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  1. #1
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    aircard vs. tethered

    I just tethered my Droid to my laptop, has anyone gave up their aircard to use a tethered connection to a phone exclusively? I am really surprised at how fast and easy the tethered connection is to my moto droid from verizon , and how fast it is!
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  2. #2
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    If I may ask, what is the monthly data allocation? Is it 2GB or 5GB? Does that include the phone data, or is the tethering data separate? Does the tethering add a monthly fee on Verizon?

    As an iPhone user, I am curious... I am half-considering switching.

    -mike
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  3. #3
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    I have a BB with Verizon and it's 5GB/mo. You get the data plan and it includes email, web, tethering (minutes are counted, I believe, while tethered).

    Handy as all get out that tether option. A short while back my wife needed a minor operation and I was able to handle some support issues while in the waiting room at the hospital. Decent speed, even though it was an older BB. Replaced now with a 9650 Bold, and it's much faster, almost DSL speeds.
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by bear View Post
    I have a BB with Verizon and it's 5GB/mo. You get the data plan and it includes email, web, tethering (minutes are counted, I believe, while tethered).

    Handy as all get out that tether option. A short while back my wife needed a minor operation and I was able to handle some support issues while in the waiting room at the hospital. Decent speed, even though it was an older BB. Replaced now with a 9650 Bold, and it's much faster, almost DSL speeds.
    That's not too bad, but you do burn through airtime, eh?

    I wish AT&T had this. I have about 4300 minutes of rollover airtime remaining.

    -mike
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  5. #5
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    I'm not 100% on the minutes thing, but I think that's the case. I don't use the phone much for calls, so really don't bump the limit. For me it's more of a beeper that can do calls and email, too.
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  6. #6
    Damm, I wish the pigs at Verizon gave rollover minutes!
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  7. #7
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    on verizon it doesnt count towards your minutes, just towards your "unlimited" data plan that is capped at 5GB per month
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by dsotmoon View Post
    on verizon it doesnt count towards your minutes, just towards your "unlimited" data plan that is capped at 5GB per month
    Ahh, ok. Thanks for clarifying.

    To be fair, most cell providers specify mobile "unlimited" data as 5GB. Virgin and some others stand out for not doing so.

    -mike
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  9. #9
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    My HSPA (3G) modem is build in.
    Quite useful on the road...

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by bear View Post
    For me it's more of a beeper that can do calls and email, too.
    Beepers were great. "umm... sorry, must have been in the elevator"

    BTW, a windows smartphone with a terminal services client can get the job done on the server just by itself if it's urgent enough. No laptop required. Just good eyesight and a willingness to do a lot of scrolling.
    Last edited by plumsauce; 10-16-2010 at 10:32 PM.
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by plumsauce View Post
    BTW, a windows smartphone with a terminal services client can get the job done on the server just by itself if it's urgent enough. No laptop required. Just good eyesight and a willingness to do a lot of scrolling.
    It is funny to see people do that. I notice a lot of squinting sometimes...

    -mike
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  12. #12
    I have rooted my droid x (verizon) and am running "pdanet" for wired tether and "wireless tether" for, yeah you guessed it, wireless thether. This does not cost me a dime and data is unlimited this way as well.

    Of course if you do not want to root you have to pay $20 for this option and I think you are limited to 2 gigs.

  13. #13
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    I have a Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) through T-Mobile which is rooted and runs Android Wifi Tether. It works great, even includes WEP encryption so its secure enough for a temporary hotspot. T-Mobile doesn't really have a limit on data usage, but they have a soft-cap of 10GB - if you go over that, you're rate limited to slower speeds. I believe this is the best policy out of all carriers as you won't actually pay extra or be kicked off for heavy usage.

    I personally prefer tethering to an aircard not only because it's free (requires rooting on some phones/carriers), but also because it's a lot more convenient. An aircard will typically require a client to be installed on any computer you wish to use it, and it can be a pain to constantly have to launch this software and troubleshooting issues it may have. Connecting to a wifi network on the other hand is extremely easy.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike - Limestone View Post
    It is funny to see people do that. I notice a lot of squinting sometimes...

    -mike
    unless someone happens to be extremely shortsighted.

    in that case, remove one contact lens, perfect vision at 6 inches
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  15. #15
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    I Travel about one or two weekends a month and use wifi router with my touch pro 2 on sprint.

    I've never even came close to using 3 gb, let along 5... of course, I'm not downloading hte latest program in bit torrent either... mostly email and some light web browsing.

    If I needed it more than my occassional use, I'd purchase the aircard since it would be a business expense.

    Waiting on windows phone 7... yea!
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