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iPad Unlimited wifi/4G bandwith with Clear iSpot for iPad 2 or capped ATT/Verizon 3G??

H

holyindian

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 5, 2009
318
0
Hi all,

I was planning to buy a 24/month unlimited wifi/4G internet via iSpot by Clear for my iPad 2. I know clear has discontinued iSpot, but there are couple of people on ebay selling these devices. Clear will provide unlimited internet services for 25 dollars a month if i can get hold of a device. I managed to get one from a local retailer in chicago.
Wanted to know other peoples review on this. How does ispot work with the iPad?? are the speeds good enough??
I still have to buy an Ipad 2. Although i got the iSpot.. I am not sure if i should buy the 3g version or the wifi version. Although i know i will be using the clear ispot hotspot as wifi. Was wondering if not buying a 3g device would restrict my options!!??
Currently att and verizon provide capped internet bandwith that too on premium price.. hence was wondering..
 
I bought an iSpot out of curiosity when they were doing a $50 deal. I used the first month and haven't used it much since b/c I also have the ATT iPad unlimited 3G plan. Service is good when you are in a WiMax area but remember the iSpot cannot receive any flavor of 3G. Also WiMax can be spotty. Take a look at the their coverage maps online. You can literally have service on one side of the street but not another. It's just not built out enough yet to be a true mobile service.
 
1. Will clear still honor $25 unlimited data on the ispot/allow you to add it?

2. Keep in mind that the ispot unlimited data is only for 4g, and the device only works on 4g. Coverage is limited. If you want 4g and 3G you have to get the spot 4g+ which is more expensive (225 to buy) and the unlimited plan only allows unlimited 4g, not 3G.

I still think it's a better option than att or verizon. Ill probably do clear, though I don't know which device. Tethering for 3G and ispot for 4g could work but switching might be annoying (though mywi on demand would alleviate this), or just do the 4g+.

Buying 3G won't restrict your options, but unless you care about the gps or money isn't a concern, go wifi.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
I bought an iSpot out of curiosity when they were doing a $50 deal. I used the first month and haven't used it much since b/c I also have the ATT iPad unlimited 3G plan. Service is good when you are in a WiMax area but remember the iSpot cannot receive any flavor of 3G. Also WiMax can be spotty. Take a look at the their coverage maps online. You can literally have service on one side of the street but not another. It's just not built out enough yet to be a true mobile service.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick response. I will be using ipad mainly on my day today commute route home-to-work, work-back-home. And there is good coverage on this route in Chicago downtown to the suburbs.

I inquired with ATT.. they dont seem to have any unlimited 3G plan.. how much are they charging for this plan??
iSpot is charging 25 dollars for unlimited bandwith... the speed is much-much faster than 3G that i get on my iphone from att. currently i am using the ispot on my laptop.. (have the black version, which works on any device). Even iphone picks up the signals as wifi through this ispot device, and its pretty fast.. very fast.

Plus why did you move out from 4G/wifi ispot which is 10 times faster to att 3G
 
Last edited:
Cutwolf said:
1. Will clear still honor $25 unlimited data on the ispot/allow you to add it?

2. Keep in mind that the ispot unlimited data is only for 4g, and the device only works on 4g. Coverage is limited. If you want 4g and 3G you have to get the spot 4g+ which is more expensive (225 to buy) and the unlimited plan only allows unlimited 4g, not 3G.

I still think it's a better option than att or verizon. Ill probably do clear, though I don't know which device. Tethering for 3G and ispot for 4g could work but switching might be annoying (though mywi on demand would alleviate this), or just do the 4g+.

Buying 3G won't restrict your options, but unless you care about the gps or money isn't a concern, go wifi.
Click to expand...

Yes, they will honor the 25 dollar plan, provided i have a ispot device. I got it activated and its working with my laptop and iphone now.
Plus the 4G works like wifi on my laptop and iphone. The internet speed looks 10 times faster than my iphone's 3G
 
Last edited:
holyindian said:
Thanks for the quick response. I will be using ipad mainly on my day today commute route home-to-work, work-back-home. And there is good coverage on this route in Chicago downtown to the suburbs.

