Hotspot data, cellular data, streaming

[richp]

Hi,

I stream off my unlimited Verizon plan regularly, using an Android phone.

What am I missing here?

Rich Phillips

[formerFR]

you can always access any of these 'tv' or movie streaming services directly from your phone, you don't have to use any hotspot...

unless, you are wanting to use your TV or COMPUTER monitor to watch these - in that case, you can use a google chromecast device, apple tv, a smart tv with apps built in, or maybe even plug you phone directly into your laptop or desktop USB....
Any of THESE options, though, require the use of your phone's HOTSPOT 'wifi' signal.

any cell phone provider now is in the business of LIMITING HotSpot usage whenever they can - it's becoming one of their biggest ways to push everyone into the 'Unlimited' versions of their offering, yet the HotSpot is LIMITED to only a certain number of GBs of usage/sharing per month, before the hotspot SPEED is then drastically slowed, *possibly.

*possibly: some carriers say 'may be slowed' in their contract, other state that it 'will be slowed' to maybe 128kb(very slow), and some are even more confusing as they may say that the hotspot service is 'may be managed or placed behind other customers'(slowed!), otherwise worded as 'prioritized'. Since THEY are in control, only THEY decide when and if you get 'slowed'.

Why not just use these services on the phone itself, at least for some time, until you know that you want to find a device or some way to 'watch' on your TV or Computer by using your hotspot? Try it.

[formerFR]

personally, we also just went thru this 'comparing' of Unlimited HOTSPOT service from both Verizon and ATT, using one of their JetPack/Mifi devices for the whole home/rv.

We have no available cable or phone based INTERNET option for our mountain cabin home, in western North Carolina. So our ONLY internet is thru our phones with AT&T.
Since we do a internet LOT of business, and pleasure, on our LAPTOPS, DESKTOPS, TABLETS, and other devices, we use a LOT of gigabytes per month, maybe 300gbs or more.

Our AT&T signal here, and speed, is adequate for our needs, and the HOTSPOT from each phone has been perfectly useful for the wifi connections to our computers.... BUT....

the issue arises about half way thru each month - we each start to reach our 10GB per month per device HOTSPOT limit. As each phone reaches the limit, and we get the dreaded text from AT&T about it, our hotspot speeds slow drastically to 128kb, almost unusable when sharing to a computer, very, very slow at best.
You can still use your PHONE and have excellent speed, but not the hotspot.


So, we decided to dive into looking at other options, several of which have been discussed here on these forums - UNLIMITED Cell-based Wifi via a dedicated wifi DEVICE.

I looked on the AT&T website, but no luck... it made sense, though, I already have service with them and know that we have a good signal and good speed here. too bad.

I then looked into the Verizon 'post paid' service, where one is offered. I even stopped by the 'local' Vz store and was told it would be $70, but that it also has a 20gb limit to it's usage at 4gLTE speeds. I asked if the service would be available at my home, and they looked up the 'map' and said YES! I then asked if I could 'test' this theory by using one of their phones or devices to take home and do some signal and speed test. Nada. I therefore could not bring myself to believe them.

When I got back home, though, I remembered that years ago I had a jetpack from Verizon. I finally found it in my 'electronics' hoarding pile, and decided to see if turning it on would provide 'proof' of a Verizon signal, even if I couldn't test the wifi speed. It did, and it gave me 2 or 3 bars, showing '3G' as the connection. O.k. this may can work.

I went online, setup my 'new' Verizon 'post paid' credit-checked no-downpayment account, and found that while it worked, the speed was just not what we expected, at least not compared to our current AT&T speeds. I thought I've give it some time, though, and see if weather or anything else might be part of the speed issue.

THEN, I happened upon someone commenting that you need to have the Verizon PRE-PAID service to get the truly 'Unlimited' jetpack service. Well, I thought, if that's the case, I might can deal with a slightly slower service if I know that I won't be 'throttled' sometime during the month.

I called and cancelled the 'post paid' new account, and then jumped right back online and set up my new 'PRE PAID' unlimited jetpack account, paying the $70 plus taxes to start it. They actually also had to fedex me a new sim. O.k. , two days later a new sim arrived, and I installed it and started using the wifi. It was spotty, though, and the speed was really lacking compared to the AT&T speeds. I dealt with it for a while, as I wanted to see if anything would 'get better'......

