You have to already have a phone plan I thought. So why worry about tethering to a computer?
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Apple Watch Series 3 Limited to 3G-Like Speeds on T-Mobile [Update: Now 4G LTE]
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EE have the opposite in the UK - 4G ONLY .. If we aren't in a 4G area, no signal.
I don't know what is worse!
At least its free for 6 months with unlimited data.....
I think 3G would be better with a guaranteed signal!
I don't know what is worse!
At least its free for 6 months with unlimited data.....
I think 3G would be better with a guaranteed signal!
Definitely not my experience with T-Mobile for the past 3 years. Occasionally, I run into an area that I would probably get a stronger signal with Verizon, but almost everywhere I go, T-Mobile has been great. At home I usually get 3-4 circles/bars, with Verizon it was usually 4-5. Totally usable, with data speeds usually approaching 20mbps down (with Verizon it was 1-3mbps down in 2014). As soon as I step out of my home it goes to 5. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I had a dropped call with T-Mobile. Customer service is a lot better with T-Mobile, at least in my experience and of course there's those perks that you don't get with Verizon and AT&T unless you pay more.
I have T-Mobile and have the digits paired with data for free due to the promotion they had when it first launched. The speeds are not capped at 512kbps, or at least I haven't noticed when I do speed tests. My s7 edge which I use my second sim card in sometimes benches faster than my iPhone 7+
As a side note, I switched 4 family members from att to T-Mobile after 16 years with att. Service quality in NYC has not gotten any worse, in fact, using band 12, I get faster LTE speeds than on att.
I also take the metro North to work everyday out of Manhattan and att used to cut out as soon as you entered the tunnel in the train. T-Mobile has full signal all the way through the 10 minute underground ride. We are also saving half of what we paid att ($300 vs $140).
As a side note, I switched 4 family members from att to T-Mobile after 16 years with att. Service quality in NYC has not gotten any worse, in fact, using band 12, I get faster LTE speeds than on att.
I also take the metro North to work everyday out of Manhattan and att used to cut out as soon as you entered the tunnel in the train. T-Mobile has full signal all the way through the 10 minute underground ride. We are also saving half of what we paid att ($300 vs $140).
T-Mobile: you are ruining what you worked so hard to achieve.
$10 a month for something that will rarely be used and you want to limit me to 512 kilobytes? You say T-Mobile is about not screwing its customers, but this is the biggest screw job I’ve ever seen a carrier do! If this doesn’t change in the next 2 weeks, I’m leaving T-Mobile and going to Verizon.
$10 a month for something that will rarely be used and you want to limit me to 512 kilobytes? You say T-Mobile is about not screwing its customers, but this is the biggest screw job I’ve ever seen a carrier do! If this doesn’t change in the next 2 weeks, I’m leaving T-Mobile and going to Verizon.
Here’s a thought...
I wouldn’t stress over this whole thing at this point in time. Nothing is final with this until three months from now after the trial period is over for the device. The telecom industry is always fluid and changing.
While I admit that the $10 price point is absurd and obnoxious, I’m willing to give it a three month trial and see if I like it or not. If I don’t, cellular goes off. If I do, and I find that I’m getting proper value for my money at that point in time I will keep it.
I wouldn’t stress over this whole thing at this point in time. Nothing is final with this until three months from now after the trial period is over for the device. The telecom industry is always fluid and changing.
While I admit that the $10 price point is absurd and obnoxious, I’m willing to give it a three month trial and see if I like it or not. If I don’t, cellular goes off. If I do, and I find that I’m getting proper value for my money at that point in time I will keep it.
First, let me say the 523kbps is ******** when it's being advertised as LTE. Secondary, where's the completion here? Every carrier are just aping the others. 3 months free, the $10 per month after. How bout someone offers a deal to make thier network the best place for an Apple Watch 3 LTE? Give me true LTE speeds and $5 per month, no need for 3 months free and I'm in.
