Which providers allowed tethered connections? How much?

[zovirl]

I want to get mobile internet access on my laptop with a tethered cell phone but I don't which provider to go with. From what I've read here, Sprint "sort of" allows this, as long as they don't notice. Anyone know if any providers expressly allow tethered connections? How much do they charge? I don't really need speed, just a connection...

[roamer1]

T-Mobile:
up to 56k - unlimited $29.95/mo without a voice plan, $19.95/mo with; per-megabyte pricing also available for infrequent use (only if you have a voice plan)
(roaming charges of $10/megabyte when roaming on other GSM carriers, including Cingular in the Carolinas but NOT including the Cingular/T-Mo shared network in CA/NV which is considered on-network)

VZW:
up to 144k - unlimited $80/mo, per-megabyte or per-minute pricing also available for infrequent use
(only available on VZW's network)
up to 14.4k - included in any and all voice plans, just uses airtime
(may work, but not guaranteed to work, on other CDMA carriers -- should work if on ALLTEL; will not work if on SPCS)

Nextel:
up to 56k - unlimited $55/mo, per-megabyte pricing also available (note: "public" non-NATed IP requires per-MB pricing)
(only available on Nextel's network)
up to 9600 (outside ISP required) - included in any voice plan if you have Full Service Web or the Messaging package (but you usually have to specifically ask for Dial-Up Service to be provisioned), just uses airtime; $10/mo + airtime otherwise
(only available on Nextel's network)

I'd recommend T-Mo if cost is a priority (I have the unlimited GPRS plan and it works just fine for my needs -- it does get a bit slow in some areas during some times but is perfectly acceptable 95% of the time), and VZW if speed is a priority. Nextel is OK but isn't as competitive as T-Mo and VZW anymore, and is sort of stuck in the Stone Age because of limitations of their iDEN network. (Of course, Nextel is still GREAT for WAP, just not tethered connectivity...)

IMO AT&T is simply too expensive (and requires some coverage tradeoffs), and Cingular doesn't really seem to care about anything data-related except for Blackberries (which use their own, low-speed network completely separate from their "cell phone" networks -- Mobitex has nothing at all to do with IS-136 TDMA or GSM.)

-SC

[ILUVSOCAL]

I ues the unlimited T-Mobile internet for 19 a month too Roamer, works great, it's not broadband, but I go in some areas in Nor Cal where phone lines are not so hot, it really shines there. I wish they'd get a roaming agreement with Edge Wireless a lot sooner though! Only AT&T users can use Edge's GSM, Cingular, T-Mobile are restricted to 911 only. I can use AT&T GPRS on Edge Wireless, and since I have a local plan with AT&T I don't pay roaming or ld on Edge, but I do pay 1 cents per k for data over my monthly access(this is for WAP, tethering with AT&T is too expensive for my uses, as is Verizon's 1X).

[zovirl]

Thanks for the answers! I was thinking about going with AT&T or Sprint just because everything I've read says that have good voice coverage where I live (SF bay area) Looks like I might have to choose between voice and data [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

It surprises me that VZW is the only one to include airtime-only data access with their standard plans. My brother has verizon and from what he tells me, they charge him for everything...even incoming text messages.

When I asked the Cingular sales rep about data, she had no idea what I was talking about but called someone else who said I could do a tethered connection to an outside ISP and it would be charged as airtime only. The whole converstation didn't leave me feeling very confident in their answer, though.

Heh now I guess I have to make a choice

[jayc]

Just a correction- on the new VZW plans Express network (burst 144k) is included and takes airtime only if data package is not subscribed to.

[Rasputin]

If you do not use the internet that much and or use it night and weekends, you can use the express network with your voice minutes for no additional charge, you just call up and get provisioned, you do need a 1X phone though.

[budney]

Originally posted by: Rasputin
If you do not use the internet that much and or use it night and weekends, you can use the express network with your voice minutes for no additional charge, you just call up and get provisioned, you do need a 1X phone though.

I thought Verizon wasn't letting people do that any more???

[roamer1]

AIUI from posts to alt.cellular.verizon, VZW is indeed currently provisioning "free" 1X only on lines attached to camera phones (because of "abuse") -- hence why I only mentioned CSD.

The "Express Network Minutes" plan that's offered that is essentially NSR...not AC.

-SC

[ILUVSOCAL]

I have read too in Howard Forums that this was an unintended result of the camera phone thing, and they will be closing the free 1X loophole asap.

[zovirl]

Originally posted by: roamer1
AIUI from posts to alt.cellular.verizon, VZW is indeed currently provisioning "free" 1X only on lines attached to camera phones (because of "abuse") -- hence why I only mentioned CSD.

The "Express Network Minutes" plan that's offered that is essentially NSR...not AC.

-SC

I've been trying to follow along but this one lost me.

