Wireless Joint

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this or not, so apologies in advance if this is the wrong place.

I'm looking to buy a hotspot for home use. I'm currently on the AT&T Unlimited Elite plan, but would be open to other options if there's reasonable pricing (looking at https://zillatalkwireless.com/plans/).

The moment I specify 'hotspot' with any cellular provider, they jack the prices up. So, I assume I am best pretendingthat this is a tablet/iPad/etc.

So my questions, which may be naive, are as follows:
* Is it as straightforward as just adding an iPad/tablet data line and then putting the SIM in the appropriate hotspot?
* If so, what plan/hotspot option should I go with?

See Orbi 4G LTE Advanced Tri-band Router (LBR20)

https://www.netgear.com/Orbi/LBR20.aspx

For Data see https://www.nolimitdata.net

If you want att allot of people on here using post pay tablet plan $20 per month.
Search in forum will find it talked about

subzero wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 1:47 pm (looking at https://zillatalkwireless.com/plans/)

Utilizing an unlimited data plan for smart phones with a hotspot, modem, any non-voice device or solely as an internet connection is strictly prohibited;
• Utilizing any unlimited plan as a replacement for a home internet connection is strictly prohibited;

I'd look elsewhere

nolimitdata.net seems reasonable considering there isnt much else like it that I have seen

Streaming is NOT THROTTLED at 480p on this plan

BYOD(Bring Your Own Device) - Does not include a modem

$20 one time Activation fee for Blue Plan. Then $100 each 30 days after the 1st month.
Service renews every 30 days with our Automatic Billing service.
900 GB is considered the average use for Pink Plan. Usage above 900GB is considered data abuse and your account will be under review. If you account is terminted because of data abuse we will not offer any refunds.
No Contract
No Throttle
10-50 Mbps Download Speed
(Speeds will fluctuate based on many factors beyond our control)
Netgear Nighthawk MR1100, or Mobile Hotspot devices can NOT be used on this plan.

If you have a T-Mobile tower near you this may be the best option I have seen. Unfortunately there are some weird restrictions on the blue plans with att like keep it under 200 gigs a week(800gb plan) or 150gigs a week (500gb plan) AND your hard capped at 720p on all the blue plans. I mean I dont monitor my usage by the minute but I guess that will work for some people even though its stupidly overpriced.

Unlike an unlimited phone plan, our plans and devices can entirely replace your slow home or office internet solution for an unlimited, unthrottled, high-speed wireless data connection.

I hit 400 gigs on my ipad plan and the data faucet went from a not-so-steady drip to bone dry. I'm gonna use pdanet with my phone for a few days until I can find a replacement service.

T-Mobile post pay phone sim works great.
Hear at&t post pay tablet plan works.
Hear prepay Verizon phone sim works.
If you don't t mind high ping visible works.
Why pay over $100 per month to these resellers?

If possible I would try to stay with ATT since you'll get priority data and resellers seem unreliable these days. You can go to a retail store and try to get the ATT ipad standalone plan $20. With that sim you should be able to use pretty much any unlocked 4G router.

The other option I would consider is the pre-paid unlimited plus plan that is $75, but if you autopay, it's $50 a month. Since it has limited hotspot data (throttled after 10gb), you'll need to use the phone's data plan. I suggest buying a cheap android phone that has good antenna reception, so just shop around for any newer cheap android phone (LG, ZTE, MOTO), or use and old phone if you have one.

Now comes the tricky part. I would suggest buying a GL.inet router and following the instructions. They are pretty straight forward, had mine Mango setup in about 15 minutes, here is the tutorial: https://docs.gl-inet.com/en/3/app/tether/

Once you have Easytether ($10 on android store) installed on both your phone and GL router, you can tether your phone to the router and use it for home internet. Mine is pretty fast. For optimal speeds, I would suggest getting the more powerful travel router like the gl-ar750s.