It's not the speed here that's the problem so much as the price being charged for it. For quite a while, T-mobile offered a FREE 200mb/month LTE plan for tablets. 512kbit is barely a drop in the bucket if you already have a phone plan, so they should up the speed or offer it as a very inexpensive (say, $3-$5) addon.
Thank you for nailing it on the head.
However, charging the same access fee as a full data use LTE iPad is a bit... overreaching.
For me, all this is an access fee to get on their network. The data use is coming from my roll-over bucket, and is, effectively, another hole in the data "boat".
I think I'm just going to order the Series 3 non LTE.
Just to be clear, it's not actually 3G as in HSPA+, it's talking about using LTE but being throttled to 512kbps.
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Exactly, especially seeing as how data on your watch would be used when you don't have your phone with you in the first place...
if you have an iPhone 6, you won't have band 12. Band 12 only came with iPhone 6S and newer. also, Band 12 might not yet be deployed in your area. Band 12 uses the same frequency as legacy TV broadcast networks and public safety due to the excellent propagation and penetration characteristics. Since they have all migrated to Digital TV broadcasts, those frequencies were going to be unused. FCC had an auction and T-Mobile snapped them up to close the gap with their networks when it came to rural coverage and building penetration.
Band 12 can literally make or break coverage indoors for people. as i said, my home has double wyeth brick wall. literally had 0 bars. now i have 3 bars on Band 12. Band 12 isn't meant for high speed though due to lower frequency, i get about 8 down due to signal strength, location, etc. however 8 down is better than 0 bars and i no longer need wifi calling or the cellspot window boosters. out and around in my town on the faster frequencies i get 70-80 down haha
Band 12 has been a godsend for me lol
With what is expected of the watch, 512kb is decent. However, charging that amount when other carriers are giving the watch "full" privileges...could be construed as robbery of their clients. At that rate, they could get away with charging $2 a month and possibly gain consumers.
I'm hoping ATT or BestBuy offer some trade in program for Series2 for a Series 3 LTE. I may not use the LTE all the time but during the summer when I'm doing more out door stuff I would activate the LTE
First of all, DIGITS is free. I'm using it for free, and the T-Mobie web site says that every phone number on T-Mobile gets free DIGITS.
T-Mobile uses the moniker DIGITS as an umbrella for several services that allow you either to share the same number among other devices or to add a calling and texting capability to devices like tablet, computers, etc. This is also free as long as you want to share a number that's already assigned to your T-Mobile phone SIM, and as long as other devices utilize either Wi-Fi or non-T-Mobile cellular data connection.
There's also another service under the DIGITS umbrella; this service is to "share a line" with the phone that has no SIM from another provider in it and has no data connection. Such a phone normally doesn't have a calling or texting capability unless it's on Wi-Fi and has the DIGITS app installed. However, this last service allows you to get a SIM from T-Mobile and use the same number that you are already using on a full-fledged T-Mobile SIM in another phone. So, this service costs $10 for each such SIM but it comes with data speeds of 500 kbps. This is EXACTLY how T-Mobile is making the LTE Apple Watch able to make and receive calls. T-Mobile uses the LTE Apple Watch's E-SIM and the Apple Watch magically starts sharing calls and texts with the iPhone. It's basically another phone with no SIM from any provider, and T-Mobile gives you service with unlimited calling and texting and unlimited data at 500 kbps, but you don't get a separate number for this "phone" aka LTE Apple Watch.
The ability of the Apple Watch to receive and make regular cellular phones are done via DIGITS on T-Mobile, just as it's done via NumberSync on Verizon and NumberShare on AT&T.
The 500 kbps data speed is a bummer, and I think T-Mobile needs to change this, but right now, this is a standard offering with DIGITS and it applies to any device; not just Apple Watch. Additionally, I'm not sure that Apple Watch needs more bandwidth than 500 kbps.
