Should i abandon my wifi for a data plan and tethering?

[manueljoshua]

Hello all, I'm in a frustrating situation.

My Wifi speeds at home are horrendous (like I'm talking consistently less than 100KB/s). And it's not like we have too many devices connected. Just 2 laptops, a desktop and an xbox, and usually on at different times anyway.

Also I have contacted AT&T inquiring as to why the connection is so slow, and they say "it's because the equipment in the area cannot handle faster speeds".

So what I've been considering for the past week is the prospect of ditching my wifi with At&t and getting a 4G phone with Unlimited Data, and just using that to tether my devices to.

There's a bunch of info out there about connecting the phone to a Zoom router, doing different things to make sure the phone company doesn't find out your tethering, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I need to think about before making this decision.

What I want to know is your opinion on this idea and some things I need to be aware of, should I pursue this switch.

Which company should I go with? T-Mobile's new Unlimited plan sounds the best to me as of right now...

And just so you know I have looked at 4G coverage maps for where I live for T-Mobile, MetroPCS and Verizon, and they all say the coverage is either "Really good" or "Excellent".

Thanks in advance for your replies!!!

 

[Verdes8891]

Unforunatly because of lack if unlimited data plans now going with a tether option isn't really a good idea to replace your home internet connection. It can be possible. Just make sure you research where you to thoroughly ans ask about overage costs if applicable

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[manueljoshua]

Would your answer be different if T-Mobile's truly Unlimited plan was already out?

 

[Verdes8891]

I'd still be wary. A big reason the carriers started getting rid of the unlimited data plans was because a lot of people were using 50+ gigs a month and still paying the same amount as those using less than 1. So if it starts happening again they may go away again. But who knows. That's just my thought on it.

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[Devinator]

Are there other options for internet in your area? I'd look into switching your ISP before doing something like this.

Or, if the speed is generally good enough for you, you could always call and complain and at least get them to give you a severely discounted rate.

 

[Rukbat]

" doing different things to make sure the phone company doesn't find out your tethering"

The only way to do that is to not tether. If you use a phone browser, they see a phone browser. If you use a computer browser, they see a computer browser and know that you're tethering. (Even if you use the same name browser, they can see whether it's the phone version or the computer version.)

Other than that, does your cable company offer internet? They'll be a lot faster than what you're getting now.

 

[manueljoshua]

Hello

I do not currently have TV, I just watch stuff through the internet. How much faster do you think the connection through the cable company in my area (comcast) would be?

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[manueljoshua]

Devinator,

I'm already on a "grandfather" plan with at&t,so I'm only paying $25 a month. But I just might switch my ISP *back* to Comcast to see if they have improved since we last did business...

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[cyanogen-man]

Contact your internet service provider (ISP) and ask what your speeds are at&t will throttle you and charge a lot of $$$ go to www.speedtesr.net and see if your regular computer is faster and what ISP do you have?? Cox charter road runner Verizon at&t Comcast ?????

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[cyanogen-man]

If you can get Cox cable international in your area I pay 60 no data caps and 12 megs down 10 up
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[gvndeb60]

Cox Cable in my area is $39/month no contracts for 20 down and 5 up.


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[Devinator]

But I just might switch my ISP *back* to Comcast to see if they have improved since we last did business...

My time spent with Comcast has been great. I know a lot of people don't like them, but, I have had very few issues with them. And, I can usually score a deal for 30 - 40 bucks a month for internet. The speeds are great. I never have any issues downloading, streaming, online games, etc.

 

[manueljoshua]

Cynogenman, I have at&t as an ISP. It does seem that my speeds have been throttled... I will look at my online account and see what speeds I'm paying for. Thanks for your help!

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[manueljoshua]

Then I may just give em another shot. Thanks!

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[Devinator]

Make sure to ask about promos. I think I had 29.99 for six months recently.

 

[Rukbat]

Hello

I do not currently have TV, I just watch stuff through the internet. How much faster do you think the connection through the cable company in my area (comcast) would be?

Anything you're willing to buy. They have a few standard plans, but they can sell you backbone speeds (many GB/s) if you're willing to pay for it.

Contact them and ask to speak to someone in sales who knows what they charge for what speed levels. Then, if you get a salesdroid, ask to speak to his or her supervisor. What you want to know is their breaks (IOW, something like 500kbps for $X/month, 5mbps for $y/month, 50mbps for $Z/month, etc.) Then ask if they'll sell between the breaks (say 10mbps or 20mbps) and for how much.

Then you decide how much you're willing to spend for how much speed. If you buy 2mbps for each simultaneous connection, you can run everything at the same time with no loss of speed. (A "connection" would be one video stream or one file download. One device can be running more than one connection at a time.) At the current time the internet itself rarely runs faster than 1mbps per connection, so you'll be safe for a while.