Need help deciding between LTE or using phone to tether

[Tcwhite1980]

Alright guys help me out. I currently have an iPad 3. I just moved into a house that I'm too far away to have good internet speeds. Att was 768kbps. Way too slow. I'm planning on buying the Air soon. My question is do I buy the LTE version and bump up my data share plan or do I use my iPhone 5 and tether a wifi version instead?

 

[leelai]

To me, it's really a personal choice.......what is the price difference between the 2 options.....if it's all about saving the most money, then tethering may be cheaper......a wifi iPad is certainly cheaper......Will you have access to LTE where you are......And how do you like to work?

I, myself always buy products that stand alone as I don't want to have to set up 2 devices to work on one device.....and sometimes you just want to be able to do it quickly, which I guess you could use your iPhone in these instances but I don't work like that myself, the iPhone screen is just too small for me. I want to be able to just open my iPad and be able to get what I need straight away.

Do you travel at all? Do you want to be able to use your iPad overseas?

There's also GPS to consider, I use my iPad for this reason and often.....the size of the screen makes the iPad a wonderful tool for navigation and I don't even need a charged sim.....the chip is built into the iPad.....this feature alone makes the cellular version worth it for me.

There's also the point that your iPhone will drain battery quicker when it is tethered although I do notice my Air drains battery quicker when I do use cellular.

Then, there's apps to consider....will you have access to wifi to download apps??.... as large apps cannot be downloaded on cellular.

Sorry, if I haven't really helped you but it's all food for thought!

Good luck with your choice, but let us know what you do finally buy!

 

[Mickey330]

As leelai said, it's a decision that's hard to make: you have to focus on what you need and want to spend. I, personally, have a wifi-only iPad Air because it very rarely leaves my house. So, in the few times I need access, I just tether off my iPhone.

My question is: have you considered adding a WiFi repeater or extender to help boost the terrible WiFi signal you are getting where you are? I just helped a friend put in one (specific brand model and details available ... if you want) and he was able to get full WiFi signal.

We put the extender in his landlord's main house. It sits in the [closed] window and so my friend can pick it up through HIS closed window(s). I'd say the distance is over 150 and through 2 sets of exterior walls. He has a great signal (great enough that I'm thinking of buying this extender for the back of MY house!) and his iPad Air has no trouble. I don't know the specifics of your specific home layout, but these extenders really do help.

The specific one I got was a bit expensive (around $99, USD), but it still was cheaper than getting the cellular iPad or increasing the cell plan to tether.

Just another idea ...

Marilyn

 

[AQ_OC]

If you have to chose between tethering your iPad or phone, I'd tether the phone, all else being equal. It iPad has a much large battery. Of course, there may be other considerations which may force you to do otherwise.

 

[Tcwhite1980]

Thanks for the comments! The house I moved to is the backside of our property where our plant sits. It's real convenient. When I moved I transferred my uverse with me. The only strength I could get was 768kbps. Way slower than my 18mbps I had prior to moving. I cancelled the service. Charter couldn't do anything either because the house is 487 ft away from the pole. So I'm running out of options. I'm tired of using my iphone at the house with the smaller screen. This has caused my ipad to become a paper weight during the week. I was planning on upgrading my ipad to the new air anyways and got to thinking about the LTE version. I've got two iPhones on my account. I still have my grandfathered plan with unlimited data. I spoke with an Att rep last night. My options are
1) switch over to the new share plan, get the 10gb plan and add a LTE ipad on for $10 a month. Total is $155 plus tax
2) switch over to the new plan, get the 10gb plan and use my iphone to tether. I'm guessing $145
3) keep my existing plan and just buy a mifi device not linked to my wireless plan and pay monthly

I did look into the wifi extender but I'm pretty sure I'm more than 150ft away from the shop. I looked at the amped extenders and for almost $200 kinda pricey.

 

[Mickey330]

Just to clarify: the repeater/extender I got was to reach my friend's house, which was 150 feet away. However, the Amazon description page states the product I bought (the Amped SR10000) "extends the range [of] any wireless network by up to 10,000 square feet."

So, 150 feet was all I needed - not what was available/capable.

Hope that clarifies.

Marilyn

 

[Tcwhite1980]

Thanks for the clarification. I will have to find out how many ft it is from our shop to the house.

 

[zstairlessone]

Just to clarify: the repeater/extender I got was to reach my friend's house, which was 150 feet away. However, the Amazon description page states the product I bought (the Amped SR10000) "extends the range [of] any wireless network by up to 10,000 square feet."

So, 150 feet was all I needed - not what was available/capable.

Hope that clarifies.

Marilyn

It is the geek in me (so sorry to be a nerd) but 10,000 sq feet is a distance of 56 feet out from the extender/router in all directions (actually about 56' 5") which may be the distance for full bandwidth. Normally you can exchange data at your ISP speed farther out (at least mine) because it is lower than the router and iPad radio speeds so you don't notice the drop off from radio performance at distance.

 

[Tcwhite1980]

I think I'm going to just switch accounts and use my iphone as a hotspot.