Looking at AT&T Hotspot

newell

We're planning a six week trip across country. We're looking at the AT&T Hot Spot "Velocity" device for a dependable  internet network on the road. Does anyone have any experience with this type of device for use with a laptop etc ? I know my iPhone can be used as a hotspot but I've heard it has it's limitations.  

ScottG

No personal experience, but I'm pretty sure a "Hot Spot" is what my friend uses when he works remotely from his camper for several weeks out of the year. Since most of his day involves remote meetings and lots of document transfers, he needs a fast and reliable connection.

db_cooper

We use our Android phone as a hot spot frequently at our cabin. It can make the phone hot, but works great. We stream Netflix and my wife connects her phone since she has a low data limit.  I would try the phone first and  see if it meets your needs.

Marceline

newell said:

We're planning a six week trip across country. We're looking at the AT&T Hot Spot "Velocity" device for a dependable  internet network on the road. Does anyone have any experience with this type of device for use with a laptop etc ? I know my iPhone can be used as a hotspot but I've heard it has it's limitations.  

FWIW, I have an ATT phone that can be tethered to other devices (laptop, iPad) but I mostly use a TMobile hotspot for data because ATT cell reception is pretty awful in a lot of places that I've camped (California, Oregon, Washington).

dsfdogs

I've used one with my laptop and it worked fine. I wasn't out camping though when using it. 

irvingj

We got a JetPack thing through Verizon Wireless. Works quite well, and avoids sucking iPhone battery down in short order if we use that as a hot spot. (The JetPack appears to be mostly battery.)


A small device that can sit most anywhere and allows me to use my iPad to connect to the rest of the world --in most cases-- while on the road.

Ratkity

Not dropping the battery on my phone as a hot spot is important. All hot spots still need a decent signal to work well. It's a whole lot better in commercial campgrounds that say they have WiFi, but everyone and their brother are trying to stream NetFlix or some other service!

newell

Ratkity said:

Not dropping the battery on my phone as a hot spot is important. All hot spots still need a decent signal to work well. It's a whole lot better in commercial campgrounds that say they have WiFi, but everyone and their brother are trying to stream NetFlix or some other service!

     Do you mean that the commercial campground WiFi interferes with the Hotspot or that the Hotspot is superior because there is so much demand on the campground WiFi? 

WilliamA

I have the verizon  jetpack and love it.  It has a better signal than my phone and the battery lasts for days.  It also holds a charge well in storage.  The only downside I have found is that nothing sticks to it.  I tried a couple of different kinds of 3m  tape to no avail.  Wish it came with some sort of mount to put on the wall.

WilliamA 

irvingj

That's what's nice about using the JetPack: I've experienced the same with campground WiFi, and I suspect the same as you- too many folks sitting in their RVs streaming movies... In a couple of places, it was really horrible. Only time I could check my email was around "oh-dark-hundred" when I first woke up; after around 9AM, forget it!

With the JetPack, now I can get through when I want to, bypassing campground WiFi, not to mention just about anywhere we might be, campground or not.

As far as signal, yes, there are places where even that hasn't worked, but for the most part -- maybe 90-95% of the time, that JetPack will get through. (One reason why we switched to Verizon last year.)

I never stream movies (why??) but I do like to check email and how things are back at home on a daily basis.

mgreen2

you will have the same signal strength if both phone and device are from AT&T. i would get something from Verizon if you really want to make sure you can use the laptop. that way you could use your AT&T phone as a backup hotspot if Verizon doesnt have a good signal. you have 10 Gb per month allowance from AT&T per line to use phone as a hotspot on their unlimited data plans and then they slow down the data hotspot service. you can switch to another line as the hotspot if you have a family plan. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Newell, We are also pondering this issue.  We have ATT and seem to have good reception along major freeways here in Ohio and areas of the Northeast.  I am not sure about our coverage out west, although I know Verna has ATT out in the wilds of the west.  Without reception, a hotspot does no good, so I am not sure if it will be useful.  I know the area of Southeast Utah where we plan to visit has limited cell reception, so I think we will end up chasing an internet connection and using it when we can

Verna

One bit of small print you may miss with AT&T:  if your phone encounters “Off Network” as the carrier, you are allowed only 400 mb of data using that service. If you exceed that small amount, your “Off Network” data will be shut off for that billing period.  I exceeded 400 mb on the 4th day of this month’s billing period.

In addition to my AT&T iPhone, I now own a Straight Talk iPhone from Walmart with unlimited talk/text/data and it uses the Verizon Network giving me 4 bars of LTE service. I am over 100 miles from any interstate or any town that has more than 3 gas stations and more than one grocery store (that means I am truly in the boonies!).  I am also 56 miles away from the closest AT&T Tower. 

Walmart’s Straight Talk does not offer a jet pack device, but with the unlimited data plan for only $55/month, you may want to look into this option in addition to Your AT&T service. Straight Talk is a pay-as-you-go service, and you can add month(s) of service just by buying a “card” in the store or online and it will activate the phone. Straight Talk has several types of phone to choose from. Straight Talk’s tech service was very easy to deal with also. 

Another bit of info I found in my research, is that Verizon does not allow you to buy and use one of their jet packs without also having a Verizon phone, and pay-as-you-go phones are not included in this offer. 

In anticipation of a question, yes, I intend to keep both iPhones, although the Straight Talk may only be activated 6 months a year. I’ll see how it goes. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks for that info Verna.  This may be the way to go for us.  

jgram2

@Verna Do you still use the weBoost (in combo with your Straight talk phone)?

Verna

I have not had to use the WeBoost with the Smart Talk, with 4 bars and LTE service, I can watch all the basketball games I want!

