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Wrapping up a few different threads here: Some people are content to live frugally in the Midwest with a cheap Walmart Computer, a land line and a basic servie cell phone. And are very happy with it.
Others find value and enjoyment (and will pay a premium) to live in coastal areas, with an apple computer and full smart phone service. its worth it to them, and they are very happy with it.
Or are they? Looking for someone to poke holes in my figures:
Current:
2 (dumb) cell phone family plan for $50/mo ($25 per phone)
Don't use even half the minutes or included texts. No data or extras.
DSL 1Mbps down, 400kbps up, $20/mo.
Usually pull down AT LEAST 10GB per month. Probably more like 20.
Total Telecommunications cost: $70/mo
...
The cheapest smartphone plan I can find is at least $75/phone. Even then, the data limit is around 2GB. Add tethering (assuming I'm not sneaky enough to get around it) and that's an extra $20, plus some plans which charge extra for android (+$10/mo).
With even a single phone, I'm breaking $100 per month. With 2 smart phones, it's more like $200 per month.
There's no way that the convenience of a smartphone justifies a 150% increase in my communications bill.
...
Even if I get a very limited data plan, the family cost still breaks at least $100, plus an extra $20 to keep the home internet. That's still a 80-110% increase in my total bill.
I could live with a 30-40% increase--since that's what I expect to gain in productivity/convenience from a smartphone--but I can't find numbers that work out. Anybody got any ideas? See anything I'm missing?
For the most part, I agree in that I find it ridiculous to have full Internet connections at home and on your phone. However, having the Internet on a phone is very useful.
First, I must ask, is your DSL a flat $20 a month? Or do you also have to pay for the land line, even if you do not have a home phone? Everyone I know who still uses DSL pays the phone company $15 to $30 a month for the right to use their lines.
Second, don't know where you have been doing your pricing, but you can find voice/data/text plans for under $70 a month. When I was on T Mo, I paid $55 a month for all three.
Also.....there is Virgin Mobile and Metro PCS. I used both over the last two months, and neither where that bad (although I returned both services for this reason or that). Virgin was a flat $40 a month for 1200 minutes and unlimited text and data. Supposedly the "unlimited" data maxes out at 5 gigs/month.
Metro PCS was $45 a month for unlimited minutes/text/data (technically, I had the $50 plan, but they knocked $5 off a month). The data service was supposed to be 3G, but I never got more than 1x. I did find data transfer to be quick, though.
As for those limited data plans.....in my opinion they are worth it. If you are indoors, you can have your data go over wi-fi, which will not deduct your allotted monthly quota (but it will deduct minutes, and, I believe, texts).
If you are not a teenager, or one who is "addicted" to social media, 200 mb a month should be more than plenty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
You know what most people without land lines don't realize?
You have no enhanced 911.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBest
That's not true. Cell phones are just as good as landline.
...but gps fails indoors.
E911 has regulations for all wireless phones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine
O come on. Even worst case scenario and GPS cannto find you...
You will spend $30-$50 a month just in case you need to call 911?
Call 911 much?
Hmmm...I had to call 911 from my cell phone. I had only been living in that city for about 9 months and my cell # and billing address were out of state. They said they were sending someone over, before I told them my location. I mentioned that I was not living in Minneapolis anymore and the person on the other end said she knew. She knew my location, but needed my apartment number. This was in 2008, yet the particular phone I was using was from 2006.
#1. Thirty dollars?!!! Who is screwing you over for a land line at thirty dollars?!!!
#2. How the F do they know who is calling to 'cross reference' your home address?
#3. Working with EMS and dispatch closely, I can tell you that the triangulation actually takes a bit of time...it's not instant.
#4. Yes, lots of people who call 911 are not able to coherently give you their name and address for reasons that should be obvious.
Until my EMS guys and dispatch say the cell phones work as well, damn skippy I am going to keep a land line.
#2. Wireless operators have to supply the billing address associated with the cell phone. So it's as good as a landline in that sense. The only thing is determining whether you are in your house or not.
