T-Mobile's AWESOME unlimited 3G hotspot plan $30/month

[Gizmo j]

(This unlimited 3G plan is not available online, you have to call customer service to buy it.)

Most hotspot plans advertises "unlimited" plans but really only give you 20-30GB at high speeds then lowers the speed so low you can barely surf the web.

T-Mobile's 3G plan is LEGITIMATELY Unlimited! And the 3G speed is fast enough to watch YouTube videos at 480p.

And a way to get faster speeds is to get a 4G router instead of a hotspot like the one below, the router is faster because it has antennas.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KCKT6MD#

 

[IronWing]

Totally unlimited! With the worst coverage of any major carrier and horrendous customer service!

 

[lxskllr]

I'm kinda interested. Is that prepaid, or contract?

 

[Captante]

Totally unlimited! With the worst coverage of any major carrier and horrendous customer service!

If its been awhile they are vastly improved and in a year or two with Sprint resources will be better still based on my experience with Google Fi (current provider) which uses both plus US Cellular.

I had them 2 years ago and coverage was strong all over New England even NE Maine which was quite surprising.

They won't be number one but they may well leapfrog AT&T into number two in overall coverage.

None of which matters one bit if you end up with zero bars in your living room!

 

[zinfamous]

If its been awhile they are vastly improved and in a year or two with Sprint resources will be better still based on my experience with Google Fi (current provider) which uses both plus US Cellular.

I had them 2 years ago and coverage was strong all over New England even NE Maine which was quite surprising.

They won't be number one but they may well leapfrog AT&T into number two in overall coverage.

None of which matters one bit if you end up with zero bars in your living room!

IW is in Arizona, where TMobile is probably historically bad. When I had them, they were great but I lived in places where they worked well, but they had massive holes all over the country.

...but yeah, that was a long time ago and they are much, much better now.

I've also been on Fi for several years now....can't say it's been great for me, but it's OK I guess. I'm not really a power user, and I like only paying around $26/month for all that I need.

 

[Captante]

I like only paying around $26/month for all that I need

You know it ... the key with Fi is you have to have a phone that is capable of switching between providers on the fly the way "built for Fi" phones like the Pixel or Nexus do.

Unfortunately at the moment I'm using my backup phone an old Galaxy S7 which while it works with Fi only uses Sprint services. Where I live this is fine and so is almost anyplace near a major highway but overall Spring coverage is bad by itself especially out in the boonies.

When I had Fi the first time around I was using a Nexus 5X and the service was far better once you were off the beaten track then using the S7.

 

[rh71]

T-Mobile hotspot had been pretty poor in terms of performance for my kids who sit in the back of the car and watch YT videos.

They have vastly improved over the years for 4G coverage though, which is why we left VZW for them. The price difference is unreal too. We started with 3 lines but gradually are up to 7 lines (family + bro + parents now), all unlimited, for a total of $152/mo. when our 5 kickback qualifying lines ($10ea back if < 2GB used) hit. 4 of those lines were added when they had add one get one so they're only $10/mo. each - and now my kids get their own 4G lines. Along with Netflix practically free, how are you going to beat that value? No issues with reception in NY. I looked into Google Fi but with our usage patterns, it would be over $200/mo. guaranteed.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Totally unlimited! With the worst coverage of any major carrier and horrendous customer service!

This is very outdated information. I've had ATT/VZW work phones and my personal has been T-Mo for the past 5 years. I don't see any appreciable difference between VZW and T-Mo. AT&T can kick rocks. Their service sucks whether I'm in OR, AZ, OK or TN.

The $400 credit trading in an iPhone 7 to buy the $400 iPhone SE 2020 over 24 months deal apparently didn't go through when I bought the iPhone SE. I contacted them through chat and they did a one-time credit of $400 for trading in the iPhone 7. No contract, nothing.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Damn I would switch to that as my main internet tbh if I could find something that cheap here and unlimited, even if it means giving up my fibre. At that price I don't really care what the speed or performance is like. 3G is plenty fast for general use and it's a compromise I'd be willing to make if it means saving monthly expenses.

I recently downgraded my current fibre internet from 50/30 to 20/15 as it's the cheapest internet I can get here and it's still around $50 or so per month. Only really saving $10 but trying to cut my living expenses everywhere I can. I even looked into going back to ADSL or looked into cable but it's actually more.

Recently changed my cell plan to a super cheap $15/mo one with a new discount carrier in the area but it was only 100 minutes. I thought that would be ok, but I guess I talk on the phone more than I realized and went over within a week. So I had to go to the $25 plan. Still cheaper than the $60 plan I was on with the other company though. The data is advertised as 3G but I seem to get LTE anyway. If cheap unlimited plans were offered here I would consider using it as my main internet to save money. Could probably setup some kind of blutooth type thing where when my phone is within range I have internet for the house. I assume something like that exists? But yeah that's not really an option here anyway.

