The Verizon Debacle

[NeedAnEscape]

That is interesting, but no help to me.  Not listed for cellphone use.  I can already connect laptop to TV/HDMI.

It works with my phone.

 

[LeeRevell]

It works with my phone.

I found another product on Amazon that should work.
One problem is, Samsung removed direct HDMI function from the S7 series, so what works for their earlier phones now doesn't.
The unit I found works via WIFI dongle. For $19, it's worth a try.

 

[AmieW]

I honestly don't understand how people use 200G of data a month. My wifi plan here at home is 1024G a month, and I hardly ever even use 100. I sometimes spend entire days just streaming t.v. and watching YouTube videos. I work online 5 days a week, and I'm usually online from about 7 in the morning until 11 at night unless I have to go somewhere. What on earth are you all doing to use that much data? Today, I used 4 gigs because I was downloading a large file for hours, but even if I used that much every day, it wouldn't be 200g a month.

I'm sort of ignorant about these things, and maybe it's different when you're on remote wifi, or maybe games use up a lot of data too. I don't game and I don't watch movies, so maybe that's it. Maybe it's video quality? I'm not much into having the best video quality, so I'm usually watching at 264, but I suppose if you're watching at HD, it would use more?

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

I have a Samsung S6.
I have the Verizon $80 "unlimited". This is the plan they introduced in January 2017.
Last month I used 55gigs of data. Never, not once did I get a message about being over my limit. I am typing this post on a Macbook Pro connected via WiFi to that phone.
To make my speeds even zippier I have a WeBoost single user cell/3g/4g booster. Before I sold it I could watch Netflix on my Roku while surfing the Net on my Mac and talking on the phone.
I have dropped everything, cable TV, cable Internet, etc. and use ONLY my phone for all access.
I pay $80+taxes+$20 a month to pay off the phone (0% interest so why not?). Total for phone service, text, Internet, phone payment is ~$110 a month.

Here is the thing that most people don't understand about this plan. It is unlimited. They do NOT throttle your connection speeds. They do NOT drop you to 3G after you hit your max. What happens is that after you hit your max and IF AND ONLY IF the cell tower you are connected to is at capacity your packets are deprioritized. This does slow my connection sometimes but so far the towers i connect to have not been oversubscribed and so I continue to get my full bandwidth without having my packets kicked to the back of the line.

I hope this helps someone out there.

Also, I have a 28 inch 4K LED monitor. I have a firewire connector so I can push video from my Mac to the HDMI port. I also have an OTA Digital receiver with an HDMI output so i can connect my digital TV antenna to it and push video to my 4K LED Computer Monitor. Since HDMI includes audio and my monitor has speakers built in everything just sort of works. I can even control the volume from the OTA receiver. I've never needed to cast video from my phone to a TV but i may want to once I'm fully dependent on solar since the phone uses less juice than the Mac.

 

[Ballenxj]

I have a Samsung S6.
I have the Verizon $80 "unlimited". This is the plan they introduced in January 2017.
Last month I used 55gigs of data. Never, not once did I get a message about being over my limit. I am typing this post on a Macbook Pro connected via WiFi to that phone.

First, Thanks for your post here. I don't understand how it works for some, and not for others. My plan is the new unlimited as well. I had a long conversation with a verizon rep about this exactly. The rep explained to me that I am allowed 10 gig per device connecting through wifi. I asked why my plan is called unlimited if I am limited? The rep again said I can stream all I want on the phone, but still have the 10 gig limit per device when connecting to my laptop via wifi. I'm a bit ticked off about this as I'm paying in the neighborhood of $142. per month for this service. I still think they are yanking my chain. :dodgy:
If I were you, I wouldn't rock the boat. I don't think they are aware of your using wifi to connect to your mac. Maybe Mac is not detectable?

