortunately I need coverage in an area T-Mobile does not serve (that Sprint does.)
I also see benefits to spending $10 or $20 at times for just a little temporary use when $40 for a whole month of unlimited may not be necessary.
I have Virgin now, and I have used it a little. It works great as expected. The DataJack on it's way in the mail and I'll try it shortly.

Cost:
Virgin Mobile Pre Paid Broadband is $100. Your account will deactivate if you don't use it for 1 full year.
DataJack is $100. I have seen no mention of minimum usage yet.
Aluratek 3G Broadband router is $100. $90 at some places online.

[GSMinCT]

Verizon also has pre-paid data now, but its even worse than Virgin Mobile pricing wise. The flipside is, its the only thing that's going to work in 75+% of the country, where Sprint, T-Mo and AT&T don't have 3G coverage.