CSD?
NSR?
AC?

[TProphet]

Ah, Verizon acronyms.

CSD: Also called QNC, means "cellular standard data," I think. It runs at 14.4 and is included on all Verizon plans for airtime fees only.

EN MOU: Express Network Minutes Of Use - This is the plan people are talking about, which is intended for camera phones. It lets you use the Express Network, but you are billed only airtime.

AC: America's Choice. This is a Verizon plan that offers nationwide coverage, but you can only use your plan minutes in Verizon-designated areas. You can use your regular airtime in all Verizon service areas nationwide, and you can also roam for no additional charge on Sprint PCS, Alltel, Alaska DigiTel, and select other carriers.

NSR: National SingleRate, a very expensive Verizon plan that lets you use your phone anywhere in the country with no roaming charges whatsoever. Pricing and terms are the same for these plans and Express Network (EN) plans, except that you can also use your plan minutes for data on Express Network using EN plans (NSR plans do not include data).

Originally posted by: zovirl

I've been trying to follow along but this one lost me.

CSD?
NSR?
AC?

[TProphet]

Some additions:

- VZW will let you add unlimited data to any plan for $44.95 per month.

- Sprint PCS offers data-only plans for $80 a month, just like Verizon.

- Sprint offers data coverage in many more places than does Verizon, making them, in general, a much better option for road warriors. Verizon, for example, has very poor data coverage here in the Pacific Northwest; eastern Washington and Oregon, southwest Washington, and southern Oregon have little to no Verizon data coverage.

Originally posted by: roamer1
T-Mobile:
up to 56k - unlimited $29.95/mo without a voice plan, $19.95/mo with; per-megabyte pricing also available for infrequent use (only if you have a voice plan)
(roaming charges of $10/megabyte when roaming on other GSM carriers, including Cingular in the Carolinas but NOT including the Cingular/T-Mo shared network in CA/NV which is considered on-network)

VZW:
up to 144k - unlimited $80/mo, per-megabyte or per-minute pricing also available for infrequent use
(only available on VZW's network)
up to 14.4k - included in any and all voice plans, just uses airtime
(may work, but not guaranteed to work, on other CDMA carriers -- should work if on ALLTEL; will not work if on SPCS)

Nextel:
up to 56k - unlimited $55/mo, per-megabyte pricing also available (note: "public" non-NATed IP requires per-MB pricing)
(only available on Nextel's network)
up to 9600 (outside ISP required) - included in any voice plan if you have Full Service Web or the Messaging package (but you usually have to specifically ask for Dial-Up Service to be provisioned), just uses airtime; $10/mo + airtime otherwise
(only available on Nextel's network)

I'd recommend T-Mo if cost is a priority (I have the unlimited GPRS plan and it works just fine for my needs -- it does get a bit slow in some areas during some times but is perfectly acceptable 95% of the time), and VZW if speed is a priority. Nextel is OK but isn't as competitive as T-Mo and VZW anymore, and is sort of stuck in the Stone Age because of limitations of their iDEN network. (Of course, Nextel is still GREAT for WAP, just not tethered connectivity...)

IMO AT&T is simply too expensive (and requires some coverage tradeoffs), and Cingular doesn't really seem to care about anything data-related except for Blackberries (which use their own, low-speed network completely separate from their "cell phone" networks -- Mobitex has nothing at all to do with IS-136 TDMA or GSM.)

-SC

[ILUVSOCAL]

"Sprint offers data coverage in many more places than does Verizon, making them, in general, a much better option for road warrior"

That really depends on where you live and travel, here in Northern California, Verizon has much better coverage, both voice and data. I travel all over Nor Cal on a regular basis, and Verizon's data and voice coverage far exceeds Sprint's, at least in the areas where I travel, which can get very rural and isolated. The only place Sprint has coverage and data that Verizon doesn't is the Eureka/Rio Dell/Fortuna/Arcata/McKinleyville areas (Verizon doesn't have licenses for Humboldt County, nor for Trinity or Siskiyou Counties), and I rarely go up there.

[TProphet]

ILUVSOCAL has a point--Verizon does cover some cow farms out in the sticks that Sprint doesn't. I mean, heck, they have full digital coverage in Forks, Washington, complete with Express Network data.

Now, Forks is a perfectly nice redneck town, surrounded by clearcuts and full of unemployed loggers who grouse about not being able to do the same thing to the Olympic National Park. So in an area where signs that say "This family supported by timber dollars" and "Spotted Owl Tastes Like Chicken" abound, it's kind of nice to have this service available. Heck, you'll probably be the only person to actually use it there during any given month.

