Using Smart Phone as Home Internet...

HarryHoskins · Apr 25, 2011

Hey Folks,

I was hoping someone could help me out with an avenue of thought I am meandering down.

I'm considering changing ISP and it crossed my mind that instead of forking out for broadband and a phone line I could combine the two and get a smart phone instead.

Having looked around, I see that the UK operator Three is doing a 24 month contract for 35 pounds a month which includes: Free (or almost free) Iphone or HTC type smart phone; 2000 minutes of anytime, any network talk; 5000 texts and a truly unlimited internet usage with the ability to tether the phone to a PC/laptop.

This deal caught my eye as it would seem to suit all my chatty and interwebby needs. However, I am a little reticent about putting all my media in one basket and can see quite a few potential problems using this method. For instance, bad speeds, intermittent connections, security and whether in reality I have just been seduced into wanting a flashy phone with lots of bells and whistles.

Currently I am erring on the side of sticking with good old broadband but would be interested to hear if anyone had any experience with, or thoughts about, this kind of situation.

Matera the Mad · Apr 25, 2011

teh sekewrity skarez me

It's just that...your laptop can't fall out of your pocket, or be set down in a forgetful moment and left somewhere for two minutes too long.

Top-10-Smartphone-Security-Tips

Most people don't want to bother with little extras that make their phones more secure.

Heh...I don't have one.

maestrowork · Apr 25, 2011

Just so you know, tethering has data limits. Some companies used to have unlimited data plans for tethering but they put a cap on it now. Also, unless you have 4G, the speed is much slower than broadband -- so you can't really stream HD videos, for example. Otherwise, if you're just goin to surf the web, check email, etc. than I think a cell plan with tethering would work just fine.

veinglory · Apr 25, 2011

Using your iPhone as a modem is, as I understand it, against the terms of service.

Deleted member 42 · Apr 25, 2011

Using your smart phone to provide Internet service is called "tethering."

It's explicitly against the TOS of many providers, and it is usually specifically spelled out in the contract.

Also, there are data limits, and it's Really Really Slow.

alleycat · Apr 25, 2011

The strangest "free Internet" connection I've heard of was a friend of mine who ran a wire out of her bedroom window over to the modem at her next-door neighbor's house.

HarryHoskins · Apr 25, 2011

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I am 99% certain that the contract is unlimited tethered and untethered internet with no hidden costs. Three are the only company in the UK that do this as far as i'm aware. The I phone would be a 4g phone.

From what I can ascertain, the speeds would be that of mobile Broadband, somewhere between 3 and 7 meg down and 0.5 - 1.5 up. I'm still reticent because of coverage, security and losing the phone somewhere.

I wonder whether I can sneak a seven day home trial out of them

kuwisdelu · Apr 25, 2011

I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the US, "unlimited" just means "we won't tell you the limit." Abuse it by trying to use tethering as your main connection will result in majorly throttled speeds and probably angry letters.

By the way, there is no such thing as a 4G iPhone, and the iPhone 5 probably won't have 4G either. The iPhone 4 is only 3G.

HarryHoskins · Apr 25, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the US, "unlimited" just means "we won't tell you the limit." Abuse it by trying to use tethering as your main connection will result in majorly throttled speeds and probably angry letters.

By the way, there is no such thing as a 4G iPhone, and the iPhone 5 probably won't have 4G either. The iPhone 4 is only 3G.

Oops. My mistake on the 4g. Thanks for correcting.

The contract advertises itself as an 'all you can eat data' package and would appear to be truly unlimited with no traffic shaping or throttling. I couldn't see any pesky asterisks in the bumff and the T&C seem to support the unlimited data promise as properly unlimited.

I have just had a 'live chat' with a representative of the Three network and they confirmed it was truly unlimited for both phone and when tethered to a laptop/Pc. They say they do not traffic shape or throttle and this is guaranteed for the length of the contract.

Sounds pretty good, unless I was talking to a 'bot. Still, doesn't change my worries about slow speeds, coverage problems and the like.

Anyone out there actually use this plan as a home internet substitute?

veinglory · Apr 25, 2011

If it is an iPhone, I would be astounded if tethering is allowed. Apple is categorically not keen on it.

kuwisdelu · Apr 25, 2011

veinglory said:
If it is an iPhone, I would be astounded if tethering is allowed. Apple is categorically not keen on it.

That's not really Apple, but the carriers, particularly since iPhone users historically used more data than any other smartphone users (those numbers have probably changed by now). I doubt Apple cares one way or the other.

Deleted member 42 · Apr 25, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
I doubt Apple cares one way or the other.

Apple built a UI and frameworks for tethering--but then AT&T decided not to support it--after telling Apple and developers at WWDC in 2007 that they WOULD support it.

veinglory · Apr 25, 2011

Just today Steve Jobs response to whether an iPad could be tethered to an iPhone was a terse and categorical "No". But actually the same article does suggest tethering to a computer might be okay.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ays_no_tethering_between_ipad_and_iphone.html

kuwisdelu · Apr 25, 2011

Steve Jobs is always terse in emails. If it's a yes or no question, you can pretty much expect him to reply — if he actually does — with "yes" or "no."

tjwriter · Apr 25, 2011

Medievalist said:
Apple built a UI and frameworks for tethering--but then AT&T decided not to support it--after telling Apple and developers at WWDC in 2007 that they WOULD support it.

