Lowest $ cell/internet service

[udaman]

Alright, how do I find out what the absolute lowest price (service quality be damned) cellular & ability to connect via laptop to the internet available today, or in the near future, is?

Reason I ask, I got my nice 'pro-rated' + new monthly landline residential flat-rate service bill from AT&T, bumped up starting Jan.1 from ~$13/mo up $3.45/mo to $16.45/mo. After taxes (it's a sh*tload of taxes galore) that $3.45 increase ends up being more like a $4.50/mo increase. So I go from $21/mo, which was $19/mo just 2yrs ago, now to nearly :smack:$25/mo.

I almost never use my landline anymore for anything but the incredibly slow dialup service with my laptop.

Calling AT&T dumb reps, they think I need to get either a USB adapter modem, or PCBus card and pay $60/mo for being able to connect to the 3G network that cell phones use. But I have cell phone service already w/Sprint still @ the old 100min/mo $15 ($19 w/taxes) 1999 intro service deal. Lowest priced cell phone service there is, but it's voice only, no data.

Seems there is no way to use a combined cell phone # service to also connect your laptop to the internet, or is there???

When you get a wireless 3G 'modem' for a laptop, is that a new "phone #" for the laptop? If there is no associated # with the laptop/modem combo, how does it connect to the 3G network for data only???

Any site that explains all this crap in easy to understand English?

Again, looking for absolute lowest price for both cell phone voice (that's all I need a cell phone for) and wireless laptop internet access via same type of 3G network.

I see for cell phones Sprint has either a $60/mo 3G data service, or for an additional $10, in limited areas, the new WiMax (type of 4G) service. Neither of those interest me, far too much $$$/mo. That's in addition to the monthly charge for voice portion of cell phone service.

Yeah, I could get a $25/mo DSL service data only line on my current landline and discontinue the voice service, but DSL via AT&T in may area is in the Devil's Triangle...it's awful slow, and flaky service.

Are there any pre-paid services that are lower for both data (via laptop) and cell phone (voice only) than 2yr contract or monthly service plans?

 

[ddrueding]

I don't know much about this stuff, but here it is.

If you can find a phone that supports tethering, then one device with voice+data might be cheaper than two separate devices, but I know nothing about your options there.

Sprint and Verizon both offer the MiFi 2200 device with two data plans. For Sprint, $60/mo gets you 5GB/mo. If 500MB/mo is enough, you can get a $45/mo plan. This device translates from 3G to 802.11g, so any device (or multiple devices) can work with it.

 

[Mercutio]

The overall lowest standard 500 minute + 5GB/month plan is T-mobile. IIRC they offer something at $39.95 a month. There was a chart on Consumerist.org about that last week.

All Windows Mobile phones that offer 802.11 can be made to act as access points through a program called WMWifiRouter, regardless of the provider's tethering policy (users can also use a registry editor to configure tethering if it's disabled on the phone).

 

[udaman]

I don't know much about this stuff, but here it is.

If you can find a phone that supports tethering, then one device with voice+data might be cheaper than two separate devices, but I know nothing about your options there.

Sprint and Verizon both offer the MiFi 2200 device with two data plans. For Sprint, $60/mo gets you 5GB/mo. If 500MB/mo is enough, you can get a $45/mo plan. This device translates from 3G to 802.11g, so any device (or multiple devices) can work with it.

Not sure I understand the detailed definition of cell phone tethering?

I saw the MiFI 2200 @Sprint store, guy did not tell me about the 500MB/mo $45 rate, but that's still too much for pokey slow 3G service. At any rate I d/l >.5G/mo just using dialup to surf the net 7d/wk. I'd have to look at how high the overage charges are...IIRC they are very high @per kb rates.

Sprint site advertises $60/mo data only rate, with or w/o current cell phone service, when you get a PMCIA/PC cardbus service/modem...so they are assigning a different cell "phone number" without voice service?

The overall lowest standard 500 minute + 5GB/month plan is T-mobile. IIRC they offer something at $39.95 a month. There was a chart on Consumerist.org about that last week.

If I could get that, and I see no listing for it, then it would work for me, considering my options, about same price I'm paying for mo/landline voice plan + cellphone voice only plan with Sprint @100min/mo.

MetroPC has contract-less service phone + data for $50 or $60 using smartphones, if that was what I was looking for, and I'm not. I have no use for puny little screens and midget sized cell phone kb's as my main way to surf the net:

http://www.metropcs.com/plans/

Only listing on Cons.org I could find is for cell phone services, not laptop connected data services...and with data, it's either $60 or $80/mo via the chart shown below, it *way* too much...again, I can get my voice only landline converted to a data only line @$25/mo, only I don't want AT&T's lousy unreliable landline dsl service, tried it before it sux in my area until they put in fiber lines...circa 3010, lol:

http://consumerist.com/2010/01/char...l-phone-carriers-slightly-less-confusing.html

All Windows Mobile phones that offer 802.11 can be made to act as access points through a program called WMWifiRouter, regardless of the provider's tethering policy (users can also use a registry editor to configure tethering if it's disabled on the phone).

