But if you’re just connecting during the occasional road trip or airport layover, mobile hotspot is the way to go. (You could, however, invest the money you’ve saved in a spare battery pack for your phone.) A tablet with its own data plan also lets you get online immediately, without first reaching for your smartphone. For people who spend hours working on their tablets without Wi-Fi coverage, these conveniences could be worth the money.
Turning it on can drain your phone’s battery life, so it’s not ideal for hours of use away from a power source. Still, mobile hotspot has some disadvantages. (Apple’s iPad, however, can act as a mobile hotspot if it has its own data plan.) You also get the flexibility of being able to connect any tablet, laptop, iPod or e-reader instead of just a single device. Factor in the cost of data, and you’ll save hundreds of dollars over the life of the tablet. Apple, for instance, charges $130 more for an LTE-enabled iPad, which you don’t need if you’re just using mobile hotspot. The clear advantage with a mobile hotspot is that it’s usually cheaper, not just in monthly fees, but in the up-front cost of buying a Wi-Fi-only device.
VERIZON HOTSPOT FREE
For tablet users, T-Mobile provides 200 MB of free tablet data per month, but charges $20 per month for 500 MB and $30 per month for 2.5 GB. Any data you use counts against your monthly limit, except for unlimited plans, which get 2.5 GB of hotspot use per month. T-Mobile: Mobile hotspot is free with all Simple Choice plans. By comparison, Sprint’s tablet data plans cost $15 per month for 300 MB and $30 per month for 3 GB. If you do have an an unlimited smartphone plan, you can tack on 5 GB of hotspot use for $30 per month. Sprint: Mobile hotspot use starts at $10 per month for 1 GB, regardless of whether you have an unlimited smartphone data plan. For infrequent use, Verizon also offers $5 day passes with 300 MB of data. The same $20 gets you just 1 GB per month if you sign up for a separate tablet plan. For all other plans, mobile hotspot costs $20 per month and provides 2 GB of additional monthly data. Verizon Wireless: Mobile hotspot is included with the carrier’s shared data plans, whereas a tablet-only plan would cost you $10 more per month. That’s $5 more expensive than AT&T’s standalone 250 MB tablet plan, but $10 cheaper than a 3 GB tablet plan. For non-shared, limited data plans, mobile hotspot costs $20 per month and provides 2 GB of extra data. It depends on the carrier, but I’ve broken down the four major ones below, along with their prices for tablet data plans.ĪT&T: Mobile hotspot is included with the carrier’s shared data plans, whereas a tablet-only plan would cost you an extra $10 per month. If you’re just now being enlightened, here’s what you need to know: How Much Does Mobile Hotspot Cost? Then again, this shouldn’t a big shock given how carriers aggressively market their tablet data plans instead of educating customers about this cheaper alternative. While mobile hotspot isn’t new, I’m always surprised when people tell me they had no idea it exists, and assumed they had to pay for a separate tablet data plan. And even if you have to pay, you’ll likely save over $100 per year by using mobile hotspot instead of a separate tablet data plan. Here’s the best part: Depending on your wireless carrier and current plan, you may be able to use your phone’s mobile hotspot feature at no extra charge.
It can even connect to multiple devices at the same time, so it’s great to have for family road trips. Essentially, your phone creates its own wireless network, providing data to nearby tablets, laptops, e-readers and iPods. Mobile hotspot - sometimes called wireless tethering - is a feature on most smartphones that lets you share the phone’s data connection with other Wi-Fi devices.
Follow you sign up for that tablet data plan, why not just your phone as a mobile hotspot instead?
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