That said, how many business travelers regularly visit Forks? The place is bleeding population and red ink, so probably not many. On the other hand, how about Lewiston, Idaho, a major seaport? No Verizon there. Or Longview, Washington, where about 30% of the world's aluminum is made? Wait a minute, no Verizon coverage there, either. How about Yakima, the apple processing capital of the free world and home of Tree Top? Sorry, Verizon can't help you there, either. Maybe Pasco, home of the Hanford nuclear reservation? Bzzt, still no Verizon coverage.

All of the places above where Verizon has no coverage at all, Sprint users enjoy excellent digital voice and data coverage. True, Sprint doesn't cover as many cow farms, but unless you're in the cattle business, this will probably never matter to "moo."

Originally posted by: ILUVSOCAL
"Sprint offers data coverage in many more places than does Verizon, making them, in general, a much better option for road warrior"

That really depends on where you live and travel, here in Northern California, Verizon has much better coverage, both voice and data. I travel all over Nor Cal on a regular basis, and Verizon's data and voice coverage far exceeds Sprint's, at least in the areas where I travel, which can get very rural and isolated. The only place Sprint has coverage and data that Verizon doesn't is the Eureka/Rio Dell/Fortuna/Arcata/McKinleyville areas (Verizon doesn't have licenses for Humboldt County, nor for Trinity or Siskiyou Counties), and I rarely go up there.

[ILUVSOCAL]

I'm not quite sure what you meant by all that, but I am a business traveler, and my business (driving my dad, a backgound investigator for the US Govt, to his various cases) takes me to many out of the way places, not all business people travel only in large cities, so rural coverage is important to us that do. Oh, those loggers you detest so much, well my sister's husband works for a lumber company here in Nor Cal, Harwood, and they are neither rednecks nor do they have bumper stickers all over their cars, I suggest you save you comments about people you don't like or understand to some other site! He is an educated, smart man, but without the attitude you have. Can you understand a little how they feel, their livelihoods are gone, you think that is funny? I am a big environment guy, and am glad to see more forests preserved, but that doesn't mean I enjoy seeing people lose their jobs and towns die out. Now, that said you seem very intelligent, so don't post stuff like this, it doesn't make you look good at all.

[larry]

I believe Sprint has coverage in some rural parts of Arizona that Verizon doesn't. So both carriers have their advantages and disadvantages depending on where you are.

[zovirl]

Originally posted by: TProphet
how about Lewiston, Idaho, a major seaport?

Am I the only one who thinks it is funny that a land-locked state has a major seaport? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Since I don't want to pay a lot for this data access (I probably will only use it once a month...if that...) it looks like verizon is the only carrier who offers what I'm looking for.

[ILUVSOCAL]

It's not funny or odd at all if you know the area. The Snake River is a major river and starts in Idaho and Wyoming(the North Fork, or Henry's Fork, at Big Springs in Island Park in SE Idaho just outside Yellowstone, and the East Fork just north of Teton Nat'l Park in the southern part of Yellowstone, they merge just outside Idaho Falls) , and it empties into the Columbia which of course empties into the Pacific Ocean.

[Airb330]

Originally posted by: ILUVSOCAL
It's not funny or odd at all if you know the area. The Snake River is a major river and starts in Idaho and Wyoming(the North Fork, or Henry's Fork, at Big Springs in Island Park in SE Idaho just outside Yellowstone, and the East Fork just north of Teton Nat'l Park in the southern part of Yellowstone, they merge just outside Idaho Falls) , and it empties into the Columbia which of course empties into the Pacific Ocean.

I think it's funny cause it's still called a "sea"port. I guess a riverport is more precise. But, who cares (or even knows that much about the area) I just do from Oregon Trail haha! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Verizon's glitch for EN for minutes use seems to be the best idea for now. Or T-Mobile.

[ILUVSOCAL]

I know a little about the area, my family and ancestors helped settle Eastern Idaho with the Mormon Pioneers, and I still have relatives there [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[TProphet]

It's good to see that someone around here has a sense of humor. Yes, I consider this an entirely ridiculous concept as well, considering what the four lower Snake River dams which make this possible have done to the salmon runs there.

As for where business travelers go or whether ILUVSOCAL's relatives are rednecks, there are a couple of literary concepts that I'd like to introduce. They are called "embellishment" and "artistic license," both of which can be used to make writing more humorous. I certainly recognize that the entire population of Forks does not consist of redneck unemployed loggers, just like I recognize that not every Mormon is a macaroni-hoarding windbag busybody. There are enough of both in each situation, though, to inspire endless humor and glee.

C'mon. Lighten up. Put the FUN back in fundamentalist, ILUVSOCAL, and make fun of Lewiston with us. Or at least make fun of the 3W bag phones that Inland Cellular *still* "cells."

I think it's funny cause it's still called a "sea"port. I guess a riverport is more precise. But, who cares (or even knows that much about the area) I just do from Oregon Trail haha! [img]i/