Should I Opt Out of My ISP and Just Share My Phone’s Data Connection?
Nobody likes to pay a ton of money for internet services (especially if you spend a small fortune every month on lousy speeds like an unstable DSL connection). And while you might get a sneaky idea from time to time about how you can reduce or eliminate your monthly fee – including asking a neighbor to “borrow” your Wi-Fi password or pitching a tent outside your local coffee shop – most people are more likely to sigh and fork out, than come up with a super-creative connection.
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Lifehacker reader Louann details this week’s Tech 911 question:
“Is there a way to use my phone to provide Wi-Fi to my laptop and on demand on my smart TV so we can say goodbye to the high cost of cable Internet?
I am overwhelmed by the cost of the internet! “
I, too, remain overwhelmed by the cost of internet services, especially when I think about the fact that all my lucky friends with fiber optic internet probably only pay $ 15 or so more than me, but still use more than six times as much. the download speed and 50 times the download speed I get. Sigh.
To your problem. Yes, you can use your smartphone to connect to your laptop’s internet. Depending on your device and your ISP, setting up a Wi-Fi modem (or “personal hotspot,” as it’s also called) shouldn’t be that difficult on your Android or iOS phone . Connect the device to your phone’s wireless network and it can use your phone’s cellular connection to access the Internet.
Easy, right? Yes, but I still wouldn’t be a long-term solution to save some money for a variety of reasons.
First, the modem is likely to be a lot slower than even a fairly cheap internet plan and Wi-Fi setup. After all, you are dealing with a wireless connection coming from your smartphone. Not only will a good router transmit a stronger signal farther, but even a cheaper Internet data plan from your ISP will end up being faster than your phone’s data plan.
For example, I just pulled the Speedtest app onto my iPad, tied it to my iPhone’s Verizon connection (three lanes in my room) and ran Speedtest on my iPad measuring 16.8 Mbps for download and 3.38 Mbps. For loading. I then walked down the hallway and soon got out of coverage, switched to Wi-Fi from the router in my room, and enjoyed significantly higher speeds. It’s apples and oranges as I pay for Comcast’s 150Mbps plan, but even if I went cheap with Comcast, I could still maximize my speeds over a much greater distance.
While you can still watch YouTube and Netflix on a 16.8Mbps connection, your larger downloads will be scanned. Good luck if you ever have to deal with a gigabyte (or multi-gigabyte) operating system update. And if you’re trying to upload photos of your connected phone to a cloud service like Google Photos, you’ll be there all day – at least with my connection. ( We hope you are close to PCMag’s national averages measured in its latest wireless test series, which typically range from 40-50 Mbps download and 10-20 Mbps download.)
All of this, by the way, assumes that your wireless carrier does not limit the speed of your mobile hotspot. For example, if you use Verizon, the carrier will limit you to a measly 600 kbps if you use their most basic Go Unlimited plan. Other “unlimited” plans give you higher speeds, but the company will still block your connection once you exceed a certain amount of data (20GB / mo on their most expensive “unlimited” plan).
Given that Netflix eats up about 0.7 gigabytes of data in just an hour on average viewing, it is likely that you will push your carrier’s limits and find your speeds plummet if you try to use your phone’s data plan on as the main internet connection in your home. Trying to browse the web, download pages, or watch videos at less than 1 Mbps will not be very exciting . And to be honest, I have no idea how many devices you can even connect to a normal smartphone hotspot at the same time; you may run into problems too.
My advice? Maintain fast internet access and find creative ways to cut your cell phone bill. As a last resort, you can ditch your monthly data plan and just use a service like Google Voice to make and receive calls when you’re at home. Or you can get a low-cost data plan (from Republic Wireless , for example) that has little to no data, but unlimited talk and text messages. You can always use an app that gives you offline access to directions, for example if you need help navigating while driving. And maybe use Facebook less when you’re running around town. Such things.
If your region and your smartphone support this, you can also try Google Fi. You’ll pay as little as $ 20 for unlimited talk and text messages each month, then a simple $ 10 per gigabyte rate and you transfer what you don’t use. And that’s just the tip of the savings iceberg. You can try to find out if your employer (or alumni’s email address) is offering a discount with your current carrier. You can make a “family plan” with a close friend (or four). You can build your own 1G network . You can try negotiating a cheaper plan . You have options!