Need help with off contract plan

[mogelijk]

Thanks, yep, I just looked at the actual map, and my area is in the darkest green (excellent) area with some "very strong" areas near by. I was going on the text description that the Solavei site was giving as far as 4G cities, Cleveland wasn't mentioned. I do presently get around 4mbps down with T-Mo, and that works for me, as I need to view my security cameras when out at least from time to time. Can't go under that speed, and I may NEED to tether occasionally. I can view the cameras on the Android ASee app fine, but to control or review footage, I need to connect to the laptop as need IE to do that, as any camera controls/settings use Active-X, can't do that on Android. Thanks.

Yes, T-Mobile may be confusing for a while, since they previously called HSPA+ 4G. Most places consider 4G to be LTE and only LTE, though there are enough that still try to list HSPA+ as 4G to keep it confusing. At some point, I'm guessing that HSPA+ will often be referred to as 3.5G, though it still will be referred to as simply 3G frequently enough to keep things confused.

 

[7Priest7]

Thanks, will prolly keep one of those 2 T-Mo plans you mentioned for the time being until I see something better. At least I know what I have with T-Mo, and I'll save something off contract using my same phone.

I can tell you from experience, You should avoid Simple Mobile.
They have no unlimited data,
They just don't list or standardize who gets kicked for how much.
They will kick you though, I've heard of Simple Mobile kicking for as little as 2.5GB.

Solvei has a soft cap of 4GB after which you will receive 2g speeds, I have no personal experience with them.

 

[dannykewl]

I can tell you from experience, You should avoid Simple Mobile.
They have no unlimited data,
They just don't list or standardize who gets kicked for how much.
They will kick you though, I've heard of Simple Mobile kicking for as little as 2.5GB.

Solvei has a soft cap of 4GB after which you will receive 2g speeds, I have no personal experience with them.

I had to look Simple Mobile up as I never heard of them, and all I can find on their site is only the first 250MB of their $40 plan is 4G. then they leave you hanging, couldn't find any of their other plans, if they have more.

 

[7Priest7]

I had to look Simple Mobile up as I never heard of them, and all I can find on their site is only the first 250MB of their $40 plan is 4G. then they leave you hanging, couldn't find any of their other plans, if they have more.

They have a $50 dollar plan they claim is Unlimited 4g.
I was just warning you their $50 dollar plan is not unlimited.

They will hard cap you when their arbitrary version of excessive occurs.
Just avoid them, ATM their are no good MVNOs for heavy data users.

 

[dannykewl]

Thank you all again for the help and advice. I will look at Solavei again in the near future when the situation is over where I don't want to change or port my number or change what works for me now, then I can experiment.

I just came back from the local T-Mo store, here's what I got: Unlimited talk and text of course which I had, but got the 4.5 GB 4G plan (includes the 500MB you normally get now I guess automatically). the rep said I can use 2.5GB of that for tethering. 50MB data roaming I think. All postpaid. He said if I went prepaid, fees and taxes, would be higher and I would have to pay up front the full price for a new phone. With postpaid, sounded like maybe a discount on a new phone? So all this $70 plus about $7 fees and taxes, and I dropped the warranty and phone finder at $4 each, so I'll be saving about $19 over the 2GB data plan with unlimited text/talk I had. . Also on prepaid, your bill is due every *30* days, not once a month, so if you pre-paid on July 1, you'd have to pay again on 7/30, and he says they do cut you off that day if not pre-paid, and your first month is due on the spot. With post-paid they give you a little grace period he said.

For the same price I could have got unlimited 4G, but includes only 500MB of tethering, and 200 MB of data roaming I believe. But with no contract can change at will, so I'll try this for the time being.

 

[dannykewl]

They have a $50 dollar plan they claim is Unlimited 4g.
I was just warning you their $50 dollar plan is not unlimited.

They will hard cap you when their arbitrary version of excessive occurs.
Just avoid them, ATM their are no good MVNOs for heavy data users.

OK, thanks, I didn't see that one, but looks like one to avoid.

