iPad mini Do I get iPad Mini LTE or use my Verizon tethering?

[AnthonySmith]

Hey everyone. Being as I am in a Verizon ShareEverything plan, would it more economical if I just bought a wifi iPad Mini and used the free tethering option or should I just get an LTE iPad mini?

Have any of you thought of this? Are you currently doing it with an iPad?

Any suggestions would help.

 

[vince.]

Tethering KILLS your battery life on the HOST device. So, if you're using your iPhone (for instance) as your hotspot, that iPhone battery will drain pretty fast. If you have a mi-fi or equivalent, maybe that's more practical

For me, I bought the LTE version of 1 iPad Mini just to have the ability to add/remove from my family data share plan as needed. The other is wi-fi only as it will likely never leave the house

 

[HazyCloud]

Hey everyone. Being as I am in a Verizon ShareEverything plan, would it more economical if I just bought a wifi iPad Mini and used the free tethering option or should I just get an LTE iPad mini?

Have any of you thought of this? Are you currently doing it with an iPad?

Any suggestions would help.

Do you want to pay an extra $130 upfront and another $10 a month just to use your same pool of data you're already paying for? If not, just tether and save upwards of $250 a year.

 

[Geekbabe]

How many portable devices do you & your family own? I'm picking up a MiFi device without contract just for use when my family travels or when I'm covering events for my blog at sites that don't have free WiFi. The purchase will benefit us all & will allow us to purchase cheaper WiFi tablets.

 

[AnthonySmith]

How many portable devices do you & your family own? I'm picking up a MiFi device without contract just for use when my family travels or when I'm covering events for my blog at sites that don't have free WiFi. The purchase will benefit us all & will allow us to purchase cheaper WiFi tablets.

With an iPad Mini, it would be 7 devices.

 

[reputationZed]

Tethering KILLS your battery life on the HOST device. So, if you're using your iPhone (for instance) as your hotspot, that iPhone battery will drain pretty fast. If you have a mi-fi or equivalent, maybe that's more practical

For me, I bought the LTE version of 1 iPad Mini just to have the ability to add/remove from my family data share plan as needed. The other is wi-fi only as it will likely never leave the house

Agreed, also don't forget that on Verizon you can't use data and voice at the same time. In other words no phone calls while tethered to your iPhone.

 

[TheMadBrewer]

Another thing to factor in the mix -- the WiFi only models do not have a GPS. Since I didn't use wireless data much on my iPad1 I decided to save some $ when I got the iPad2 -- only to find out I really missed the GPS.

Obviously, this isn't true for everybody.

 

[blerns3]

Does tethering itself eat up data? Or is it just what you do while on the personal hotspot network on the iPad that eats it up?

 

[WesCole]

If you plan on using your iPad much out of wifi range, I would get the LTE model. It would get annoying having to tether your iPad to your iPhone whenever you wanted to use it...especially if you just wanted to use it for a minute or two. Also, as others have noted, it kills your battery life and you won't be able to get any calls while tethering. I have also noticed that tethering tends to have a lot of overhead bandwidth, so you won't get full data speeds while tethering. All of these reasons made me purchase the LTE version of my iPad 3, and I will be getting the LTE version of the iPad 5 when it comes out.

 

[blerns3]

If you plan on using your iPad much out of wifi range, I would get the LTE model. It would get annoying having to tether your iPad to your iPhone whenever you wanted to use it...especially if you just wanted to use it for a minute or two. Also, as others have noted, it kills your battery life and you won't be able to get any calls while tethering. I have also noticed that tethering tends to have a lot of overhead bandwidth, so you won't get full data speeds while tethering. All of these reasons made me purchase the LTE version of my iPad 3, and I will be getting the LTE version of the iPad 5 when it comes out.

Oh...you can't receive calls? What about texts (iMessage and regular SMS's)?

 

[WesCole]

Oh...you can't receive calls? What about texts (iMessage and regular SMS's)?

I know you can get iMessages, but not sure about SMS...I would think so, but not 100% sure.

 

[blerns3]

I know you can get iMessages, but not sure about SMS...I would think so, but not 100% sure.

Ok, and does tethering itself use data? Like if I turned on my hotspot but didn't use it at all, does it use up battery AND data, or just data? I don't have a problem draining battery if I'm using the same data I'd be using on my phone anyway if I didn't have the iPad.

