Is anyone using a prepaid plan?

[xguy]

There are a lot of choice out there and actually made the local news last night where some had cut their bill by 60%! I am sure paying way too much for one phone and considering this option.

So my question is does places like Straight Talk, Net 10, Page Plus and many others allow tethering....because I do a lot of it!

 

[fdbryant3]

Most pre-paid plans do not allow tethering (although it happens anyway). One that does is Ting. However Ting is not an "unlimited" service. Instead you pay for what you use so you'll want to be aware of your average monthly useage when deciding if Ting is for you (and I'm not going to lie if your using more than 2GB a month, your probably going to be better off somewhere else, but they probably don't allow tethering and it should be cheaper than a contract). On the plus side Ting runs over Sprint and has access to Sprint's LTE network (most prepaid services do not have access to LTE) if it is available in your area.

Anyway if you (or anyone) do decide to go with Ting use this link https://zll4ogo6p.ting.com/, you will get $25 of your first device or first months service and I'll get a referral credit

 

[Digital Controller]

I know a lot of people like the T-Mobile 30$/m plan for Unlimited Data and Text and 100minutes of talk, then you can just get the prepaid cards for more voice time.

 

[xguy]

Most pre-paid plans do not allow tethering (although it happens anyway). One that does is Ting. However Ting is not an "unlimited" service. Instead you pay for what you use so you'll want to be aware of your average monthly useage when deciding if Ting is for you (and I'm not going to lie if your using more than 2GB a month, your probably going to be better off somewhere else, but they probably don't allow tethering and it should be cheaper than a contract). On the plus side Ting runs over Sprint and has access to Sprint's LTE network (most prepaid services do not have access to LTE) if it is available in your area.

Anyway if you (or anyone) do decide to go with Ting use this link https://zll4ogo6p.ting.com/, you will get $25 of your first device or first months service and I'll get a referral credit

I would love to give you that credit but I use 7-8 GB a month so that wouldn't work. I just went to the website and I might get one for my wife- those prices are unbelievable! I'll let you know.

 

[xguy]

I know a lot of people like the T-Mobile 30$/m plan for Unlimited Data and Text and 100minutes of talk, then you can just get the prepaid cards for more voice time.

Yeah T-Mobile has a great plan but in my area they like a 1 on a scale of 10- The commercial with the chick on the bike is like a joke here....just the opposite! :laugh:

 

[xguy]

When I first learned of Straight Talk I was told by someone I couldn't tether.

I would love to find one of those prepaid unlimited cheaper plans that I can tether....maybe under radar if ya know what I mean.

 

[NeXuS4]

I get so tired of these people that complain just because they can't get everything thing they want the way they want it.

Maybe when they can get unlimited talk, text and web on Verizon's 4G network that works in the middle of death valley for $20 a month they will be happy (rolls eyes)

 

[blarelli]

There are a lot of choice out there and actually made the local news last night where some had cut their bill by 60%! I am sure paying way too much for one phone and considering this option.

So my question is does places like Straight Talk, Net 10, Page Plus and many others allow tethering....because I do a lot of it!

I use T-mobile's $30 prepaid plan with a galaxy nexus. After paying for skype to make up for the 100 minutes the plan has, it comes to about $35 a month after tax. Before that I was on Sprint paying about $90 a month, so I guess I am saving a little bit over 60%. I don't, however, get tethering.

 

[lightsleeper23]

Cricket, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile all have tethering. But I wouldn't recommend them as Boost and Virgin run on sprints slow 3G network. Sure Boost and Virgin have a couple of wimax phones, but wimax is a joke. Cricket is rolling out lte as we speak (their own towers) and already have a couple of capable devices. T-Mobile prepaid does have a tethering add on, which apparently is not available for their $70 unlimited, un-throttled plan. So the $60 2GB of 4G plan will run $75 with tethering. Not the cheapest option considering Cricket includes it free in their $60 plan and $70 plan, which give you 2.5 and 5 GB of full speed data, respectively. Although for now full speed only means 3G. We'll have to see what their pricing on lte plans will be like. But considering their high phone prices and downgraded (excepting the S3), low power phones, I still don't think they're worth it.

