OT - Cell Phone Questions - Equipment/Company/Plan
Mates,
As we wait with bated breath for more drama from Schembechler Hall, more news about why Gattis left, who will be our new OC, and what the shuffling of coaching chairs look like, please allow me to interrupt for a minute. The topic is cell phones, a necessary tool in the 21 st century arsenal and literally every one of us has one. My questions come about because we are getting to the point of looking for new plans and/or replacing a couple of phones for the older kids. Questions are as follows:
1. Who is your carrier and what type of plan do you have - how many GB's/month, what cost, etc? Do you use all the GB's you get? Would you recommend it to others or is it more of 'I dunno, we've just had it for a while'?
2. What type of phone do you have and is it good/bad/mediocre? I will add that we have bought used phones from 'swappa.com' and have had very good luck getting pretty recent equipment that functions just fine, at steep discounts. If you have 5G service, will your older phones still function with it?
Thank you for your input and maybe many others will get some good information out of this.
Don't forget the ladies hoops team tips off @ 6:30, big game v. Iowa. Go Blue!
XM
February 6th, 2022 at 6:16 PM ^
Did Gattis sleep with Xavier Worthy’s mom? Haven’t followed the threads but a friend texted this to me as to why he was pulled off the recruiting trail - not trying to be a smart ass in case this has been discussed already…wild if so
1. Verizon, unlimited plan. Works well in the Rockies. The big family plans are more effective from a costing standpoint
2. iPhone 12PRO - does the job. Any “later model” phone you can get on steep discount from the major carriers (11,12, etc) will do all you need it to!
February 6th, 2022 at 6:20 PM ^
Yeah, remember when Xavier requested a release from his NLI that this got mentioned. Not sure if that's real.
On a similar note, thanks for the service recommendation....AT&T sucks.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:40 PM ^
That sort of reminds me of when Michael Scott was sleeping with Pam's mom Helene. Yikes!!!
February 6th, 2022 at 9:07 PM ^
LOL, but really, let's keep this thread on subject.
(BTW, for some odd reason I DON'T even want to think about your phone's search history!)
February 6th, 2022 at 10:00 PM ^
LOL, I just saw again the Pam & Jim's Wedding episodes - hysterical - where Michael and Helene hook up and then the awkward break up they have over lunch once Michael finds out how old Helene is.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:21 PM ^
if you don't mind my asking, what is the cost? and right now we technically have 'unlimited' but after XGB's we go to slow-down mode. is yours a non-stop high-speed?
February 6th, 2022 at 6:28 PM ^
Hoping it’s not real - can’t imagine what happens between two consenting adults factoring heavily into a college decision but there is 0 chance I’d ever go play for a coordinator that smashed my mom…
@XM - not sure how to get away from the slowdown over a certain gig threshold - I know our current plan is $70 per line. Not too hateful but we own our devices outright which helps make it cheaper. I think some of the “higher tier” plans don’t cap or throttle your data
February 6th, 2022 at 6:33 PM ^
we own our equipment so that part is out of the equation. i think right now we're looking at an AT & T plan that would be 50GB/mo spread between as many as you want - 3, 4, 5 phones with the price descending as you go to more phones @ $50/40/35 per phone, respectively.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:18 PM ^
T-Mobile. 4 lines, unlimited data, $100/month. Samsung A71 5G. Has some quirks, but a fast phone. Also have a OnePlus Nord with Mint Mobile as a second phone for work. It's cheap and an OK phone. Mint uses the T-Mobile network as an MVNO.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:40 PM ^
I had T-Mobile in Chicago and was very pleased with it. Family in rural northern Michigan (Traverse City, if that could be called rural) were not. That was 3+ years ago, though. It may be something for XM to consider.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:18 PM ^
Tello.
https://tello.com/buy/custom_plans
You can create your own plan.