 

[Zeze]

Totally unlimited! With the worst coverage of any major carrier and horrendous customer service!

No. No. Nononononoono nono No.

Abosolute dogsh*t tier of garbage customer service and coverage is Sprint. No effin' other way about it.

I recall a decade ago, their customer service line had a queue of 60-75 mins. REGULARLY. Spanning across years. I mean WTF? They NEVER kept notes for records.
Their reception is garbage pile tier. Wife would always laugh at me because her Verizon ALWAY had reception; ON THE SAME MODEL PHONE

I have Tmobi, it's fine.

 

[lxskllr]

Sprint works alright around here. Data speeds may be slow. Dunno. I've never had anything other than sprint in one form or another, so I can't compare. I called cs once, and they pissed me off cause they wouldn't activate a boostmobile phone on the sprint network. It's their fuckin' phone on their fuckin' network! I think those are games they probably all play. Cell service should be sim card only, and if I can get it to work on a 1980s walkman, it should get on the network.

 

[brianmanahan]

I've also been on Fi for several years now....can't say it's been great for me, but it's OK I guess. I'm not really a power user, and I like only paying around $26/month for all that I need.

i was psyched about google fi at first, especially since verizon was crazy expensive at the time (i was paying like 90$ a month for 8 GB of data and no international coverage)

but when i tried fi the coverage was terrible. even when driving through suburbs of a large city, i only had a signal about %50 of the time.

it was then i decided i'm just going to use verizon forever.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

i was psyched about google fi at first, especially since verizon was crazy expensive at the time (i was paying like 90$ a month for 8 GB of data and no international coverage)

but when i tried fi the coverage was terrible. even when driving through suburbs of a large city, i only had a signal about %50 of the time.

it was then i decided i'm just going to use verizon forever.

I think Google Fi recently in the last couple years expanded it to have a partnership with Verizon - so I think they now use Verizon towers as well.

What keeps me from switching to Google Fi are the rumors or whatever that when you go through a 3rd party carrier like Fi, you get 2nd priority to all the direct customers.

Also, I have 3 lines with Verizon and pay a total of ~$110 right now. I think we have 6GB or something of data - which works for us because I honestly don't use that much and wifi is available in most places I go.



EDIT: Nvm, it wasn't Google Fi that expanded to Verizon... It was ting.com that did:

Ting Makes It Official, Now Offering Service On The Verizon Network

Last summer, Ting announced that it was dropping T-Mobile as a network partner in favor of adding Verizon later in the year. The reason for the change

bestmvno.com

Here is a quick glimpse at how cheap Ting.com can be - especially if you don't use talk/text. much.

 

[ondma]

I have TMobile, coverage has improved the last couple of years.
I dont really have any complaints about the coverage, but I live in a large city and dont travel much. I am on my son's plan, so dont deal with customer service.

 

[zinfamous]

You know it ... the key with Fi is you have to have a phone that is capable of switching between providers on the fly the way "built for Fi" phones like the Pixel or Nexus do.

Unfortunately at the moment I'm using my backup phone an old Galaxy S7 which while it works with Fi only uses Sprint services. Where I live this is fine and so is almost anyplace near a major highway but overall Spring coverage is bad by itself especially out in the boonies.

When I had Fi the first time around I was using a Nexus 5X and the service was far better once you were off the beaten track then using the S7.

I'm still using my Nexus ...uh, 5x or whatever it is. The last Nexus phone, anyway. It is so garbage now. Bought it 5 years ago under the sign up with Fi deal.

I think part of the reason that Fi doesn't work well for me now is that one of the updates broke the switching software, and it was never properly fixed. The forums suggested that I probably need to go back to an earlier Android version or something (this phone hasn't updated in more than a year now...maybe 2 years?). It has long not recognized the USB port as a data port when I am trying to connect it to transfer files. All of the known fixes for this do not work, so I just gave up on that. (I really only needed that for initial Android Auto setup on my car, but no dice).

At some point this year, I will replace it...either Pixel 3A? or maybe even jump to OnePlus, dunno. Kinda depends if I want to stick with Project Fi (no idea if my experience is middling because the phone is just Old and in the Way 😉, or it's just common issues with Project Fi), or if I should go back to Cricket or one of those value carriers like them.

 

[Captante]

I'm still using my Nexus ...uh, 5x or whatever it is. The last Nexus phone, anyway. It is so garbage now. Bought it 5 years ago under the sign up with Fi deal.

I think part of the reason that Fi doesn't work well for me now is that one of the updates broke the switching software, and it was never properly fixed. The forums suggested that I probably need to go back to an earlier Android version or something (this phone hasn't updated in more than a year now...maybe 2 years?). It has long not recognized the USB port as a data port when I am trying to connect it to transfer files. All of the known fixes for this do not work, so I just gave up on that. (I really only needed that for initial Android Auto setup on my car, but no dice).

