Any "Real" Unlimited Plans?

[Kevin D Pem]

Ideally, I would like to stay under $100 a month. We only have one cell phone, and right now, it is on a pre-paid plan with Tello for $6 a month. I don't make many calls, and the ones I do make are with Google Voice.

At home, we have Spectrum. It is 30 mps unlimited for $19.99 a month.

The Rockwood comes with WIFI Ranger WIFI Booster Sky 4, but that is not going to help in most campgrounds with weak or overcrowded.

Just a point that others probably noted. With cell service there is no charge and most have unlimited calls. Google voice uses data and can be avoided in the way it is intended,via phone call.

I would suggest more than one plan, but even that would run out in no time. I would suggest digital movies rather than streaming. Ultimately the movie cost would be much lower than streaming would be because you would not be paying for bandwidth.

I pay 100 a month for an allotment smaller than what you plan on using per day, per month. When streamers come into an area with limited service they knock out service for everybody. How inconsiderate is that? Learn to live with the service you have and be considerate of others. Learn to live with less and be happy with the lifestyle, for surely if you don't learn to live with less on this front, you will be living in town connected to the grid. You will just be living in a smaller pad.

 

[Gizmo]

Also, look at www.nomadinternet.com they have unlimited, unthrottled but they are still managed on towers with heavy traffic.

 

[docj]

When streamers come into an area with limited service they knock out service for everybody. How inconsiderate is that?

With all due respect, streaming isn't something limited to some small group of people you term "streamers." It is the way more and more people receive their TV and other content. It's not just my opinion that satellite TV and cable are outdated and dying "delivery systems." AT&T can't even find a buyer to take DirecTV off its hands at a price that won't result in them showing a huge loss for their investment.

I don't dispute the fact that the cellular "backbone" gets stretched "thin" by usage, but chiding people for streaming isn't going to change that. Over the next several years the buildout of the 5G cellular network will gradually improve things, although the use of DSS 5G will, in the near term, actually reduce the total bandwidth available for users.

Joel (AKA docj)

 

[Kevin D Pem]

With all due respect, streaming isn't something limited to some small group of people you term "streamers." It is the way more and more people receive their TV and other content. It's not just my opinion that satellite TV and cable are outdated and dying "delivery systems." AT&T can't even find a buyer to take DirecTV off its hands at a price that won't result in them showing a huge loss for their investment.

I don't dispute the fact that the cellular "backbone" gets stretched "thin" by usage, but chiding people for streaming isn't going to change that. Over the next several years the buildout of the 5G cellular network will gradually improve things, although the use of DSS 5G will, in the near term, actually reduce the total bandwidth available for users.

Joel (AKA docj)

I don't know how to respond to that Joel. The thought of "for the greater good" eludes you.

 

[docj]

I don't know how to respond to that Joel. The thought of "for the greater good" eludes you.

Are you aware that cellular service is tiered with postpaid plans having higher priority on the network than prepaid plans? If you're experiencing slowdowns on the network you are using, how do you know that it's because other people are streaming? In fact they may simply have cellular plans that have higher priority than yours.

For example, both of our phones have Verizon postpaid accounts. They have very high priority on the network so I can always do whatever I need but they have a limited amount of hotspot data so I can't really use them for streaming except in very limited circumstances. On the other hand, I have three unlimited data accounts (one on each carrier) that are all prepaid plans with lower priority. I can't count on them to be as fast as my phones, but between the three of them I usually have enough bandwidth to stream

FWIW I often consume more data when surfing the web and accessing forums such as this than I do by streaming video for an hour or two. When I watch live TV on YouTube TV my usage is typically ~500MB/hr which isn't all that high. Not all streaming involves 4K video at >2GB/hr.

Cellular data isn't a shared free resource such as a park WiFi is. It is essentially a public utility. When I pay to have 50A service I am entitled to use what I pay for. With cellular plans, it's pretty much the same thing only with cellular I can choose to pay more to ensure that my service meets my needs. My choices don't adversely impact others but those who choose to pay less may find their usage deprioritized because of others who elect to pay for higher rated service options.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Are you aware that cellular service is tiered with postpaid plans having higher priority on the network than prepaid plans? If you're experiencing slowdowns on the network you are using, how do you know that it's because other people are streaming? In fact they may simply have cellular plans that have higher priority than yours.

For example, both of our phones have Verizon postpaid accounts. They have very high priority on the network so I can always do whatever I need but they have a limited amount of hotspot data so I can't really use them for streaming except in very limited circumstances. On the other hand, I have three unlimited data accounts (one on each carrier) that are all prepaid plans with lower priority. I can't count on them to be as fast as my phones, but between the three of them I usually have enough bandwidth to stream

FWIW I often consume more data when surfing the web and accessing forums such as this than I do by streaming video for an hour or two. When I watch live TV on YouTube TV my usage is typically ~500MB/hr which isn't all that high. Not all streaming involves 4K video at >2GB/hr.

Yes am aware. I pay Verizon dearly for so called priority service. On weekends in the forest where infrastructure is at it's worst, I can hardly make a phone call. Do I have a gripe? I think so with a reason. I made sure when I signed on the dotted line that I was getting priority service, but!!!

Seams that you don't use near the service that caused this discussion in the first place. My thoughts are don't expect the same service you have in a stick and brick. And the most important be considerate and my post was to help someone understand that such demands on wireless is in fact inconsiderate.

 

[Gizmo]

Demand has caused the growth of infrastructure we have today. If we were all considerate you really think the telecom would be expanding and increasing capacity.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Demand has caused the growth of infrastructure we have today. If we were all considerate you really think the telecom would be expanding and increasing capacity.

I really don't think they are expanding because we don't know how to act in society. I think it is because we keep complaining to them.

 

[VTPete]

I think streaming is a fact of life for more and more of us everyday-that's why I'm working to build up my cellular portfolio so I can stream more and eventually turn off DirectTV/Satellite on the RV. But going back to the OP's question, you can find more info at this thread: Question - What are the best Cellular data plans currently available???

There's plans from third party resellers that MAY get you partway at least to where you'd like to be.. but I'm searching for evidence myself that they're true. In theory, it makes sense that some of these resellers have access to grandfathered plans that do not throttle that they are then reselling... but I'm only guessing at the possibilities.

 

[Texsinbad]

I am retired; so, I don't have to have internet everyday, and I have enough saved on external hard drives to not worry about having something to watch.

Besides not being technically minded, I am not rich. So, when we do hit the road, I will find one of the better "unlimited" at the best price, and just wait until we return home to catch up on my downloading.

After all, I wouldn't want to be inconsiderate of others.

Thanks to all who have help me get current on the available plans and options.