Nexus 7 LTE For T-Mobile Not Affordable

[mbloflin]

Okay, so now the Nexus 7 LTE is finally for sale in the US. I have been waiting for this eagerly. I am with T-mobile so I thought I would check how exactly I could add this to my plan. Article after article often refers to a price for a tablet add-on of around $10. Well unless I am missing something, T-Mobile has no cheap add on plan whatsoever. First off, their website has no mention of the Nexus 7 LTE, no clear info on how it should be added or configured, and to top it off the best I can figure is to add the "Simple Choice Mobile Broadband" service:

2.5 GB $30
4.5 GB $40
6.5 GB $50
8.5 GB $60
10.5 GB $70
12.5 GB $80​

I have 4 lines and already feel completed over charged at $220 or so a month. No way in heck I am going to add $40 or $50 dollars more!

What is the deal with them. Who in the world would get the currently offered Nexus 4 LTE for T-Mobile at these prices for an add-on tablet device?

I have also read that they are(?) blocking the use of your current phones SIM card (Nexus 4 in my case) for swapping in and out of a tablet device. .

...I do see where they may be offering a $10/month discount for a while, but still....

 

[zkSharks]

Adding a tablet alongside an existing phone line starts at at additional $10/month, with the 500MB plan. You can read a bit about it in the AC post for T-Mobile's restructured plans, here: T-Mobile simplifies tablet and hotspot data prices, too | Android Central. The T-Mobile LTE Nexus 7 also comes with a month of free service (at least up to 2GB of data usage).

The pricing will be justifiable to some and not to others. I can't speak to that as I don't typically purchase tablets with mobile connectivity ? not because of finances, rather due to my usage patterns.

 

[Jeremy8000]

Okay, so now the Nexus 7 LTE is finally for sale in the US. I have been waiting for this eagerly. I am with T-mobile so I thought I would check how exactly I could add this to my plan. Article after article often refers to a price for a tablet add-on of around $10. Well unless I am missing something, T-Mobile has no cheap add on plan whatsoever. First off, their website has no mention of the Nexus 7 LTE, no clear info on how it should be added or configured, and to top it off the best I can figure is to add the "Simple Choice Mobile Broadband" service:

2.5 GB $30
4.5 GB $40
6.5 GB $50
8.5 GB $60
10.5 GB $70
12.5 GB $80​

I have 4 lines and already feel completed over charged at $220 or so a month. No way in heck I am going to add $40 or $50 dollars more!

What is the deal with them. Who in the world would get the currently offered Nexus 4 LTE for T-Mobile at these prices for an add-on tablet device?

I have also read that they are(?) blocking the use of your current phones SIM card (Nexus 4 in my case) for swapping in and out of a tablet device. .

...I do see where they may be offering a $10/month discount for a while, but still....

How often do you anticipate carrying your tablet but not your phone? If that's not likely, consider getting the non-LTE model instead, using your phone as a hotspot, and saving yourself the extra data plan and $80 on the device. If you're concerned about battery drain on the phone, just pick up an inexpensive, compact battery pack to supplement your phone's battery.

 

[TroyBoy30]

i can add any tablet to my att family plan for $10

 

[Jeremy8000]

i can add any tablet to my att family plan for $10

Isn't the tablet locked to T-Mobile? If so, you cannot use it directly with ATT service unless you defeat that protocol rather then getting T-Mobile's consent - and unless I'm misrecalling the legislative change, that's no longer a grey legal area but a defined violation (since the early part of this year).

 

[markdek]

So is there no charge for tethering?

 

[hokiesteve]

Isn't the tablet locked to T-Mobile? If so, you cannot use it directly with ATT service unless you defeat that protocol rather then getting T-Mobile's consent - and unless I'm misrecalling the legislative change, that's no longer a grey legal area but a defined violation (since the early part of this year).

The nexus 7 is fully unlocked and compatible with gsm/hspa/LTE. The us model includes LTE bands for T-Mobile at&t and Verizon.

