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Old 04-16-2019, 05:43 AM   #21
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Well I finally got around to contacting Verizon yesterday with a delightful online chat with a customer service angel. I ended up with keeping my Veteran discount, transferring over to the Go Unlimited Plan for a 10% discount less than I was already paying.

She said the 55+ unlimited plan is offered randomly and of course I told her I was randomly asking for it. She was not amused but offered me this plan and assured me that it is not throttled due to excessive use. We will see but at least I can not worry or have to be buying extra data as often.

It is already in effect.
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Old 04-16-2019, 06:15 AM   #22
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We (my son, he is the account owner, daughter, wife, and self, on the same plan) use my Verizon Military discount plan with unlimited data. We push data to the limits of more than 1Gb a day. My son and I do our stock trading with real time data streaming. There is no throttling taking place (so far).

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Old 04-20-2019, 12:05 PM   #23
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Depending on your AT&T contract this may not be an option for you, but it might be worth considering Verizon.

They still offer an "unlimited" plan, though depending on traffic, they may slow your bandwidth once you've used a preset amount of data. IIRC ours is 20GB per device. DW and I each have a phone, and we also have a hotspot, so we essentially get 60GB of high speed data per month. If the hotspot is close to it's "limit" we'll use one of the phones as a hotspot. Verizon also offers some good military discounts - kicking myself for not inquiring about them sooner as we're now saving ~$20/month.
We use the same plan as RobKelly and we get by, on road and at home at the moment (waiting for fiber based service to complete install in our area).
When data slows down on the Jetpack, tho unlimited, I switch over to phone. Sometimes however our phone signals fluctuate, so there we are without access until the sunspot dies down or the squirrel moves out of the way in the nearest tree.
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Old 04-20-2019, 12:41 PM   #24
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Great tip about Verizon's 55 and older unlimited plan, but not here in New Mexico - darn it!
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Old 04-20-2019, 12:41 PM   #25
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I'll try this again. I had a reply written and it asked me to login again after I hit post and dumped it all out.

I've been playing this month with a Netgear Nighthawk M1 (https://amzn.to/2VjMb42) router and service from a company called OTR Mobile (otrmobile.com). I bought mine from Best Buy (for $199) as it was local and they had it cheaper than Amazon. The nighthawk uses the AT&T system, though it can be unlocked. OTR Mobile offers an unlimited, no throttling, no contract service that uses the AT&T network for $60/month ($20 activation added on the first month).

I've been using this for 2.5 weeks or so and am somewhere in the range of 30+gb so far this month without any throttling of my speed. It's a cellular device, so speed will depend on how good of cellular service you have. Where I've been, it's been faster than all the hotel wifi and I know would be faster than any of the campground wifi I've ever had. I've had a couple days alone I've been over 10gb of data usage without issue.

It's not perfect. I've had to reboot it once or twice (it's been really rare) as I wasn't getting out on the net. But the reboot is pretty quick and then I was right back running.

On minimal (1-2 bars) signal, I still usually get 5-10mbps speeds and with full bars, it's almost as good as (maybe just as good) my home fiber network at ~60+mbps.

There's another company that offers the same service as OTR Mobile, though I can't think of the name at the moment.

Activation with OTR Mobile was simple. Just went to their website, created my account and selected service. I had to provide the SIM card number of an AT&T SIM card (which the nighthawk already comes with). It says activation can take up to an hour. Mine didn't activate within that time, so I started a chat sessions with them from their website. Within a few minutes, my device was active. Could have been they were just really busy that day, I don't know. But they got me going quick after the contact, so A+ on customer service.

This is still a cellular device, so speeds will depend on the cellular coverage where you are. The device claims it can handle 20 devices and I would doubt it. I've only used about 6-8 at a time on it and it's handled that perfectly fine. This included running multiple streams from TV providers and/or my home server. Again, your milage will vary with LTE coverage, but I will say, so far I've been impressed.

It has a built in battery that I've run on for at least 10 hours without issue. Best to take that out if you're going to leave it plugged in all the time. It will run without the battery without issue. Replacement batteries are available for it as well.

Sorry for the long writeup, but thought this might be helpful for folks. For $60/month it might not be the cheapest solution in the world. But, for unlimited, no contract, no throttling, it's been good service for me so far. As with all things, the throttling thing could change in the future. But right now, I can say it hasn't been throttled for me.

