Question Any issues with using a mobile hotspot as your only source for the internet on a PC?

[Stg-Flame]

Sorry if this is in the wrong spot or if this is a stupid question, but I've legitimately never used a mobile hotspot because I've never needed to (honestly don't even know exactly what it is though I have a vague idea), but I'm trying to find something that will work good enough for my mom who lives in an incredibly rural area. When I say rural, Starlink is about the only option for permanent internet and we've had satellite internet in the past with HughesNet out there and that didn't work out for many reasons. My mom has been using an aircard through AT&T but since my dad died recently, my brother found out they've been charging her a ridiculous amount of money for the aircard and we need to get it removed, but she doesn't want to be without internet where she lives and the only other option I found was to add her onto my phone plan which has an unlimited data hotspot. From what I understand, my mobile hotspot is basically the same thing as the aircard she has now and since she really only gets online to play games on Pogo and BigFishGames with the rare occasion of watching a video on YouTube, she doesn't use a whole lot of data nor does she need fiber optic speeds.

I'm taking her Saturday to get her added onto my plan, but I'd like to find out if this will work as a solution to her aircard before we sign any new contracts. If it won't, I'll have to set her up with Verizon with a different account (they call theirs a Jetpack) and just pay it myself. I don't mind going that route if its necessary as I just want something that will work. Again, sorry if this doesn't make much sense, but I know very little about all the additional features of mobile phones and I know even less about networking in general.

 

[In2Photos]

Make 100% sure that the hotspot data is unlimited! On our phone plans with unlimited data, hotspot devices are not included. I use my work phone's hotspot all the time when I'm in the field. It will drain the phone battery, so something else to keep in mind.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Make 100% sure that the hotspot data is unlimited! On our phone plans with unlimited data, hotspot devices are not included. I use my work phone's hotspot all the time when I'm in the field. It will drain the phone battery, so something else to keep in mind.

I'll double check but I can only go off what the sales woman said.

 

[In2Photos]

I'll double check but I can only go off what the sales woman said.

You should be able to check your plan account. Here's what mine says, 5GB of premium hotspot data then unlimited reduced speed. But not all plans are the same as you know. Would hate to see you stuck with some ridiculous bill!

 

[Stg-Flame]

You should be able to check your plan account. Here's what mine says, 5GB of premium hotspot data then unlimited reduced speed. But not all plans are the same as you know. Would hate to see you stuck with some ridiculous bill!

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I knew I was going to be missing some information as I was tired and still incredibly irritated with AT&T when I typed that originally. I'm currently with Verizon and plan to switch to XFinity mobile and bring her into that plan with me. Sticking with Verizon is just a backup plan in case the hotspot idea wasn't going to work because they do offer a similar service to her AT&T aircard.

My main issue isn't the cost as I make decent money at my current job and it's fairly secure (which is saying a lot in the oilfield), but since she's out there by herself, I want her to be able to have the internet available when she wants to get on and do something. She also plays a few games on Steam like Fallout 4 and Skyrim so when those inevitably churn out new updates, she'll need to be able to update those without issue. I'll definitely call the store today and double-check their plans because I did forget that Verizon had a similar thing where it was unlimited data but only to a certain point at which they'll start capping speeds and I don't want to encounter something like that down the line. They're asking for a 24 month contract so I'll try to gather additional information today. If there's anything else I should know before we go to the store tomorrow, feel free to toss it out here.

I appreciate all the help so far.