Mobile WiFi for $40/mo? Is this possible? (laptops, keyboard, screen)
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Is anyone familiar with Calyx Institute or another service like it? This co says they offer unlimited connectivity through Sprint for $500/yr for the 1st yr... $400/yr thereafter, with a Fuse device. I'm new to looking into mobile WiFi & didn't know it could be this affordable. I was also wondering how stable it could be? Could you really potentially have access to a stable WiFi connection in most places?
The site promises, "For legal reasons, we can't call it unlimited data service, but..... We are supposed to refer to it as 30 GB+.. however when you pass the 30GB mark during the month, the Internet service does not slow down (throttle), or cut you off, and there are NO overage charges."
After looking through the info, there's something I'm missing. I don't like that it looks as if you need to pay the $500 upfront. However, this would be $15/mo cheaper than having a Comcast connection at home. I just need 'net & although I have basic cable, never watch it. It's also horrifically unstable here in SoFla... continual outages. Could the Sprint network offer more stability?
In any event, does anyone have a mobile WiFi, this or any other service and/or could you guide me to a website to read more about it? For some reason, I'm not finding what I need to understand it and/or most of it is several years old. I'm thinking if it were this easy & cheap, I'd see people all over the place using their laptops in their cars or in local places that don't have public WiFi & I really don't.
AT&T offers wifi for $40 a month for a mobile, however it is not unlimited. They give you 4GB a month. $35 with autopay.
With $65 a month, $60 with autopay, they offer an unlimited plan for a mobile phone. This is the plan that I have for the Iphone. The connection to the internet is very good.
They call it unlimited, however they give you 22GB a month.
After 22GB you can still connect, the connection it is slower.
I am sure that there are other companies which offer similar options with similar prices.
The big issue with that plan is the Sprint network. If your area has solid Sprint coverage, then it might be an OK replacement. But as that article points out, there's no roaming, no fallback to 3g, you aren't getting great hardware, and if you don't like the service ... you've already paid for it.
In general, using mobile isn't nearly as consistent or cheap per GB as getting hard wired internet, especially if you use a lot of data (streaming, etc). There are lots of us in the RV community that rely on it as our only source of connection, but it's not nearly as ideal as traditional hardwired internet.
Currently the least expensive option out there for "unlimited" is the Mobley / Connected Car plan from AT&T. It's a dongle that's designed to plug into your car, and costs $20 a month. While it's designed to plug into the OBD-II port on a car, it only uses that port for power so it can be powered with an adapter (available on Amazon, eBay, etc) so that it doesn't have to be in a car. It's currently in and out of stock almost daily on AT&Ts website, so you have to keep checking with AT&T to get one. The plan is subject to network management after 22 GB per month, so if you are near a heavily used AT&T tower you could have issues with being slowed down when the tower is busy.
As for resources on using wireless as your primary internet source: The site you linked to (https://www.rvmobileinternet.com) is as good as it gets for staying up to date, and understanding the technology. While their focus is RV related, I've seen numerous posts on their forums and Facebook pages from people that are using wireless as their home internet.
The Getting Started guide at the top of the main page lays out quite a bit of info, and their Facebook group is extremely active: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rvinternet
HowardForums: Your Mobile Phone Community & Resource is another resource for mobile / wireless info, and you'll find lots of people there using it as a replacement for home internet, but it's has a bit more technical focus, and can be harder to find things.
AT&T offers wifi for $40 a month for a mobile, however it is not unlimited. They give you 4GB a month. $35 with autopay. With $65 a month, $60 with autopay, they offer an unlimited plan for a mobile phone. This is the plan that I have for the Iphone. The connection to the internet is very good. They call it unlimited, however they give you 22GB a month. After 22GB you can still connect, the connection it is slower.
Hi Calwine... Good info, but as I mentioned I'm looking to use my laptop... I need the large screen & keyboard. I have 3G/mo with my Verizon Win phone for $45, unlimited calls, no contract, $5 off for autopay (similar to yours), but with all the work I do online & my dicey eyesight, it's far too cumbersome to use the phone for 'net regularly. It's great to stream interviews in the car or pull up local info if my GPS doesn't offer it, which is how I use that data.
Tethering, which I've done before, eats up data super fast so has only been an option when I've traveled to rural locales or am in a hotel with no/spotty WiFi & there's no other option. In that case, I'm on & off as fast as possible. Too bad, as surfing is super fast with that connection.
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I am sure that there are other companies which offer similar options with similar prices.
Sure. That's what I was hoping to find from someone who has found a solution & can suggest the co they use.
Thank you, Calwine. I'll look into that for my Verizon phone, as I pay $5-8 more (+$5 if I don't autopay), so perhaps I can renegotiate my mo fee with them. I still need a mobile WiFi solution for my laptop so I'll keep searching.
