All iPads WiFi vs Cellular... My personal observations

[s2mikey]

The downside of tethering is (at least for the iPhone), it kills the battery, so its not imo a feasible alternative for long term usage.

I thought when I got the first gen mini, that I could save money and go that route.

Tethering is a nice option but I personally don't think its a viable long term solution.

Ahh, I didn't know that since I have no smart phone. Then it seems even more reasonable for people that will have their iPad out and about a fair amount of time had better have the cell data?

And, whomever mentioned LTE being fast....oh man...is it ever fast!

 

[Abazigal]

I have data plans on two phones (250mb and 300mb) and both ipads (3gb and 5gb) ... 4 data plans

You can never have enough internet ...

Sad but true.

What's even sadder is that we have to buy separate data plans for all our devices. It's our data, right? Shouldn't we be free to use them however we wish so long as we don't blow the cap?

 

[petvas]

Sad but true.



What's even sadder is that we have to buy separate data plans for all our devices. It's our data, right? Shouldn't we be free to use them however we wish so long as we don't blow the cap?

I live in Germany and I have one plan, but use two SIM cards. One for my iPhone and the other for my iPad. I have 2GB LTE that I can use from all of my devices. Actually Telekom allows up to three SIM cards for a single contract. It is pretty great. No second plan is needed.

 

[nebo1ss]

So you're gonna carry this to power your iPhone. Your iPhone is gonna be used to tether you ipad. So you're gonna carry 3 things when you could just carry one? That's the whole point of paying $130 more, so you don't need to carry another item to use your ipad. Yes there are people that use their ipad/ipad mini to make cell calls.

You must tell me how you make those cell calls on an Ipad or Ipad mini.
Aware you can use a VOIP App but that is not a cell call. Also I am yet to meet anyone who
carries around an Ipad who does not also have a phone in their pocket.

 

[Abazigal]

I live in Germany and I have one plan, but use two SIM cards. One for my iPhone and the other for my iPad. I have 2GB LTE that I can use from all of my devices. Actually Telekom allows up to three SIM cards for a single contract. It is pretty great. No second plan is needed.

Don't you have to pay extra for the multi-sim service? For me, I would need to pay an extra $10 a month just to get a second SIM card using the same data allotment as my phone.

 

[petvas]

Don't you have to pay extra for the multi-sim service? For me, I would need to pay an extra $10 a month just to get a second SIM card using the same data allotment as my phone.

No, up to three multisim cards are included in my contract.

 

[maflynn]

Here's a real world example of why the cellular is better then the wifi

I'm on call, and I was driving to the car dealership for a state inspection sticker last night, when I got page for work. It was a high priority page meaning I had to take care of it within 15 minutes. I got to the dealership and fired up my iPad and remoted into my workstation via gotomypc. if I had the wifi version of the iPad I'd be out of luck.

I was able to easily deal with the ticket that was entered, while I'll say using gotomypc on my iPad is not ideal its workable in a pinch and I was able to handle the issue thanks to my LTE rMini

 

[s2mikey]

Here's a real world example of why the cellular is better then the wifi

I'm on call, and I was driving to the car dealership for a state inspection sticker last night, when I got page for work. It was a high priority page meaning I had to take care of it within 15 minutes. I got to the dealership and fired up my iPad and remoted into my workstation via gotomypc. if I had the wifi version of the iPad I'd be out of luck.

I was able to easily deal with the ticket that was entered, while I'll say using gotomypc on my iPad is not ideal its workable in a pinch and I was able to handle the issue thanks to my LTE rMini

A glowing example of "ya gotta have it when ya gotta have it!" It's for these albeit rare situations that the cell data is priceless.

 

[CEmajr]

Here's a real world example of why the cellular is better then the wifi

I'm on call, and I was driving to the car dealership for a state inspection sticker last night, when I got page for work. It was a high priority page meaning I had to take care of it within 15 minutes. I got to the dealership and fired up my iPad and remoted into my workstation via gotomypc. if I had the wifi version of the iPad I'd be out of luck.

I was able to easily deal with the ticket that was entered, while I'll say using gotomypc on my iPad is not ideal its workable in a pinch and I was able to handle the issue thanks to my LTE rMini

While I also use a cellular iPad Mini over the Wifi version, in your example couldn't one also just use the personal hotspot on the iPhone and connect their Wifi iPad to it?

 

[Capt T]

While I also use a cellular iPad Mini over the Wifi version, in your example couldn't one also just use the personal hotspot on the iPhone and connect their Wifi iPad to it?

