my wife likes to play games on her macbookpro but its kinda of biig and a hassle to use so i thought about a ipad, now what are the advantages of getting one with wifi and cellular over just one with wifi.
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apple ipad air 2 wifi or wifi and cellular
- Thread starter hotrod351
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The with cellular model just gives you the ability to be on the Internet when you are away from a wifi connection. If that is not something that is important to you, just skip it.
is this something that can be turned on and off. in other words is it always on and therefore being charged for data.
You can turn if off. Actually you can just not even sign up for a data plan if you don't want to.
True. Honestly, I went with the cell version of my Air and even though at the time I felt it was a questionable call I am so glad I got the cell data. I havent used it a lot or anything but damnit when you need it you NEED it and are extremely happy to have it. I also like how at times Id rather not use wifi for privacy reasons and will use my cell data instead.
Public wifi is shady and not always that great. I get screaming performance from my LTE too through AT&T.
To the OP - your call of course but make sure you analyze whether or not he cell data might come in handy or not.
Seems like money for iPad is not your issue, so better to get wifi + cellular then. But don't sign up for postpaid one, so you have more flexibility and you don't have to pay activation fee like postpaid one.
Also consider that the cellular version has GPS, whereas the Wi-Fi only does not. The Wi-Fi-only model can get a (delayed) location from a phone's cellular connection though. On-board GPS is helpful in circumstances like navigating where you need your location accurately and in real-time, and even with cellular turned off it works as long as you have maps pre-loaded (e.g. Navigon).
ok. just dont want to buy one without cell and then down the road regret it. she will be using it inside within feet of our wifi so no data will be used. so then as you can turn off wifi on your cell phone you can turn off cell on your ipad, just enabling you to connect by wifi.
I've had cellular iPads in the past but with the instant hotspot feature of iOS 8.x and the fact I get 20GB of data (including tethering) on my phone, I got a WiFi version this time: I can't say I've really missed not having a cellular version at all as it's so easy to tether to my iPhone now.
The only thing I miss slightly is the GPS that's only available on the cellular version but it's not a big loss for me personally
The only thing I miss slightly is the GPS that's only available on the cellular version but it's not a big loss for me personally
then it works just like your cell phone. if your near free wifi then you use it, even if you dont have cell, just wifi ipad air. she only has 300mb of data on her phone, no need for anymore. therefore having cell would be any good for her. but agin if she was away and near free wifi she could use it without any problems, right ? and what would be a good keyboard for the ipad air.
The Air was released last year, the Air 2 is this years model. Both are fine tablets. The Air 2 has some upgrades that are nice but not mandatory. For the same price as a wifi Air 2 you could get a cellular Air 1.
If money isn't really a concern then go ahead and the Air 2 . May as well get the latest model then.
im looking at the one that target has now for $399.00, just wifi. she wont be taking it anywhere. just to play her games, her macbook pro is a little to big.
THIS! The same thing I do. Use the money for a good case or memory upgrade. Tethering works perfectly and saves money. Reduced price, no monthly bill, less battery draw too.
Unless your cellphone can't do hotspot.
the number one reason you should get a cellular enabled iPad is find my iPhone.
t-mobile gives you 200 mb of free tablet data a month. turn off cellular data for everything. but keep that data plan for find my iPhone
heres a suggestion. the cheapest PAID data plan for tmobile gives you unlimited music streaming , just like if you had one of their $50 phone plans. if you already have t-mobile you can get $10 off the data plan. i think they do matching now. if u have 1 gb then u get 1 gb of iPad separately.
long rambling find my iPhone post to follow
====
if your wifi only iPad is stolen, and it is locked with a passcode. the iPad will not connect to any wifi networks unless it connected to that wifi hotspot before. furthermore, a locked wifi only iPad cannot click on "I agree" to mcdonalds or starbucks. if your iPad is lost or stolen, you can pretty much forget about ever getting it back. or if it does report to apple, it will do it eventually, and after a greater delay
a way around this is to write your passcode on your iPad before it gets stolen. but thats not a very popular idea.
this is true of iPads even with activation lock. they need some kind of basic connectivity to the internet. and unless that wifi network is in its iCloud keychain, its never going to phone home.
if you lose or your iPad gets stolen at a place without wifi at all, fat chance of ever finding it.
a thief could just take your sim card card out. but most of them might not even know you have a data plan
a cellular enabled wifi tablet will be connected to the cellular network, and it will respond to find my iPhone, and tell you where it is within 10 seconds or so. with a wifi only tablet , you have to wait for someone to find it, and bring it to a wifi network the person has no idea you ever been to, and by pure luck, it will respond to your find my iPhone feature. all while still having battery power.
wifi only tablets are great if you lose your iPad at home under the couch. and you can make it sound an alarm. but once that wifi only iPad leaves your home wifi network, find my iPhone and activation lock don't work so hot
another thing about cellular is they give you a GPS receiver.
wifi location is only meant to assist GPS. it should not be the only thing that have when your iPad gets stolen. in order for you to find a wifi only tablet it needs to do a wifi scan of the neighborhood and send a list of SSIDs to apple or skyhook wireless, or wigle. and then those companies can only send back the location back to the iPad on a best guess.
iif paying $99 for applecare or 3 years of square trade for $120 is worth it. or if you upgrade to more ram for $100 without thinking about it, then i think getting the cellular version is worth the extra $129.
