Data Plan

[Fred1609]

We are travelling thru Washington,Oregon and Northern California this summer and my DW needs a Dataplan for work. I hear a lot about Verizon but does anybody use Mellenicom? I don't want to buy a month to month plan just because the company has the most commercials. Any info would be appreciated. And can anybody comment on using 3G versus 4G on wirless plans

[Yuji_Saeki]

4G is extremely limited in coverage with most major providers, Verizon being exemplary. Green markers are about the limit of their range.

4G has extreme capabilities but practical consumer use will of course be limited in terms of bandwidth allowance compared to 4G's technical maximum capabilities. Diffen provides a rough comparison of 3G vs 4G.

4G by Verizon was rumored to be cheaper than 3G, dunno if it holds. Good luck.

[wheato22]

I use a Version 3G pay-as-you-go data plan and activate only when we are traveling. I found the Verizon 3G Data coverage to be exceptional in the Western states.

The 30 day plan limits you to 1Gb of data but unless you are downloading files etc. we found thirty days of email amounted to 200Mb of data usage.

[Fred1609]

I had a look on Verizon's 4G website. I saw lots and lots of red over the country indicating 3G coverage and only a few circles around major cities indicating 4G coverage. I'm not a teckie guy, so theres probably someone a whole lot more in the know then me, but am I too understand that for an RV'er a 3G package is probably the best and likely cheaper than the 4G which when on the road will rarely be available.

[chaunclm]

We use Verizon 3G and the service has been extraordinary. We have yet to pull into a Walmart Parking lot and not have a 3 or 4 bar signal. We will be going up to 4G this spring when our contract expires, and right now 4G is a little less expensive that what we are currently paying. I can't remember the last time we were in an RV park and had to use a WIFI. We use an outside antenna but no boost. The antenna helps. It usually gives us an additional bar.

[chaunclm]

Fred1609, if one uses a 4G modem it should also receive 3G. Although I have read that Verizon has had a few problems with 3G reception on the 4G modem.

[Yuji_Saeki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred1609 I had a look on Verizon's 4G website. I saw lots and lots of red over the country indicating 3G coverage and only a few circles around major cities indicating 4G coverage. I'm not a teckie guy, so theres probably someone a whole lot more in the know then me, but am I too understand that for an RV'er a 3G package is probably the best and likely cheaper than the 4G which when on the road will rarely be available.

4G is supposed to be cheaper than 3G Unlimited Data Plans, rumored in 2010. I'm technical. You'll only get 4G speeds in coverage areas indicated on the map as the circles, they are town-tower based. No need to put them out in the wilderness. But my comment earlier, 4G was rumored it was going to be cheaper, haven't followed up on it though. Might as well go with 4G if it is cheaper, can use it when you're in towns and you'll get 3G out of town, on the road. 3G of 3 mbps max roughly on CDMA networks (Verizon, their 3G speeds are maxed out on their CDMA tech). GSM (Sprint, ATT) have not reached their 3G max cap, they can still push some in 3G but 4G will be much better.

Good luck all and hope for an HSPA+ network for all the country heh! (Extremely fast, used in 4G but not available everywhere at all X()

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaunclm Fred1609, if one uses a 4G modem it should also receive 3G. Although I have read that Verizon has had a few problems with 3G reception on the 4G modem.

I think some of the modems had problems with the initial roll-out of 4G, and the Verizon MiFi may still be having a problem according to a couple of reports I read. The problem was they couldn't decide whether to lock onto a 3G signal or a 4G signal when both were available.

It seems that most of the initial problems have been solved with new firmware that can be downloaded to your device. We have a Pantech UML 290 modem, and we have had no problems with either 3G or 4G. I recommend a 4G device because 4G is MUCH faster when it is available, and coverage is growing all the time.

[mrschwarz]

I have the Millenicom advanced plan. It is a rebranded version of Verizon 3G. The primary differences are that they charge $59.95 for 20 GB per month. No extra fees, taxes, extra charges. Service is reliable. Did I mention that the $59.95 fee costs $59.95?

[Senior Chief]

We also have used the Millenicom Advanced Plan (Verizon 3G reseller) for the last year or so. The 20 gig limit for $59 is the most generous one out there. No contracts and both service and signal quality have been outstanding.

Everyone I've ever talked to has been happy with Millenicom.

We are currently in an ATT-only area in South Texas, and had to pick up an ATT device and Data plan. Sucks.