Current WiFi mobile hotspot April 2021?

[HappyLife1977]

I'm dating this because I keep seeing reviews and deals for mobile hotspots that are not connected to a home based service come and go in 3 months.  It turns out our reliable LG phones are going the way of the dinos as the company wants to quit the cell phone business.  Hubby will flat out melt down w out WiFi (damn YouTube) and I've been looking for a decent travel WiFi thingie/service.  Thanks in advance even if you say it's a unicorn so i can say to hubby, see?

 

[wayne49]

I use a 4G LTE "Jetpack" (actual model name NETGEAR AirCard) with Verizon service to access the Internet.
When I use my phone I lose the data connection while I answer a voice call.

More than a few people here are using phones and Visible (Verizon reseller) to get Internet access.

Some people have devices from two carriers to assure connectivity in more places.

There are more than a few threads on this forum discussing nomadic Internet access.

 

[highdesertranger]

Wayne that's odd I have a verizon phone and jet pack and it doesn't do than. Each device has it own phone number so I don't see how that would happen. Do both of your devices use the same phone number? Highdesertranger

 

[abnorm]

We use MIGHTY WIFI..............About $100 for the device and $50/50 gigs a month (No carryover)..............AT&T network

Verizon phones w/hotspot also

 

[wayne49]

HDR, sorry to be confusing. A phone can only do one thing at at time, and voice is prioritized over data.

While the phone is in use as a hotspot, if a voice call comes in and I answer it, or if I initiate a voice call, the hotspot activity hibernates until the call ends.

Nothing at all to do with my Jetpacks, except that the phone used to be a backup hotspot. I used to be on a older plan that limited each device/number to 15GB. I would use the phone's hotspot whenever I had blown through my Jetpacks' allowances in a month.

 

[Txjaybird]

ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS THAT I AM TECK-NO- LOGICLY CHALLENGED.  EVEN AFTER YEARS AS A PROUD BADGE CARRYING MEMBER OF YARC I STILL CAN'T POST A LINK TO A YOUTUBE MUSIC VIDEO OR ANYTHING ELSE.

I HAVE RECENTLY SEEN ADVERTISED ON THE WEB A MUAMA PORTABLE WIFI ROUTER SOLD BY RYOKO.  ON THEIR SITE I'VE SEEN THEM PRICED  FROM $59 UP TO $89.

  ON THE WISH AND ALIBABA WEB SITES THEY HAVE BEEN AS LOW AS $17,  RYOKO SEZ THEY CAN HANDLE UP TO 10 DEVICES CONNECTED TO WIFI AT THE SAME TIME.  THEY HAVE VARIOUS LEVELS OF SERVICE AND YOU CAN ADD MORE AS IT IS NEEDED.

I HAVE NO WIFI IN MY ALINER AND USING A CELL  PHONE AS A HOT SPOT GETS VERY EXPENSIVE VERY QUICKLY ON MY CONSUMER CELLULAR PLAN.

I'VE WAITED TO BUY ONE UNTIL I ACTUALLY HEAR HOW THEY WORK FROM SOMEONE NOT BEING QUOTED ON THEIR WEB SITE.

JEWELLANN AND QUEENIE

 

[txmnjim]

ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS THAT I AM TECK-NO- LOGICLY CHALLENGED.  EVEN AFTER YEARS AS A PROUD BADGE CARRYING MEMBER OF YARC I STILL CAN'T POST A LINK TO A YOUTUBE MUSIC VIDEO OR ANYTHING ELSE.

highlight the link and hit "ctrl c", then put it where you want it and hit "ctrl v"

 

[MrNoodly]

For years I had an "unlimited data" plan from Verizon with a iPhone and jetpack. Last year I ditched the phone and started using a prepaid Straight Talk plan. The phone is a $20 LG Rebel 4 -- everything I need from a phone.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile bought Sprint, increasing their service coverage. Then T-Mobile offered a 5G hotspot with 100GB of prepaid data for $55/month. (Don't know if they're still offering this.) I have friends who live in remote areas where the only carrier they can get is T-Mobile. My Verizon hotspot and Straight Talk phone are useless when I visit them. So now I have both a Verizon and T-Mobile hotspot. I'm about to head out on my spring-summer-fall travels, and if the T-Mobile hotspot works in enough places between the Rockies and the Pacific, then I'll ditch Verizon all together.