The big issue with that plan is the Sprint network. If your area has solid Sprint coverage, then it might be an OK replacement. But as that article points out, there's no roaming, no fallback to 3g, you aren't getting great hardware, and if you don't like the service ... you've already paid for it.
Hiya, SW. I was afraid it sounded too good to be true. I don't like paying upfront or signing a contract. The last time I signed a 2-yr ATT phone contract (15-yrs ago), the service overnight became deplorable in my area & I was stuck with it, unless I wanted to pay $400+ to cancel.
I'm unsure about Sprint's local coverage, as I can't identify any connections when I pull up local WiFi networks on my laptop... virtually all are Comcast or ATT, most probably as this is an apt complex & most utilize cable. I've had consistent Comcast connectivity issues since moving here 3-mos ago & with the daily thunderstorms, it's not uncommon that I'm left sans 'net for hours or 1-2 days, waiting for a tech to arrive. During those times, I see the connections all drop off 1 by 1, so it's a local issue. A tech's been here 4 times, as sometimes the outdoor equipment needs tweeking of some sort. Of course, they never articulate what happened exactly. I do see that 1/2 use ATT, but I'm leaving here in 6-mos & don't want to sign a contract, despite being told I can take it with me or get a refund if it's not available in my new area. Been there, done that... it's like pulling teeth with phone trees & customer service agents & inadvertent fees added on. Between inept agents/techs, constant billing mistakes, shipped broken equipment & 30+ phone calls to resolve it all, Comcast has been the bane of my existence here. I'd love to get my own WiFi connection, since I can avoid being home bound or searching for local spots with unsecured connections when out.
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In general, using mobile isn't nearly as consistent or cheap per GB as getting hard wired internet, especially if you use a lot of data (streaming, etc). There are lots of us in the RV community that rely on it as our only source of connection, but it's not nearly as ideal as traditional hardwired internet.
I never thought of the RV community having WiFi while on the road (I assumed they all waited 'til they arrived at an RV park), but it makes sense... & oddly, my Verizon mobile account works when Comcast is down, so I assumed I could do better with a portable WiFi solution.
Quote:
Currently the least expensive option out there for "unlimited" is the Mobley / Connected Car plan from AT&T. It's a dongle that's designed to plug into your car, and costs $20 a month. While it's designed to plug into the OBD-II port on a car, it only uses that port for power so it can be powered with an adapter (available on Amazon, eBay, etc) so that it doesn't have to be in a car. It's currently in and out of stock almost daily on AT&Ts website, so you have to keep checking with AT&T to get one. The plan is subject to network management after 22 GB per month, so if you are near a heavily used AT&T tower you could have issues with being slowed down when the tower is busy.
As for resources on using wireless as your primary internet source: The site you linked to (https://www.rvmobileinternet.com) is as good as it gets for staying up to date, and understanding the technology. While their focus is RV related, I've seen numerous posts on their forums and Facebook pages from people that are using wireless as their home internet.
The Getting Started guide at the top of the main page lays out quite a bit of info, and their Facebook group is extremely active: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rvinternet
HowardForums: Your Mobile Phone Community & Resource is another resource for mobile / wireless info, and you'll find lots of people there using it as a replacement for home internet, but it's has a bit more technical focus, and can be harder to find things.
You've given me some amazing info here, cheers very much. I'll look it over the next 2-wks & hopefully can find a better option that what I've got. Thank you so much for taking all your time to list all the links, as well.
In the last 8 months unlimited cellular plans certainly make sense cost wise for single people. While the cheapest possible landline ISP services are $40-$50 per household, a single person invariably needs cellular service anyway, if for nothing else than talk and text.
In the next three years, with 5G, it will be almost unthinkable for a single person to get wired service. Cellular speeds and data limits will be much more affordable that only larger households and ultra high speed users will have any wired service.
In the last 8 months unlimited cellular plans certainly make sense cost wise for single people. While the cheapest possible landline ISP services are $40-$50 per household, a single person invariably needs cellular service anyway, if for nothing else than talk and text.
Great common sense & something I hadn't thought of... < insert joke here >
I already spend almost $100/mo for cellphone & home 'net, so I should be able to find something workable.
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In the next three years, with 5G, it will be almost unthinkable for a single person to get wired service. Cellular speeds and data limits will be much more affordable that only larger households and ultra high speed users will have any wired service.
You're right. 2003 was the last time I had a home phone. I saw a 2016 movie a few days ago in which a character picked up a home phone & I paused it to look over the imdb entry to determine in which time period this movie was taking place. Turns out it's modern day & I found it to be an unbelievable plot distraction.
i have a sprint unlimited family plan. i installed cyanogenmod on all our cellular-telefones which has a toggle for wifi access-point in the drop-down menu.
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I still need a mobile WiFi solution for my laptop so I'll keep searching.
