Is GN with unlimited data a good substitute for cable/DSL ???

[Touchpaddle]

I have a kid going back to college in a month. He is renting an apartment off-campus.
After talking to the landlord and other tenants, it appears that the cheapest internet
option would be the local cable company. The monthly fee for the lowest tier of
internet service is $49.(3mbps down, 1mbps up) Add $3/month if you don't have your
own modem. All the other options in the area within similar speeds cost at least $19 more.

Since he has a Galaxy Nexus that still has grandfathered unlimited data, is it a good
idea to use it instead of getting cable modem service? The Verizon Wireless 4G
LTE signal inside the apartment is FULL BARS.(at least the two times we were
inside in June and July) There are 3 Galaxy Nexus phones in my family... all still
have unlimited data and all use the free hotspot tethering.

The most data we've ever used on these three GN phones was 11GB/month,
but we usually average around 1.5GB per phone per month. Obviously, if he
needs to download large files, he could always do it at college, using their
free wifi for students.

Anyone let their kid do this?

 

[macmitten]

I'm in college and use tethering and have cable as well. The lte actually is faster than my cable with speeds close to 30 mbps... Cable around 12mbps. The tethering should be sufficient for computer use and web browsing, but for online gaming latency my be an issue.

 

[Touchpaddle]

I'm in college and use tethering and have cable as well. The lte actually is faster than my cable with speeds close to 30 mbps... Cable around 12mbps. The tethering should be sufficient for computer use and web browsing, but for online gaming latency my be an issue.

ah.. you're one of those gamers. My kid was hooked on it but has quit cold turkey last year
to concentrate on studies. (but I suspect the reason was that his current girlfriend doesn't
approve of it) Not that there's anything wrong with being a gamer. When I was in college
myself, I was also an excellent gamer(yes, I do realize Atari games are nothing compared
to what you kids have today)

 

[macmitten]

A balance of school, girlfriend, games, sports, partying is tough, but possible...

 

[gregs1213]

You could probably get away with it.. Wouldn't download any huge files.. My brother tethered to download Diablo 3 (over 7 gigs)... Verizon didn't say anything.

 

[jharo]

I think you asking for problems by using it for your main source of internet access. I've been using my tethering for about 2 years for occasional net access, but I stress occasional. I think if you used over 5gb/mo/phone consistently, you might get noticed. Just my two cents...

 

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I would agree that it is a viable option if he is just using it for school work and some video streaming. And if this option doesn't cost anything extra, it would be worth the try.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[yodatom10]

He should be fine I average 8gb a month and Verizon has not said anything

Sent from my Jellybean powered GalaxyNexus

 

[zedorda]

I have hit my limit of 250gb per month with comcast 3 times this year.

 

[Touchpaddle]

I have hit my limit of 250gb per month with comcast 3 times this year.

I hit 240GB every single month ever since they instituted the usage cap.
Prior to that, I was using maybe 10GB per month at the most for as long
as I can remember So I'm naturally in favor of the cap.

 

[bobby1125]

YOU NEED TO SAVE MONEY BY NOT TAKING CABLE SERVICE AND USE WHAT IS ALREADY PAID FOR.

I can't yell more than this.

 

[zedorda]

YOU NEED TO SAVE MONEY BY NOT TAKING CABLE SERVICE AND USE WHAT IS ALREADY PAID FOR.

I can't yell more than this.

Huh?

 

[dcastillo]

what Zedorda said

 

[pimfram]

Feel free to use, but don't abuse. I'd be wary of downloading more than 10 or 20 GB a month with it. Maybe they won't catch on, maybe they will. Is it worth potentially losing unlimited data for it? I don't think so.

 

[ConTejas]

I'd give it a shot. He will be able to access the computer labs and/or library and you can always purchase cable internet later if it's not working out. Nothing to lose and money to save. Likely yours Tell your son he's a lucky b@stard

 

[broadwayblues]

I'd give it a shot. He will be able to access the computer labs and/or library and you can always purchase cable internet later if it's not working out. Nothing to lose and money to save. Likely yours Tell your son he's a lucky b@stard

As a recent graduate I can say that using the Gnex as your only Internet is okay, but you have to be careful. I used the computer lab for large downloads. Drop box is a huge help.

Anyway if you are thinking of ditching cable keep in mind that unlimited isn't really unlimited, I hit 17 GB a month and no problem, but I pay for the $30 LTE tethering.

Xbox Live gets a little glitchy sometimes, but I still manage to do well on games like Battlefield 3.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[TauntingBull]

17 gb???? I cant do that even in my dreams

 

[Touchpaddle]

As a recent graduate I can say that using the Gnex as your only Internet is okay, but you have to be careful. I used the computer lab for large downloads. Drop box is a huge help.

Anyway if you are thinking of ditching cable keep in mind that unlimited isn't really unlimited, I hit 17 GB a month and no problem, but I pay for the $30 LTE tethering.

Xbox Live gets a little glitchy sometimes, but I still manage to do well on games like Battlefield 3.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

so it should be pretty safe if the monthly usage is kept under 17GB?

I just did a test near the campus and the Verizon 4G LTE signal was really good.
8mbps to 11mbps for download.... 2mbps to 3mbps for upload... and it was very
consistent. 4 bars or more of signal strength. Of course, classes don't start until
next week, but I imageine most students are already living on or near campus.
Hope the results don't suffer too much after that.

The only drawback that I can see is the higher power consumption when using
hotspot, so the phone has to be plugged into the adapter.

I really wonder what Verizon means by "unlimited" (for people who have grandfathered
unlimited plan)

By the way, I also found out that the local cable company charges $79 per month
for 10mbps(down)/768kbps(up) service, with a monthly 150GB cap.

 

[Jacob32123]

What Verizon's FCC tethering settlement means to you (FAQ) | Mobile - CNET News

 

[dahlheim]

What Verizon's FCC tethering settlement means to you (FAQ) | Mobile - CNET News

yeah, ^ that's what i was thinking...