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01-19-2019, 08:37 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Metro St. Louis Area
Posts: 1,248
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Cell Data Work Arounds for Longer Trips
I get a cell phone from my employer and rarely think about data usage because 99% of the time its used when I am at home on my WiFi network and if I am out on the road its being used for work. As we have gotten into taking longer trips over the years we have come to rely on the data network for weather, finding things to do and so on and quickly use up or drain the company plan as well as my wife’s personal phone. Anyone ever get creative with something like a cricket wireless plan that has no contract with unlimited data??? Looking to try and find a work around for our trip this summer. It’s starting to approach a month with no WiFi (Shhhh, Don’t tell the kids)
I was thinking of a pay as you go phone with the ability to tie our cell phones to it.....ATT in the past had a LTE hot spot thing that would do something similar.
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01-19-2019, 09:36 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1,126
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I have been on the road for 2 weeks now with a Verizon hot spot which is working well. Verizon is offering unlimited data with one of their hot spots for $70 a month with no contract. I bought my hot spot on Ebay.
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01-19-2019, 10:15 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Warsaw,NC
Posts: 7,184
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I have Verizon, 3 phones, 22 gigs of cellular data on two and 15 gigs of hotspot data each. My phone is 75 gigs of cellular data and 20 gigs of hotspot data. A Jetpack with 15 gigs of hotspot data. A iPad with 15 gigs of hotspot data and 22 gigs of cellular data. $196.00 a month. I don’t have WiFi at home just the Verizon. So far everything works pretty good. Granddaughter is 3 and she will stream the 22 gigs of cellular data pretty fast. I live in the sticks so Verizon has never throttled her back, granddaughter will sometimes stream a 100 gigs of cellular data a month. I get a military discount. Granddaughters phone cost sixty bucks a month on paper but her phone only cost fifteen bucks a month. Verizon has weird plans, sometimes the more phones you have the cheaper the rate.
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01-19-2019, 10:22 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camper70
I have been on the road for 2 weeks now with a Verizon hot spot which is working well. Verizon is offering unlimited data with one of their hot spots for $70 a month with no contract. I bought my hot spot on Ebay.
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Which hot spot puck do you have? I also have the unlimited prepaid plan but with an elipsis puck and get horrible speeds during evening and morning hours. I thought due to throttling mentioned in the prepaid contract but have been told by others that it could be my puck.
Willing to spend extra for the higher end pucks if can be proved that it cause of my slow speeds.
__________________
2019 Salem Grand Villa 42DL
Seasonal camping on Lake Guntersville
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01-20-2019, 01:21 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 39
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A couple of things to remember, turn your data off (in settings) when not using your phone, also put it in airplane mode. They use data when you don't have them turned on. I am Canadian and do a lot of traveling. Even in airplane mode , you can use a campsite wifi of McDonalds, it doesn't use yours.
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01-20-2019, 02:07 PM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 15
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Take a look at the cell coverage maps for the areas you spend most of your time in and get a hotspot that you can hook up to an antenna with an unlimited data plan. Worth the money if you use the internet much. You can also stream.
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01-20-2019, 02:14 PM
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#7
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Dahagen
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Cascade Idaho
Posts: 560
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I use T-Mobile 55+ plan with unlimited hotspot internet. I am paying $40 less than I was with Verizon's 15 gig plan. I have two laptops, two tablets, and two phones and all work well. However I can not reliably stream movies.
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01-20-2019, 02:22 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 4,031
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lots of options . I have verizon 103 a month for phone and jet pack . Jet pack is limited to 15 gigs a month then they throttle you back . the phone you can get beyond unlimited for me that's worthless since i only use a gig or 2 a month on the phone . you can not get beyond unlimited for the jet pack and are held at 15 gigs before they slow you down . I like verizon because it works the best from most parts of the country from east to west north to south . next best would be AT&T
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01-20-2019, 04:29 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 9,413
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Straight-Talk
Quote:
Originally Posted by ryand
I get a cell phone from my employer and rarely think about data usage because 99% of the time its used when I am at home on my WiFi network and if I am out on the road its being used for work. As we have gotten into taking longer trips over the years we have come to rely on the data network for weather, finding things to do and so on and quickly use up or drain the company plan as well as my wife’s personal phone. Anyone ever get creative with something like a cricket wireless plan that has no contract with unlimited data??? Looking to try and find a work around for our trip this summer. It’s starting to approach a month with no WiFi (Shhhh, Don’t tell the kids)
I was thinking of a pay as you go phone with the ability to tie our cell phones to it.....ATT in the past had a LTE hot spot thing that would do something similar.
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StraightTalk with the Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) option. They actually resell all four carriers. The BYOP plan is $42.50/month with 12 GB of data per month. If you go over, they slow the data down, still plenty fast for email or browsing. $52.50/month gets you 20GB/month.
I have successfully tethered Android tablets to the phone. It is said that if you tether a computer, they will cut you off.
Larry
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01-20-2019, 04:40 PM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HoustonTex56
Take a look at the cell coverage maps for the areas you spend most of your time in and get a hotspot that you can hook up to an antenna with an unlimited data plan. Worth the money if you use the internet much. You can also stream.