^so basically a phone that can broadcast a weak 802.11 signal and act as a wireless router, like you'd have at home? Not sure which phones do act as a transmitter, Googling will get that???

I have the old 802.11b? orig WiFi internal card on my old laptop, but can get a 802.11n card for the Carbus slot...if I could find a cell phone plan and particular model that can broadcast 802.11 to allow setting up wireless networking that way. But I doubt I can do this economically.

This is what Sprint is rolling out with their "4G" service...only to a very limited market at present. Adds only $10/mo to the 3G service...I'm SOL, as I expected vvv


I hate that barefeats guy, he's got all the speedy hardware and for some reason lives in a Sprint friendly area, where 4G supposedly (via Sprint's website, though they do list some coverage in dd's area) isn't even available yet. And he's got friggin 50mbs Comcast cable, so not fair!

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]4G COMES TO MAC:
Sprint Overdrive[/FONT]
http://www.barefeats.com/overdrive.html


only laptop data service via $99 PC card I could find, which is still too expensive for only data, is Datajack's temporarily "unlimited" rate $40/mo, these telco's are whores making too much money off these data plans, competition doesn't seem to be working:

via a dslreports.com thread (lost the link):

http://dealitem.com/Deal/1297640/DataJack-Unlimited-3G.aspx

 

[udaman]

twitter, wtf!?!?

So I was reading about how Clear is now in *one* city in Spain. Well that's great, but how about you provide same service in the 2nd largest city in the USA...1st! issed:

and then I noticed this freakin little powder blue tweettie bird icon blocking the text the the lower righthand side of this pg:

http://www.4ginfo.com/index.php/clearwire-to-launch-4g-wimax-network-in-spain.html

^Kill the friggin bird, how do I do that!!!!

<li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">A college student or retiree can now have affordable Internet service to meet their needs at home, on campus and on-the-go; <li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">A commuter can now work or access entertainment sites like YouTube on the way to and from home..


Instanet 4G rate plans can be purchased with or without a service-contract and do not include usage caps. Home 4G Instanet service plans start at EUR 29.90 a month. Additional savings are available for customers by purchasing a combination of services including 4G Instanet Home and 4G Instanet City. This option provides a 50 percent discount for life.

"Nearly 600,000 Malaga residents will be able to access the Internet immediately and affordably without the disadvantages or delays of traditional ADSL services."

^Those must be some well off students and retirees.

Ok, great; Sprint for the time being is offering 3G/4G service for the same $60 that 3G only used to cost:

Sprint 3G/4G Plan Just $59.99/mo!
http://4gforums.com/thread6913.html

Now how about a cut-rate 3G service for the rest of us, like 1/2 of that $60 for 1G/mo on a data only plan?

Still don't understand what tethering involves. Will you lose your voice capability at the time you have a phone that does 'tethering' with a laptop? Can you receive/make calls on a voice/data plan cell phone simultaneously when you are accessing the Net?

And whazzup with San Diego being the wireless/cable test center, even Cox...Rn't they cable? is doing wireless LTE testing, of the whole USA?

http://www.4ginfo.com/index.php/cox-tests-lte-in-phoenix-and-san-diego.html


http://4gforums.com/thread6826.html

Hopefully these prices remain unlimited by the year 2020, Y'know....when WiMax becomes available for Los Angeles

 

[ddrueding]

^Kill the friggin bird, how do I do that!!!!

Try scrolling?

 

[udaman]

Like M$sloth, Adobe Flash; I consider telco's 3vil, they need to burn in hell \\\ I agree w/this old '08 article, seems not much as changed...of course they provide no alternative solution, bcuz there is none...on a 2yr contract you'd end up paying more for internet access than you would for your friggin laptop!:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/why_tethering_is_stupid_and_unnecessary

http://www.slashgear.com/3g-broadband-bullet-debuts-with-unlimited-data-for-60-monthly-2475452/

^$50/mo seems the lowest I can find, with what looks like decent coverage...only I need a CardBus card for wi-fi spec n, as my old USB port is not 2.0.

I could deal with an extra $10/mo over what I pay now (£15 + £10= $50/mo) , if tethering would allow simultaneous voice & data...only I'd have to move to the UK to use it with an iPhone

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/02/26/o2.fights.vodafone.with.cheaper.iphone.rates/

The monthly "simplicity for iPhone" plans at £15 for a 1-year contract or £20 contract-free give those who already have an iPhone a much less expensive alternative to using the device without sacrificing features. At the base level, these provide 300 minutes, unlimited data, UK texting and Wi-Fi with tethering an option at either £2 maximum per day or a flat £10 per month for 3GB of use.