[Mike]

Dean,

I’m not sure there is any unlimited sources. At home (only) I can use my comcast internet for all my purposes, including almost endless streaming of movies or TV shows such as Netflix, but when in the bus I am limited to MiFy from Verizon and that has limits.

[Bernie]

Sprint and T-Mobile both claim to offer unlimited data plans. I assume there’s some fine print in their deals but I haven’t researched it. The big problem with either of these carriers is their small coverage areas as compared to Verizon.

[Archived]

Me too Dean, my data gets eaten quickly with the various devices we use. I’ve also thought about how to get an unlimited data plan with a service other than Verizon just to drive my devices. Verizon is eating my lunch with the data rates and I’m always bumping my limit then needing to buy more gigs.

[Andy]

Tom,

Exactly! We have unlimited at home but I hate paying for it all the months that we are traveling. I’d love to find a source for unlimited data that I could use at home or on the road.

[Larry & Diane]

If you have ATT for your cell phone account you can get a tablet account for $50 for 5GB and then $10 for each GB after that. You can surf a lot of web pager and listen to a lot of music, but you might not be able to view NetFlex or stream movies. Perhaps that might work for travelers. I am sure as competition heats up new programs will be available.

[Archived]

Luckily for me I have an unlimited data plan with Sprint’s 3G service and use a hotspot and also had Jeff install a powerful Wilson Amp with antenna on top of bus and a remote inside…(this setup is designed for large buildings) so far it has worked flawlessly and is equally as fast as the 4G that I am getting with my limited AT&T Wi-Fi device that I use as a backup.

Haven’t been anywhere it didn’t work yet … so we are thrilled to have hung onto our plan even though it is 3G… Sprint is always telling me I need to upgrade to 4G… then ofcourse the “unlimited” will go away !! Anyway I will hang in there until it stops working altogether.

I was pleasantly surprised that it is as fast as it is. Great for what we do… Larry can burn through 2gigs in a weekend and we don’t stream movies or videos.

Our At&T 4G works well too but we are limited to 5gigs on that one…. however our phones have unlimited data so that helps too.

I would have thought with all the competition out there there would be some unlimited plans for about $100 per month by now…. hopefully that will change soon.

Diane

[gary]

Unlimited data plan and Hotspot usage are two different animals with Sprint. I have unlimited data with Sprint and it works well. On the unlimited plan, it included 2G of free hotspot. I increased my hotspot data from 2G to 6G and got rid of my home internet all together. I now run the home computer off the mobile hotspot. It does everything the AT&T plan did.

I can fire up my laptop almost anywhere using my mobile hotspot to surf the internet. I have yet to exceed my 6G limit.

[Eric]

I guess I used a wrong term when I said “hotspot” with Sprint it is a 3G WiFi data plan which is indeed unlimited.

iI stand corrected on that one.

Diane

[gary]

Hi,

There’s a couple who’s RV blog I follow who specialise in keeping up to date with this kind of thing, they go under the name “Technomadia”. Maybe worth having a look.

[Peter]

Diane,

I think you are correct… the 3G you are referring too is the speed of your hotspot not the gigs…. The previous post is referencing the amount of Gigs as part of the package they are downloading etc..

Most carriers are trying to get rid of the older unlimited plans by selling you something faster like 4G LTE etc..

It all depends on how and what your using but blowing thru 5 gigs in a month is pretty simple for most people. We are now on a 60 gig plan.

Billl

[Glenn]

but you have to know where to look for it.

I have posted on this subject several times and will gladly repeat what I do know.

None of the carriers are presently offering unlimited data plan. Some claim to offer it but if you read the fine print, you will find out it is “unlimited” up to 3, 4 or 5 GB and then they throttle the speed. Just what you do not want to have happen to you.

As far as carriers go, Verizon has by far the best Nationwide coverage with AT&T being a close second. Sprint is a distant third and T-Mobile is good only if you stay in metropolitan areas.

Any othe carrier is riding piggy-back on one of the above 3 carriers.

The ONLY carrier which still has unlimited data plans is Verizon. But only if you have a grandfathered account.

Luckily, there are people who sell there plans and once again, Verizon is the only carrier which accepts such line transfers. It is called Acceptance of Liability (AOL).

So … this is what you have to do:

Go on eBay and search for Verizon unlimited data. This will return several listings with different prices and conditions. Expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $200 or so to buy such a line.

The good news? You unlimited data plan will be $29.99 per month, plus phone minutes and messages.

I have bought such a line a couple of months ago and paid the seller $710 for the line. It is under contact until Oct 2016 and this means, I will enjoy unlimited data without throttling for the next 2 years, give or take.

To accept the transfer, you will have to call the Verizon AOL department. It is short and painless sine that is all that department handles.

This month, I am already over 40GB and still have another week or so to go. $29.99 for over 40GB. Not too shaby.

Disclosure, I am paying a total of about $75 per month because I had to (and you would have to) also buy minutes and messages, as the unlimited data plan is under a “Nationwide” plan which is no longer being offered.

I am not complaining because even at $80 per month I am WAY better off than the 20 GB for $90 plan I had with Millenicom until they closed.

How did I run up 40GB in less than a month you wonder? Easy. This month I have streamed a few HD movies. Streaming movies (think Netflix or Amazon etc.) uses 3-5GB per movie.

Yes, you cold stream SD but that would defeat the purpose of having an HD Smart TV.

Anyway, feel free to contact me if you have question.

Cheers,

Ronald

[Archived]

I was just looking at e-bay today Ronald for those unlimited plans and you got a deal. Most are now 400 – 500 bucks for Verizon, it must have caught on.

I shoud have followed your lead on your earlier post.

[Bernie]

this may still be a good deal. It depends on how long the line is under contract. $400 divided by 18-24 months is still not that bad considering what 40 plus gig of data will cost you otherwise.

[Archived]

Ronald,

Question for you… My understanding but I could be wrong was that the grandfathered unlimited data plans were only for the slower 3G speeds… not the 4G LTE…. can you please confirm if you have 4G LTE service.. I had the unlimited 3G verizon many years ago but they wouldn’t upgrade service without termination of the unlimited data restriction.

Thanks

Bill

[Archived]

Hi Bill, yes, I do have 4G/LTE. The line I bought runs on an older iPhone and I set it up as a hotspot. I am into the service for about 2,5 months and it is working very well. The only drawback I have seen is the hotspot allows 5 connections only and sometimes I could need more than that.

By the way, it is easy to get information by calling the Verizon AOL department (number mentioned in all of those eBay ads). They are talkative …