 

[NeXuS4]

MetroPCS will give you unlimited 4G with hot spot for $60/month

 

[yfan]

When I first learned of Straight Talk I was told by someone I couldn't tether.

I would love to find one of those prepaid unlimited cheaper plans that I can tether....maybe under radar if ya know what I mean.

Tell you what, I do know what you mean, and it's not a good idea. There's a reason why unlimited and unthrottled data plans usually forbid tethering in the contract. You should pay for the data you use. Data isn't free, bandwidth isn't free, and mobile bandwidth is certainly not free. If you want to tether, pay for it, and get a plan. That way, our data networks don't get congested because responsible users are essentially subsidizing irresponsible use.

What plan do you have now? If that allows tethering and you're satisfied, why do you want to switch (if there's a reason other than you not wanting to pay a premium price)? How much tethering do you honestly need, given the abundance of wifi access these days?

Cricket, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile all have tethering. But I wouldn't recommend them as Boost and Virgin run on sprints slow 3G network. Sure Boost and Virgin have a couple of wimax phones, but wimax is a joke.

I don't have Sprint anymore, but when I did, I had access to their wimax 4G, and when I was on it, speeds were very good. No LTE, but I regularly got between 7 and 10 mbps down.

 

[xguy]

I get so tired of these people that complain just because they can't get everything thing they want the way they want it.

Maybe when they can get unlimited talk, text and web on Verizon's 4G network that works in the middle of death valley for $20 a month they will be happy (rolls eyes)

At least you know it WOULD be Verizon not T-Mobile that would work there, and you're right I'd LOVE to have it ALL for $20!! :eviltongue: :laugh::hahaha::hahaha:

 

[NeXuS4]

At least you know it WOULD be Verizon not T-Mobile that would work there, and you're right I'd LOVE to have it ALL for $20!! :eviltongue: :laugh::hahaha::hahaha:

Enjoy your imaginary phone plan then. I'm not implying that Verizon is better than T-Mobile I am simply saying a lot of uninformed people suffer from the misconception that they need to be on Verizon no matter what.

To be honest your coming off as very obtuse and your expectations are ridiculous. I deal with enough self entitled people in my day job so I don't need to be bothered with this stuff.

Enjoy your shared data plan on Verizon.

 

[lightsleeper23]

I've tried wimax before, it's a joke. IF I could even get a signal, which was rare indeed, I never saw anything above 1mbps. My UPload speeds were even more of a joke as at times it was hitting like 5kbps. Or it would just say network error and the test wouldn't finish. And that's in the city.

And I must admit I am not familiar with metro pcs plans, as they are not nationwide and not in my area.

 

[yfan]

I've tried wimax before, it's a joke. IF I could even get a signal, which was rare indeed, I never saw anything above 1mbps. My UPload speeds were even more of a joke as at times it was hitting like 5kbps. Or it would just say network error and the test wouldn't finish. And that's in the city.

Well I suppose it's a joke in Salt Lake City, Utah, then. Sounds like you had a hard time getting signal anyway. I live in the Silicon Valley, and it worked very well for me.

 

[lightsleeper23]

Well I suppose it's a joke in Salt Lake City, Utah, then. Sounds like you had a hard time getting signal anyway. I live in the Silicon Valley, and it worked very well for me.

Yeah. But it's supposed to be a major market here. If they advertise it as nationwide coverage and claim there is good coverage in this city but these are typical results here, I would call it a joke overall. That's not to say it cant be a little better in other places...

But this is the whole reason I'm not sold on things like wimax and lte. If it's like a separate connection you have to make, almost like connecting to WiFi, and it's spotty and drains battery, I'm not sure it's worth it. I like the fact that with T-Mobile I get great speeds as a standard, on my regular data connection, wherever I can get a standard connection. Which is everywhere, indoors and out, unlike wimax which couldn't penetrate indoors well at all. All without connecting and disconnecting from 4G while worrying about it draining battery.

 

[yfan]

Yeah. But it's supposed to be a major market here. If they advertise it as nationwide coverage and claim there is good coverage in this city but these are typical results here, I would call it a joke overall. That's not to say it cant be a little better in other places...