 

[BradKW]

Here is the thing that most people don't understand about this plan. It is unlimited. They do NOT throttle your connection speeds. They do NOT drop you to 3G after you hit your max. What happens is that after you hit your max and IF AND ONLY IF the cell tower you are connected to is at capacity your packets are deprioritized. This does slow my connection sometimes but so far the towers i connect to have not been oversubscribed and so I continue to get my full bandwidth without having my packets kicked to the back of the line.

It works for some and not others this way because Verizon is not applying the contractual data limitations equally at this time. That is to say, Zazzer is "getting away with" using more 4G data than Verizon has actually agreed to provide. Theories on why this arbitrary enforcement of caps is occurring generally center around regional equipment upgrades, or lack thereof. 
The Verizon salespeople will support this basic untruth at times...whether they are lying, misinformed, or just basing off their own personal experience like Zazzer, the end result is some pissed off people when the reality of cap throttling (not deprioritization) actually hits.
Technomadia did a very good piece on this:  

1) Verizon Begins Enforcing 10GB High Speed Mobile Hotspot Cap on NEW Unlimited Data Plans

2) Network Management vs Throttling: Understanding Cellular Unlimited Data Plans

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

Well that's a bite in the ass. T-maybe just isn't an option. Their coverage just isn't that great. AT&T sounds like they have a reasonable plan. As much as I hate VZW their coverage is the best.

I may have to revisit my plan if and when I hit this limit.

Thanks for the vids. I didn't know they were pulling this $#]+ again.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Ballenxj]

It works for some and not others this way because Verizon is not applying the contractual data limitations equally at this time.
<-------->
Technomadia did a very good piece on this:  

1) Verizon Begins Enforcing 10GB High Speed Mobile Hotspot Cap on NEW Unlimited Data Plans

2) Network Management vs Throttling: Understanding Cellular Unlimited Data Plans

Thanks for these videos. The problem I have with verizon is they are trying to redefine the word unlimited. In my minds eye, unlimited means no limits!

 

[karl]

"In my minds eye, unlimited means no limits!"
I'm struggling with that too- Must be one of those alternative truths......

Verizon is the only choice to cover where I roam, so......

 

[Ballenxj]

"In my minds eye, unlimited means no limits!"
==============================
I'm struggling with that too- Must be one of those alternative truths......

Verizon is the only choice to cover where I roam, so......

I feel they are aware of their strengths, therefore are taking advantage of that. Meanwhile they are making billions of dollars. :dodgy:

 

[LeeRevell]

Thanks for these videos. The problem I have with verizon is they are trying to redefine the word unlimited. In my minds eye, unlimited means no limits!

Exactly my definition too. ANY restrictions means LIMITED. Period.

 

[akrvbob]

The thing to understand is, Verizon writes the contract and they clearly and easily understood state in the contract EXACTLY what their definition of unlimited is. And when you signed the contract, you should have known exactly what their definition of unlimited was.

Waiting till after you sign the contract to say that you disagree with their definitions is too late. If you didn't like the contract, you shouldn't have signed it.

 

[Ballenxj]

The thing to understand is, Verizon writes the contract and they clearly and easily understood state in the contract EXACTLY what their definition of unlimited is.
<-------->
Waiting till after you sign the contract to say that you disagree with their definitions is too late. If you didn't like the contract, you shouldn't have signed it.

The beauty of this is, I did not sign a contract! I made it plain to them I want to stay on a month to month basis. I am under no obligation to stay with them.
They agreed with my terms.

 

[hepcat]

Regarding connecting to devices, I had iWireless pre-paid up until a year and a half ago, and very limited data... and they didn't support the hotspot function on my iPhone. Actually, at that point, they didn't even support apple products. Over a period of time I figured out that they'd just shut me down if I tried connecting my Windows laptop to the hotspot function on wifi. However, if I connected my iPad through bluetooth, it worked just fine, and iWireless didn't seem to know that it wasn't the phone using the data.

Currently, though I'm on Verizon but I still use my iPad mini3, and my MacBook Pro with the hotspot using bluetooth.

I don't know if that's something any of you could benefit from, but it might be worth a try if you're limited by device.