Sent from my XT1060 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[moosc]

I can add the 7 to my VZW plan for $10

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

 

[anon(5719825)]

Just like the first Nexus 7, it comes unlocked. In the past, you could order it with an AT&T or T-Mobile sim. For now, the new Nexus 7 only comes with a T-Mobile sim but it is still fully unlocked.

I prefer T-Mobile but still use AT&T on my Nexus 7.

 

[patruns]

I can add the 7 to my VZW plan for $10

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

Yes, you can add it for $10, but how much data does that buy you?

 

[patruns]

So is there no charge for tethering?

It varies by carrier and plan. On T-Mobile unlimited high speed data plans do not offer tethering at all of the unlimited data.

 

[anon(5719825)]

It varies by carrier and plan. On T-Mobile unlimited high speed data plans do not offer tethering at all of the unlimited data.

But then, all you need to do is use a phone like a Nexus 4 and tether. I used 26GB two months ago just from tethering when my DSL modem broke.

 

[artdeguzman]

Vzw $10 to "access" shared shared data pool. You still need to actually pay for the data pool.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 4

 

[fabulas]

I have 2 T-Mobile phones (unlimited data) and the 3G Nexus 7. My data plan is $30, but $10 off for having a separate voice plan. My total cost for data is $20 for like 2.5gb. Not a bad price. For 2 phones with unlimited data and a data plan for my tablet I pay $149.85 including tax. This includes my company discount.

 

[moosc]

Depends on your share ever thing plan. If you have 30gb between 3 phones and a tablet then it shares that days pool

Yes, you can add it for $10, but how much data does that buy you?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

 

[hodan]

So is there no charge for tethering?

Not on T-Mo.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jerrykur]

The verizon share anything plan has no extra charge for tablets or any other device. But it is a tiered plane.

 

[patruns]

But then, all you need to do is use a phone like a Nexus 4 and tether. I used 26GB two months ago just from tethering when my DSL modem broke.

Then you just haven't been caught yet. They do not allow tethering on the unlimited plans, only the limited ones.

 

[anon(5719825)]

Then you just haven't been caught yet. They do not allow tethering on the unlimited plans, only the limited ones.

I must really be lucky then because I've been using my Nexus 4 to tether for six months.

 

[Jeremy8000]

I must really be lucky then because I've been using my Nexus 4 to tether for six months.

"Unlimited 4G data includes 2.5GB of tethering."
From T-mobile's fine print.

Then you just haven't been caught yet. They do not allow tethering on the unlimited plans, only the limited ones.

^^

"Network Management: Data traffic of postpaid plan options with limited high-speed data allotments greater than 2GB will be prioritized over other currently offered plan options 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."
From T-mobile's fine print.

If you're using 3rd party software to circumvent that, don't count on it lasting long (FoxFi was a popular means to that end, and iirc T-mo caught on and found a way to restrict against it). Even if not, their fine print provides them the right to throttle your data even on 'Unlimited 4g" services if, at their sole discretion, you're too far along the bell curve of their users. Some carriers choose to implement such a cap at a fixed point on those defined users when they reach a certain point in subsequent months, but some have in the past opted to shut those users to 2g completely until their usage falls back within tolerable parameters.

The T-mo unlimited plans offering unlimited data but with a cap on how much of it goes across their HSPA+/LTE (4g) networks, beyond which cap data passes along their EDGE (2g) network, does permit tethering at no charge, but as I understand it (assuming the reps with whom I've spoken are correct) only the amount up to the 4g cap is tetherable.

And bear in mind, T-mo EDGE ain't what it used to be (not that it was ever great). Whereas it used to (when it was 'current') provide median speeds in my market of 80-100Kbps, it now yields median speeds of 15-20Kbps. Slow enough that it will fail as often as not in efforts to load even simple webpages. Their decision to continue to present it as if it were even remotely close to its prior iteration is blatantly unethical from a business standpoint. Like a customer sitting down at a restaurant and ordering a Salmon dish shown on the special board "Fresh, just caught today," being upset when it's served and clearly spoiled, only to be advised after the fact by the server that they haven't gotten around to updating the sign in the past couple of weeks.