If Sprint says there's WiMax coverage in SLC, and that was your experience, then I can understand your frustration. But Salt Lake City is hardly typical to the point that its coverage issues can be extrapolated everywhere. It's a city of 200,000 people in a state of less than 3 million. That's not a knock on where you live, but the reality is that providers will focus their coverage more on where more people live. In that light, coverage in San Francisco and Silicon Valley are MUCH more likely to be "typical" of the promised WiMax coverage areas. This is not to discount your experience, but your experience and your location does not by itself make for a typical case.

 

[lightsleeper23]

Well to be fair, salt lake city itself might not have a million ppl in it's city limits, but its actually a metropolitan are here with many cities connecting. Theres about a million ppl along the wasatch front here, which is where coverage is advertised. I know it's still not as much as other areas, but it's significant. Regardless, you're the first person I've heard that had good things to say about wimax. I'm sure there are others, but to date I've heard many bad things. But anyways, as far as prepaid plans go, I still think gsm with hspa+ is the better way to go.

 

[yfan]

But anyways, as far as prepaid plans go, I still think gsm with hspa+ is the better way to go.

No argument there. It's why I now have the T-mobile $30 plan with 5 gb of data.

 

[mikedt]

Tell you what, I do know what you mean, and it's not a good idea. There's a reason why unlimited and unthrottled data plans usually forbid tethering in the contract. You should pay for the data you use. Data isn't free, bandwidth isn't free, and mobile bandwidth is certainly not free. If you want to tether, pay for it, and get a plan. That way, our data networks don't get congested because responsible users are essentially subsidizing irresponsible use.

Thing is modern smart-phones, like Android, iOS, WinPhone, can use as much data as a PC anyway. Streaming music, video on demand, Google Maps, Skype, IM, browsing full websites not cut-down mobile versions. You can run bittorrent on a cell-phone, talk about wireless bandwidth hogging.

To me the idea of paying extra for tethering is a relic from the dumb-phone and WAP era, when cell-phones didn't use much data at all. And IMO certain carriers keep it on as a means to gouge you and increase their profits.

 

[yfan]

Thing is modern smart-phones, like Android, iOS, WinPhone, can use as much data as a PC anyway. Streaming music, video on demand, Skype, viewing full websites not cut-down mobile versions. You can run bittorrent on a cell-phone, talk about mobile bandwidth hogging.

Great, then why do you need to tether at all when everything you need to do can be done on your phone? Seems to me that you are making the case that tethering is antiquated, not that it shouldn't be paid for.

Unless that really isn't the case. Unless, as I suspect, you would much prefer to consume data on your laptop, desktop or tablet rather than on your phone. Unless there are some factors that just limit your usage on the phone... after all, when you are on a phone call, it's much easier to surf the web on your laptop than your phone. You may also prefer seeing full size web pages on your laptop or desktop or even a tablet. You may prefer to view Netflix on a larger screen than a phone. That you *can* use as much data on a phone as on a computer doesn't mean that you *do.* If you did, you would have no need for tethering, and thus this would be a moot question.

To me the idea of paying extra for tethering is a relic from the dumb-phone and WAP era, when cell-phones didn't use much data at all. And IMO certain carriers keep it on as a means to gouge you and increase their profits.

That's your opinion, and it's a fine one. You do, however, sign a contract. If you don't like the terms of it, find a different service. I hope THAT isn't a relic from some bygone era - the concept of having to abide by, or change, contracts we willingly sign.

 

[mikedt]

Great, then why do you need to tether at all when everything you need to do can be done on your phone? Seems to me that you are making the case that tethering is antiquated, not that it shouldn't be paid for.


Unless that really isn't the case. Unless, as I suspect, you would much prefer to consume data on your laptop, desktop or tablet rather than on your phone. Unless there are some factors that just limit your usage on the phone... after all, when you are on a phone call, it's much easier to surf the web on your laptop than your phone. You may also prefer seeing full size web pages on your laptop or desktop or even a tablet. You may prefer to view Netflix on a larger screen than a phone. That you *can* use as much data on a phone as on a computer doesn't mean that you *do.* If you did, you would have no need for tethering, and thus this would be a moot question.