Unlimited calling and text + 6GB data for ~$25
February 6th, 2022 at 6:30 PM ^
Wow, that's cheap and uses T-Mobile's network. I may switch.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:23 PM ^
Google Fi
Just me, you get like 3 gigs as part of the plan, and then any 1 g over is 10 bucks.
My bill has been basically 35-45 per month as I rarely use data without being connected to wifi.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:28 PM ^
Google Fi is fantastic if you go overseas for any period of time and the price is great. The only problem I had was actual phone calls--just not very good service.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:25 PM ^
I can back up Uncle Leo here. Don't know if it's the best deal but at this price My wife & I are not complaining or looking for something else. I've had the service for 3 years now and no problems living in a rural area. In the U.S., Fi uses a combination of T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular networks.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:30 PM ^
Have worked in the industry for 18+ years. Few things I would recommend.
1. If you are just one person, buy an unlocked phone and get a prepaid plan, will definitely save you some money. Other than that the more people you have on the plan together will make it cheaper per person so add your kids/parents to lower cost per person.
2. You want unlimited data.
3. iPhones are expensive but they retain their value well and you can usually get good trade in promos. If you finance, wait till it’s paid off then trade in for a new one but get a case and screen protector so you don’t F it up.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:35 PM ^
we are looking at 3, 4 or even 5 of us on the plan. 3 right now.
we have 'unlimited' data, but it slows down after 6 GB. the plan we're looking at would have a 50GB fast data limit, which is at this point way more than we use but i'm sure we'd find ways to take it up. what is your definition of 'unlimited'?
i'm the only one with an iphone. everybody else has android stuff which they like.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:09 PM ^
To your second point. It really depends. I used to travel for work and unlimited was def necessary. Now, I work from home. My wife and I are on a legacy ATT 10 gig plan and we use on average 2 gigs a month. They keep trying to get me to switch to an unlimited plan so I can get a “free” phone, but it’s a terrible deal for us. Now, in a few years, I’ll prob switch to a T mobile unlimited with 4 lines when the kids need phones. I’d like to keep ATT as it works best in our area, but it will depend on price and I don’t give a shit since I’m on wifi 95% of the time.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:29 PM ^
When it comes to data.
Throttle=Bad. Data will go to unusable speeds.
“Deprioritized” = Probably fine unless you are in NYC or Chicago type area.
Also if you are planning on getting new phones get a 5G device. That is where all of the network upgrade money is going right now.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:32 PM ^
Spectrum, unlimited, samsung budget 5g phone. No complaints on price and service area at all
February 6th, 2022 at 9:11 PM ^
Good to see your response, I'm already planning on dropping ATT for either Spectrum or Mint Mobile. I dumped DirecTV (an ATT division) several months ago in favor of Spectrum TV because of $aving$.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:39 PM ^
I use Mint Mobile for $15/month. I get 4GB/month data with rollover, but I never use it because I'm usually operating off WiFi. I find it has pretty good coverage for the places I go. You can buy international service if you want it. Overall, I'm very happy. I will shop around again when I get a 5G phone, but for now it meets my needs at a very good price.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:03 PM ^
I'm with mint too. You can't beat $240 for a year worth of service at 10 GB/month. Runs on the T-Mobile network.
I use a pixel 4 and it's about time to upgrade in the next few months.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:39 PM ^
Visible Wireless. Uses Verizon's network. $25 a month for unlimited data, talk, text, etc. And mobile hotspot. Just need to get 5 other people to sign up and join your group otherwise it's $40 a month.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:07 PM ^
Visible - unlimited voice, text, data & unlimited hotspot. Verizon network. $25/month after joining a party pay group. You don't need to start your own group, you can join any other group. My group has 50,000 members. I replaced my Spectrum ISP with the free phone from Visible and it has worked fine for more than 6 months now. I use about 600 GB / month.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:31 PM ^
I tried getting a second phone on Visible since I wanted a second network to T-Mobile. One of the most painful experiences ever.