Not if say your still grandfathered with the unlimited data on your phone.

 

[Abazigal]

Here's a real world example of why the cellular is better then the wifi

I'm on call, and I was driving to the car dealership for a state inspection sticker last night, when I got page for work. It was a high priority page meaning I had to take care of it within 15 minutes. I got to the dealership and fired up my iPad and remoted into my workstation via gotomypc. if I had the wifi version of the iPad I'd be out of luck.

I was able to easily deal with the ticket that was entered, while I'll say using gotomypc on my iPad is not ideal its workable in a pinch and I was able to handle the issue thanks to my LTE rMini

Then it also depends on how often you find yourself in such a situation.

For me, my experience with my iPad was that I was like 95% on wifi, and maybe a handful of scenarios where I really appreciated having 3g on my ipad3. Is that convenience worth an extra data plan payment every month? For some, it might. For others, not so much.

Anyways, I just bought myself a mifi router and a 4g data plan for use at my workplace, for both my retina iPad mini (wifi only) and macbook air.

 

[spookylight]

The Cellular versions also have the GPS chip for sat nav etc. You can even download the map and use the GPS without a data plan to use it in the car.

That alone will always add value over the wifi versions too, especially if it's a mini.

 

[maflynn]

Then it also depends on how often you find yourself in such a situation.

For me, my experience with my iPad was that I was like 95% on wifi, and maybe a handful of scenarios where I really appreciated having 3g on my ipad3. Is that convenience worth an extra data plan payment every month? For some, it might. For others, not so much.

Anyways, I just bought myself a mifi router and a 4g data plan for use at my workplace, for both my retina iPad mini (wifi only) and macbook air.

Agreed, and I didn't buy the LTE iPad for remoting into work, but its an example of the utility of the LTE model.

I know there are those that are steadfast in their belief that the wifi model is better and those that think the cellular is. For my needs, the cellular is a better solution. One size doesn't fit all but I find the LTE version to be just what the doctor ordered

 

[ScottNWDW]

My first few iPads were the wi-fi only versions. I had the original iPad, and iPad 3 and an original iPad mini. Most places i use my iPads have wifi access so i thought that would be enough. Using Wi-Fi in public places is a crapshoot at best. The best places I have found so far are either Starbuck's and McDonald's and depending on where you sit, Panera. Maybe because in my area they all have AT&T, I don't know but in my area they work the best. Last year I went on vacation and the resort I was staying at normally has free Wi-Fi, but this time around they were having issues so for 3 of the 4 days we were there - no Wi-Fi. After returning home and at the local mall, I was having issues trying to connect or stay connected while in the food court area. I decided at that point that my next iPad would be Wi-Fi + Cellular. I was getting tired of constantly having to remove items from my iPad 3 since it was just 16GB and decided it was time to upgrade. Went to AT&T and got an iPad 4 using their Next program and got an iPad 4 with 64GB with Cellular. It added $10 to my monthly phone bill plus the $41.50 installment payment for 20 months. All I had to do was pay the sales tax upfront. My first bill also included a $100 rebate since adding the Cellular iPad was like adding another line and their promotion at the time was a $100 rebate if you add a line.

I must say that using my iPad now is a dream. I never have to worry about a connection, it's always connected. Although I am on Wi-Fi more than cellular it is nice to know the option is always there. Between my iPhone and the iPad I never come close to the 6GB that my plan allows for.

I don't buy my iPads, iPhones or whatever based on what a resale value may be. I buy them because I want them and use them for what I need. Most times I will pass them along to family or friends when I move on to a newer model. I "sold" my iPad 3 to Target when they did the $200 offer a few months ago, but most everything else was passed on to someone else. Buying the Wi-Fi + Cellular for me was well worth the $130 extra I am paying for it. In fact this week I am planning on going to AT&T and getting the iPad mini with Cellular and passing my current Wi-Fi only iPad mini (first gen) one to my roommate. He was thinking of replacing his iPad 1 with a new first gen 16GB iPad mini that they are selling at Apple now for $299. I sell him my 64GB iPad mini for $299. This way he gets the iPad mini with more space than he could possibly use for the price of the one he was going to buy with only half the space he was used to since the iPad 1 that he was using had 32GB.

I would never buy an iPad without Cellular again. The convenience of an always on connection is well worth the extra $130 to me. AT&T's coverage has never been an issue for me so I have never had connection issues.