 

[WesCole]

Ok, and does tethering itself use data? Like if I turned on my hotspot but didn't use it at all, does it use up battery AND data, or just data? I don't have a problem draining battery if I'm using the same data I'd be using on my phone anyway if I didn't have the iPad.

I am pretty sure that it will use SOME data with tethering on and nothing connected to it, just to keep the connection alive...probably a negligible amount, though. I am not sure if just having tethering on and nothing connected would keep you from getting calls, though. I would think that it would, but haven't ever tried it.

 

[steve dave]

Oh...you can't receive calls? What about texts (iMessage and regular SMS's)?

This is totally wrong. You can absolutely get calls. You will just stop transmitting data while you are on the all.

 

[HazyCloud]

Ok, and does tethering itself use data? Like if I turned on my hotspot but didn't use it at all, does it use up battery AND data, or just data? I don't have a problem draining battery if I'm using the same data I'd be using on my phone anyway if I didn't have the iPad.

Even it does, Hotspot turns off after about 5 minutes with no connection. It can't run all the time on its own.

 

[WesCole]

This is totally wrong. You can absolutely get calls. You will just stop transmitting data while you are on the all.

This is true...I guess I should've made that more clear when I said "you can't receive calls while tethering"...I meant you can't tether and receive calls at the same time.

 

[ipoddin]

Oh...you can't receive calls? What about texts (iMessage and regular SMS's)?

You will receive calls. It's the data that will get interrupted when a call comes in.

 

[christophermdia]

I prefer to spend the $120/year and add the mini to my data plan. To me, a pain to turn on hotspot, then connect, then put the phone away, etc....plaus if I wanna go somewhere without my phone, which is a lot...then I can. In the end ill have 4 ipads on my tether plan, 2 mini's and 2 full size ipads and its still less than the $50/mo I was paying fir just 1 ipad 5GB plan...

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

Tethering KILLS your battery life on the HOST device. So, if you're using your iPhone (for instance) as your hotspot, that iPhone battery will drain pretty fast. If you have a mi-fi or equivalent, maybe that's more practical

For me, I bought the LTE version of 1 iPad Mini just to have the ability to add/remove from my family data share plan as needed. The other is wi-fi only as it will likely never leave the house

MiFi batteries are pitiful. I get maybe 3 hours of use out on mine. And it takes a different charger. I've just swapped to tethering. Saves $20 a month for the MiFi or dedicated tablet LTE charge plus saves another $130 or so on a WiFi only iPad.

 

[HazyCloud]

I prefer to spend the $120/year and add the mini to my data plan. To me, a pain to turn on hotspot, then connect, then put the phone away, etc....plaus if I wanna go somewhere without my phone, which is a lot...then I can. In the end ill have 4 ipads on my tether plan, 2 mini's and 2 full size ipads and its still less than the $50/mo I was paying fir just 1 ipad 5GB plan...

Don't forget the $129 per device just for the cellular chip. Also, once you've used Hotspot once it creates a shortcut under settings to get to it faster.

While it's still a couple taps before your device is connected, I'd much rather do that than pay the $129 plus $10 a month to use my same pool of data. Of course, to each their own.

 

[christophermdia]

Don't forget the $129 per device just for the cellular chip. Also, once you've used Hotspot once it creates a shortcut under settings to get to it faster.

While it's still a couple taps before your device is connected, I'd much rather do that than pay the $129 plus $10 a month to use my same pool of data. Of course, to each their own.

I hear ya...I understand for some its an issue....but for me, I prefer to spend that to get to the LTE on the Mini.....I can understand some do not have the money to do that...I do, for the convenience for me, its worth it....

 

[HazyCloud]

I hear ya...I understand for some its an issue....but for me, I prefer to spend that to get to the LTE on the Mini.....I can understand some do not have the money to do that...I do, for the convenience for me, its worth it....

I have the money, but why pay all that extra money just to use my same pool of data? Don't get me wrong, if I didn't have an LTE iPhone and a tethering plan, I'd get the LTE version as I want to be connected with my Mini when I'm out and about.

But as it stands, it's just crazy to think I'll be spending an EXTRA $250 a year to do what I can do for free. GPS isn't worth that much. I can understand if you don't want to rely on your phone, but mine is always with me. I thought about getting the LTE version, but it just doesn't make any sense. I'd much rather get a bigger storage version than pay a $129 upfront and a monthly fee for something I can already do without paying anything extra.