They sent me the phone quickly. Great. Tried to activate it and they screwed that up. I waited 80 hours and finally said forget it and canceled the account. But they still billed me twice. They only answer via chat, no phone. Each time, they continued to mess up canceling the account, even thought they it was canceled.
I finally had to write the CEO on LinkedIn and then it took 2 weeks to get it right.
Should have read more reviews from the start. The reviews are atrocious for the company.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:01 PM ^
Interesting. I just popped the sim card they sent into my phone. Followed the instructions and haven't done a damn thing else for over a year. Never had to interact with their customers service bc it's worked flawlessly.
February 7th, 2022 at 7:52 AM ^
Sorry to hear that, but that's not my experience at all. I switched my entire family over to Visible and, other than having to reset the phones after 3 weeks and only being able to contact customer service via chat, we have had zero issues. I've saved over $1000 in 6 months.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:48 PM ^
These days you don't even need friends. Just join the huge reddit group and you never have to worry about anyone leaving your party again.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:41 PM ^
I hate Comcast, but we use Xfinity mobile (Verizon MNVO) and it’s amazing. Unlimited talk, text and data for two lines at $90/mo. We own our phones (two iPhone 12 minis) and the 5G works really good. I’m sure we have some hard cap before our data slows down, but we’ve never hit it. Another bonus of Xfinity mobile is that it will automatically connect to any Xfinity wifi hotspot and use their connection.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:11 PM ^
Also have Xfinity. It's great. 10GB/month for $60 shared between 4 lines. Wife and I work from home so we are on wifi and the kids dont do the tikitytok so it works for us. Coverage is excellent as well.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:16 PM ^
Is that $60 divided by 4, thus $15/phone, or $60 x 4 = 240
February 6th, 2022 at 7:44 PM ^
$15/phone
February 6th, 2022 at 6:42 PM ^
Several not-so-random considerations for you.
First is to check out the tower density in your local and regional territory. That map will tell you which vendors will cover you best.
Second is to be very careful with used phones, especially now. The reason is the vendors are starting to refuse to activate certain slightly older phones due to those phones using older bands that the vendor plans to drop in order to handle 4GLTE and the various 5G spectra. Your used phone seller may tell you he's got no current problems and be truthful but your new carrier may refuse to activate a SIM card in that device.
Consider the use of an MVNO instead of the main providers. They use the same towers, but they are granted lower priority access rights and, reportedly, speeds.
From experience, "kids" need either large buckets of data or unlimited data. Because! Your offspring may be different than were mine but, yep, if they can't surprise you with a monthly surcharge, life will be a bit mellower for you and your tribe at month-end.
History? Verizon is densest but typically most expensive and most restrictive for phone selection and activation.
The two GSM providers, ATT and T-mobile, are remarkably similar for basic service but 5G is blurring the former similarities.
And? Most vendors will offer you either free or very steep discounts if you agree to port your numbers in to their network services. Your leverage is greatest at that conversation.
Currently. ATT, 5 lines, unlimited 5G, $170/month all in.
I apologize, in advance, if I "missed" your question, but it's a complicated topic that requires something much more interactive than typing on a webpage.
And? Go Blue!
Always ....
February 6th, 2022 at 6:56 PM ^
Thanks HB. One of the plans we’re looking at is ATT 5 phones @$35 each. Is that your set up? Are there other fees and costs besides that like smallish taxes,9-1-1 fee, etc?
February 6th, 2022 at 7:35 PM ^
Sounds like it, yes. They give a price break for the 5th line to get you 170, all in. When I run 4 lines it's a bit under 160, all in (taxes, fees included).
If you have a business name with it's own EIN, you can have a small business account which means they perpetually waive all activation fees. Note, however, that most retail stores (not AT&T stores) will not talk to you about your account, only an ATT store rep can deal with you. Yes, you plus spouse and kids can use those phones on that account, Note! The caller ID may present as your business name on outbound calls.
We've never been throttled for speed. Data is unlimited per line.
