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Cellular or Wifi?
- Thread starter benoitc
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I know some people choose cellular version particularly for the GPS functionality.
Convenience.
You can also use your phone as a hotspot for your WiFi iPad which is what I do. Still a cellular version saves a couple clicks.
You can also use your phone as a hotspot for your WiFi iPad which is what I do. Still a cellular version saves a couple clicks.
i never understood why people get cellular, why not just use hotspot?
I know what some people are going to say, (no unlimited data, no hotspot etc...)
in that case for the cost of a new line and or the additional price of the cellular model add unlimited data to your plan?
I know what some people are going to say, (no unlimited data, no hotspot etc...)
in that case for the cost of a new line and or the additional price of the cellular model add unlimited data to your plan?
Always celluar for me, so much easier when traveling and when traveling within North America, you can use T-Mobile North American plan to use in Canada and Mexico. No brainer. I would not get an ipad without celluar.
Always cellular, if only for the real GPS unit. I do not use cellular often but when a hurricane came through Jacksonville the last few years, cellular saved my mental health.
Always WiFi only for me.
I get 100GB of data with my iPhone plan which means no need. I wish for a future iOS update that keeps the iPad connected to iPhone Hotspot when iPad enters sleep mode. Having to constantly reconnect gets annoying, not annoying enough to jump to the cellular though.
I get 100GB of data with my iPhone plan which means no need. I wish for a future iOS update that keeps the iPad connected to iPhone Hotspot when iPad enters sleep mode. Having to constantly reconnect gets annoying, not annoying enough to jump to the cellular though.
According to https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/, all the models have GPS now. I've had a cellular iPad for years, but I really haven't used it much. I'm considering getting the wifi model (if and when my iPad 12.9" 1st gen dies).
I have never done anything but wifi. I can easily use my phone as a hotspot so have never felt the need for a cellular one.
As another poster mention we here in Florida yet hurricanes now and again and we had one last year that took out the power, and Cellular on my iPad was very helpful during those 3 1/2 days without power.
Cellular for me. I went cellular with my iPad Air 2 and found I used it a lot. And we lose power at my house a bit more than I’d like, so it comes in handy then too. I don’t always want to leverage my phone WiFi (and battery) if I’m out all day and don’t have access to a plug socket.
Me. But the cellular connectivity has been useful, too. I'd buy it again if I upgraded my 10.5
I have tried WiFi versions over and over and always resort to swapping for cellular ones ... it’s just not convenient to hotspot all the time ... I even got my kids cellular versions because in the end, I couldn’t stand them screaming from the back seat for me to turn on the internet ... and then when we got to where we were going, connect everything to WiFi ... cellular is a little more costly but worth it in the end ... I pay $20 each iPad for unlimited internet (3 iPads) and I don’t have to worry about anything ...
As I interpret that list it means that GPS is still only available in cellular models.
This will be the first time I skip cellular and just get the Wifi version.
I’ve had a look and it seems that it’s still only the cellular ones which have GPS - it’s not very clear but it is under a different heading.
Depends on carrier I guess in terms of the hotspot pricing . . for me I go cellular all the way for convenience - the iPad is then completely independent from my phone. I'll sometimes go to an event and setup my IPP to stream music or TV and I'll walk away from it. Being able to do that and still have full bandwidth on my phone is good for me. If getting the cellular version for a higher price and paying the extra on a data plan were cost prohibitive for me then I'd probably think differently but it's not. Also, having the cellular iPad on my unlimited plus plan on Verizon costs me $20 and I get a separate 22GB pot before either device starts to throttle.
For the first time, I am strongly considering the cellular version. Verizon is my cell carrier and I have a wifi hotspot. Unfortunately, the Verizon signal at our camp, where I spend lots of time, sucks. That’s even with a pricey RV cell booster attached to a directional antenna on a 40 ft tower and an antenna for the hotspot that’s mounted on top of the barn that our camper is under.
AT&T provides 4G signal at the camp (even inside the camper, I have signal) and I have a cheapie Samsung tablet to use when I’m running our cell cameras because I just can’t count on my Verizon phone being connected.
If I can put the iPad on the $29.99/month prepaid unlimited data plan from AT&T, I will probably get the cell version. That would be a better deal for me than going to an unlimited Verizon data plan for the several months when we spend lots of time at the camp. The phones and a wifi device or two used with the cameras can survive on Verizon data plans with limited data if I can use the cellular iPad for most of my work/play, especially during the months when we are at the camp a lot.
Does anyone have experience with the $29.99 AT&T prepaid plan with an iPad? If so, will I be able to use the iPad’s eSIM or will I need to use a DataConnect SIM?
(Switching to AT&T phone service is NOT an option. Verizon service at home is a lot more reliable, especially during storms and emergencies, and Verizon pricing is much better.)
AT&T provides 4G signal at the camp (even inside the camper, I have signal) and I have a cheapie Samsung tablet to use when I’m running our cell cameras because I just can’t count on my Verizon phone being connected.
If I can put the iPad on the $29.99/month prepaid unlimited data plan from AT&T, I will probably get the cell version. That would be a better deal for me than going to an unlimited Verizon data plan for the several months when we spend lots of time at the camp. The phones and a wifi device or two used with the cameras can survive on Verizon data plans with limited data if I can use the cellular iPad for most of my work/play, especially during the months when we are at the camp a lot.
Does anyone have experience with the $29.99 AT&T prepaid plan with an iPad? If so, will I be able to use the iPad’s eSIM or will I need to use a DataConnect SIM?
(Switching to AT&T phone service is NOT an option. Verizon service at home is a lot more reliable, especially during storms and emergencies, and Verizon pricing is much better.)
I got the cellular version of the iPad mini mostly for the GPS, and use it daily. I could use a phone for GPS, but the larger map is very nice.
Cellular for me. The ability to just flick the power button and go. Not having to spend time trying to connect, to find open, free WiFi, to be throttled, to be monitored. Freedom. That’s why I vote Yes on option Cellular. 
I use the AT&T plan on occasion. It’s great in rural/fringe areas but the speed is nothing to get excited about. Better than nothing though.