they are not locked , you can take it to any carrier you want, and t-mobile even gives you 200 mb of data for free. and you get your stolen iPad back a lot faster. and thanks to its GPS you know where it is for sure.
even if you are 20 miles from the nearest t-mobile tower, i would still get a cellular tablet. and the free data plan. if you are not in a t-moble area, you may need someone else's address to activate the sim card.
they check addresses. and they won't activate the plan unless you are in their territory
i think with a little bit of fine tuning of this post. it would be a good candidate for a sticky. haha
another tip would be allow someone to use "find friends" on your iPad or iPhone. if your iPhone or iPad gets lost, you can call a friend to help you find it. and you don't have to give them your iCloud password
t-mobile gives you 200 mb of free tablet data a month. turn off cellular data for everything. but keep that data plan for find my iPhone
heres a suggestion. the cheapest PAID data plan for tmobile gives you unlimited music streaming , just like if you had one of their $50 phone plans. if you already have t-mobile you can get $10 off the data plan. i think they do matching now. if u have 1 gb then u get 1 gb of iPad separately.
long rambling find my iPhone post to follow
====
if your wifi only iPad is stolen, and it is locked with a passcode. the iPad will not connect to any wifi networks unless it connected to that wifi hotspot before. furthermore, a locked wifi only iPad cannot click on "I agree" to mcdonalds or starbucks. if your iPad is lost or stolen, you can pretty much forget about ever getting it back. or if it does report to apple, it will do it eventually, and after a greater delay
a way around this is to write your passcode on your iPad before it gets stolen. but thats not a very popular idea.
this is true of iPads even with activation lock. they need some kind of basic connectivity to the internet. and unless that wifi network is in its iCloud keychain, its never going to phone home.
if you lose or your iPad gets stolen at a place without wifi at all, fat chance of ever finding it.
a thief could just take your sim card card out. but most of them might not even know you have a data plan
a cellular enabled wifi tablet will be connected to the cellular network, and it will respond to find my iPhone, and tell you where it is within 10 seconds or so. with a wifi only tablet , you have to wait for someone to find it, and bring it to a wifi network the person has no idea you ever been to, and by pure luck, it will respond to your find my iPhone feature. all while still having battery power.
wifi only tablets are great if you lose your iPad at home under the couch. and you can make it sound an alarm. but once that wifi only iPad leaves your home wifi network, find my iPhone and activation lock don't work so hot
another thing about cellular is they give you a GPS receiver.
wifi location is only meant to assist GPS. it should not be the only thing that have when your iPad gets stolen. in order for you to find a wifi only tablet it needs to do a wifi scan of the neighborhood and send a list of SSIDs to apple or skyhook wireless, or wigle. and then those companies can only send back the location back to the iPad on a best guess.
iif paying $99 for applecare or 3 years of square trade for $120 is worth it. or if you upgrade to more ram for $100 without thinking about it, then i think getting the cellular version is worth the extra $129.
they are not locked , you can take it to any carrier you want, and t-mobile even gives you 200 mb of data for free. and you get your stolen iPad back a lot faster. and thanks to its GPS you know where it is for sure.
even if you are 20 miles from the nearest t-mobile tower, i would still get a cellular tablet. and the free data plan. if you are not in a t-moble area, you may need someone else's address to activate the sim card.
they check addresses. and they won't activate the plan unless you are in their territory
i think with a little bit of fine tuning of this post. it would be a good candidate for a sticky. haha
another tip would be allow someone to use "find friends" on your iPad or iPhone. if your iPhone or iPad gets lost, you can call a friend to help you find it. and you don't have to give them your iCloud password
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maybe someday law enforcement can keep a centralized data base of all our wifi wpa2 passwords. to assist wifi iPads to phone home quicker when stolen. maybe someday in the future they will push out like every single wifi hotspot password in your city to your iCloud when its stolen. and this will make cellular enabled lpads not needed. but i don't think that will be a popular idea.
i really wish apple would just get rid of wifi only iPads all together, and make every iPad sold cellular enabled.
i really wish apple would just get rid of wifi only iPads all together, and make every iPad sold cellular enabled.
differences between paid and free tmobile
a free plan only gives you 200 mb and its cut off
a paid plan gives you music streaming and the data slows down after you reach your limit
you can get the free plan and then go to http://mim.t-mobile.com on another computer if your iPad comes back missing to give it more data.
or you can just get the cellular tablet and forget about ever activating any sims in it. and it will be just like a wifi only tablet until you decide to sign up for service
I'm sorry for all the posts. but a lot of this "should i buy cellular" replies over the years is just a broken record. everyone says yeah wifi is everywhere and you only need it for tethering. it bugs me. because without cellular , you won't be getting your iPad back anytime soon
a free plan only gives you 200 mb and its cut off
a paid plan gives you music streaming and the data slows down after you reach your limit
you can get the free plan and then go to http://mim.t-mobile.com on another computer if your iPad comes back missing to give it more data.
or you can just get the cellular tablet and forget about ever activating any sims in it. and it will be just like a wifi only tablet until you decide to sign up for service
I'm sorry for all the posts. but a lot of this "should i buy cellular" replies over the years is just a broken record. everyone says yeah wifi is everywhere and you only need it for tethering. it bugs me. because without cellular , you won't be getting your iPad back anytime soon