Sharon_is_SAM

Verna, did you purchase that Walmart Straight Talk phone at home or out west?  We had a Tracphone that used our zip code to determine coverage resulting in poor coverage of where we needed it most.

Verna

@SAM, I bought it here in AZ.  They asked for my zip code. By giving them my home zip code I was able to have my home area code, which makes it easier to remember the number. Since it’s unlimited everything, I can’t see why I won’t get the same service nationwide, and it does use the Verizon cell towers. 

Sharon_is_SAM

So it really is an affordable source for more data.  Do you know if the Straight talk plan allows for hotspotting an iPad?  Since StraightTalk works with all 4 major carriers, how do you know it is picking up Verizon and not ATT?

db_cooper

SAM, when you pick up the activation kit at Walmart you have to pick the correct SIM card to go in your phone.  We've been happy with it so far.

Marceline

@Verna
can you confirm that you can tether other devices to the straight talk phone? I would definitely be interested in a pay-as-you-go device that uses the Verizon network. 

Homebodyatheart

The Verizon Jetpack account can be suspended month to month when you are not using it. That is a nice savings! I love my Jetpack, and Verizon coverage. We've used everyone else at one time or another.

Verna

@Marceline, while I didn’t receivce any paperwork with do’s and don’ts, I am unable to get the Straight Talk phone to be a hotspot. My AT&T iPhone as a hotspot says “No data available”.....  

You might want to Google Straight Talk to see if using it as a hotspot is possible. 

I chose Verizon since I can see the Verizon tower from my campsite. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks Verna and dbcooper.  I suspect SE Utah will have very limited cell or data service, so we are trying to cover our bases.

Verna

@Sam, I haven't been in Southeastern Utah since 2015, and I truly cannot remember the cell service. If @Allie or @normfun can chime in, they should be able to give their insight into their personal cell service in Utah. 

Allie

Hi Verna.  Hey Sam.  I live in St. George, UT and my Verizon cell service is very good.  I used to drive for Meals on Wheels and my route was from Hurricane to Springdale.  I got good cell service on SR-9 to Springdale.  In Zion NP it may be spotty.  Along the I-15 Corridor from LV to Cedar City cell service is great except for a small portion thru the "Gorge" between Mesquite, NV and St. George, UT.  That can be spotty as well.  Hope this helps.  Safe travels.

PS:  I went from the Verizon 60$, 2G per month plan to the 40$ month by month, 3G plan.  For $10 additional a month, and I buy a jetpack I can get WIFI and have an option to add more Gigs for a nominal one time fee for that month if it looks like I"ll go over.   With this plan, Verizon also rolls over your last months unused data allotment.  Used my own phone in and they added the SIM card.

Sharon_is_SAM

Thank you Allie.  I looked at both Verizon and ATT coverage maps.  I suspect that the Moab to Blanding area will have coverage, and the Canyonlands area will be limited or nothing!

Mouseketab

Verna said:

Another bit of info I found in my research, is that Verizon does not allow you to buy and use one of their jet packs without also having a Verizon phone, and pay-as-you-go phones are not included in this offer. 

Interesting. As I used to have a Verizon JetPack that work provided for me, but my phone was T-Mobile. (Although it may have been a corporate account deal). It was nice having both options. I had a choice of which network I could use, and when T-Mobile wasn't available, I could crank up the JetPack and using Wi-Fi calling on my phone.

Verna

@Mouseketab, this retired AT&T employee felt like a traitor walking into Verizon last week. But, the Verizon employees told me I couldn’t just have a jet pack. I had to have a phone to go with the jet pack and the starting rate was $100/month for the phone and the jet pack rates were far too expensive for my budget. They told me I couldn’t have a pay-as-you-go jet pack either.

I politely thanked them and told them I was heading to Walmart for their Straight Talk services. If they wanted me as a customer, they sure didn't give the answers to attract me as their customer. 

Fergie

 

AT&T Experience

 

When we moved from Minnesota to Alaska last summer and planned a  two month trip with our T@B across the U.S. and Canada visiting friends and family on the way, we already had AT&T 3G Flip phones that have long battery life and had worked fine everywhere we have traveled in the U.S. (note: we don't text!) We looked at all the options, especially at at a website called http://www.technomadia.com that I highly recommend for up to date information on devices and plans. They are a couple who are full-time RV'ers and earn their living evaluating new hardware and writing reviews of all the major network plans and changes to the same. For a fee they also do personal consulting.

 

We ended up getting an AT&T hotspot from which to link our Apple Mac Book Air, having shipped our iMac desktop with our furniture. It was recommended that we sign up for the unlimited international plan so that we wouldn't accumulate roaming charges in Canada. Since we mostly went on line at campsites and rarely while actually driving on the road, we always had good cell phone and Internet connections with this setup and plan. This included all our stops in the lower 48, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Alcon and in Alaska. Some years ago AT&T was behind Verizon and others in coverage, but recently they have appeared to catch up and our coverage was excellent. While local campsite Wi-Fi networks may have problems, all seemed to be near enough to cell towers that we never had a problem with either the phones or the "hotspot". Note, however, most of our campsites were near major highways.

 

I understand there have been some changes to our original unlimited international plan to which we are still "grandfathered in". It still may be the best way to go, but again you need to check the latest plan information. Here in Palmer, AK where we now live we are still using it for our cell phones and the "hotspot" for Internet connections for our two computers and printer Wi-Fi and it is working fine. It is still cheaper than paying for landlines, cell service and hard wired Internet. It is also "ready" to go back on the road any time we choose without any changes to the plan.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Fergie

Normfun

Moab to Blanding area is pretty well covered now. You shouldn’t have much of an issue. It’s much better than 5 years ago.