THEN, I found ANOTHER conversation on these forums that mentioned that AT&T Unlimited Mifi was now available thru NETBUDDY.com and the Neatgear Explore mifi device and AT&T sim card, for only $60 a month, no taxes, no contract, cancel at any time! Wow. This I gotta try.... why not, I'm into it this deep with Verizon, let's also try it with AT&T...

SO, I jumped back online, went to Netbuddy, signed up for service, and even found that they happened to have a 'remanufactured' Neatgear Explore mifi device for only $89, versus the $159 for a new one on Amazon... nice! The AT&T sim card comes with the service, both shipped in two days in the same package.

I installed the sim into the Netgear Explore mifi device, plugged it in and powered it up, and was getting a signal in no time. The signal was not as great as our phone signals with AT&T, which was a little disconcerting at first, but the SPEED was excellent! I have it sitting in my living room window right now, plugged in to the keep the internal battery charged, and am sharing it with up to 8 different devices, including our phones. It is reaching easily to each room in our 900 sqft cabin home, and even 50-60'ft away into our son's 'apartment' next door.... nice!

Now, here's the kicker. I've also removed our phones from the AT&T Unlimited Plus Premium plan we've had for several years, and put us all on the Family 9GB Share plan, saving much more than the $60 monthly cost of the Netbuddy AT&T Unlimited wifi plan. No more slow downs in the middle of the month, though we'll have to monitor and manage our phone's usages while 'away' from this Unlimited service at home, or we'll take the device with us when traveling or while away from the home for an extended time.


Wow. It's a LOT of work sometimes to EVENTUALLY find a solution, at least one that really works in light of how you use your 'internet' data, and how 'little' you want to have to spend on it - but worth it.

[LandKKnight]

Following for later when we hit the road.

[BigRockr]

Originally Posted by richp

Hi,

I have Verizon unlimited on my smartphone, and while camping, I stream as much as I want on Netflix and YouTube -- using the hotspot feature.

I just finished watching the last Star Wars movie on Netflix this evening. In fact. I'm well into my second month of snowbirding on the Gulf coast, and use it every day, either for streaming or casting my tablet screen to the TV.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips

Rich please elaborate. I seem to use about 1 Gig of data per hour when streaming. I basically gave up streaming due to it being crushingly slow as soon as my "unlimited" ran out at 20 Gig. A single footbal game ate up 3 Gig.

[emm-dee]

FormerFR,I think you’ll find the Netbuddy system a pretty good service.

Regarding the VZ Mifi you found you said it was several years old. That’s your problem. The newer 7730 and 8800 models are light years ahead of the old Jetpacks. Most of the old jetpacks can only see 3-4 “channels while the newer ones see 12+.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by formerFR

any cell phone provider now is in the business of LIMITING HotSpot usage whenever they can - it's becoming one of their biggest ways to push everyone into the 'Unlimited' versions of their offering, yet the HotSpot is LIMITED to only a certain number of GBs of usage/sharing per month, before the hotspot SPEED is then drastically slowed, *possibly.

Not Verizon. They got in trouble with the Feds over something or other. As a part of the settlement they had to provide unlimited "tethering."

Larry

[formerFR]

you're probably right... it worked, but maybe it could work better if a newer version was in hand... maybe Verizon needs to keep a 'sample' jetpack available for potential new customer to use at their home in order to see if the service is actually usable there...otherwise you are just 'trusting' their map.

[formerFR]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Not Verizon. They got in trouble with the Feds over something or other. As a part of the settlement they had to provide unlimited "tethering."

Larry

Larry, unlimited tethering is not the issue, they all work that way, but unlimited SPEED is the issue - THAT is what they limit!

[Notime2go]

We use our cell phone as a hot spot and we broadcast to an Amazon fire stick.
If you have the Hulu app on your phone you can then mirror your phone on the fire stick. This works well as long as you have cell coverage. We have an unlimited 4g data plan.

[Tx2Stepn]

I connect the Wifi on Steroids to my phone hotspot to provide coverage for the RV. This allows me to connect more than the 5 device limit on the hotspot. It also is supposed to boost the speed of the internet if your throttled. I'm not sure about that part since my plan doesn't get throttled down, but maybe someone else on here knows if it works or not.

[dr911]

Thanks for all the info.

