Internet On The Go

[robert222]

I've had an IOTG account for quite a long time. Lately though they have been very poor (less than that really) and now I am unable to access the Internet with my tablet. My son also has one of their hotspots and he also is unable to access the Internet. This is ongoing and IOTG doesn't know what the problem is.
I am now thinking of giving up my membership and trying to find another company that would be similar:
$19 for 1G / no contract / have to use once every 2 months (or more) to remain activated, etc.
Can anyone suggest a similar company with a mobile unit (hotspot) costing about $25. I am new to this so don't know all the terminology, etc. I am senior, senior citizen. Someone mentioned Karma, but that is a bit too expensive for me.

 

[Yuriman]

If your devices can take SIM cards, you could try Project Fi. They'll give you as many SIM cards as you want and charge $10 per gigabyte, with a shared pool for all devices. And, you're refunded at the end of the month for any data you don't use.

Maybe you could find a generic hotspot and put a Fi SIM in it?

My main phone is Fi and I keep a spare Fi SIM around in case I need data on something else in a pinch.

 

[Crono]

T-Mobile has relatively inexpensive hotspot plans (including a $20/2GB plan), and you can often find new or used hotspot devices on ebay or other sites for not much money (currently seeing ones in the $20-$40 range).

 

[robert222]

Thank you. When you buy one of those units from Ebay, don't they already come with a 'contract?' For instance, this one

Verizon Jetpack 4620LE 4G LTE MiFi Mobile Hotspot

• 
  
  
  • $17.50
  • 7 bids
  • Free shipping

says Verizon. Wouldn't you have to sign up with Verizon? And wouldn't that have something called a SIMM card, which I know nothing about as the IOTG units didn't come with SIMM cards (as far as I know).

 

[Crono]

Thank you. When you buy one of those units from Ebay, don't they already come with a 'contract?' For instance, this one

Verizon Jetpack 4620LE 4G LTE MiFi Mobile Hotspot

• 
  
  
  • $17.50
  • 7 bids
  • Free shipping

says Verizon. Wouldn't you have to sign up with Verizon? And wouldn't that have something called a SIMM card, which I know nothing about as the IOTG units didn't come with SIMM cards (as far as I know).

It doesn't already come with a contract, however that unit would only work with Verizon - you would need a T-Mobile one like this if you want to go with T-Mobile (likewise, a T-Mobile hotspot will not work with Verizon or the other carriers). You can easily get a SIM card by walking into any T-Mobile store or kiosk in a mall and they can give you a SIM card set up with the right hotspot plan. Alternatively, you could call or order a SIM card online, but the in-person method is quicker and potentially easier, especially if you buy a hotspot device first and have it with you.

It should be similar for any of the carriers, though it may or may not be more expensive for the device and/or plan. I've only done it myself with T-Mobile because it was the cheapest at the time (last summer), with a used ZTE Z64 (4G) hotspot that was around $20 on ebay. Newer and higher end LTE hotspot devices will cost a little more.

If T-Mobile reception isn't good in your area, though, you may want to consider going to one of the other carriers.