Community Forums

jzick · 09-01-2013, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Has anyone tried the Republic Cell plan? No contract. either 19.95 or 29.95 per month. You have to buy there phone. Unlimited calling, text & Web.

Looks like they use some of the Sprint network. We have Sprint as a secondary carrier as their coverage in many areas, quite frankly, leaves a lot to be desired. It looks like their phones default to public wifi hot spots when available (privacy issues?), and texting capabilities, as I read it, may be limited to words - no pictures/videos. If you are in an area where Sprint's coverage will work for you and you can live with the data limitations, it looks like it might be cheap enough to give it a try, if the phones are not too expensive.

speedman42 · 09-03-2013, 12:34 PM

Thanks for the information.

Kro1957 · 11-10-2013, 06:49 PM

I have had some tell me Straight Talk on the Verizon Network and others have told me they got better coverage with ST on the AT& T Network.
So really not sure which one to pursue.

deafcone · 11-11-2013, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airbrushguy

Virgin Mobile 4glte hotspot $60/month no contract, Unlimited Data when in 4g areas and 5gb per month in 3g areas. I routinely clock well over 30mbs for download speeds.

are you happy with virgin mobile hotspot? do you have connection issues?

Kro1957 · 11-12-2013, 07:45 PM

I would like to use my current i-phone 4 with ST instead of buying a new one. The technology is there as I have done research. Local company owner I spoke with today said he can no longer do the flashing or unlocking due to new federal laws prohibiting him from doing so.
Are you kidding me? Sounds about right, the govt telling us how to run our lives more and more. Verizon Customer service was no help. I might try one of their stores and see if I get further than my first visit. We have 4 phones with them on a family plan and have had for close to 15 years. Sucking us for nearly $300 a month, I can see why they do not want us to leave.
Perhaps they (carriers like Verizon) were big donaters to some politicians.

rbillin · 03-23-2014, 10:12 PM

Has anyone had any luck with Sprint?

aauummm · 03-24-2014, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airbrushguy

Virgin Mobile 4glte hotspot $60/month no contract, Unlimited Data when in 4g areas and 5gb per month in 3g areas. I routinely clock well over 30mbs for download speeds.

I use Virgin Mobile WiFi hotspot while traveling also. Works well for me.

deafcone · 03-24-2014, 10:36 PM

We use Net10 for cell phones.

elektron · 04-19-2014, 07:18 PM

[QUOTE=Kro1957;1557208]What would everyone recommend for the best bang for the buck when it comes to:

Quote:

Cell Phone service

Consumer Cellular

Quote:

Internet

TV

We could do without the TV but would need to keep cell phone and internet.
Just curious who finds which services/plans to be the best bang for the buck when living on economy budget.

With good internet and Netflix, who needs cable?

smiller · 04-19-2014, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kro1957

I have had some tell me Straight Talk on the Verizon Network and others have told me they got better coverage with ST on the AT&T Network.
So really not sure which one to pursue.

Depends on location. In general Verizon has the best coverage but there are also some areas where AT&T is superior, best to check the coverage maps for your intended locations. Note that with Straight Talk and just about any other MVNO reseller you will have coverage only in primary service areas and cannot roam to smaller local carriers. This can cause some blackouts in certain areas but this is also visible on the coverage maps. For this reason it isn't a bad idea to have hotspots from two different carriers... for instance, if you think you need 8gb per 30-60 days you can buy 4gb on a Straight Talk Verizon hotspot and 4gb on a T-Mobile hotspot (both are $40 for 4 gb/60 days.) This way you get the total you are looking for but can choose one carrier or the other depending on who provides the best (or only) local service. As an example, there's a large section of West Virginia/Eastern Kentucky that is not covered by Verizon MVNO's (including Straight Talk and Millenicom), but T-Mobile works fine. And vice versa in many other areas.

LarryW21 · 12-04-2016, 05:23 PM

I'm happy with T-Mobile.

