Unlimited wireless Data plan?

Discussion in 'Trucking Electronics, Gadgets and Software Forum' started by mopar408, Nov 25, 2008.

  1. wsyrob

    wsyrob Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

    5,769
    5,463
    Sep 14, 2007
    Winston Salem
    0
    Just surfing around loading web pages you won't go over 5 g a month. The problem arises if you start downloading music or video files. Lots of people use bittorrent sites for that and it runs up bandwidth usage fast because you are constantly uploading and downloading until you get the file. A movie or TV series file can be 4-8 gb each.

    Streaming video is a bandwidth hog as well. Anyone know how much bandwidth a 1 hour TV show on slingbox will use? Can you control the quality of transmission? HD would use a lot more I would think.
     
    Faber Thanks this.
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. MrMustard

    MrMustard Road Train Member

    1,003
    529
    Dec 11, 2008
    Dayton, Ohio
    0
    A one hour TV show streamed from Hulu is 260-270 megabytes. Watch 20 of them and you are done for the month.

    I have a Sprint card, was told it was UNLIMITED when I bought it last January, but then in May they slipped a letter in my bill telling me that If I used more than 5 gigs, I would either be terminated or have my speed throttled. They wouldn't tell me which would happen when i called and asked about it. Anyone getting a Sprint card now is limited to 5 gigs, and you will be charged $25 a gig for going over. Verizon charges $250 a gig in overages, AT&T $500, so all in all Sprint is more lenient. Verizon's users who signed up before the cap was imposed, have their speed throttled down to 200 mbps, which isn't a bad deal. AT&T's grandfathered plans are unlimited. I have the Sprint grandfathered plan, which is no overage charges, but Sprint has still not said what they will do to me if I go over. I doubt termination is likely, because they are losing subscribers and hemmhoraging money. The only places left to get true unlimited service is Millenicom and Alltel, but I have no idea that will last and I'm doubtful that it will.
    Ironically, you can stream all the video, download all the music you want from all three of the major providers, as long as it is on an iPhone, or a smartphone, or any other hand held device. A sprint customer can watch 80 hours of TV on his Samsung Instinct for $20 a month, but you can't do that on a laptop for $60 a month. Go figure.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 19, 2008
    Faber and Baack Thank this.
  4. Dark Wolf

    Dark Wolf Light Load Member

    65
    13
    Jul 28, 2008
    Belding, Mi
    0
    Anyone find the need to use the wilson cell phone app/booster for phones or aircards? The wireless one. How did it work good bad...
     
  5. abjz71

    abjz71 Light Load Member

    152
    56
    May 29, 2008
    whichita ks
    0
    i had a sprint evdo card for a while until they tried to stick me with a $11,000 bill (sat in nogales az for a weekend) then i moved to alltel until i roamed to much not that you can tell when your roaming and they canceled my aircard now im using a blackberry curve to get online with and paying less then i was with the card
     
  6. xxpigxx

    xxpigxx Light Load Member

    127
    18
    Dec 9, 2008
    Harlingen, TX
    0
    how do you that with the Blackberry?

    It acts as a modem?
     
  7. Faber

    Faber Medium Load Member

    415
    108
    Oct 11, 2008
    0
    yes, with usb 881 aircard thru cingular, no booster.....worked great, improved reception great....usb 881 aircard suckd, looses conection at usb terminal.
     
  8. MrMustard

    MrMustard Road Train Member

    1,003
    529
    Dec 11, 2008
    Dayton, Ohio
    0
    International roaming? I have mine set so it will not roam.
     
  9. Faber

    Faber Medium Load Member

    415
    108
    Oct 11, 2008
    0
    now that was educational.....and explains cingulars definitions to me of - "unlimited with 5 gigs....but you won't get charged if you go over."......Thanks.
     
  10. MrMustard

    MrMustard Road Train Member

    1,003
    529
    Dec 11, 2008
    Dayton, Ohio
    0

    yeah if your AT&T account was made before last spring, I'm not sure what the cut-off date was, you are grandfathered in, meaning it's unlimited. Worst thing you can do is make any changes to your plan. I had a cingular (AT&T) card up until last January, when the daggum thing quit working on me with three months left on my contract. I called them up and told them I needed a new one, they said sure, send us $200, or wait until the two years was up, then I could have one for free. Three months with no internet? No thanks. Sprint gave me a card for $20.
     
    Faber Thanks this.
  11. cplmac2

    cplmac2 Heavy Load Member

    714
    160
    Nov 10, 2008
    Watford City, ND
    0
    I've been a pretty happy Verizon customer for the past three or four years so I went with the Verizon air card seeing as how everyone basically has the same 5 gig ceiling. Got the card installed and running last night, the speed is satisfactory but I'm bummed that I won't be able to use it to watch TV on the road. I hate to think that I might have to get a VoQube, I haven't even started driving yet and I'm already in the whole a couple grand for the laptop, aircard and atlas. One problem with doing satellite is I know with the company truck I won't be able to do any type of installation. Anyhow, pretty content with the Verizon card, but in fairness it's only been a day and I haven't left Chicagoland with it. I've been all around the midwest with an ATT card and I suspect the Verizon card will provide similar service at least.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.