That's your opinion, and it's a fine one. You do, however, sign a contract. If you don't like the terms of it, find a different service. I hope THAT isn't a relic from some bygone era - the concept of having to abide by, or change, contracts we willingly sign.

OK video streaming would consume more bandwidth on a PC because of higher resolutions. But that's about the only thing, isn't it?

I'm going to be consuming data either on my smart-phone or my PC. The modern smart phone is a computer. For my uses, I don't think I'm going to be using any more on either. So why should I have to pay extra for the data coming from my laptop, over what's coming from my smart-phone?

TBH I've never had to pay extra for tethering, not in the UK or China. Is it mainly a US carrier thing, because they can get away with it? I know 3 in the UK charges extra for tethering, but then that's not a particularly good carrier, and will gouge for everything, not just tethering.

BTW I've just pre-paid for another month, the China Mobile doesn't care what I do with the SIM or what I use it for, I can use it in my phone, tether it, or I can even put it in a 3G modem and use it purely for data. On my particular plan the internet is metered by the number of hours I use, and not the amount of data.

 

[lightsleeper23]

I could be wrong, but I wouldn't really think tethering to a tablet would be using more bandwidth than the phone. You're just redirecting your data signal from the phone to the tablet, it's not like you're watching videos on your phone and tablet at the same time. Yeah a pc might use more bandwidth for the same video stream, but who's using their mobile phone data to connect their home internet? If they are, that is a problem. I don't think it should be an extra charge to tether to a tablet, or a laptop, while you're out and away from wifi. Once you use up the data you have paid for, then you get slowed down or charged more or whatever the plan calls for. If their systems detect you are using massive bandwidth nonstop, all day long, as if you are using your MOBILE data to connect your home internet setup, that's evidence of abuse and you should get cut off. Other than that tethering should just be a given with no charge.

Maybe a device limit I can see. Like if you're tethering 5 devices at once than you could just be giving your friends free internet when they should be paying for their own.

 

[rui-no-onna]

If you're on an unlimited data plan, I can understand charging for tethering since it's more likely to be abused. Folks are more likely to use up more bandwidth streaming 720p/1080p videos to a tethered laptop or tablet than 360p/480p to a 3~4" display. For those on a plan with a monthly bandwidth limit, there shouldn't be a separate tethering charge. How is 3GB of data consumed directly by the smartphone differ from 3GB of data consumed by a tethered device?

 

[mikedt]

If you're on an unlimited data plan, I can understand charging for tethering since it's more likely to be abused. Folks are more likely to use up more bandwidth streaming 720p/1080p videos to a tethered laptop or tablet than 360p/480p to a 3~4" display. For those on a plan with a monthly bandwidth limit, there shouldn't be a separate tethering charge.

I can understand how video streaming to a laptop with HD, rather than SD to a cell-phone. Those on real truly unlimited plans(no fair usage, or throttling, or other caps), could possibly used more data with a laptop. If your bandwidth is throttled because you've gone over your monthly fair usage quota, you're not going to be streaming much of anything.

How is 3GB of data consumed directly by the smartphone differ from 3GB of data consumed by a tethered device?

I don't understand that at all, especially on limited and metered plans. You're paying for 3GB of data. Why should a carrier charge you extra, if you want to use that 3GB of data with a tethered laptop?

The other thing is, how can a carrier detect you're tethering anyway? Deep packet inspection possibly? What's the difference between running a bandwidth hog like bittorrent on a smart-phone than on a laptop. And you can always spoof a browser's user agent string(UAS) to be anything you like. There's been a couple of posts here, where a phone user has been falsely accused of tethering, just because they were using a different browser over the phone's default one, Three UK.

Fortunately I don't have to deal with tethering fees. I buy data either by the gigabyte or sometimes by the number of on-line hours(China Telecom does this for some pre-paid plans). How I use it is down to me, and has nothing to do with the carrier, whether I'm using my laptop or my Android phone.