If you buy a Samsung phone from ATT, you will be able to use WiFi calling, nice when you've got low cell tower bars but a strong WiFi hotspot to use for your voice backhaul. Note! It can take several seconds for a WiFi call to connect due to the extra network handshakes needed. Note! Unless it's sourced directly from AT&T, your unlocked Amazon sourced Samsung phone will *not* be WiFi calling enabled.
We're an Android phone group. I have no experience with Apple devices, cannot comment on same.
February 6th, 2022 at 6:51 PM ^
I use Verizon and have unlimited data for 4, about $140/month. The rest of them are iphone people, but I prefer the Google pixel phones. Android stuff is just a lot more intuitive for me. Apple functions always seem clunky. Just my personal experience.
I imagine service is a touch more spotty up where you are, so not sure how that might affect your decision-making. But these days most phones out there will get the job done.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:10 PM ^
We have an unlimited plan with verizon with similar pricing (we have 10 lines on it with the wife's siblings also included) and have an added 15% military discount (only extends to my lines). Happy with everything but the throttling which will occur when our internet goes out and have needed to run a hotspot for the house for more than a day from the phone. It's only happened once that we ran out, but as such, I'll be sure to keep wifi running more often on the phone instead of data all the time to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. The thottling is bad enough to prevent streaming video, at least via fubo and youtube.
Call quality is always good so long as I'm in a place with service. I prefer Verizon to tmobile, and both of those infinitely more than at&t for both service and customer service reasons.
I've never been a fan of verizon's phones so I buy unlocked phones outside of their offerings, but I've previously enjoyed the google pixel, oneplus7pro (my favorite), and currently the sony xperia 5ii. I will not buy a phone with a camera notch on it. My family uses android exclusively.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:01 PM ^
At&t is the devil. Fuck At&t. 50GB “play more” plan for like $80 per mo + surchages with Verizon. Unlimited talk/text, One line.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:08 PM ^
Why is ATT an agent of satan, are they buckeye supporters?
February 6th, 2022 at 7:22 PM ^
I have a Galaxy Note 10 which is a decent phone I guess. I love the big screen and it seems like it handles anything I want to do with ease.
I use straight talk. Its $55/month for unlimited talk text and data. Its $45/month for unlimited talk text and 25gb of data and its $35/month for unlimited talk text and 10gb of data.
It's nice not having a contract
February 6th, 2022 at 7:29 PM ^
Verizon here in west MI seems to have dropped off a cliff. At home the 3-4 bars I used to get is now 1. In my bedroom sometimes I lose all signal. Driving around I regularly buffer just streaming podcasts or music. I honestly don’t know what happened.
As far as phones, after switching to iPhone from android, the Apple ecosystem is far superior. It feels clunky at first but in conjunction with a watch, iPad, etc, they just work well together.
I will say though that I’m disappointed in my iPhone 12 after upgrading from the Xr. It seems to be buggier, the battery life is still good, but certainly no better, and the camera doesn’t really wow me either. It’s still better than any android I ever had (I had several and not one survived 2 years. None of the iPhone’s I’ve had haven’t).
February 6th, 2022 at 8:11 PM ^
I now have Verizon but some places in northern lower Michigan have spotty reception. When I had AT&T, the signals were better in some locations.Check with friends in your area to see if they have any difficulties finding a signal with their providers.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:11 PM ^
First ever double post. Oh, the shame!
February 6th, 2022 at 8:26 PM ^
ain't nobody is shaming our house mother!
February 6th, 2022 at 8:20 PM ^
Tmobile...no contract needed
Unlimited and senior discount. Works out to about 30 bux per line have 3 lines.
Wife: S21 me: S9
5G service my phone only 4G works fine. For new phones I like the Google brand ones you can buy from Amazon for 4-500
February 6th, 2022 at 9:08 PM ^
Who is your home ISP? If Spectrum (or possibly Comcast...I think they have a similar setup), you can use their wireless plans too. I am in the process of switching now from T-Mobile. Spectrums Wireless is a Verizon MVNO, but their cell tower access is not de-prioritized like other MVNO's.
