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Thread: Dump Cable for Mobile 5G Hotspot?

  1. #1
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014

    Dump Cable for Mobile 5G Hotspot?

    Anyone done this?

    We pay around $120/mo for a couple iPhone 6S’s and about $140/mo for cable.

    With the coming of 5G, I’m thinking of dumping cable and going to (say) a Verizon 5G Jetpack plugged into my existing router:

    https://www.verizonwireless.com/inte...5g-mifi-m1000/

    I’d need to get some Internet-based TV a la cart services for what we watch (news, HGTV) plus a cheap antenna for local 1080p digital TV.

    An unlimited plan for data on Verizon is $90/mo. I’m tired of forking money to the Cable company for channels I never watch, and annoyed at renting their cable modem. With a 5G service, we’d also be free to upsticks whenever we wanted, which suits our future lifestyle choice very well.

    Thoughts?
    Last edited by RJ; 11-03-2019 at 06:46 AM.

  2. #2
    Hokey / Ancient JAD's Avatar
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    Jul 2011
    Location
    Kansas City
    I’m not sure ‘unlimited ‘ is without limits.
    Ignore Alien Orders

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Heading for the hills
    Done done it - sorta. This is coming to you via Verizon MiFi ‘cept it sure as hell ain’t 5G. The cell signal at my place is very weak so I have an external antennae for the MiFi. Still not that great but we are able to internet pretty good to include streaming NetFlix et. al. Got the digital rabbit ears on the TV. All good.

  4. #4
    Could you experiment by hot spotting one of the phones as a test?

    Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Smoke Bomb / Ninja Vanish Chance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    I would be reluctant to adopt 5G at this point. It is a massively different technology than extant wireless protocols and there are still a lot of bugs to work out. Despite the hype, the real world numbers have been thoroughly mediocre.
    "Sapiens dicit: 'Ignoscere divinum est, sed noli pretium plenum pro pizza sero allata solvere.'" - Michelangelo

  6. #6
    Site Supporter MGW's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Kansas
    Quote Originally Posted by RJ View Post
    Anyone done this?

    We pay around $120/mo for a couple iPhone 6S’s and about $140/mo for cable.

    With the coming of 5G, I’m thinking of dumping cable and going to (say) a Verizon 5G Jetpack plugged into my existing router:

    https://www.verizonwireless.com/inte...5g-mifi-m1000/

    I’d need to get some Internet-based TV a la cart services for what we watch (news, HGTV) plus a cheap antenna for local 1080p digital TV.

    An unlimited plan for data on Verizon is $90/mo. I’m tired of forking money to the Cable company for channels I never watch, and annoyed at renting their cable modem. With a 5G service, we’d also be free to upsticks whenever we wanted, which suits our future lifestyle choice very well.

    Thoughts?
    Is that $140 a month for cable and internet? How much would you save if you just dumped cable and kept the internet connection? I did that earlier this year and switched to Hulu +Live TV. Saved money and I’m happy with the channels we have.
    “If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi

  7. #7
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Canton GA
    I am watching the 5G opportunity but I suspect it is a few years away from maturity in my area. We need internet service and best current option is XFINITY - actually cheaper to get some cable TV and internet vs internet alone. We also have AMAZON PRIME and basic HULU. Will probably drop HULU seems redundant to PRIME. Already tried and dropped NETFLIX.

    I would be very happy to never write a payment to a cable or satellite provider as soon as possible.

  8. #8
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Check your 5g coverage. Here in Austin it is extremely limited. Also verify the verizon plans. Last time i checked they had unlimited plans, but they throttled throughput after a certain amount of data usage.

    I have Spectrum here and do internet, no cable tv. You can also purchase your own modem to avoid the rental fee.
    Last edited by JclInAtx; 11-03-2019 at 10:54 AM.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    America
    I just dumped our cable and home phone due to cost. I saved $150 per month. I kept the Internet. We were just watching Netflix and Hulu anyway so no great loss. I plan on getting the Disney streaming for the grandkids. I’m sure 5G will take awhile for my location
    Last edited by Poconnor; 11-03-2019 at 11:30 AM.

  10. #10
    I do a lot of advertising and consulting work for tech and telecom clients. 5G is nowhere near as ready as they say it is, and by the time it is ready, they'll be trying to sell us 6G.

    Nobody is building 5G because existing 4G phone service and cable offerings suck. They’re building it because autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, smart devices, etc., need more speed than 4G can provide. Most of those products will live in things that move, so telecoms are the obvious route to 5G—they don’t have to create new networks, they just have to expand and upgrade their existing networks. That’s expensive, so the industry-wide 5G rollout strategy is the same as it was for 4G: create demand, which will drive the revenue required to build the network to meet that demand. In the mean time, customers will just have to endure the glitches and other problems inherent in a rollout just like we did with 4G.

    In other words, they’re building a wall and we’re the Mexicans.

    That said, 5G is definitely coming, so here’s how I’m navigating the move:
    • Reduce or eliminate bandwidth use on stupid shit like smart home devices, especially anything like physical security, locks, etc. The underlying technology is not secure, and Alexa is definitely listening. If you have to use it for whatever reason, then use it at the lowest possible level and unplug it when you're done. The more of this stuff you have, the more bandwidth you need, and the easier it is to convince you that you need to upgrade to 5G. (The companies who produce this stuff are literally trying to figure out how to use it, and the initial applications are nearly always wrong. Even Thomas Edison thought that the phonograph would be used mostly to record wills.) By the time they perfect this stuff and we have enough case law to limit what it can do, the technology will have reduced the amount of bandwidth it needs to work.
    • Jump from service to service for content (movies, TV, etc.). Watch the mergers and other business motions behind this. Copyrights are expiring or changing hands, companies are jockeying for different audiences, and content is becoming available that never would have seen the light of day under previous arrangements. You can find bargains IF you’re patient, IF you understand what’s being offered across the marketplace, and IF you refuse to get pulled into bundling deals.
    • Avoid ANYTHING free online if you can. 99% of it is a play to capture data about you and your buying habits. That data is extremely valuable until the US adopts something like GDPR. Then it will be only slightly less valuable. If you're not the customer, then you're the product.
    • If you just have to see a particular show, then wait until several must-see shows are available on one service. Then sign up for a free trial, binge watch everything, and end the trial.
    • Dump your browser history early and often.

    Let me know if you have questions.


    Okie John
    Last edited by okie john; 11-03-2019 at 11:53 AM.
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

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