Unlimited / No Throttling?

[RogerD]

Anyone using a hotspot that is unlimited / no throttling?

I looked on ebay and see them for Verizon for around $150 per month.

I will blow away the low usage limits of the plans that will throttle you. So not worth my time using.

Just wondering what exists / costs?

I know this is cheapRVliving, but I can't skimp on internetas it's how I make a living.

 

[NoMadYesHappy]

RogerD ... I have Verizon Pre-paid 4G.  The phone, to buy outright, was only 69$ [Moto e4] and they have 4 or 5 plans, no contracts, cancel anytime ... the lowest starts at 40$ for 3GB of data, the highest plan is 80$/mo and is advertised as unlimited.  I have not seen throttling per se, and I use a LOT of bandwidth too [YouTube video uploads] but if there is heavy usage in a specific area, your access will slow down just due to traffic.  I was able to upload a 500MB [13 minute HD] video in about an hour at low traffic time ... 2 to 2.5+ hours at high traffic times.  But, at the end of the day, even at its best it's not like Cable/100MB connectivity.  Might be worth a call to Verizon to ask straight up, "is this throttled?"

Hope this helps! 

 

[Reducto]

I have been throttled HARD with my Verizon unlimited phone plan. It's not consistent- I'll get 1x speeds despite having a good signal then I move a few hours drive away and it's back to normal speed. I've read that throttling starts after 22 gig and that seems to match my experience. Back when I was on Virgin mobile they throttled but it was still a usable 3g while throttled. With Verizon they take you down to pretty much unusable 1x.

 

[NoMadYesHappy]

 

[Matlock]

Anyone using a hotspot that is unlimited / no throttling?

In my experience the answer is No. There is no such thing as "no throttling". And unlimited data means nothing if you don't have the speed.

I have a VZ Jetpack w/24G + rollover. It's suppose to be "limited but not throttled" per VZ. At 2:30 AM on weekdays I may have a less throttled tower access. However, It all depends on the time of day and the day of the week. IE. The number of users accessing the towers. Business class contract gets you a higher priority into a tower signal (they say) but that's not quite correct. (In my experience) The towers I use typically have several carriers on them, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint are all using the same towers and the bigger names get first priority, Smaller companies even slower speed access. Everybody gets throttled because the towers output signal gets choked with every new customer.

Just my 2¢ in my area.

 

[John61CT]

The only true unlimited are grandfathered accounts, which resell for a grand or more, and they could in theory get cut off too.

These days with all providers unlimited means "within reason, not abusive".

But throttling will likely not affect you outside of congested areas.

They will cut you off for "abuse" of their not-really unlimited, but these days that's likely to be 60-100GBs depending on the provider, they usually use the top 1% or so when they purge accounts.

If that is your normal usage range, it's better to actually pay for what you need, like a business account from a specialized reseller, obviously using TMO towers cheaper than ATT or VZW.

I had a 112GB per month account with 4GAS, and they threw in one free true unlimited month per year as well. Not much over $100/mo, but that was a special promotion starting 5 years ago.

HowardForums is the best place to scope out special deals if you'd rather juggle multiple accounts

 

[jimindenver]

People either get multiple networks like I have or multiple devices like the Mobley to avoid throttling. Three unlimited Mobleys cost $60 a month. I pay $57 a month to have all four networks because you can not rely on one network for a good signal everywhere.

 

[Annie W]

I pay $57 a month to have all four networks because you can not rely on one network for a good signal everywhere.

still trying to understand.

am paying $40/month for unlimited Stationary.

 

[Tiny Metal Tube]

They will cut you off for "abuse" of their not-really unlimited, but these days that's likely to be 60-100GBs depending on the provider, they usually use the top 1% or so when they purge accounts.

Plus there's nothing stopping you from having two or three hotspots on the Beyond Unlimited plan, if you have the money.

 

[jimindenver]

still trying to understand.

am paying $40/month for unlimited Stationary.

I have various post in the communication section explaining the plans I use. Unlimited AT&T $20, Unlimited Verizon 3G $5, Unlimited Sprint LTE $10, Unlimited streaming of Binge on/music freedom on a 5 gig plan with T-mobile $17. I may even add unlimited Verizon LTE but I hardly use Verizon they are so overloaded.

 

[Bud Smiley]

I'd take a look at this link that discusses how to avoid throttling:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s8+/how-to/how-bypass-hotspot-600k-throttle-t3680542

I've got a grandfathered Verizon unlimited plan and haven't had to bother with throttling yet.

 

[NoMadYesHappy]

With the growing number of folks using cell network tethering as an Internet connection, and the amount of dissatisfaction with speed [lack thereof], I would think an enterprising cellular exec would want to exploit that opportunity and come up with a solution. Maybe not.

 

[John61CT]

They make their profits just like gym memberships from oversubscribing, people that are normal phone users, don't hardly use what they pay for.

The heavy video streamers that use it like a wired home service and go up to the GB limit every month, they would rather send to their competitors. Especially if you are in populated areas.

Expanding tower infrastructure is incredibly expensive.

Maybe a "boondocks" package, unlimited high-speed data long as you're on under-utilized towers, but go near the city and your speed gets throttled, that would make sense financially for them, but likely demand would be too small to be worth advertising.

 

[NoMadYesHappy]

Maybe a "boondocks" package, ...

I like that idea!
Or, maybe I should just be happy we're not all still using dial-up at 300 baud! 

 

[jimindenver]

The T-mobile plan I use came back but it isn't for TV sticks and cost $10 more a month. The nice thing is streaming does not count towards the cap OR the 22 gig type of throttling. This is good because I stream a lot.

 

[Annie W]

I have various post in the communication section explaining the plans I use.
Unlimited AT&T $20,
Unlimited Verizon 3G $5,
Unlimited Sprint LTE $10,
Unlimited streaming of Binge on/music freedom on a 5 gig plan with T-mobile $17.
I may even add unlimited Verizon LTE but I hardly use Verizon they are so overloaded.

Thank you Jim.
so how does a Newcomer ... to all these plans get such Service now ?
and
what is "streaming" ?

 

[RogerD]

The only true unlimited are grandfathered accounts, which resell for a grand or more, and they could in theory get cut off too.

That is what's what I'm talking about...grandfathered accounts.

Instead of selling them, they are for rent.

Verizon accounts are going for around $150 per month.

 

[Bud Smiley]

Seriously, people are renting them out? I've got three grandfathered unlimited VZB plans right now. I'm almost tempted....

 

[jimindenver]

Thank you Jim.
so how does a Newcomer ... to all these plans get such Service now ?
and
what is "streaming" ?

First thing is to read the threads. The latest AT&T is unlimited for $29.99, the Sprint is a income limited and the Verizon 3G hotspots can still be had off of ebay. I will be testing the new $5 a month 4G Verizon as soon as I can afford the hotspot and have time.

Streaming is watching video or listening to music.

 

[Headache]

I will be testing the new $5 a month 4G Verizon as soon as I can afford the hotspot and have time.

/ feels impatient already

I'd be willing to kick in some greenbacks!