Hi,I am looking for some advice on wireless hot spots. We are going to try living out of our 5th wheel and plan to use a streaming video service through the internet. I am assuming that an actual wireless hotspot (instead of using your phone as one) will provide more reliable and perhaps higher speed internet. Is my assumption correct? We use Verizon as our carrier. Do their wireless hotspots "throttle back" on internet speed after using a certain number of gigs? I know that happens with your phone. Does the hotspot use the data from your cell plan as an additional line or does it require its own data plan?Still trying to figure all this stuff out. I am not the most tech-savvy person. Thanks for your help

No advantage to a hotspot over a phone. Verizon's unlimited data will throttle you back when you are in a heavy-data-traffic area and you are over something like 20GB. The hotspot is just another device on your plan. There will be a device fee for it, $10 or $20. If you are streaming video, you need unlimited data anyway, so no point in having multiple plans.In your shoes, I would just buy or keep an older dedicated phone for data streaming, for convenience. Then if a phone gets lost/stolen/broken, you can use the older phone instead of being without.

No. Speed is speed. In other words 4G is 4G newer MIFIs are 4G. Newer smart phones are 4G.Verizon claims that smart phones dont hold up well when used as a mobile hotspot. But a MIFI is nothing different than a dumb basic phone? Generally speaking even a MIFI running on 4G network is still pretty slow. Streaming can be done, but you may not be too happy with it.Yes, MIFI is going to use the data on either your plan or if it is the only device, then it will use its plan data.

Streaming takes a huge amount of data and streaming in HD uses much more than non-HD.Yes, Verizon throttles their hotspot devices after a certain #of GB. Learn from the experts here: https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/Some of their articles are for paid members only, but there is a lot of valuable free info on the site also.

22gb, actually. at least that's what it was in late January. but...if you have multiple devices on the unlimited plan your laptop can be tethered to EACH device for 22gb of 4g data. we have 4-devices and could stream 22gb of data from each device to our laotop. if you're viewing the video on your device then i think the 4g data truly is unlimited. but i could be wrong about that. check with verizon.

bowler1 wrote:plan to use a streaming video service through the internet. That will get very expensive. Been seeing ads for Airborne internet. Looks interesting. Dunno if that's up now or would be cheaper.

Verizon Wireless Hotspots? | Good Sam Community

BurbMan
Explorer II
May 04, 2018
Sailingnuts wrote:
coolmom42 wrote:
No advantage to a hotspot over a phone.

In your shoes, I would just buy or keep an older dedicated phone for data streaming, for convenience. Then if a phone gets lost/stolen/broken, you can use the older phone instead of being without.

I am sorry but I beg to disagree entirely... HotSpot like the NETGEAR Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile AC791L is optimized for DATA and Speed. It is not an OLD phone and does not work like a phone. Please look at the Data Specification.
The AC791L will have a much better reception in 4G and LTE than any existing phone given the same available signal. Additionally, you can buy reasonable internal antennas that will give you up to 7DB gain. Please check at the NETGEAR site and Amazon.
I have 2 iPhone 7s and there are several locations where I use the AC791L to be able to receive calls (over wi-fi) because the iPhone have very weak signal. I also have a pair of 7DB gain internal antennas that I normally attach to the AC791L when the signal is weak.

The limitation on the data plan and high consumption in HD is correct.

1000% agree here, we get a much better signal on the hotspot than the phone most of the time.

I'll throw out another idea....we have a Wilson signal booster with small inductive indoor antenna that we use in fringe areas. We were out at a new beach camping spot last year and hd no cell service....BUT....with the Jet Pack on the signal booster, I was able to get 3 bars of 4G service, and with wifi calling enabled on the phones we had great service!

Having a Jet Pack dedicated for data gives you a lot more flexibility than using your phone for everything.
Sultan1966
Explorer
May 04, 2018
My Verizon MiFi is faster than any of my phones or tablets as per speedtest.net and test across Cellular and WiFi served to laptops during tests I purchased an old "grandfathered" plan for $1k via and AOL "Assumption of Liability" and burn 200-300GB of data a month for only $40 a month. We are full timers and use it on 2 laptops, 2 Apple TV 4k running Sony Playstation Vue for streaming TV/DVR and have 2 tablets and 2 phones as well when they aren't running on LTE from their plan.
edatlanta
Explorer
May 04, 2018
The current Verizon situation for my smart phone and 2 jetpacks is:
Each device (yes the smart phone too) is limited to full 4G LTE up to 15gb. Yes, the smartphone is limited to 15gb when using it has a hotspot or tethered. After that 15gb limit is reached the speed will reduce to 600 kbps. The 22gb limit is correct for the smartphone, but not when using it as a hotspot. After the 22gb is reached it may be throttled depending on cell congestion.