I inquired with ATT.. they dont seem to have any unlimited 3G plan.. how much are they charging for this plan??
iSpot is charging 25 dollars for unlimited bandwith... the speed is much-much faster than 3G that i get on my iphone from att. currently i am using the ispot on my laptop.. (have the black version, which works on any device).

Plus why did you move out from 4G/wifi ispot which is 10 times faster to att 3G
Click to expand...

I communte from west burbs of chicago to city and the ispot is spotty with coverage. used mine for one month and cancelled.
 
holyindian said:
I inquired with ATT.. they dont seem to have any unlimited 3G plan.. how much are they charging for this plan??.....

Plus why did you move out from 4G/wifi ispot which is 10 times faster to att 3G
Click to expand...

The unlimited plan was only offered the first month plus after the original iPad was released. They grandfathered customers who had the plan when they K.O.'d it. It's $30 mo.

I didn't really move out of the 4G WiMax to ATT 3G. I bought the iSpot out of curiosity b/c it was only $50 including a free month of service to try it out. I had not intention of keeping the service b/c WiMax isn't everywhere and also I didn't want to carry the iSpot around w/ me.

If you have good WiMax service in CHI then it's certainly a better deal than ATTs current plans.
 
google said:
I communte from west burbs of chicago to city and the ispot is spotty with coverage. used mine for one month and cancelled.
Click to expand...

How spotty is the coverage.. Are the blackout's in specific area's?? Do they go out often??
 
Honestly... when are you ever going to go above the 2 gig cap? How are you even going to download that much over 3G in a month?

I've never gone over 400 megs.
 
goMac said:
Honestly... when are you ever going to go above the 2 gig cap? How are you even going to download that much over 3G in a month?

I've never gone over 400 megs.
Click to expand...

Netflix?? Streaming audio.. i do remote desktop to my PC.. etc. I commute atleast 1 1/2 x 2 = 3hrs to-and-fro home-work-home. Plus using the ipad at work.. cos the network on the internet at work is behind the firewall.
 
holyindian said:
Netflix?? Streaming audio.. i do remote desktop to my PC.. etc. I commute atleast 1 1/2 x 2 = 3hrs to-and-fro home-work-home. Plus using the ipad at work.. cos the network on the internet at work is behind the firewall.
Click to expand...

All the same here, cept for the remote desktop, I save that for Wifi. It's not like 3G is THAT snappy. :p

It just seems like a lot of data to me.
 
goMac said:
Honestly... when are you ever going to go above the 2 gig cap? How are you even going to download that much over 3G in a month?

I've never gone over 400 megs.
Click to expand...

I did 300 mb while tethering on a 5 hour train ride with just browsing.
 
Cutwolf said:
2. Keep in mind that the ispot unlimited data is only for 4g, and the device only works on 4g. Coverage is limited. If you want 4g and 3G you have to get the spot 4g+ which is more expensive (225 to buy) and the unlimited plan only allows unlimited 4g, not 3G.
Click to expand...

I got lost here, do you mean that with a iSpot i cannot get connected to my ipad via wifi.. with 4g speed??
 
holyindian said:
I got lost here, do you mean that with a iSpot i cannot get connected to my ipad via wifi.. with 4g speed??
Click to expand...

Yes you can.

What he meant is that the ispot can only access wimax 4g, so your coverage will be more limited.

I've had mine since dec 2010 and it's been great. If I get a good signal (green led) I always hit 6Mbps. The battery life is good too. 5-6 hours of usage.
 
goMac said:
Honestly... when are you ever going to go above the 2 gig cap? How are you even going to download that much over 3G in a month?

I've never gone over 400 megs.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? I hit the cap almost monthly and most times, I hit it without downloading ANY videos like Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube

It is quite easy which is why SO MANY HERE come near the cap every month and complain
 
Thanks for all the info on ispot. I found this clear store in chicago, who is carry some stock and was ready to sell it to me. If anyone in Chicago is looking forward to buy one, drop in at the clear store in Downtown near N Riverside.

I just hope i get better than good speed as compared to a 3G with this iSpot device. I wound consider my 100 dollar worth well spent. :)
 
Cheapest route to get unlimited data is just to buy the sim card off of ebay.