I've been happy with TMO for the past 7-8 years, but we're going to be saving about $60/month (2 lines) by switching to Spectrum.
For phone, I refuse to go Apple. I've owned a couple Apple phones over the years, but greatly prefer the Android OS. That's a subjective thing, I know. My current phone is the Pixel 6 Pro. Camera is top notch, rest of the phone experience has been pretty meh so far. Prior to that, I was with OnePlus, really liked that phone.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:19 PM ^
We live out in the boonies, and our ISP provider might as well be a dial-up modem. I wouldnt ask them for the time of day
February 6th, 2022 at 9:37 PM ^
T-Mobile and Verizon are starting to offer unlimited home internet in some areas. Go to their websites to do address check. Got it for my parents in South Lyon, they went from like 1.5mbps on some satellite company to over 200 with T-Mobile. Comcast wanted like 20k to run a cable 1/4 of a mile.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:16 PM ^
1. Who is your carrier and what type of plan do you have - how many GB's/month, what cost, etc? Do you use all the GB's you get? Would you recommend it to others or is it more of 'I dunno, we've just had it for a while'?
Verizon unlimited family plan, each line is on either 5G play more or 5G do more. They each come with 50GB of "premium" data meaning 5G (UWB and mid-band)/4G LTE and then throttled after that. It also comes with 25GB of mobile hot spot. None of us have come close to using that much Even pre-covid I would barely break 6GB in a month, partially because I had access to WiFi most of the time. We each pay $40/month before taxes (includes $10/month autopay + paperless discount). I think all-in it's around $45 or so/month. As other posters have noted, "family" plan economics work very favorably once you get to 4/5 lines per "family".
I recommend the plan when folks ask what I'm on and have been happily with Verizon for well over 10 years at this point. Their customer service is solid and coverage is usually not an issue in urban centers. Verizon isn't as great in rural areas vs. ATT but it's seldomly an issue for me.
Bonus perks are that the 5G play more comes with the Disney+ bundle which includes ESPN+, Hulu standard, and Disney+. It's been one of the more useful perks that I've come across. It also looks like ATT is giving away HBO max for their highest tier plan. Carriers are competing heavily to lock in subscribers and perks like this are a good way of keeping folks locked in and also boost subscriber numbers for their partner streaming services.
2. What type of phone do you have and is it good/bad/mediocre? I will add that we have bought used phones from 'swappa.com' and have had very good luck getting pretty recent equipment that functions just fine, at steep discounts. If you have 5G service, will your older phones still function with it?
I currently have an iPhone XS Max so have been unable to take advantage of the recent 5G rollouts but I also don't use services that need that much bandwidth to begin with. I'm happy with the phone but do plan on upgrading to the iPhone 14 when it's launched in the fall. For the iPhone 13 rollout, carriers gave some very generous subsidies for trade-ins. For example, Verizon was offering $800 for a phone you could buy on swappa for $100. It's an option worth exploring if you want a nicer phone without breaking the bank. There is a very sizeable arbitrage opportunity provided you're willing to stick with a carrier for a while. It does look like AT&T still has some of the higher trade-in values now so that may be worth looking into.
I also recommend reading the tech specs on any 5G phone that you're interested in. 5G has way more variants (grouped into ultra-wide band (UWB), mid-band, and low-band) than 4G LTE, each is a balance between coverage and bandwidth.
Not all 5G phones are created the same so it's good to double check before you commit. Each phone should list the frequencies it supports and you can overlay it with what 5G frequencies your carrier has. ATT/Verzion are more heavily invested in UWB + mid-band whereas T-Mobile has biased towards low-band.
For the average person it probably doesn't matter too much as long as the phone has a 5G modem but for those who want the best coverage, it's worth doing some research especially as 5G becomes more widespread.