 

[nebo1ss]

Here's a real world example of why the cellular is better then the wifi

I'm on call, and I was driving to the car dealership for a state inspection sticker last night, when I got page for work. It was a high priority page meaning I had to take care of it within 15 minutes. I got to the dealership and fired up my iPad and remoted into my workstation via gotomypc. if I had the wifi version of the iPad I'd be out of luck.

I was able to easily deal with the ticket that was entered, while I'll say using gotomypc on my iPad is not ideal its workable in a pinch and I was able to handle the issue thanks to my LTE rMini

And which part of that you would not have been able to achieve with Tethering to your Iphone.

To each his own. Those that are happy to spend the extra $130 plus the cell plan good for them. Many don't see the need.

There is really no best solution.

One of the reasons I like the Tethering option is that I don't always chose to take the Ipad, I often take a Macbook pro and the only option is tethering.

 

[rui no onna]

Anyways, I just bought myself a mifi router and a 4g data plan for use at my workplace, for both my retina iPad mini (wifi only) and macbook air.

From my experience, plans for personal hotspots and USB LTE modems actually cost more than tablet plans. On Verizon and AT&T shared data plans, personal hotspots or modems are an additional $20/month while tablets are just $10/month. Since you can also use the tablet as a hotspot (and its battery lasts way longer than most personal hotspots), I'd rather go for the tablet.

 

[Ledgem]

From my experience, plans for personal hotspots and USB LTE modems actually cost more than tablet plans. On Verizon and AT&T shared data plans, personal hotspots or modems are an additional $20/month while tablets are just $10/month.

It depends on the plan. I switched my family over to a shared "family data plan" and tethering was automatically enabled in the process. Previously, when each line had its own data allocation, enabling tethering would have cost an additional amount per month.

 

[kristalsoldier]

It depends on the plan. I switched my family over to a shared "family data plan" and tethering was automatically enabled in the process. Previously, when each line had its own data allocation, enabling tethering would have cost an additional amount per month.

I agree! I pay £15 per month for my calls and unlimited data connection on my phone and that includes unlimited tethering. I use it often to connect my iPad and Surface simultaneously!!!

 

[rui no onna]

It depends on the plan. I switched my family over to a shared "family data plan" and tethering was automatically enabled in the process. Previously, when each line had its own data allocation, enabling tethering would have cost an additional amount per month.

I meant the monthly cost for an actual wifi modem. Yes, personal hotspot is enabled on all capable devices on Verizon and AT&T's shared data plans. However, the monthly line access fee per device is usually as follows:

• $30-40 smartphone
• $20 wi-fi hotspot (e.g. MiFi router)/USB adapter
• $10 tablet

For me, getting the iPad with built-in cellular (which can also double as hotspot) was a better choice than a MiFi router.

 

[Badrottie]

I have a cellular iPad Air and while I am at Starbucks or any free hotspot service, they are awful and too slow. I decided to buy a Clearwire Spot a mobile hotspot and it works everywhere I go. I choose a cellular iPad over wifi iPad is because of GPS.

 

[baypharm]

I wish I had an unlimited tablet data plan...

What I do have though is unlimited data on my phone. It is a slight pain to tether but other than that...it isn't too bad.

This is why I do not have a single iPad with cellular. Everything tethers off my unlimited phone data. Including my laptop etc.

You're lucky! FoxFi stopped working (blocked by the Verizon Gods) when the Kit Kat update was rolled.

 

[iZollo]

I have an unlimited iPad LTE data plan from AT&T and a iPad mini retina. It is priceless because my daughter is able to watch netflix PBS kids etc. on long drives without having to worry about going over in data. To be able to have internet access everywhere and most importantly in the car where there is no wifi is great. I will never give up my iPad unlimited data plan for those reasons alone.

 

[monkey28rb]

I have an unlimited iPad LTE data plan from AT&T and a iPad mini retina. It is priceless because my daughter is able to watch netflix PBS kids etc. on long drives without having to worry about going over in data. To be able to have internet access everywhere and most importantly in the car where there is no wifi is great. I will never give up my iPad unlimited data plan for those reasons alone.

I just bought an unlimited iPad data plan.. Although I do not have a ton of use for it right now, I know data is becoming more and more important and it is nice knowing I will always have it.

 

[Acronyc]

Personally I think cellular is better than wifi just for the GPS, and the internet connection is a nice bonus. I've never had one, though, because unfortunately here in Japan you can't buy a cellular iPad without a contract, unless you buy it used. I prefer to buy new and don't want an extra data contract every month, so wifi it is for me.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I prefer to buy a Wifi only model and then tether to my phone. I have 8GB of LTE data a month which I never come close to finishing.