#3. That's why AGPS is built into every modern phone.
Hmmm...I had to call 911 from my cell phone. I had only been living in that city for about 9 months and my cell # and billing address were out of state. They said they were sending someone over, before I told them my location. I mentioned that I was not living in Minneapolis anymore and the person on the other end said she knew. She knew my location, but needed my apartment number. This was in 2008, yet the particular phone I was using was from 2006.
I have internet at home. I have internet at work. I have internet in my car (as well as Nav/Onstar)...why the F would I need a smart phone?
My phone has "mobile hotspot" which means I can connect my computer to it like WiFi. This is included in the data plan, so I cancelled my home internet. I pay about the same for the data plan as I did for internet, maybe less, and I can take it with me anywhere.
Mind you, I don't download big files or do online gaming, or I'm sure I'd have issues.
First, I must ask, is your DSL a flat $20 a month? Or do you also have to pay for the land line, even if you do not have a home phone? Everyone I know who still uses DSL pays the phone company $15 to $30 a month for the right to use their lines.
No, I have a dry loop DSL for 19.99 per month flat. No extra fees or taxes because there's no phone service.
Quote:
Second, don't know where you have been doing your pricing, but you can find voice/data/text plans for under $70 a month. When I was on T Mo, I paid $55 a month for all three.
I need a family plan with 2 phones (or two individual phones)
[quote]
Also.....there is Virgin Mobile and Metro PCS. I used both over the last two months, and neither where that bad (although I returned both services for this reason or that). Virgin was a flat $40 a month for 1200 minutes and unlimited text and data. Supposedly the "unlimited" data maxes out at 5 gigs/month.
Metro PCS was $45 a month for unlimited minutes/text/data (technically, I had the $50 plan, but they knocked $5 off a month). The data service was supposed to be 3G, but I never got more than 1x. I did find data transfer to be quick, though.
As for those limited data plans.....in my opinion they are worth it. If you are indoors, you can have your data go over wi-fi, which will not deduct your allotted monthly quota (but it will deduct minutes, and, I believe, texts).
If you are not a teenager, or one who is "addicted" to social media, 200 mb a month should be more than plenty. [quote]
Hmm... Thanks. Maybe those cheaper plans would be worth it, even if I keep a DSL at home. I was really attached to the idea of running everything through my phone, but maybe that's not realistic or the cheapest option. What about tethering fees? I want to be able to connect my laptop through my phone when I'm wandering.
No, I have a dry loop DSL for 19.99 per month flat. No extra fees or taxes because there's no phone service.
Hmm... Thanks. Maybe those cheaper plans would be worth it, even if I keep a DSL at home. I was really attached to the idea of running everything through my phone, but maybe that's not realistic or the cheapest option. What about tethering fees? I want to be able to connect my laptop through my phone when I'm wandering.
Ah, I wasn't aware of the dry loop DSL option. .
As for tethering, you can get pretty much any Android phone to tether if you root it. Not sure about getting 20 gigs a month out of though for "free".
As for tethering, you can get pretty much any Android phone to tether if you root it. Not sure about getting 20 gigs a month out of though for "free".
Well, if I keep DSL at home, then I probably don't need more than a few hundred MB as you stated. So I could go with a cheaper data plan. I also wouldn't need a carrier with the best coverage, since I wouldn't be streaming or downloading that much through the phone at home or while travelling. Can you point me toward the carrier with the best deals, all things considered? I'm quite annoyed that they don't publish all those extra fees upfront (android fee, tethering fee, etc.)
Yes, I can figure out how to get around a tethering fee, but I don't want to exist in a state of Terms of Service violation, should I ever have a problem with the phone company.
Wrapping up a few different threads here: Some people are content to live frugally in the Midwest with a cheap Walmart Computer, a land line and a basic servie cell phone. And are very happy with it.
Others find value and enjoyment (and will pay a premium) to live in coastal areas, with an apple computer and full smart phone service. its worth it to them, and they are very happy with it.
A post full of misconceptions and bias.
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