Wifi For The Truck

Be careful with Verizon.. They don't cap you and won't slow your speed down but after your allowed data is run out the overage chargers add up fast.. I want to say it was like 15 bucks a gig. And you can easily go threw a gig in 2 days. When I was running the oil fields my plan was the biggest they had at 15 gigs a month.. I would use around 20 a month but for me it was a cost of business and in my opinion Verizon had the best 4g coverage. So I was fine with the extra 50 bucks a month to pay for good coverage.

Now if you want to run Netflix or other video providers you could EASILY be up at 40-50 gigs a month. Never did the satellite internet hook up so I'm no help there.. I read for most of my entertainment. It was actually super nice.. got to read a lot of books I have been wanting to read for years but never got around to. I had the kindle paper white, paid the extra 20 bucks up front to be able to download books without a WiFi hook up. It was awesome.

But I still used around 15-20 gigs a month for what I would consider normal use.. (Email, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook, news articles, and very limited video use.)

I would advise you to get a Hotspot MiFi instead of tethering to your phone. The reason is that as long as you have 4G, you will be fine with tethering. But if you don't have 4G, then you have to make a choice, use your phone as a phone or for data. I have found that you run into lots of areas that your data (4G) signal is weak or none existent. So if you want/need to use your phone and be on the internet at the same time, can't do it with just using tethering. Just my opinion, but I personally use both a MiFi and my phone. Yes, costs a little more each month, but you can write that off on your taxes every year as an expense. I have used Verizon for years. They might not be the cheapest, but they have the best coverage bar none of any of the other carriers.

Just my .02 cents worth on this.

Ernie

Myself, I don't bother with hotspots or tethering. In fact, I leave my laptop at home. I bought the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 a couple years back, and have a monster 30 gig data plan (and the monster monthly bill to go with it) through Verizon. I generally shy away from running Netflix or the like unless I can piggyback onto a WiFi connection that's open somewhere like if there's a motel close enough to where I'm parked that I can latch onto their signal. But I can still watch videos on YouTube, and there are plenty of people out there uploading full episodes of various TV shows to keep me entertained. Right now I'm working my way through The Golden Girls again. The screen on my phone is large enough that I don't have to squint to watch or read anything, and the sound quality is as good as if not better than my laptop. I also like to run Pandora while I'm driving. I've set up a channel that has a good variety of music that I like to listen to, so I rarely have to bother with skips or thumbs up/down anymore.

And yes, that all does chew through data like mad. I have just a shade over 2 gb left for the cycle, and my data doesn't reset until midnight on the 27th. Yes, I'm paying through the nose for service, but I've found that Verizon has the most extensive and stable 4G network, and I'll actually have service in places others don't.

I have Verizon and have had for many years.

I have been from Vermont to CA. From WA to GA. Very few places that I have not have 4G. Usually, when I don't have 4G, I don't have phone service at all.

USUALLY. There have been a few places, not many, but a few that I was limited with 3G. And it is true that when you only have 3G, you have to choose between using your phone as a phone or using it as a tether point. But most times, if you only have 3G, you don't have a strong enough signal anyway to use major data.

Such as watching TV or tethering to a laptop.

Since I have been with Verizon for so long, I have been "grandfathered" in with unlimited data. And it is great. If it ever gets taken away for any reason, Verizon will loose a long time customer.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own. The Blue Angel.