And NONE of this has ANYTHING to do with tethering.
https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/t-mobile-digits
T-Mobile uses the moniker DIGITS as an umbrella for several services that allow you either to share the same number among other devices or to add a calling and texting capability to devices like tablet, computers, etc. This is also free as long as you want to share a number that's already assigned to your T-Mobile phone SIM, and as long as other devices utilize either Wi-Fi or non-T-Mobile cellular data connection.
There's also another service under the DIGITS umbrella; this service is to "share a line" with the phone that has no SIM from another provider in it and has no data connection. Such a phone normally doesn't have a calling or texting capability unless it's on Wi-Fi and has the DIGITS app installed. However, this last service allows you to get a SIM from T-Mobile and use the same number that you are already using on a full-fledged T-Mobile SIM in another phone. So, this service costs $10 for each such SIM but it comes with data speeds of 500 kbps. This is EXACTLY how T-Mobile is making the LTE Apple Watch able to make and receive calls. T-Mobile uses the LTE Apple Watch's E-SIM and the Apple Watch magically starts sharing calls and texts with the iPhone. It's basically another phone with no SIM from any provider, and T-Mobile gives you service with unlimited calling and texting and unlimited data at 500 kbps, but you don't get a separate number for this "phone" aka LTE Apple Watch.
The ability of the Apple Watch to receive and make regular cellular phones are done via DIGITS on T-Mobile, just as it's done via NumberSync on Verizon and NumberShare on AT&T.
The 500 kbps data speed is a bummer, and I think T-Mobile needs to change this, but right now, this is a standard offering with DIGITS and it applies to any device; not just Apple Watch. Additionally, I'm not sure that Apple Watch needs more bandwidth than 500 kbps.
And NONE of this has ANYTHING to do with tethering.
https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/t-mobile-digits
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Well, that explains my issues with My 6+...My signal has been crap here recently (about the last year).
This.
Hopefully, they uncouple the AW from being any other wearable. And either adjust the speed limit, the price, or both.
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Has nothing to do with the hotspot cap on the ONE plan. It’s the wearable add-on and the way its set up currently. Hope they change it for the AW.
This is called "setting a precedent." This way, the same people who opt in now for a watch+LTE plan don't have to be grandfathered on an Apple Watch 4 with FaceTime Video (or whenever that inevitably comes out). If they limit it now, it is likely to be barely noticeable to most users yet still makes a "true LTE for $15" plan on a Watch 4 or later seem like a better upgrade and a reason to switch plans.
I'm generally annoyed with the extra fee. It's just kinda ridiculous, but they're going to charge it as long as they can.
I'm on T-Mobile but the speed doesn't bother me. (Although at 3G speeds, I'd think I'd rather just have it connect to 3G and save power.) If iMessage and music streaming work, I won't actually notice the difference in all likelihood. It could be 5Gbps and I wouldn't notice.
We'll see how it goes in practice. Ordered my new watch this morning.
I'm on T-Mobile but the speed doesn't bother me. (Although at 3G speeds, I'd think I'd rather just have it connect to 3G and save power.) If iMessage and music streaming work, I won't actually notice the difference in all likelihood. It could be 5Gbps and I wouldn't notice.
We'll see how it goes in practice. Ordered my new watch this morning.
Well, its very similar to when carriers would charge $0.15+ per text message. They did it because the public (in the US at least) was willing to accept that. If they don't, then better options will become available. T-Mobile probably feels that it is unlikely that people will switch all their phones to another carrier simply because their watch costs $9 more than it should on their plan.
When T-Mobile services improve to Verizon and AT&T levels in network coverage and resolving all issues they are currently fixing like building penetration etc, T-Mobile will also level their pricing with Verizon and AT&T to cover their high price investment they have been making. This is a reasonable business strategy. We will be seeing a lot of complaints in the future about hiking pricing and the comment about T-Mobile becoming greedy etc.
I wrote John already about it. I hope he is going to reconsider this. $5/month and non-throttled data.