Hope this helps someone!

Tim
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Old 04-20-2019, 02:55 PM   #26
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One of the best places to find free internet is at a library. Most of them have fast internet which usually works in the parking lot. You might have to go in and get a password. I think most of them are even on when they are closed.
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Old 04-20-2019, 02:58 PM   #27
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WE own a 30 foot Greyhawk Class C. On our last long trip, 40 days. We bought a hot spot from AT&T. They allowed us so much Data I guess it is called for a month. Well, since I do all of our banking and send a blog each day, we very shortly ran out of Data. AT&T charged us an additional 15 dollars for more DATA. Then we used that up very shortly. The AT&T policy on overages of DATA use has changed. They no longer charge for additional date, they simply slow your stream down. It became so slow that we were unable to even get on line let alone use the WIFI. Plus they got rid of the unlimited data plans.
Stopping at a McDonalds with a 30 foot motor home is not always an easy thing to do. Plus our plan was to boon dock as much as we could with out using paid camping grounds.
I know there must be something out there that we can use to up grade our WIFI availability, without busting our bank.
WE are not trying to make a living while on our trips. WE are both retired and just want to travel and still stay in touch with family and friends.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

1SG Pete
Pete, I retired from Verizon, we have an RV and travel extensively. Get VZW unlimited Data plan for a smartphone and use it's hot spot to connect your laptop to it's wifi data connection. All other carriers have misleading advertising for data coverage and speeds, VZW is the only true 4th & 5th Generation data network built specifically for high-speed data connectivity with more dedicated data coverage!
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Old 04-20-2019, 03:42 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by 1SGPETE View Post
WE own a 30 foot Greyhawk Class C. On our last long trip, 40 days. We bought a hot spot from AT&T. They allowed us so much Data I guess it is called for a month. Well, since I do all of our banking and send a blog each day, we very shortly ran out of Data. AT&T charged us an additional 15 dollars for more DATA. Then we used that up very shortly. The AT&T policy on overages of DATA use has changed. They no longer charge for additional date, they simply slow your stream down. It became so slow that we were unable to even get on line let alone use the WIFI. Plus they got rid of the unlimited data plans.
Stopping at a McDonalds with a 30 foot motor home is not always an easy thing to do. Plus our plan was to boon dock as much as we could with out using paid camping grounds.
I know there must be something out there that we can use to up grade our WIFI availability, without busting our bank.
WE are not trying to make a living while on our trips. WE are both retired and just want to travel and still stay in touch with family and friends.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

1SG Pete
Last summer we did a 2 month coast to coast trip. I have AT&T.

For those 2 months I switched to the unlimited data plan. We have 2 Apple phones and a Cellular-wifi Ipad.

Got back and switched back to our 6GB plan. No charge to do so.
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Old 04-20-2019, 05:04 PM   #29
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Last summer we did a 2 month coast to coast trip. I have AT&T.

For those 2 months I switched to the unlimited data plan. We have 2 Apple phones and a Cellular-wifi Ipad.

Got back and switched back to our 6GB plan. No charge to do so.
That sounds good, BUT, AT&T has discontinued their unlimited Plan.
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Old 04-20-2019, 06:36 PM   #30
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We always had Verizon ever since cell phones came out. We are full time now and needed a good data plan. Verizon offers several "unlimited" plans, but NONE...I repeat NONE of them are truly unlimited. We finally switched over to T Mobile. They are truly unlimited. I know I have hit well over 70gb a month many times, with no throttling. They also give a nice military/veteran discount, and give you free Netflix. We are very happy with them.
Try Google FI, my son has that and gets service every where, uses T Mobile network and uses wifi for calls
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Old 04-20-2019, 06:44 PM   #31
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That sounds good, BUT, AT&T has discontinued their unlimited Plan.
Don't know if you are referring to a specific plan but they have this.