There are other special deals out there, but this is mine as of right now.

My devices: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (factory unlocked), 7730 and 6620 Verizon Jetpacks.
Geeze
Explorer
May 10, 2018
bowler1 wrote:
Hi,
I am looking for some advice on wireless hot spots. We are going to try living out of our 5th wheel and plan to use a streaming video service through the internet. I am assuming that an actual wireless hotspot (instead of using your phone as one) will provide more reliable and perhaps higher speed internet. Is my assumption correct?

We use Verizon as our carrier. Do their wireless hotspots "throttle back" on internet speed after using a certain number of gigs? I know that happens with your phone. Does the hotspot use the data from your cell plan as an additional line or does it require its own data plan?

Still trying to figure all this stuff out. I am not the most tech-savvy person. Thanks for your help

We used a cell phone as a hotspot for two years with another carrier. About a year ago we decided to try a Verizon hotspot. It worked great until we hit the 22GB cap on unlimited then they throttled us back to 3G. The problem is we couldn't get a good 3G signal where we lived. I would recommend just using your phone until a truly unlimited plan becomes available.
Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
May 10, 2018
jplante4 wrote:
If you're a member of FMCA, they have a deal with Verizon Wireless a jetpack hotspot for $1 and $50 a month for unlimited data. After 25gig they throttle.

Set up a separate account for this deal using an email address that VZW doesn't kow. Trying to get it put onto you existing VZW account is a nightmare. Ask me how I know :(

After 25Gb with the FMCA plan you are Hard Throttled (unlike the normal Verizon "Network Optimization") down to 2G speeds which is nearly unusable.
johnhicks
Explorer
May 10, 2018
You can buy data-only plans from Verizon that aren't throttled. For example, 100g is $710/mo. I guess you'd have to really like TV.
ktmrfs
Explorer II
May 10, 2018
we have a 4G verizon jetpack. biggest advantage is the battery life is much much longer than the phone battery life when used as a hotspot.

Next, with it on, anyone in the trailer can use it as a hotspot. with my phone if I walk away, hotspot gone.

It has an external jack for an external antenna, which can help speed in fringe areas.

so, if none of these are important to you, just use the phone as a hotspot.
LarryJM
Explorer II
May 10, 2018
Sailingnuts wrote:
coolmom42 wrote:
No advantage to a hotspot over a phone.

In your shoes, I would just buy or keep an older dedicated phone for data streaming, for convenience. Then if a phone gets lost/stolen/broken, you can use the older phone instead of being without.

I am sorry but I beg to disagree entirely... HotSpot like the NETGEAR Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile AC791L is optimized for DATA and Speed. It is not an OLD phone and does not work like a phone. Please look at the Data Specification.
The AC791L will have a much better reception in 4G and LTE than any existing phone given the same available signal. Additionally, you can buy reasonable internal antennas that will give you up to 7DB gain. Please check at the NETGEAR site and Amazon.
I have 2 iPhone 7s and there are several locations where I use the AC791L to be able to receive calls (over wi-fi) because the iPhone have very weak signal. I also have a pair of 7DB gain internal antennas that I normally attach to the AC791L when the signal is weak.

The limitation on the data plan and high consumption in HD is correct.

Also depending on your plan the cost of a phone and the option to use it as a hotspot might be more than just the mo cost of a hotspot. I pay $20 a phone line and $10 for my AC791L hotspot. Not sure if there is an additional cost to have the option of using a phone as a hotspot. Lastly if you use a phone you can't take the phone with you and still have the stationary hotspot capability. Both my Laptop and wife's IPAD use the hotspot and we each have our own phones.

Larry
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
May 10, 2018
We have two hotspots, one on AT&T and one on Verizon. The AT&T is a Mobley/Connected Car Plan device with a $20/mo unlimited/no-throttling 4G/LTE plan that's no longer offered, and our Verizon 6620L Jetpack has been remotely flashed for prepaid 3G only at $5/month. With a fairly good 1.5-2 Mbps signal, the 3G Jetpack is surprisingly good at letting us stream standard definition video with minimal buffering. We've found it very helpful to have more than one carrier as we travel around, and at a total cost of $27.51/mo for the two including taxes and fees, we'll keep what we have for as long as we can. And not having our phones tied up is a definite plus...

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