Verizon doesn't make it clear

[corky52]

I use a Samsung Galaxy S5 for both telephone and Wifi hotspot at the same time, saves a fair chunk of change, in that there is only a single line fee rather than two every month.

Verizon doesn't make it very clear this can be done, seems they want you to use a hotspot for data.  


Corky

 

[Almost There]

Thanks for that information. I'll be using Verizon when I go stateside this fall for the winter.

Can you explain a little bit of how that works please.

 

[corky52]

AT,
There is no magic, the S5 functions as a wifi hotspot while working as a smartphone at the same time.  There is a wifi hotspot built into the S5, you just have to go to the control panel and turn it on, it is not an exclusive function that shuts other functions down when in use.

We can be talking and I can be using the internet to lookup things at the same time, it's like pulling teeth to get Verizon to admit this can be done.

Corky

 

[Almost There]

Oops! I didn't read carefully enough! Is the S4 capable of the same thing or only the S5?

 

[corky52]

AT,
I don't know about the S4, but it might have the capacity, it's much the same as the S5.

Testing is fairly simple, turn on Wifi hotspot, link in a computer, start a download, and then make a phone call, see if it works.


Corky

 

[corky52]

http://www.samsung.com/au/support/skp/htg/16390

The S4 setup looks the same as my S5.

Corky

 

[LeeRevell]

My SIII has Wifi hotspot capability too. Works fine. BUT..... it uses the data up quick if you aren't careful! I have run my laptop on it via wifi as a test. So yes, the S4 should have it too.
There are a few online websites with the complete manual for these cell phones. I saved mine as a PDF file on my PC and laptop.

 

[corky52]

Lee,
Data use is the same as a standalone hotspot, you just don't pay the extra line and data link cost.  I figure the cost savings pays for 8 GB a month.

I also don't have to either decide between phone and data when using the amp, or by a more expensive amp that supports multiple  hookups.


Corky

 

[Almost There]

Thanks guys!

I'll play with it when I figure I have infinite amounts of patience.

I skipped a whole bunch of generations and moved from a flip phone with no data to the S4 in preparation for my snowbird plans (it takes six months before I can unlock it).

It took me a month to figure out how to get into my voicemail..

I clicked on that link you provided Corky and it made my eyes roll way back and keep going...

 

[corky52]

AT,
I'm a technogeek and love that kind of stuff.  

It's much easier to do this stuff when you can play rather than just read about it.

I'd bet it's likely you can do the phone share and not need a hotspot or the extra costs.


Corky

 

[akrvbob]

I think you may have misunderstood the Verizon More Everything Plan. Adding a MIFI only adds $20 to the total cost. It was worth it to me because I MUST have internet connection and wanted the redundancy. If one fails in the middle of nowhere, I'm still online.

Plus, I'm online so much I didn't want all that extra wear and tear on my Samsung Note 3. It's an incredible phone but it's capabilities are wasted on being a hotspot all day.

Another reason I like having two devices is I have enough Data that I can loan it to friends who can use it.

I can understand why to most people it's not worth having two devices, but $20 is not a big difference in price.
Bob

 

[LeeRevell]

For what I do, the SIII is more than enough. I won't 'upgrade' to later phone til this one just no longer works. I don't use 80% of what it has. Cannot justify the newer phones.
I had 3Gig of data, but used well less than 1Gig a month normally. That changed the week or so I was without DSL for my desktop/laptop. Now I have 2Gig. I cannot afford what I would need if I didn't have my landline/DSL system. No videos for sure!
If I dropped it, that would give me some $90 to put into the Verizon account...... still not enough to run videos more than a couple a month, maybe. Data ain't cheap.......

 

[WriterMs]

Maybe I'm wrong but I thought most companies now have written rules about NOT tethering devices and using your phone as a hotspot??? Because, of course, they want you to pay extra for the second device, etc.

I know that my StraightTalk phone (runs on the Verizon network) forbids using it as a hotspot. So I got their actual hotspot device and wish now that I had not. The price per GB is cheap ($10) and you can buy the data as you need it (it is not a set amount per month). But they cannot report real-time usage (they disclaim to say you are seeing the balance as of 24 hours ago). And when you are nearly out of data you must add more before you use up what you've paid for (unless you are near another public wifi to go online and add more data).

 

[akrvbob]

Most companies have a "share everything" plan that is just what it says, everything is shared by all the devices and they don't care how it's divided up. Here is an example

So you buy the gigs you want, 10 gigs for $80
Add a smartphone $40
Add a tablet $10
Add Mifi Jetpack and connect to your laptop $20
=================
Total is $150 and any device can use any share of the $10 gigs.

Verizon is now calling it More EVerything.
Bob

 

[LeeRevell]

No extra charge using my laptop on the cellphone Wifi. I need no tablet or additional phones. Don't need a jetpack.

 

[wayne49]

Maybe I'm wrong but I thought most companies now have written rules about NOT tethering devices and using your phone as a hotspot??? Because, of course, they want you to pay extra for the second device, etc.

I know that my StraightTalk phone (runs on the Verizon network) forbids using it as a hotspot. So I got their actual hotspot device and wish now that I had not. The price per GB is cheap ($10) and you can buy the data as you need it (it is not a set amount per month). But they cannot report real-time usage (they disclaim to say you are seeing the balance as of 24 hours ago). And when you are nearly out of data you must add more before you use up what you've paid for (unless you are near another public wifi to go online and add more data).

"Hotspot" is different than "tethered".

Tethering is connecting a device, laptop usually, directly to the phone and using the phone as a data connection. The reason the carriers did not like this method, is that it used voice optimized networks for data. The phones only had the one network and could not do voice and data simultaneusly. This had a severe impact on the network.

Now with data optimized networks the norm, and smartphones having separate voice and data capabilities, it is not an issue for the major carriers.

We now have smartphones with both cell and WiFi capability, that can act as a WiFi hotspot and serve the phone's data connection to WiFi connected devices, laptops, tablets, etc.

-Wayne

 

[wayne49]

No extra charge using my laptop on the cellphone Wifi.  I need no tablet or additional phones.  Don't need a jetpack.

I find it very convenient to have the separate Jetpack. I can walk away from the laptop with my phone and not affect the laptop's Internet connectivity.

The hotspot function also drains the phone's battery at a higher rate.

Ending up with a stationary phone wired to a charger that has to stay close to a laptop.

Mileage will vary per user.

 

[LeeRevell]

Yep, usage varies. If I am away from my laptop, it is shutdown. When I was using the phone as a Wifi hotspot, it was plugged into a charger, so no worries. On the road, I often have the phone plugged into the car charger. I am a bit anal about keeping it charged up. Only once had it nearly drained. If I am using the phone for Wifi, I am not using it for anything else, no calls or data use separate from the laptop. Just the way I roll. I keep multitasking to a minimum.