 

[7Priest7]

I just came back from the local T-Mo store, here's what I got: Unlimited talk and text of course which I had, but got the 4.5 GB 4G plan (includes the 500MB you normally get now I guess automatically). the rep said I can use 2.5GB of that for tethering. 50MB data roaming I think...
all this $70 plus about $7 fees and taxes

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/individual-plans.aspx
Idk what he sold you but they do not have 4.5GB plans.
They have 500MB($50) 2.5GB($60) and unlimited($70).
Also you only get 500MB tethering with the unlimited plan.
The rep must have sold you the $60 dollar plan(You will be throttled to 2g after 2.5GB) and perhaps you got a new phone with a $10 a month payment?

He said if I went prepaid, fees and taxes, would be higher and I would have to pay up front the full price for a new phone.

Did he happen to mention that part of his pay is off commissions and that prepaid earns him nothing?
The True Cost Of Cell Service: Prepaid vs. Postpaid | Smartphone Report
Taxes will almost always be less on prepaid(t-mobile is no exception).

If I were you I would create a account on t-mobile.com and figure out exactly what I was sold.

EDIT: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
With prepaid you can buy airtime cards like ^ and only be forced to pay the cost of sales tax.

 

[mogelijk]

Unsupported Browser
Idk what he sold you but they do not have 4.5GB plans.
They have 500MB($50) 2.5GB($60) and unlimited($70).
Also you only get 500MB tethering with the unlimited plan.
The rep must have sold you the $60 dollar plan(You will be throttled to 2g after 2.5GB) and perhaps you got a new phone with a $10 a month payment?


Did he happen to mention that part of his pay is off commissions and that prepaid earns him nothing?
The True Cost Of Cell Service: Prepaid vs. Postpaid | Smartphone Report
Taxes will almost always be less on prepaid(t-mobile is no exception).

If I were you I would create a account on t-mobile.com and figure out exactly what I was sold.

EDIT: T-Mobile $30 Wireless Airtime Card - Walmart.com
With prepaid you can buy airtime cards like ^ and only be forced to pay the cost of sales tax.

Actually, you are mistaken as there is a 4.5 GB plan for $70, you can find it here. They actually have plans up to 12.5 GB, which cost $110/month.

The reason for these plans, and for not going with the $70 Unlimited data, is that the $70 true unlimited only gives you 500 MB of tethering; as opposed to his plan which gives him at least 2.5 GB tethering.

I'll agree that prepaid taxes are less, he was mislead on that, but it is true that prepaid is on a 30 day "month", whereas postpaid is a true monthly plan -- so the cost evens out a bit. Not to mention, again, you get data roaming, call forwarding, and even possibly network priority on postpaid.

 

[mogelijk]

They have a $50 dollar plan they claim is Unlimited 4g.
I was just warning you their $50 dollar plan is not unlimited.

They will hard cap you when their arbitrary version of excessive occurs.
Just avoid them, ATM their are no good MVNOs for heavy data users.

Simple Mobile was bought out by Tracfone last year, which also owns Straight Talk, Net 10, and others. As such, I believe (based on what I've heard) it is now to the point that Straight Talk and Simple Mobile have similar terms.

 

[7Priest7]

Actually, you are mistaken as there is a 4.5 GB plan for $70, you can find it here. They actually have plans up to 12.5 GB, which cost $110/month.

That is interesting. I was mistaken, sorry.
I have had no trouble tethering MANY GBs on the unlimited plan, perhaps at some point they will perfect their methods of detecting tethering.

Simple Mobile was bought out by Tracfone last year, which also owns Straight Talk, Net 10, and others. As such, I believe (based on what I've heard) it is now to the point that Straight Talk and Simple Mobile have similar terms.

I have no personal experience with straight talk, however I was on Simple Mobile earlier this month.
They hard cap at a undefined "excessive usage" point.