https://www.att.com/plans/unlimited-...sIWQ&gclsrc=ds
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Old 04-21-2019, 08:06 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1SGPETE View Post
WE own a 30 foot Greyhawk Class C. On our last long trip, 40 days. We bought a hot spot from AT&T. They allowed us so much Data I guess it is called for a month. Well, since I do all of our banking and send a blog each day, we very shortly ran out of Data. AT&T charged us an additional 15 dollars for more DATA. Then we used that up very shortly. The AT&T policy on overages of DATA use has changed. They no longer charge for additional date, they simply slow your stream down. It became so slow that we were unable to even get on line let alone use the WIFI. Plus they got rid of the unlimited data plans.
Stopping at a McDonalds with a 30 foot motor home is not always an easy thing to do. Plus our plan was to boon dock as much as we could with out using paid camping grounds.
I know there must be something out there that we can use to up grade our WIFI availability, without busting our bank.
WE are not trying to make a living while on our trips. WE are both retired and just want to travel and still stay in touch with family and friends.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

1SG Pete

It sounds like you're spending a lot of time online. Data plans typically only take a hit when you're streaming data - like videos and music. Once you've hit your data cap, the ISP will throttle your connection. It might be advantageous to be mindful of usage and set alerts when you're close to maxing out. For example, Apple iPhones have a "screen time" feature that keeps track of usage.

After that, you're more dependent on free WIFI where you can find it. You can try investing in a directional antenna for the rig vs. hanging out at mcdonalds or starbucks. Keep in mind that FREE WIFI doesn't equal SAFE WIFI. A good rule of thumb is to only use secured WIFI that requires some kind of password and all websites you connect to should be secure (HTTPS) as well. There's a browser plugin called 'HTTPS Everywhere' that only allows you to connect to HTTPS sites - unless you bypass it on purpose. The best option is common sense. Good Luck
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Old 04-21-2019, 01:06 PM   #33
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We are full timers and have used our unlimited ATT hotspot in our 5r for almost 2 years as our main source of entertainment. We’ve traveled 45 states and Canada. Had only a handful of times where we were slowed or couldn’t connect. We watch quite a bit of Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, use our laptops and Kindle’s, not sure why you would have such an issue......
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Old 04-21-2019, 02:41 PM   #34
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Verizon jet pac

A few months ago we bought a jetpack at Verizon for $50. It’s smaller than a cell phone and rechargeable. We purchased a prepaid unlimited data plan for $70 a month. We use it only when we are out on the road in our RV. When we return home, all we have to do is not pay the prepaid plan until we need to use it again. We use it for data streaming Netflix and sports to our TV with chrome cast. We also put it on the dash of the truck and we can have Wi-Fi while we’re actually traveling on the road! It’s a totally separate plan than our cell phones so you don’t have to be a Verizon customer to purchase a jetpack.
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Old 04-21-2019, 06:33 PM   #35
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I am a AT&T retiree so I have there cellular service because of the discount I get. Have had it for the past 3 years.

Previously I had Verizon and I think there cellular service had better coverage at the time.

Probably still does.

JMO.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:14 PM   #36
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I'm also an AT&T retiree. I had their cell service. The discount does not make it usable for my needs even with the discount. Been very happy with Verizon for a long time.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:20 PM   #37
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I'm also an AT&T retiree. I had their cell service. The discount does not make it usable for my needs even with the discount. Been very happy with Verizon for a long time.
x2 retired from Ameritech.

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Old 04-22-2019, 06:12 AM   #38
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norty1, actually Pacific Bell back in 1995. Early retirement and then contracting work for Bell and Verizon.

Once my cellular contract ends in another year, I'll look into what Verizon is offering. and if it's close to AT&T, 30% discount, I will bail.
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:17 AM   #39
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Yep, the comm mixer left us wondering who to say we retired from! Southern Bell, then BellSouth, then AT&T for me. Then 2 years of "consulting" with them and I was done.

You will like Verizon.
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Old 04-22-2019, 11:57 AM   #40
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A few months ago we bought a jetpack at Verizon for $50. It’s smaller than a cell phone and rechargeable. We purchased a prepaid unlimited data plan for $70 a month. We use it only when we are out on the road in our RV. When we return home, all we have to do is not pay the prepaid plan until we need to use it again. We use it for data streaming Netflix and sports to our TV with chrome cast. We also put it on the dash of the truck and we can have Wi-Fi while we’re actually traveling on the road! It’s a totally separate plan than our cell phones so you don’t have to be a Verizon customer to purchase a jetpack.
If you belong to FMCA, Verizon will give you the Jetpack free of charge and unlimited data for $49.50 per month. However there is a two year contract. We're going full time next month and will be going with that setup.
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