Recommendation of 3g/4g carrier+hardware - east coast USA

[john61ct]

Here's a good example

https://www.drwireless.us

[Colin A]

Originally Posted by zboss

I use T-Mobile for 4g tethering on the east coast from the north Chesapeake down here to key west. In general, my old at&t connection was superior but I could not get unlimited data and T-Mobile with its unlimited streaming was the next best thing. Also, the speeds are generally a wash but we often get better speeds in the T-Mobile network than we had with at&t. I’m fairly happy with T mobile. I’ve done work provisioning and testing backhaul and tower switches for Verizon and their partners throughout Central America.

I was going to mention that since their last rounds of upgrades in the NE last summer my Tmobile tends to actually be faster then my Verizon work line. That said If I'm somewhere remote Verizon still reaches further most of the time. Unfortunately I have noticed Tmobile deals seem to be less good the more subscribers they get. I;m on a old unlimited plan and my 2 lines cost $92.00 the new one would cost me $120.00

[sona1111]

Hi All,

I appreciate the replies - it seems like T-Mobile may be a good choice to consider. I will look into their plans.

For the setup itself, because no one has mentioned it, I am assuming that you are all just using your phone as a hotspot and leaving it at that? My instinct tells me that I would be able to get a much more consistent signal using some kind of external antenna, is it generally more trouble than it is worth? I ask because general information about this kind of setup is kind of rare. Are there antennas that you can buy which will allow basically any SIM card to be used to pick up signal, or does each carrier require a specific kind of hardware? How about using 3G vs 4G? Has anyone tried using a higher powered receiver with a T-Mobile carrier?

Using the plain smartphone sitting on a table may work, but my DIY side wants to setup something a little more complicated if there is potential for a performance gain.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

[john61ct]

Personally I would not sacrifice geographical coverage for speed.

A mobile router/hotspot that accepts attachment to an external antenna will pick up signal better than a phone.

Make sure it is designed for your chosen carrier, and can use all the main bands it is currently using for 4G / LTE as well as 3G.

HowardForums.com is a great resource

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by john61ct

ATT LTE unlimited is available for ~$40 /mo.

Originally Posted by n2climbing

John: I was not offered a $40/mo plan by AT&T, much less for unlimited data, nor did I find such a thing on their website.

??

I didn't find anything that inexpensive from AT&T. Just recently we were in a WiFi dead zone (marina's WiFi sucked) for a couple months, so had to upgrade a phone account to "unlimited" so we could use that phone as a cellular hotspot. AT&T's "unlimited" 4Gwas $95/month (I think, IIRC) and in 10 gB chunks... so after the first 10 gB we had to add another $10/month, etc.

FWIW, I was surprised at how quickly we chewed through data, doing nothing but e-mail, checking forums, and some light browsing. IOW, no streaming even attempted (since we just don't ever do that anyway). I suspect there's some overhead in that whole "hotspot" thing that accounted for using some data that might not have happened if we had simply used the phone itself for whatever.

-Chris

[RichandHelen]

We have a Verizon unlimited data plan. We HAD a Verizon hotspot which was sold to us with the explanation that our phones (a few years ago) would not be fast enough to allow us to stream movies etc. with clarity. We recently dumped the hot spot and have seen no decay in performance. What we HAVE learned is that while you do get unlimited data they DO slow it down after you have used a certain amount per month. And it doesn't take long to use it up when you stream video!

[n2climbing]

Update: We installed our new T-Mobile SIM card yesterday only to find (after talking to T-Mobile tech support) that, despite what I was told at the T-Mobile store, T-Mobile does not have service for non-T-Mobile devices in the Deltaville, Virginia area. Personally, I find the coverage map on their website, not to mention what I was told in the store, to be misleading since they make no distinction between T-Mobile devices and devices provided by others (like our WiriePro). I'll be returning to the store today to close the account. They do not do that over the phone if you purchased the service in a store.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

I didn't find anything that inexpensive from AT&T.

These are grey market SIMS you pay third party resellers for, grandfathered plans, maybe from MVNOs.

No available from the mothership directly, you can't get CS from them.

if Dr Wireless doesn't currently list them, and you don't want a VZW one (IMO better)

then Google

ATT UNLIMITED DATA

or search on eBay.

But as I said, HowardForums is the best place to learn.

[n2climbing]

John61CT: My hat's off to you. I don't have the pioneering spirit you seem to have. I like being able to call the service provider when it doesn't work. Thanks for the tips though!

[john61ct]

Yes, most of those that are motivated to save $50-100 a month don't own boats.

But once set up, they usually work for years without trouble. You do need to be able to remember to make the $5 per month payment close to the due date, if you miss it you have to start over with a new account.

[john61ct]

This thread is good for the VZW option, 3G unlimited $5 a month.

[john61ct]

NOVATEL MIFI 6620L*Full Flashed TO UNLIMITED **4G LTE** Verizon

$5 A MONTH INCLUDES 1 MONTH FREE

FLASHED TO VERIZON PREPAID
UNLIMITED 4G INTERNET*

https://www.drwireless.us/index.php?...&product_id=71

_____
Note this is not a direct Verizon product, but through a reseller / MVNO, likely greymarket.

So no one to call for detailed handholding, email the vendor or google for support threads on howardforums.com

When this vendor runs out, just put keywords from above text to find others on eBay, but this is a known good guy.

Should not need to be said, LTE data for $5 a month is crazy cheap.

Can afford to carry ATT 4G as well, maybe the VZW $5 3G deal as well for greater distance offshore, THREE sources for redundancy, for under $50 a month!

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by john61ct

This thread is good for the VZW option, 3G unlimited $5 a month.

Sorry must have forgotten to include the link?

Warning long thread, but no need to read it all to grasp the essential howTo's

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/....php?tid=16510

[john61ct]

Here's one on the ATT unlimited LTE for $30 a month

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/....php?tid=29452

And a good one on antennas, signal boosters

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/....php?tid=23412