 

[dannykewl]

Here is a screencap of my plan page. I assume the 2.5GB of that is tethering as the plan doesn't mention it, maybe in fine print somewhere, and they include the otherwise 500MB free giving 4.5 GB total. Trying to determine if I should go for totally unlimited data as I do have a rooted phone, and tethering works before OK, (gotta try it again), and if so, go totally unlimited? I didn't buy a new phone, I'm keeping my HTC Sensation 4G for now.
Here is the fine print on the Plan page:

"Limited-time offers; subject to change. Taxes and fees additional. Domestic only. Compatible device required; not all features or plans available on all devices. Unlimited talk & text features for direct U.S. communications between two people. General Terms: At participating locations. Domestic only. Credit approval, deposit and $10 SIM starter kit may be required. If you switch plans you may be bound by existing or extended term (including early termination provisions) and/or charged an up to $200 fee. Regulatory Programs Fee of $1.61 per line/month applies. Taxes approx. 6–28% of bill. Full speeds available up to monthly allotment; then, slowed to up to 2G speeds for rest of billing cycle. Roaming and on-network data allotments differ; 500 MB full-speed plan includes 10 MB roaming; 2.5 GB, 4.5 GB and Unlimited 4G full-speed plans include 50 MB roaming; 6.5 GB and 8.5 GB full-speed plans include 100 MB roaming; and 10.5 GB and 12.5 GB full-speed plans include 200 MB roaming. Unlimited text includes unlimited nationwide text, and picture and video messaging. Family Plans: Limit five lines. All lines of service must be activated in the same T-Mobile market with same billing address and area code. Smartphone Mobile HotSpot: Qualifying plan required. Plan data allotment applies. Unlimited 4G data plan includes 500MB of tethering. No domestic roaming. Use of connected devices subject to T-Mobile Terms and Conditions. Apps and 3rd Party Content: Use of some content or features may incur separate, additional charges and/or require a qualifying plan or access to Wi-Fi connection. Coverage not available everywhere. Network Management: Data traffic of plans with limited high-speed data allotments greater than 2GB will be prioritized over other currently offered plans during periods of congestion. Service may be slowed, suspended, terminated, or restricted for misuse, abnormal use, interference with our network or ability to provide quality service to other users, or significant roaming."

 

[dannykewl]

I was just informed Solavei and other MVNO's don't support wi-fi calling. That would be a deal breaker for me. Unless there's an app or a work-a-round. Little of no signal at many friends/relatives and I have to connect to their wi-fi to make/take calls and texts as well as go online.

 

[mogelijk]

Here is a screencap of my plan page. I assume the 2.5GB of that is tethering as the plan doesn't mention it, maybe in fine print somewhere, and they include the otherwise 500MB free giving 4.5 GB total. Trying to determine if I should go for totally unlimited data as I do have a rooted phone, and tethering works before OK, (gotta try it again), and if so, go totally unlimited? I didn't buy a new phone, I'm keeping my HTC Sensation 4G for now.
Here is the fine print on the Plan page:

"Limited-time offers; subject to change. Taxes and fees additional. Domestic only. Compatible device required; not all features or plans available on all devices. Unlimited talk & text features for direct U.S. communications between two people. General Terms: At participating locations. Domestic only. Credit approval, deposit and $10 SIM starter kit may be required. If you switch plans you may be bound by existing or extended term (including early termination provisions) and/or charged an up to $200 fee. Regulatory Programs Fee of $1.61 per line/month applies. Taxes approx. 6–28% of bill. Full speeds available up to monthly allotment; then, slowed to up to 2G speeds for rest of billing cycle. Roaming and on-network data allotments differ; 500 MB full-speed plan includes 10 MB roaming; 2.5 GB, 4.5 GB and Unlimited 4G full-speed plans include 50 MB roaming; 6.5 GB and 8.5 GB full-speed plans include 100 MB roaming; and 10.5 GB and 12.5 GB full-speed plans include 200 MB roaming. Unlimited text includes unlimited nationwide text, and picture and video messaging. Family Plans: Limit five lines. All lines of service must be activated in the same T-Mobile market with same billing address and area code. Smartphone Mobile HotSpot: Qualifying plan required. Plan data allotment applies. Unlimited 4G data plan includes 500MB of tethering. No domestic roaming. Use of connected devices subject to T-Mobile Terms and Conditions. Apps and 3rd Party Content: Use of some content or features may incur separate, additional charges and/or require a qualifying plan or access to Wi-Fi connection. Coverage not available everywhere. Network Management: Data traffic of plans with limited high-speed data allotments greater than 2GB will be prioritized over other currently offered plans during periods of congestion. Service may be slowed, suspended, terminated, or restricted for misuse, abnormal use, interference with our network or ability to provide quality service to other users, or significant roaming."