 

[doublegregg]

For years I had an "unlimited data" plan from Verizon with a iPhone and jetpack. Last year I ditched the phone and started using a prepaid Straight Talk plan. The phone is a $20 LG Rebel 4 -- everything I need from a phone.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile bought Sprint, increasing their service coverage. Then T-Mobile offered a 5G hotspot with 100GB of prepaid data for $55/month. (Don't know if they're still offering this.) I have friends who live in remote areas where the only carrier they can get is T-Mobile. My Verizon hotspot and Straight Talk phone are useless when I visit them. So now I have both a Verizon and T-Mobile hotspot. I'm about to head out on my spring-summer-fall travels, and if the T-Mobile hotspot works in enough places between the Rockies and the Pacific, then I'll ditch Verizon all together.

i was in wyoming awhile ago --- five years? everyone's verizon seemed good. my tmobile was absent. but i 'hear' that tmobile is upping their game, with 5g coming, and i guess their merger with sprint. i think tmobile has discontinued their 100G prepaid data offer --- however, i get all these plans confused. i thought they cut it back to a 50G offer.

 

[HappyLife1977]

Thank you for all the good feed back everyone. Right now we use Total Wireless pay as you go( a subsidiary of Trac Phone, which is heinous) and they are tied in with Wal-Mart. They appear to be fairly honest, and I'm wondering if the coverage is going to be good. Suddenly they are doing tethering for half the data you can get. But will it last.

 

[mpruet]

I have unlimited data plans with Verizon, tMobile, and AT&T, so it is very rare that I’m without any cellular internet.  

I started out with a Sprint plan with unlimited data that I used to tether my laptop to via a USB cable.  It was OK since I was still working for IBM and my ‘mobile’ environment was restricted to major cities. 

Just before I retired, I decided that I wanted to be more mobile and found out about a deal with Verizon JetPack which had unlimited and unthrotteled data for $65/month.  I wanted to be able to stay online as I traveled, so it worked out fairly well.  However when I made my first trip to Alaska after retiring, I found out that the JetPack didn’t work in Canada. It did, however, work in some parts of Alaska. 

Before I made my second trip up north, I found out about a deal with tMobile called ‘One Plus’ which provided unlimited/unthrotteled LTE service in the USA as well as in Canada.  Again I jumped on that and it was wonderful.  However there was no service in Alaska.

Since tMobile has acquired Sprint, I saw no reason to keep my original Sprint plan, so recently switched to AT&T.   So now I have somthing with the three main carriers.

 

[Txjaybird]

T-MOBILE / SPRINT HAS SOME PLANS WITH LOWER RATES FOR SENIORS.

THEIR MAGENTA PLUS PLAN FOR SENIORS IS I BELIEVE NOW 55 DOLLARS PER MONTH AND THAT INCLUDES FEES AND TAXES.
IT HAS A LOT OF PERKS AND I BELIEVE ONE OF THEM IS ONE YEAR OF BASIC OR STANDARD NETFLIX FREE.
I THINK THAT PLAN ALSO INCLUDES HOTSPOT AND TETHERING.

I TRULY CAN'T REMEMBER ALL OF THE PLANS DETAILS SIMPLY BECAUSE MY ONCE B12 START BRAIN DOESN'T FUNCTION EVEN WHAT IS KNOWN AS NORMAL FOR ME AT TIMES.

HOWEVER THE SAME PLAN ALSO FOR A SINGLE LINE UNDER 55 YEARS OLD IS 90 OR 95 DOLLARS.

ALL NICE CONSUMER CELLULAR PLAN WHEN I GET CLOSE TO HAVING USED ALL OF MY DATA IT SLOWS DOWN AND I GET TO WATCH THAT LITTLE PARTIAL CIRCLE GO AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND.  I'M ALREADY TAKING MEDICINE FOR VERTIGO I DON'T NEED TO WATCH THAT LITTLE CIRCLE.  SO I'M THINKING OF CHANGING TO MAGENTA PLUS OR VISIBLE I HAVEN'T MADE UP MY MIND YET.

I ALSO PURCHASED ONE OF THE KAIROBI M A U M A PORTABLE ROUTERS I HAVEN'T TRIED IT YET EITHER.

I'LL LET Y'ALL KNOW HOW EITHER ONE OF THOSE WORK OUT.

TJB AND Q AND RD

 

[EllaB]

Does anyone use wifi (I have Tmobile) to work remotely full time? I am considering van life in a minivan next year but will continue work for probably
another 2-3 years and save save, save. I must have a very reliable internet for work besides loving youtube and Netflix.
any chance of me boondocking or will I need a permanent camping spot?
As you can see I am in research mode. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[B and C]

Turn on your hotspot now and see if it works for you. Since their merger with sprint, the coverage has gotten better. I use an AT&T Mobley and a Verizon jetpack for my connectivity. I also have visible. I also use a Wilson Weboost to amplify the cell signal.

I don't "work" anymore but I sure enjoy being connected.