ATT offers a plan for the iphone that you must have if you will be tethering. At least in the US.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/packages/packages-details.jsp?q_package=sku4980475

Deleted member 42 · Apr 25, 2011

veinglory said:
Just today Steve Jobs response to whether an iPad could be tethered to an iPhone was a terse and categorical "No".

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ays_no_tethering_between_ipad_and_iphone.html

But you can use an iPhone to tether another iPhone, or a computer.

It's generally done via Bluetooth, but Wifi is also possible on jailbroken iPhones--at least in Japan.

AT & T charges an additional fee on top of the iPhone data plans for tethering; not sure about Verizon.

AT & T also reserves the right to throttle your throughput, cancel the plan, or charge additional monies for tethering. It's one of the oddest contracts for cell services I've ever seen. As far as I can tell, the contract is essentially saying "We'll charge you an additional monthly fee for tethering, with the right to raise the fee, cut you off, throttle your throughput, or charge additional monies if we happen to feel like it."

kuwisdelu · Apr 25, 2011

The Verizon iPhone got hot spot and tethering at launch. AT&T responded by making adding a hot spot to its tethering. It's very much about competition between the carriers more than anything.

(They both charge extra for the hotspot; I'm not sure about tethering, but I'm pretty sure that's extra, too.)

maestrowork · Apr 25, 2011

the iPhone is 3G, so your speed would be very limited, even if you manage to get a contract with unlimited tethering data plan.

IMHO, it's not worth it unless you can do 4G. It's probably better to shell out a personal wifi hotspot account. Here in the US, you can get that from Verizon, Sprint, etc. for as low as $40 a month and you get a wifi hotspot that can support up to 5 devices, at 4G speed. Sprint's plan is unlimited but like other said, it just means "we don't really tell you the limit and if you're downloading too much stuff, we may cut you off" and in fact, they slow you down once your data traffic is getting high.

But if you're going to pay for that, you might as well get broadband. The good thing about personal hotspot is that it's portable. You can bring it with you to the beach.

Deleted member 42 · Apr 25, 2011

maestrowork said:
It's probably better to shell out a personal wifi hotspot account. Here in the US, you can get that from Verizon, Sprint, etc. for as low as $40 a month and you get a wifi hotspot that can support up to 5 devices, at 4G speed.

You may see this being called mefi in the U.K.

PinkAmy · Apr 26, 2011

I tried to do consolidate to save $$. What I learned was unlimited internet from my cell phone company was technically true-- the most of it was at dialup speed. I had 2 1/2 days of 3g internet with tons of connectivity problems. Then I reached my limit of the "faster" internet and got bumped to dialup speed (which no one at t-mobile told me would happen). I switched back to my cable company the same day I learned this.

maestrowork · Apr 26, 2011

PinkAmy said:
I tried to do consolidate to save $$. What I learned was unlimited internet from my cell phone company was technically true-- the most of it was at dialup speed. I had 2 1/2 days of 3g internet with tons of connectivity problems. Then I reached my limit of the "faster" internet and got bumped to dialup speed (which no one at t-mobile told me would happen). I switched back to my cable company the same day I learned this.

If you need to consolidate, I'd suggest getting a 4G mifi account and modem, then cancel your phone's cell data plan and just use the mifi. In this case, you eliminated the need for home broadband as well as 3G cell data. The tradeoff is that it's not as convenient as having data right on your cell. But you can save quite a bit of $$.

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 28, 2011

I use my Droid for all internet stuff. However, I dont tether, as service providers frown upon the practice, and may charge you per kilobyte to get their point across. Just sayin'.

PinkAmy · Apr 28, 2011

maestrowork said:
I you need to consolidate, I'd suggest getting a 4G mifi account and modem, then cancel your phone's cell data plan and just use the mifi. In this case, you eliminated the need for home broadband as well as 3G cell data. The tradeoff is that it's not as convenient as having data right on your cell. But you can save quite a bit of $$.

How the hell do you know so much????????? I am in awe of you.

JulieHowe · Apr 28, 2011

Tethering to my laptop using a T-Mobile smart phone and an Android app was painfully and sickeningly slow, even worse than connecting with an old 14.4 dial-up modem. BTW, my phone is an HTC brand, since you mentioned looking at an HTC phone.

FOTSGreg · Apr 28, 2011

I've got a Virgin Mobile Mifi device. It's great. Up to 5 devices connected at one time, superb speed, and I pay for it when I want to. $10 for 5 hrs of web surfing every couple of months (I use mine in the break room at my store sometimes since our wifi is a secured network). It's normally connected to my iPad, but I've had my net book and laptop both hooked up to it at the same time along with my Nook Color and not noticed any significant slowdowns.

Using Smart Phone as Home Internet...

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