Question What are the best Cellular data plans currently available???

[docj]

Great news. Will the Inseego unit tell you what bands are in use? What modem were you using previously on T-mobile, the 7730?

I wasn't using T-Mobile at all before this. I had tried them a few years ago using my WiFiRanger Aspen, but the download speeds were poor. What I'm seeing now with the M2000 are quite acceptable speeds. We live in a rural area and our speeds are always lower than those in cities.

The Inseego does tell me what band it is connected to but doesn't appear to give you any ability to choose.

 

[VTPete]

I use between 400 and 600 GB a month so the T-Mobile plan would be expensive and worthless. I have the old Version plan that is grandfather and no longer available that I have put as high as 800 GB in one month without a slow down. We are looking at the www.nomadinternet.com ATT plan to supplement my Version plan and it reported as unlimited - not throttled - but still managed.

I’ve also heard this 3rd party reseller for ATT has an unlimited plan that’s similar, 400-600GB+ for $99/month Unlimited / Unthrottled 4G LTE & LTE-A Data Plan - Monthly

I have a great ATT plan- they’ve never throttled me. I can put unlimited data thru them on my two data lines. But when I get no love (service) from ATT, I need options. So far the T-Mobile deal is my #2, unless this Verizon plan on its way to me out performs it. The reseller of this Verizon deal claim it’s a grandfathered unlimited plan like yours-if I can push a few hundred GB thru it, I’m thrilled and would not activate the T-Mobile line unless needed as a last resort.

so you need an alternative to your rockin’ Verizon, and I need the same for my rockin’ ATT.

 

[PartTimeRVer]

Great thread here. I just left T-mobile (5 lines $180) and went to Verizon (5 lines $180). My line carries 30gb of hotspot while the others just use unlimited talk, text, and data. My line is 50gb of data then can be throttled.
My question is really this: For those of you out in the middle of nowhere or in the mountains, does one provider give better coverage than the other? I know I would struggle with T-mobile away from major highways.

 

[Neal]

My experience is AT&T is best, Verizon 2nd, T-Mobile/Sprint 3rd.

 

[PartTimeRVer]

My experience is AT&T is best, Verizon 2nd, T-Mobile/Sprint 3rd.

Excellent. Thanks.

 

[VTPete]

I’d agree with Neal but have just started using T-mobile. Technically band 66 should be superior with them, but that’ll only help if they have a tower!

 

["EZ"]

I’ve also heard this 3rd party reseller for ATT has an unlimited plan that’s similar, 400-600GB+ for $99/month Unlimited / Unthrottled 4G LTE & LTE-A Data Plan - Monthly

This link is dead. Think these people went out of business? Does your account still work? Is it still unlimited?

 

[docj]

Over the past several months, AT&T has pretty much destroyed the reseller market for data services. For whatever reason AT&T has effectively put a number of resellers out of business. It's not the fault of the resllers; it's AT&T that has caused the chaos.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

My experience in AZ is Verizon has best coverage in the sticks.

 

[ComplicatedVan]

If I use all 3 carriers and a second ATT line I’m at $130/mon

How is this possible? Are these mostly all old, cheap plans that are grandfathered? All the 3rd party plans I'm seeing on RV Mobil Internet are at least $100 and require you use their equipment.

 

[lemondrop9344]

Finding data plans with sufficient data allowances can be difficult, not to mention expensive. 3rd party resellers can be questionable. Buyer beware.
I believe it's generally accepted that Verizon has better coverage & AT&T is faster.
What type of cellular equipment are you using? A lot of good information can be found on the manufacturer's web site on what data plans work. Equipment not certified for use by the carrier on their plan can present issues. Sometimes there are work arounds & sometimes you get cancelled if you are caught in violation of the terms of service.
I use a grandfathered AT&T plan from a reseller I acquired in May, 2020. Availability is now questionable. Also have multiple SIMs (30gbs/mos) from Verizon on a grandfathered plan.
Not trying to discourage you, just trying to provide information.
Good luck in your search.

 

[docj]

I'm currently paying ~$300/mo for "high limit" plans with all three major cellular carriers. That's my decision because I wanted to make sure I always have adequate data and download speed.

 

[ComplicatedVan]

Finding data plans with sufficient data allowances can be difficult, not to mention expensive. 3rd party resellers can be questionable. Buyer beware.
I believe it's generally accepted that Verizon has better coverage & AT&T is faster.
What type of cellular equipment are you using? A lot of good information can be found on the manufacturer's web site on what data plans work. Equipment not certified for use by the carrier on their plan can present issues. Sometimes there are work arounds & sometimes you get cancelled if you are caught in violation of the terms of service.
I use a grandfathered AT&T plan from a reseller I acquired in May, 2020. Availability is now questionable. Also have multiple SIMs (30gbs/mos) from Verizon on a grandfathered plan.

I'm planning on Max Transit Cat 18. Peplink offers no information on plans that work other than pictures of the major carriers logos.

Currently only T Mobile even offers a sim for use in a mobile router. ATTs 100gb plan is for hotspot only and Verizon only offers a sim through Visible, whose ping rates appear too high for me. It strikes me as utterly bizarre that these mobile routers are sold with no support for how to get the absolutely necessary sims.

Thanks for your response.

 

[lemondrop9344]

Should have been a little more specific & stated Peplink forum. Other sites which may assist you in locating data plans are ltehacks.com, howardforums.com, Mobile Internet Resource Center has a list which is pretty complete, Mobile Must Have has an AT&T reseller they use if you buy equipment from them & I suspect there are others. I believe there are several members on this forum who use the same device you are considering acquiring, or other Peplink products, who have 'uncovered' ways to acquire sufficient data to use their products.
In defense of Peplink, I suspect most of their devices were developed for commercial markets which typically have dedicated IT support people. They are providing the same level of support on securing internet connectivity as a company like Arris, CISCO or NetGear provides you when you select one of their products for use in a permanent physical location. Essentially, you find what's available on you own. Probably don't like that answer, but, you either do it yourself or pay a systems integrator to do it for you.
Do you have any feel for how much data you will consume in a month & what you will do with it (as in transmit & receive over the internet)? Is it time sensitive, can it be compressed, does it need to be secure & those type of things? You may find your data needs are not as high as you think they are. Then again, you may find they are much higher than you anticipated.

 

[ComplicatedVan]

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I doubt my usage is more than 100gb per month, but I want to take advantage of the equipment that I have and therefore want a Verizon data plan in my router. I would use the T-Mobile most of the time, whenever I get coverage with them, and then use Verizon sparingly/for work. I prefer Verizon over ATT based on what I've read on forums and elsewhere, but even if I went with ATT through Mobile Must Have it's $349 upfront and $160 each month thereafter which is really expensive. I will check out those other websites you mentioned. I have been a member of Mobile Internet Resource Center and that's where I got the information on what sims are legit available in my previous post.