Nittynurs · 12-06-2016, 08:47 PM

We've used the same Mifi 4620LE for a number of years -- first with Millenicom and then with Verizon (after Millemicom was cut off by VZN).
It seems that VZN is now slowing our access (4G with strong signal).
Trying to learn if I need to replace my MiFi -- is it obsolete? But doesn't appear to be according to comments I've read.
Wondering if anyone else is having similar problems. We do travel and sometimes only find 3G service.

FloridaKash · 12-20-2016, 08:40 AM

I work a 40 hour+ week job while fulltiming with my family. My 3 kids are homeschooled and use an internet based curriculum, so connectivity is a must for us. I have 3 services - Verizon Post Paid, AT&T Pre-Paid and T-Mobile's newer unlimited plan. I started out with just Verizon and later added a TMobile hotspot when they added BingeOn for TV. We added AT&T when in Alaska because they had the best coverage and my daughter needed a phone (AT&T has best coverage in Alaska by far). Here's a summary.

Booster - A Booster is a must, it will get you a signal when you cannot get one with just your phone or hot spot and/or will significantly increase the signal. Don;t go cheap on the booster and get a good external antenna. I have a magnetic antenna that sits on top of our awning support and the cable runs in through the door to the booster unit. Internal antenna is a candybar antenna where I set my phone on. If you get a booster, make sure it covers all 4 frequencies.

Verizon - We had a 20GB 2 line plan. I would use my phone as a hot spot and tether to it. 20GB was typically enough for me to work and for the kids to do their school. Sometimes we would go over, but not too often. Coverage is great, especially in the East, South and Midwest. Speeds are super fast. 2 Lines + 20GB around $200

T-Mobile - We have had a TMobile hotspot for a bit over a year now. We got it because of the BingeOn program which let's you stream Hulu, Netflix, HBO Now and others without using your data. I ended up with a 6GB Data plan for something like $35. This worked well, but the unit does not have a strong signal, so the booster was essential. Coverage is not as great as Verizon, but I have noticed it has gotten much better over the last 6 months. I have since ditched the hotspot and have bought a TMobile phone with the Plus One Plan which is truly unlimited high speed data. I can now stream and browse the internet without concerns of data limits. Supposedly your signal gets deprioritized after 28GB, but I have exceeded that by 10X and have not had any issues. This is now our main internet connection. I have dropped my Verizon data down to 6GB which is saving me lots of money now. Tmobile One Plus, unlimited data $95

AT&T - This is a prepaid, backup connection. My daughter needed a phone so we got her a prepaid one from AT&T so we would have yet another connection at our disposal if needed. It only gets 3GB a month on it, but I can add more if needed. AT&T is great out west and in Alaska. Speeds are good. This option is about $45/month

All in all, I think the best bang for the buck is T-Mobile. $95 for the first line with truly unlimited data that you can tether to is a great deal. Speeds aren't super fast, but they are fast enough to watch TV and work at the same time. I have been in Alaska the last 3 months taking care of family and am looking forward to getting back to the RV and hitting the road again in early Jan. This is when we'll truly see how T-Mobile does since the phone gets a much better signal than the hotspot.

Connectivity is required for me, so this is why I have all providers. It is a bit excessive and expensive, but still is cheaper than having a home internet bill, cable bill, water bill and electric bill.

Let me know if you have any questions about connectivity. I use it every day, all day.

smiller · 12-20-2016, 06:39 PM

I use the same strategy with T-Mobile. They are still not quite the equal of Verizon in terms of building penetration or extreme rural coverage, but they have gotten so much better over the last year or two that they are 90% as good and due to the better rates, service terms, and Binge On (free video streaming) they are my primary service provider now, and I maintain a low-cost plan on a Verizon MVNO for the increasingly rare cases where Verizon is the only game in town.

BTW Millenicom is now reselling T-Mobile so if you prefer one of the older limited plans (at very good rates) that also includes Binge On then they are a good option.