[ImTravis]

We have the AT&T unlimited plus, and have two hotspots. Since we’re grandfathered and live in a rural area, I use one of them as my primary home internet. I used quite a bit of data with no slowdowns. For us it’s been a good alternative to the expensive and slow Fiber and/or satellite internet.

They *may* throttle after 22G per month, but that’s during times of network congestion, which by that time everyone notices a slowdown.
When we go camping we take the “backup” hotspot with us as our camping internet. Works good for us at $20/month per line vs. the $100/month for 50M fiber connection.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by formerFR

I have it sitting in my living room window right now, plugged in to the keep the internal battery charged, and am sharing it with up to 8 different devices, including our phones. It is reaching easily to each room in our 900 sqft cabin home, and even 50-60'ft away into our son's 'apartment' next door.... nice!

Don't leave that thing plugged in all the time...

It will fry the battery real fast!

I found out the hard way...

Did it to both my phone and Mifi device (both Moto's)...

Matter of fact, my new phone battery should be here today or tomorrow at the phone repair shop here in town.

Took only two months and neither were plugged in all the time, but a lot!

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Not Verizon. They got in trouble with the Feds over something or other. As a part of the settlement they had to provide unlimited "tethering."

Larry

Hhhmmmmm...

I have the highest Verizon plan you can get without going to the prepaid...

And it in no way is unlimited tethering, or anything else for that matter!

Well, it does offer unlimited super slow speed internet after you reach the speed caps.

[EmSi]

We frequently use our Verizon phones with “unlimited” data to stream with an AppleTV using Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and DirectTV Now. We also use laptops for web surfing, often all at the same time. Even when we hit 15gbs and our speed drops, we have had no issues with streaming. We do obviously have a slower web browsing experience.

[RandK-M]

So we'll see how it goes, but today I went to Verizon wireless online and signed up my Jet pack 7730L for for the $65 prepaid unlimited plan. It's actually $70 but there's a $5 per month discount with autopay. I don't actually need it for another month or so, but did it now while I know the unlimited plan is still available. After reading the fine print, as others have stated, there's no throttling after 12 or 15gb, but they do say that in times of congestion the prepaid unlimited MAY get lower prioritization.

We actually have unlimited cellphones for $40 each with T-mobile and free Netflix, but those are subject to throttling and last season we hit that throttling limit a few times streaming video. Plus, one place we spend a week at each year, there's Verizon coverage, but no T-Mobile. I wish that $20 AT&T Mobley unlimited plan was still available, but it isn't, at least the way it used to be, so with no contract on the Verizon Jetpack it's worth a try.


Ray

[emm-dee]

I was at the Atlanta Nascar track last week and the Verizon 8800L consistently delivered 40-50 mbps download speeds. Even on Sunday when there were probably 50,000+ folks around the speeds still maxed out at 38mbps. Slowest I saw was 22. Since my usage so far is just over 50 gig it doesn't appear to me that any "network management" was being directed toward my device.

The AT&T Netgear hotspot (also unlimited via Netbuddy) performed about the same except for about eight or so hours on Saturday and Sunday. It was completely unusable then except for short text messages. Its usage this month is 72 gig and climbing. However, I don't think it was being "network managed" because my iPhone was acting the same way and it is on a grandfathered plan that is never subject to any throttling or speed management. Just too many folks in the area using the system. I've seen the same thing happen with Verizon at other events.

The difference this weekend was since Verizon is in bed with Nascar for promos, etc., they had brought in extra, portable cell system trailers to handle the increased activity due to all the people on line (I saw at least three of them around the track). That's new this year. We'll see if it works at Bristol Nascar in April because in the past AT&T outperformed Verizon there. But, with well over 100,000 folks in the area it's not surprising that neither one worked very well.

[tantle1961]

I also have the Verizon Jetpack unlimited prepaid and it works great. I have been using for a couple of months now with no problems.

[Lasegen]

We have Verizon unlimited plan. We can’t get cable where we live and satellite doesn’t work because of trees. We have Roku connected to our TV and stream Amazon. We did get a signal booster because phone signal isn’t great without it. We use one of our phones as a hotspot. Works great for us. We plan on taking it with us when we head for Alaska for the summer. Verizon unlimited also lets us use our service while going through Canada for no extra charges. That part worked great for us last summer. Verizon currently has a 55+ unlimited plan. $80 per month for 2 lines if you are over 55 years old. You can only have 2 lines and it is only available in a few states. Worth looking into if you qualify.