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The reason I mentioned the coverage maps is that the unlimited plans I'm aware of, do not give you unlimited "roaming" data. Currently using Sprint, but may switch, at least on the hot spot due to limited coverage in some areas we spend time.
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01-20-2019, 05:23 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Warsaw,NC
Posts: 7,184
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It would be nice if you could buy more than 15 gigs of data on the Jetpack, maybe when 5g comes out. I looked at T-Mobile and it’s 3g
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01-20-2019, 07:50 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Central New York
Posts: 326
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Verizon has unlimited for 40 a month as long as you have at least 4 phones.
Great deal.
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01-20-2019, 09:35 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Warsaw,NC
Posts: 7,184
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack350
Verizon has unlimited for 40 a month as long as you have at least 4 phones.
Great deal.
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Unlimited plans aren’t what they are cracked up to be. Go unlimited is 22 gigs of cellular data and 15 gigs of hotspot data. The unlimited plan is less. I have two iPhones on go unlimited and one phone on above unlimited. With Verizon you can mix up the plans to suit your situation. We have had Verizon since it was before Verizon. Verizon is like all of the carriers , they have holes in there coverage. Verizon just has less
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01-20-2019, 10:50 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1,126
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Stymie i'm using the Verizon 7730l wi-fi puck and getting great speeds. I read before my purchase that the Ellipsis pucks were not very good. You can buy from Verizon or check some out on Ebay. I purchased a used one on Ebay for $55 and it works great and is $70 per month for truly unlimited.
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01-20-2019, 11:15 PM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Somerset County
Posts: 81
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Our Verizon plan has 1 gig each for our phones but while we're home, we use wifi. When we go camping where the wifi is sub par and we end up using the data, we just bite the bullet and pay an extra $15 for another gig. We've been looking at new campers ( 5th wheels ) that have built in wifi boosters. A Good feature but I'm not sure the new one we got had it or not..lol.... we looked at so many and haven't picked up the new one yet. I hope it does!
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01-21-2019, 12:15 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,001
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryand
I get a cell phone from my employer and rarely think about data usage because 99% of the time its used when I am at home on my WiFi network and if I am out on the road its being used for work. As we have gotten into taking longer trips over the years we have come to rely on the data network for weather, finding things to do and so on and quickly use up or drain the company plan as well as my wife’s personal phone. Anyone ever get creative with something like a cricket wireless plan that has no contract with unlimited data??? Looking to try and find a work around for our trip this summer. It’s starting to approach a month with no WiFi (Shhhh, Don’t tell the kids)
I was thinking of a pay as you go phone with the ability to tie our cell phones to it.....ATT in the past had a LTE hot spot thing that would do something similar.
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My experience with cricket...worst network ever. Would never use it again because it doesn’t work.
Most real providers that own the networks, like Verizon, att, sprint and T-Mobile can give you plans that turn your phone into a hotspot cheap.
__________________
TV - 2020 RAM 3500 Mega Cab SRW with 6.7 Cummins HO & Aisin 6 spd, 4k payload, 23k towing
2002 GMC Yukon XL 2500, 8.1 liter (496ci), 4L85e & positraction with 3.73 gears
TT - 2013 Dutchmen Aspen Trail 3130 QBS
Great bourbon-just about any of San Diego’s craft beer
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01-21-2019, 12:20 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,001
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry-NC
StraightTalk with the Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) option. They actually resell all four carriers. The BYOP plan is $42.50/month with 12 GB of data per month. If you go over, they slow the data down, still plenty fast for email or browsing. $52.50/month gets you 20GB/month.
I have successfully tethered Android tablets to the phone. It is said that if you tether a computer, they will cut you off.
Larry
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IMO $52.50 is a high price for a Walmart plan that uses another company’s cell network.
__________________
TV - 2020 RAM 3500 Mega Cab SRW with 6.7 Cummins HO & Aisin 6 spd, 4k payload, 23k towing
2002 GMC Yukon XL 2500, 8.1 liter (496ci), 4L85e & positraction with 3.73 gears
TT - 2013 Dutchmen Aspen Trail 3130 QBS
Great bourbon-just about any of San Diego’s craft beer
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01-21-2019, 09:32 AM
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#18
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Pelzer, SC
Posts: 21
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Check out Technomadia on Youtube, they test out all kinds ok wifi equip and give reviews on the equipment and data plans available.
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01-21-2019, 10:13 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Warsaw,NC
Posts: 7,184
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We don’t have WiFi at home, the service got so slow it took forever to load anything. Most of the programs on granddaughters tablet would not load. It was 45 bucks a month for nothing. We live in the country and there was to few customers on our line for the company to do a upgrade on. I got talked into buying a Jetpack. What I need to do is learn how to use Apple TV and get rid of Direct TV. DW loves NCIS, (cbs all access) I could buy that commercial free for ten bucks a month. Hallmark channel. I’ll be glad when 5g is available. Sometimes I have to much hotspot data left at the end of the month
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