At some point this year, I will replace it...either Pixel 3A? or maybe even jump to OnePlus, dunno. Kinda depends if I want to stick with Project Fi (no idea if my experience is middling because the phone is just Old and in the Way 😉, or it's just common issues with Project Fi), or if I should go back to Cricket or one of those value carriers like them.

My 5x boot-looped on me just as the warranty was about to expire ... Google replaced it at no charge since I purchased it directly from them however I didn't trust it any longer and so I sold it on Swappa for $120.

So if its the 5x you have it could easily be the same issues that eventually lead to over-heating/boot-loop. In retrospect mine came on gradually with performance degrading before it became completely unusable. (The Nexus 6 had issues too but they were far less common)

Fortunately you are in the "gravy-stage" of the phones life just make sure to do frequent backups till you replace it!


EDIT: I would try to hold out for the Pixel 4a at this point

 

[olds]

I remember when I had unlimited Sprint. Unlimited garbage is still garbage.

 

[Captante]

I remember when I had unlimited Sprint. Unlimited garbage is still garbage.

Yeah they're not real good if you happen to be in one of their many weak areas ... too bad because in strong ones they're very fast.

Of course they are also technically no longer in existence.

 

[zinfamous]

My 5x boot-looped on me just as the warranty was about to expire ... Google replaced it at no charge since I purchased it directly from them however I didn't trust it any longer and so I sold it on Swappa for $120.

So if its the 5x you have it could easily be the same issues that eventually lead to over-heating/boot-loop. In retrospect mine came on gradually with performance degrading before it became completely unusable. (The Nexus 6 had issues too but they were far less common)

Fortunately you are in the "gravy-stage" of the phones life just make sure to do frequent backups till you replace it!


EDIT: I would try to hold out for the Pixel 4a at this point

Is the 4a going to be a proper-sized ~4" phone, or is it another one of those fricking boats that we have to hold up to our faces? I've had 2 phones since 2009, and I kept my SG2 for so long because there really wasn't anything else that I could tolerate that was available in that time. Phone sizes have gone bonkers. I still consider the 5.5" or whatever of the 5X a bit too large. I'll never understand why people need large screens on their phones.
😀

 

[sdifox]

Is the 4a going to be a proper-sized ~4" phone, or is it another one of those fricking boats that we have to hold up to our faces? I've had 2 phones since 2009, and I kept my SG2 for so long because there really wasn't anything else that I could tolerate that was available in that time. Phone sizes have gone bonkers. I still consider the 5.5" or whatever of the 5X a bit too large. I'll never understand why people need large screens on their phones.
😀

Velcro it to your forearm, it is the only way.

 

[brianmanahan]

Is the 4a going to be a proper-sized ~4" phone, or is it another one of those fricking boats that we have to hold up to our faces? I've had 2 phones since 2009, and I kept my SG2 for so long because there really wasn't anything else that I could tolerate that was available in that time. Phone sizes have gone bonkers. I still consider the 5.5" or whatever of the 5X a bit too large. I'll never understand why people need large screens on their phones.
😀

5 inches is the absolute biggest i'll get

 

[Captante]

Is the 4a going to be a proper-sized ~4" phone, or is it another one of those fricking boats that we have to hold up to our faces? I've had 2 phones since 2009, and I kept my SG2 for so long because there really wasn't anything else that I could tolerate that was available in that time. Phone sizes have gone bonkers. I still consider the 5.5" or whatever of the 5X a bit too large. I'll never understand why people need large screens on their phones.
😀

I used to feel the same way up till I my last phone which was an LG v30+. It's fairly large at 6in but the 18:9 aspect ratio screen makes it seem much smaller in your pocket.

If you watch video on your phone a bigger screen is a real plus ... also helps when reading since there's a lot more room to blow up the text.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Is the 4a going to be a proper-sized ~4" phone, or is it another one of those fricking boats that we have to hold up to our faces? I've had 2 phones since 2009, and I kept my SG2 for so long because there really wasn't anything else that I could tolerate that was available in that time. Phone sizes have gone bonkers. I still consider the 5.5" or whatever of the 5X a bit too large. I'll never understand why people need large screens on their phones.
😀

Because its not really a phone anymore, its a pocket computer. The overwhelming majority of my time on the phone is spent looking at the screen, not holding it to my ear, and I imagine most people's usage pattern is the same.

 

[ondma]

Because its not really a phone anymore, its a pocket computer. The overwhelming majority of my time on the phone is spent looking at the screen, not holding it to my ear, and I imagine most people's usage pattern is the same.

Yes, that is my usage pattern as well. However, I still want the phone to be of reasonable size and weight to make carrying it easier.