Spot 3g/4g: $225
Unlimited Data: $55/month

$885 for the year


Unlimited sim on ebay: $400 ($350 if you get lucky)
Unlimited data: $29.99/month

$759.88 for the year

The longer you extrapolate, the better the ebay sim looks.

How do you monitor your transferred data?
Click to expand...

MyWi puts a bar at the top of my phone when I'm tethering.
 
Chat with Clear customer service re ipad 2

Hello Wolfdad. Please wait while we find a CLEAR specialist to help you.
You are an existing customer with a Tech Support question.
You have been connected to Robert T.
Robert T: Hi Wolfdad! I'll be happy to help you today!
Robert T: You can't get online?
Wolfdad: I bought an ipad2 and when i tried to get online i get the message that ispot only supports apple mobile devices, etc
Robert T: That's the message you get
Robert T: May I have the phone number associated with your account, please?
Wolfdad: 555-867-5309
Robert T: Thanks. I’ll be back in a minute with more info. While you are waiting, I would like to let you know that you can also sign in to your account on our website, where you will be able to view all of your billing invoices, update your account information, and make your payments online without a processing fee. If you need your username and password, I would be happy to get that for you.
Robert T: Does the clearspot show up in your wifi network
Wolfdad: Yes, and i can get on with my ipod and my 1st gen ipad (and with my Macbook and my AppleTV!)
Robert T: Thanks. I’ll be back in a minute with more info.
Wolfdad: And its an iSpot, not the clearspot
Robert T: Ok thanks
Wolfdad: I tried turning the ispot off and on, also reset the wifi on my ipad2 but no luck.
Robert T: Sorry to keep you waiting at the moment the ispot is not capatable with the ipad2
Wolfdad: Well that is just peachy. When will it be updated?
Robert T: Nothing yet about when the new firmware will be out
Wolfdad: I just resumed my service specifically for this device
Robert T: Sorry about that
Robert T: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Wolfdad: Yes, i think i should get a credit for service until clear gets around to enabling this device
Robert T: Sorry about that the device still works I can't issue credit
Wolfdad: Yes but there is nothing on the website about this or I would have held off resuming the service
Robert T: Thanks. I’ll be back in a minute with more info.
Robert T: Sorry to keep you waiting 2 more minutes please
Robert T: Chat session will end in 30 seconds thanks
Wolfdad: But you havent answered my question
Robert T: I wasn't getting a response 1 minute please
Wolfdad: Ok
Robert T: Thanks
Robert T: Sorry to keep you waiting I can't issue credit because the device is working fine
Wolfdad: You are saying that just because it is designed to work only with what is now a discontinued product it is WORKING FINE? I can accept that this works only in certain areas but I don't think it is unreasonable to expect it will work with all Apple mobile devices AS ADVERTISED.
Robert T: It work with all apple device the ipad2 came out after the ispot had been released
Wolfdad: Please explain what is the difference? Is it a product id issue?
Robert T: Thanks. I’ll be back in a minute with more info.
Robert T: Supported Operating Systems: Apple mobile products that allow Wi-Fi including the iTouch, iPhone and iPad.
Wolfdad: And the ipad 2 uses exactly the same operating system
Robert T: Ok the ispot does not support the ipad2 it's not on the list sorry
Robert T: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Wolfdad: Nice that Clear has such concern for a customer. I 'll be suspending my service again.
Robert T: We're sorry to see you want to go. If you want to cancel your account, our Account Services department will be able to assist you; if you are the account holder, you can reach them by phone at 888.888.3113. Our Account Services department is available M-F from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm.

Wow. (Name and number altered. Duh.)
 
I have an iSpot and I can use it with any apple and non-apple devices, including my PCs. ;)
 
bumping

I'm guessing there has been no progress on this?
I've tried to use with an iPad 3 and get the error message. And when I chat with the Clear folks no one knows what I'm asking about.
So much for their documentation.
 
Update

Just so you know, I followed up with Clear again and they had me update the firmware on my iSpot. BIG MISTAKE! Once the new firmware was installed, it worked for my iPad 2 but no longer for my Mac, AppleTV or other devices. I cancelled service and my iSpot is now a paperweight. What a waste. No wonder Clear is soon to be no more.
 
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