Is 4G Really Worth It?

[elai1108]

Does your phone say LTE? If not (and with that speed I doubt you are) then you are only at 3G or worse.

Yes the phone is showing "4G LTE" and the speedtest logs it as "Lte" connection.

 

[ji001]

if I'm looking at phones to start with new contract RIGHT NOW, and all other things being equal one phone is 3G only and the other is 4G, the decision seems easy...4G, right?

Now, if you tell me I can only use 2GB or 5GB or 10GB a month or whatever, I start to realize that 4G is no longer as enticing a feature as it was before. What good is faster speeds, if I'm constantly watching my data usage and constantly looking for a wifi source to connect to? And wait...what's that? Hotspot costs another $30 on top of my standard data plan? Well, all of a sudden my willingness to possibly pay a little more is turning into paying a lot more than I can justify, and for less features.
.

this guy here makes a great point which pretty much sums up the whole 4g with 2gb data cap.

it's like someone giving me a ferrari and tells me i can only drive it around the block twice.

I dont abuse my usage and already I am over 2 gb half way through the month.

No i will NOT pay extra for 4g if I am capped at 2gb per month. I dont see myself paying over 30 bucks for internet access on my phone.

 

[FrankXS]

it's like someone giving me a ferrari and tells me i can only drive it around the block twice.

No, it's not. It's like someone giving you a Ferrari and telling you that the driving cost is based on miles driven (GB).

And that they have plans that are discounted for buying more miles. They have plans for 2000, 5000 and 10000 miles. Also, if you'd like to have the Ferrari specially equipped with external Internet access, we have plans that include that for 4000, 7000 and 12000 miles. Sounds fair to me.

They may also mention that it is too bad you weren't here last month when they had a special limited time rate. But, unfortunately, that expired after 6/6/11.

-Frank

 

[ji001]

No, it's not. It's like someone giving you a Ferrari and telling you that the driving cost is based on miles driven (GB).

And that they have plans that are discounted for buying more miles. They have plans for 2000, 5000 and 10000 miles. Also, if you'd like to have the Ferrari specially equipped with external Internet access, we have plans that include that for 4000, 7000 and 12000 miles. Sounds fair to me.

They may also mention that it is too bad you weren't here last month when they had a special limited time rate. But, unfortunately, that expired after 6/6/11.

-Frank

Sure frank thats what I meant.

 

[FrankXS]

Sure frank thats what I meant.

-Frank

 

[bjboucher]

I ran a speedtest at home with 4G and only got about 1.49Mbps in 3 tries.

Does this mean I'm really NOT in a 4G area? The map shows I am but of course that can be off.

You probably just have a really weak 4G signal or there are issues with Verizon's network around your house. Have you tested it outside your house anywhere?

 

[jgodin03]

I see that most canadians complain about cell phone rates around here. But:

-We are not charged for tethering(we can use our data plan directly)
-And no extra charge for 4G(in Canada it's 21.1mb/s or 3G+). That means that if you have a 4G enabled device and pay for a 3G data plan, you'll get 4G speed on your device, free of charge.

Dont know why we complain... Having played with some 4G device, I had to say that most device most often goes up to 7-8mbs(sometimes 10-12) when my Nexus S do 6... So no, I dont think it worth it

 

[elai1108]

You probably just have a really weak 4G signal or there are issues with Verizon's network around your house. Have you tested it outside your house anywhere?

Yes I tried it at work and got about 2.5Mbps, which is nowhere the numbers others have posted.

Any thoughts?

 

[wildman]

I see that most canadians complain about cell phone rates around here. But:

-We are not charged for tethering(we can use our data plan directly)
-And no extra charge for 4G(in Canada it's 21.1mb/s or 3G+). That means that if you have a 4G enabled device and pay for a 3G data plan, you'll get 4G speed on your device, free of charge.

Dont know why we complain... Having played with some 4G device, I had to say that most device most often goes up to 7-8mbs(sometimes 10-12) when my Nexus S do 6... So no, I dont think it worth it

Yes but I heard the rate plans in some areas are higher like in places like Canada, Chicago and New York, if this is true then I understand the differences...