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iPad Choosing the right iPad and wireless plan

Which carrier?

  • AT&T

    Votes: 8 53.3%

  • Verizon

    Votes: 7 46.7%
  • Total voters
    15
R

rpearlberg

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 22, 2010
669
30
I'm trying to decide between a wifi and a cellular model.
This is what I found out from AT&T, I haven't gotten info from Verizon yet...
The cheapest option is to add the hotspot/tethering to my iPhone, but not sure if that's the best way to go...Thoughts?

Prepaid
No activation or termination fees
turn off and on as needed
$14.99 for the 250mb
$30 for the 3gb
$50 for the 5gb

iPad data plan:
$30 for 3GB, plus 17% discount
plus 2 year contract

Hotspot:
upgrade iPhone to 5GB plan (from 2GB) to use as hotspot:
$25 more ($50 total)
includes tethering and hotspot
 
When you look at the Verizon options, you will see that they have a month-to-month prepaid 1 GB plan for $20. I find this one to be ideal for my needs. I can activate or deactivate it as needed for travel, and the 1 GB is plenty to supplement my wi-fi data fetches. When it is activated, you will see a $20.00 charge to your credit card - zero fees or taxes. For my taste, ATT's choices of data vs. cost are either too low or too high, and the 1 GB $20 is the sweet spot. And Verizon has perhaps the best coverage across the USA for travel.

You seem to be aware that there may be no benefit to having the same provider for your iPad and your smartphone. I agree with that, and prefer to not have my iPad locked into any type of contract, especially one that is tied to my phone service.
 
colodane said:
When you look at the Verizon options, you will see that they have a month-to-month prepaid 1 GB plan for $20. I find this one to be ideal for my needs. I can activate or deactivate it as needed for travel, and the 1 GB is plenty to supplement my wi-fi data fetches. When it is activated, you will see a $20.00 charge to your credit card - zero fees or taxes. For my taste, ATT's choices of data vs. cost are either too low or too high, and the 1 GB $20 is the sweet spot. And Verizon has perhaps the best coverage across the USA for travel.

You seem to be aware that there may be no benefit to having the same provider for your iPad and your smartphone. I agree with that, and prefer to not have my iPad locked into any type of contract, especially one that is tied to my phone service.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. I'm not sure if 1GB would be enough...
AT&T has 3GB for $30. I would be on wifi whenever possible, but for traveling when wifi isn't available I think I would use up the 1GB too quickly...
 
rpearlberg said:
The cheapest option is to add the hotspot/tethering to my iPhone, but not sure if that's the best way to go...Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Best is always highly subjective. Your call to make. I went with cellular because I prefer to avoid tethering.

colodane said:
You seem to be aware that there may be no benefit to having the same provider for your iPad and your smartphone. I agree with that, and prefer to not have my iPad locked into any type of contract, especially one that is tied to my phone service.
Click to expand...
Also subjective. I find it beneficial to have my iPad on a share plan with my other devices. No contract needed.
 
I have two iPads. My original works with wifi only and my iPad 3 is with ATT with unlimited plan and I get LTE on it where I am at in North Florida. It costs me 30 dollars a month. I think for you the 3 gig plan for 30 bucks from ATT would be good.
 
rpearlberg said:
Thanks for your input. I'm not sure if 1GB would be enough...
AT&T has 3GB for $30. I would be on wifi whenever possible, but for traveling when wifi isn't available I think I would use up the 1GB too quickly...
Click to expand...

Verizon also gives you hotspot at no extra cost. That 1Gb for $20 includes hotspot.

For $30/month, Verizon gives you 2GB+hotspot, as opposed to AT&T 3GB but no hotspot.

For $50/month, Verizon and AT&T is the same deal, I think, because if I'm understanding correctly, that gets you 5GB + hotspot at both.

For what it's worth, I'm on the $20/month for 1GB plan, and I use it mostly to surf the web while commuting, and downloading an occasional app or two. I don't stream music or videos. I do download PDF through email / websites. And I've never gone over the 1GB.
 
Last edited:
Also don't rule out T-Mobile. They have a 3.5GB plan for $35 and you if you run out, you can buy a top off, 1GB for $10.

I do keep an AT&T sim activated for my iPad but there are times when I can't get data on AT&T like at my home. For these times, T-Mobile seems to work great and I get LTE on T-Mobile in places I can't on AT&T.
 
