JETPACK oe AT&T Mobile Hotspot

Cellular data is super crazy expensive... it's probably the most expensive way to buy Internet access... there's no way around the cost. And using cell data to power a WiFi hotspot means you'll be using laptops, etc, which can burn through data faster than smart phones do.

I looked into pre-pay data, and the prices are crazy. Only way to get close to a fair deal is with a contract. Lot of folks here like Millinumcon or whatever it's called, which is a reseller for Verizon's network.

I'm not sure I understand your which is better question? A jetpack is a mobile hotspot, but it's a stand alone device. Smart phones can also serve as mobile hotspots, using an app - usually this is heavily regulated and / or forbidden by the carriers.

In my opinion, budget carriers Sprint and T-Mobile offer better prices, but the trade off is poor coverage. If either carrier had as big a network as they advertise, their service would no longer be cheap. If the area you like to camp in is serviced by one of these budget carriers, you can save a lot of money. Otherwise, you'll have nothing but frustration.

Jetpack = Verizon Network The Verizon network has better 4G coverage IMHO.

JetPack is Verizon's brand name for their wifi hotspot. The price is $50/mo for 5GB of data, and the overage is only $10 per additional GB, so the overage rate is the same as the base rate. They have hands down the most comprehensive coverage in the US. 5GB is more than enough for 2 people to get through email and web browsing every day. I would not advise using it for streaming movies, an HD movie is about 2GB by itself.

We have a JetPack on Verizon and our daughter in college has one. She hits the 5GB limit every month watching TV, etc., we rarely come close.

Sprint MiFi prices are the same, but their coverage is not as complete as Verizon's.

At AT&T, we pay $250 for 30GB/month. :E
But, we use it for work...

Since cellphone companies don't make much money from phones and plans anymore, this is their last stand.

I can't wait until it becomes more cost effective!

Also have the Verizon Jetpack. $50/month for two years. Was told I could turn it on and off during that two years but my contract would extend until I used it for 24 months. Then come to find out I could only turn it off twice a year for two months at a time or some such schedule. Coverage is like any other wifi device. We happen to go to a place on a yearly basis that had, up until this year, poor verizon coverage. Works great at home where we also have cable internet with wifi.

I use a 4G Verizon mifi with 10G a month for $80. I use it for business so that may be more than you need but they have lots of plans available. We usually have good coverage everywhere we go. We have only had a few cases where others with AT&T had a better signal then we did. They are both good service providers so whatever plan they have that works best for you is the way to go. Also, for doing financial stuff it is worth having a secured network so you protect yourself from hackers!

Jetpack is Verizon stand alone. Sierra is ATT stand alone. If you have cell phones with the company data is a little cheaper. We pay about $200 mo for 2 smart phones and 15 gb on the stand alone sierra. We have an extra 5 gb with Verizon Jetpack and no phones that costs about $50. Sometimes one works and the other doesn't depending on area.

I'd use verizon.. We bought an ATT hotspot from best buy which was supposed to be $50 for 5 gigs, and $10 per gig whenever you just wanted to refill it anytime. I used my card online at att website to refill it, and apparently they thought they could just keep charging my card every 30 days which I never authorized. Plus, come to find out that after trying to refill a gig twice ($20 total) and we still had no wifi, we called them and they said "oh, you have to spend $50 each time again, no refill 1 gig increments after 90 days. Lame. Closed my card and got my money back. Tired of catches and gotchas, don't have time for that. Advertise something and mean it

After trying two different MiFi devices with Verizon, I just switched to AT@T. The Verizon had almost no signal at my house and on the road coverage was very spotty. Since changing to AT@T we have strong signal and wifi that we can use. I just upped the data and we are pleased. I know it is different in different areas, but Texas is AT@T territory.

I'm looking at a hotspot from Straight Talk. Device is $80 and then you add data, pricing starting at $15 for 1GB for 30 days. You refill as necessary. It's my understanding it uses Verizon towers but may limit your speed, but I don't think that will be a problem for us as we just need coverage when camping as we don't have smartphones yet but do like to check email, weather, etc.

Google Straight Talk Hot Spot if you're interested. Here's the link to the Data Plan website. Hotspot data plans