Will a smart TV work with your mobil hot spot

[RickBeer]

Need to replace TV looking to use laptop to stream Netflix / movies

[timmac]

I used my Verizon to download movies while a on a 2 week trip and boy did that cost me, my bill for that month was $210 over the normal billing, will never do that again.

I am also looking for ways to get unlimited service or a lot of wifi for a small monthly cost but it just don't exist yet

[oldchief7155]

Not with unlimited data plans.

[TXiceman]

Streaming movies from the hot spot uses way too much data and also MONEY.

Ken

[oldchief7155]

Effy wrote:

paulcardoza wrote:
Unfortunately, Verizon has announced that they will begin throttling speeds on users with grandfathered unlimited plans, once they approach 5gb per month of download activity.

See here.

Effy wrote:

oldchief7155 wrote:
If you have an android smart phone and Verizon with unlimited data plan download "Foxfi" app. After a trial period there is a ONE TIME $7.99 fee. Turns your phone into a hotspot and can run five devices. You can talk at same time if you have a 4G connection.

Runs my iPad, laptop, 55" smart tv.

Who has a VZ unlimited plan? I have heard of old plans but they are restricted to older devices and 3g and they are phasing them out. I don't think any carrier offers truly unlimited data. Please tell me I am wrong. I really want to be wrong. I could use unlimited data.

Thanks Paul, that's what I heard too. So unless someone comes up with a truly unlimited data plan, streaming is just too expensive. Internet TV's are great for home where there is cable and you don't have the same constraints. The wifi method infrastructure isn't there to support unlimited data for the masses - at least that's what I found out a few months agao when I asked similar questions.

I just got a new Samsung Galaxy S5 in June and IF you get a savvy tech that can do it the unlimited plan can be transferred and 4G works.

[wintersun]

Where we live some 50 miles from the heart of Silicon Valley the local telco monopoly, AT&T, provides POT (plain old telephone) at 49k and $55 a month for the phone line. AT&T is investing in 4G towers which are more profitable than DSL or fiber for them and the towers are located where they can best serve motorists and not homes or businesses.

Next month we will be upgrading to an unlimited 1.5MB service with AT&T that will cost us $400 a month but there will be no data cap. Such is life in a country that lets companies sell data services for profit and operate monopolies. The phrase you get what you pay for does not apply in the USA by a long shot.

[Effy]

wintersun wrote:
We use a Cradlepoint router with Wifi as Wan so we can track data usage in real time. For our internet connection we use a Mifi device with service provided by Verizon via Millenicom (costs less and no billing overcharges as with Verizonwireless).

Netflix is easy to setup so it sends Low Def programming that is on par with normal television. It then takes 200-230MB per hour of viewing. This cannot be done for Amazon Prime streaming which is high def only and about 1GB per hour of program viewing.

When we are at a campground with wifi we use the Mifi for our email, etc. where security is important, and then switch to the free wifi for watching Netflix and Amazon Prime programming.

At present we have 2 of the Mifi devices and pay Millenicom $180 for 40GB of data per month.

$180 a month!!!

[Dtaylor]

Redbox for the have to have times. We usually download a few movies before leaving home. If we do not watch them on the road then we watch them when we get back home.

[wintersun]

We use a Cradlepoint router with Wifi as Wan so we can track data usage in real time. For our internet connection we use a Mifi device with service provided by Verizon via Millenicom (costs less and no billing overcharges as with Verizonwireless).

Netflix is easy to setup so it sends Low Def programming that is on par with normal television. It then takes 200-230MB per hour of viewing. This cannot be done for Amazon Prime streaming which is high def only and about 1GB per hour of program viewing.

When we are at a campground with wifi we use the Mifi for our email, etc. where security is important, and then switch to the free wifi for watching Netflix and Amazon Prime programming.

At present we have 2 of the Mifi devices and pay Millenicom $180 for 40GB of data per month.

[2oldman]

OP gone.

[Gannet]

Thanks for the replies.

[Effy]

paulcardoza wrote:
Unfortunately, Verizon has announced that they will begin throttling speeds on users with grandfathered unlimited plans, once they approach 5gb per month of download activity.

See here.

Effy wrote:

oldchief7155 wrote:
If you have an android smart phone and Verizon with unlimited data plan download "Foxfi" app. After a trial period there is a ONE TIME $7.99 fee. Turns your phone into a hotspot and can run five devices. You can talk at same time if you have a 4G connection.

Runs my iPad, laptop, 55" smart tv.

Who has a VZ unlimited plan? I have heard of old plans but they are restricted to older devices and 3g and they are phasing them out. I don't think any carrier offers truly unlimited data. Please tell me I am wrong. I really want to be wrong. I could use unlimited data.

Thanks Paul, that's what I heard too. So unless someone comes up with a truly unlimited data plan, streaming is just too expensive. Internet TV's are great for home where there is cable and you don't have the same constraints. The wifi method infrastructure isn't there to support unlimited data for the masses - at least that's what I found out a few months agao when I asked similar questions.

[paulcardoza]

Unfortunately, Verizon has announced that they will begin throttling speeds on users with grandfathered unlimited plans, once they approach 5gb per month of download activity.

See here.

Effy wrote:

oldchief7155 wrote:
If you have an android smart phone and Verizon with unlimited data plan download "Foxfi" app. After a trial period there is a ONE TIME $7.99 fee. Turns your phone into a hotspot and can run five devices. You can talk at same time if you have a 4G connection.

Runs my iPad, laptop, 55" smart tv.

Who has a VZ unlimited plan? I have heard of old plans but they are restricted to older devices and 3g and they are phasing them out. I don't think any carrier offers truly unlimited data. Please tell me I am wrong. I really want to be wrong. I could use unlimited data.

[Dutch_12078]

We stream programs on occasion from "Dish Anywhere" when we're near the end of a month with excess unused bandwidth on our 20GB Millenicom data plan. It works fine, but for day to day use is quite costly data wise as stated.

Satellite Internet is not a good option for video streaming for most RV use. The older plans that work nationwide don't have the speed needed, and the newer higher speed plans, like Hughes Gen 4, Excede, DishNet, etc., are spot beamed, serving only limited geographical areas. Daily limits can also be an issue. None of the spot beamed plans support the frequent service address changes that many of us use to receive the satellite TV local channels as we travel.

[RinconVTR]

APT wrote:
If you have a digital library, then streaming from that would be fine.

A laptop is the "smart" part of a smart TV. Just buy a $5 HDMI cable.

Also look into MHL cables...it takes the micro USB found on most phones now and converts it to HDMI while charging the phone at the same time. You can watch HDTV via whatever phone app you like.