Wifi On The Road

I paid $50 per month for a sprint hot spot for only 6GB which was nothing when it comes to netflix. I have an unlimited talk/text/data plan with T mobile for $60 per month. I can tether the phone to my laptop for web stuff.. but I'd get charged if i watched movies that way. It is really cheap i think, however.... Tmobile is not available everywhere which is aggravating. I considered going to ATT or verizon cause of better coverage, but the costs are crazy compared to what i have.

Warning though... I paid for one month of wifi from TA/Petro and it SUCKED! I thought i could watch on my computer. nope... i couldnt even get email it was so slow.

I used to tour with bands going all over North America (yes, even Canada) and in Europe. T-Mobile's unlimited everything plan is only $80/month. For that you can use your phone without roaming charges while you're in Canada (and Europe, if you go on vacation), and that includes unlimited international data. There is no hobbling that I have ever seen, and I'm on my phone A LOT. Also, the coverage was awesome. I never had coverage issues except for maybe sometimes in the mountains of Alberta or weird stretches in Texas. Oh, and one time when our bus broke down in North Dakota. Or maybe we were in Montana. My Google maps couldn't pinpoint me and kept saying I was someplace different each time I pulled it up, when I could get service.

So, yeah. There have been times I was using almost 12gb per month and there was never any noticeable lag and no overage charges. Literally unlimited. T-Mobile rules.

Oh, there were a few times where if I was lacking coverage in an area, I could hop onto an AT&T network and pay the surcharge. I don't remember how much that is, but since AT&T uses the same GSM network as T-Mobile it was fairly seamless. Just search for available networks and when AT&T comes up select that and you're on your way again. (Just remember to check every so often to see if you're back in range of T-Mobile's network.)

Oh, there were a few times where if I was lacking coverage in an area, I could hop onto an AT&T network and pay the surcharge. I don't remember how much that is, but since AT&T uses the same GSM network as T-Mobile it was fairly seamless. Just search for available networks and when AT&T comes up select that and you're on your way again. (Just remember to check every so often to see if you're back in range of T-Mobile's network.)

I'm very interested in how much the surcharge was. I've called T-Moblie but they just want to upsell me onto some other plan for $60 for 500mb.

Here is information directly from T-Mobile's website: Domestic Data Roaming

According to this, there is no additional charge, but there is a cap of 200mb of data transfer, and you can't do anything more until your next billing cycle. That's definitely different than what my terms are, but I've had T-Mobile since it was VoiceStream, so I am grandfathered in for a lot of different things. Still, if you're just wanting to scan a few webpages or check to see what's in the area to eat, it's not terrible. I would go into a T-Mobile store and ask pointed questions and see what answers you get.

T-Mobile's unlimited everything plan is only $80/month.

Tmobile unlimited is 95 a month, plus taxes and all the other crap they tax on. Something to mention is they use Binge for unlimited streaming that doesn't go against your data (netflix, hulu, etc.) Plus, you can stream your music and not effect your data either. This is for your phone though, I'm not sure if they charge you more to use it as a hotspot.

Personally I stream on free sites that aren't supported by Binge, so I'm not sure what route I'll be going. An 18 GB hotspot from Tmobile is something like 80 bucks a month.

Just for reference: Cricket - currently runs 55 a month for 10GB. It's another 10 a month to utilize your phone as a hotspot.

At&T just announced an unlimited data plan, no idea how much that crap is, but you have to bundle it with some direct TV thing. Also, the data slows after 22GB, so it's not actually unlimited in data and speed. They do not offer unlimited for anyone that won't bundle.

It seems that torrenting movies at rest stops is probably the cheapest option. You can get antennas that boost your wifi range that aren't too pricey.

It's $95 now? Wow. Yeah, I've been grandfathered in to lots of things that either don't seem to be offered anymore or have different pricing. Either way, I still love T-Mobile. I've been with them almost 20 years (or has it been more?) and I don't see myself changing any time soon.

Just returned from the T-Mobile store where I went to pick up a hotspot. Unfortunately the Binge On data exclusion program for Netflix, Hulu, etc. is not available for hotspots, only phones and tablets. Guess I'll just keep using my AT&T hotspot.

If I do end up driving in Canada as I am hoping then I will check into switching my phone to T-Mobile. My experience this summer with AT&T's charges while I was in Canada were disappointing. T-Mobile's look better. For now I have other priorities getting ready for Squire Training on the 25th.

It's $95 now? Wow. Yeah, I've been grandfathered in to lots of things that either don't seem to be offered anymore or have different pricing. Either way, I still love T-Mobile. I've been with them almost 20 years (or has it been more?) and I don't see myself changing any time soon.

I hear you lady. My family and myself had unlimited data at Verizon. Two months ago they decided to add twenty bucks to anyone that had been grandfathered in :| Still a great deal, but aggravating once we got our bill.