Picking the right iPad 5

This has sort of been asked previously, but I haven't seen anything with my specific scenario.

I have a 64G iPhone 5 with Verizon, which my employer pays for. Unlimited data and tethering.

I'll be getting the iPad 5 when it comes out, and would like a cellular option for convenience when traveling.

Is there any advantage coverage-wise to go with an AT&T iPad so that I can tether to my iPhone if there's Verizon but no ATT coverage?
 
sixstrings03 said:
Is there any advantage coverage-wise to go with an AT&T iPad so that I can tether to my iPhone if there's Verizon but no ATT coverage?
Click to expand...

Depends on how often you go to an area where there is coverage of one but not the other. For instance, in NYC, you get coverage of both pretty much everywhere, so it makes little sense to have both.
 
Night Spring said:
Depends on how often you go to an area where there is coverage of one but not the other. For instance, in NYC, you get coverage of both pretty much everywhere, so it makes little sense to have both.
Click to expand...

Will both the Vzw and ATT iPads work overseas? (India, France, other Europe?)
 
I would start with the 3 GB plan you can always add more data if needed. I would definitely go with att though. They have an awesome network.
 
Right now Sprint has a promotional 2gig plan for $15. If you sign a contract with it, you get $100 off the iPad. If you're trading in an old one, they give you a minimum of $200 off as well.

I live in an LTE area, so I got my wife a Sprint White 16gig Mini, traded in her old WiFi only 16gig iPad 2 and walked out with a new one for $159 plus $15/month for the next two years with 2 gigs of data. Found this to be one hell of a deal
 
the easiest thing to do is to buy an IPAD with LTE/Cellular and work on the plan later on. you can choose from so many plans out there.
 
vmaniqui said:
the easiest thing to do is to buy an IPAD with LTE/Cellular and work on the plan later on. you can choose from so many plans out there.
Click to expand...
But you have to pick an ipad locked to a certain carrier... Can't purchase a Verizon iPad then get it set up on an AT&T plan.
 
btrav13 said:
Right now Sprint has a promotional 2gig plan for $15. If you sign a contract with it, you get $100 off the iPad. If you're trading in an old one, they give you a minimum of $200 off as well.

I live in an LTE area, so I got my wife a Sprint White 16gig Mini, traded in her old WiFi only 16gig iPad 2 and walked out with a new one for $159 plus $15/month for the next two years with 2 gigs of data. Found this to be one hell of a deal
Click to expand...

Great deal. I can only hope they still have it when the iPad mini 2 comes out. Sprint data is definitely on the slow side, but $15 for 2GB really is a fantastic deal.
 
sixstrings03 said:
Wow you're blowing my mind... Do u have to do anything special?

So I'd be able to sign up for a month of Verizon then the next month use AT&T?
Click to expand...
Yes, all you would need to do would be to buy a Sim card and then insert it and adjust the APN settings.

This will only work on the iPad mini and the iPad 4.
 
My experiences...

My wife has a Verizon iPad 3rd gen. She used to use the prepaid 1GB/$20 on Verizon but she is now has an AT&T micro-SIM on our AT&T family mobile share plan for $10 per month plus tax ($11.07 total). The only disadvantage of the Verizon iPad with an AT&T SIM is she cannot get AT&T LTE - she gets 4G only.

I took my AT&T 4th gen to the UK over the summer and bought a prepaid micro-SIM with '3'. £15 for 1GB of data for a month I think it was. Worked fine, just popped it in, no need to change APN settings or anything. No LTE again though, only 3G.
 
JackieInCo said:
As long as you get the Verizon model. You would get a SIM card at an AT&T store or T-Mobile sim at T-Mobile. The Verizon iPad will have a Verizon sim in it.
Click to expand...

I thought you only get 3G speeds, though, correct?

And just to make sure, but an AT&T iPad does not work on Verizon at all, correct?
 
Night Spring said:
I thought you only get 3G speeds, though, correct?

And just to make sure, but an AT&T iPad does not work on Verizon at all, correct?
Click to expand...

Correct, it will not work on Verizon. The AT&T iPad will work on other carriers such as T-Mobile and does get LTE on their network as well. I use T-Mobile and AT&T on my Mini. I get T-Mobile LTE at my house where I can't get it with AT&T.

On my Mini, I had to edit the APN for T-Mobile only once. When I swap sims, I never have to change the APN since the first time when using the T-Mobile sim. Data works now no matter which sim I use.
 
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