I think much of the question depends on how much you are going to tether and how much data you will use. The limitation on tethering on the unlimited plan is largely to keep people from using their phone's data plan for their home Internet. If you aren't going to do a lot of tethering, the totally Unlimited Plan would definitely seem like a better value.

I was just informed Solavei and other MVNO's don't support wi-fi calling. That would be a deal breaker for me. Unless there's an app or a work-a-round. Little of no signal at many friends/relatives and I have to connect to their wi-fi to make/take calls and texts as well as go online.

As others have mentioned, you can use Wifi calling on pretty much any carrier using Google Voice along with an app (GrooveIP and Talkatone seem to be two of the more popular). This Cnet article explains the basics for how to set them up. Google Voice also supports SMS text messages.

 

[7Priest7]

Here is a screencap of my plan page. I assume the 2.5GB of that is tethering as the plan doesn't mention it, maybe in fine print somewhere, and they include the otherwise 500MB free giving 4.5 GB total. Trying to determine if I should go for totally unlimited data as I do have a rooted phone, and tethering works before OK, (gotta try it again), and if so, go totally unlimited?

I think much of the question depends on how much you are going to tether and how much data you will use. The limitation on tethering on the unlimited plan is largely to keep people from using their phone's data plan for their home Internet. If you aren't going to do a lot of tethering, the totally Unlimited Plan would definitely seem like a better value.

I have a unlocked rooted HTC Amaze 4g with SuperCID, s-off, and EnergyROM.
I have absolutely no trouble tethering well beyond 500MB on the unlimited 4g plan.
The methods that T-Mobile uses to detect tethering are flawed to say the least.
If I was you I would go with the unlimited plan, then again I am using more data in a month than Comcast would allow me to(Comcast has a 250GB limit).

 

[dannykewl]

I think much of the question depends on how much you are going to tether and how much data you will use. The limitation on tethering on the unlimited plan is largely to keep people from using their phone's data plan for their home Internet. If you aren't going to do a lot of tethering, the totally Unlimited Plan would definitely seem like a better value.



As others have mentioned, you can use Wifi calling on pretty much any carrier using Google Voice along with an app (GrooveIP and Talkatone seem to be two of the more popular). This Cnet article explains the basics for how to set them up. Google Voice also supports SMS text messages.

Thanks, I'll check the rooted wi-fi tethering app I have and make sure it still works, and then if so, think about going unlimited with the half gig of provided tethering. I know in the past it would work for a few minutes, then stop, then I'd have to connect again, etc. That way if I run out of "legit" tethering, I know I have a back-up plan in an emergency. As far as wi-fi calling, I would have to use a GV number, not my cell, number, and my cell number is well established, had for 10 years now, and been landline free for 10 years using my cell as both my home and out phone. A few months ago I even bought a Panasonic cordless system with 5 handsets I can place around the house, as it has the link-to-cell feature via Bluetooth. It works, but the call quality is a big step down from even cell phone quality - but it works, allowing me to keep my cell phone safe in one place in the house when I'm home and usually on the charger.

 

[7Priest7]

I know in the past it would work for a few minutes, then stop, then I'd have to connect again, etc.

Go to Settings->More...->Tethering & Mobile Hotspot->Mobile Hotspot Settings->Ok->Press your Menu button->Advanced->Power Mode->Always on

 

[dannykewl]

Go to Settings->More...->Tethering & Mobile Hotspot->Mobile Hotspot Settings->Ok->Press your Menu button->Advanced->Power Mode->Always on

Thanks!