Using Cell Phones As Hot Spot Causes Damage To Phone

[sydmargo]

I just signed up for Unlimited Plan with Verizon.  I have had Verizon for years with no complaints.  The rep at the store told me not to use cell phone as Hot Spot for more then 30 minutes because it will damages cell phone.  Has anyone experienced this problem?

[nctox]

Personally, I've never heard of any problem with using my cell phone on my Verizon account as a hot spot.  I know I've used it more than 30 minutes at a time. You should plug in the charging cord if using it in the hot spot mode for any appreciable length of time.

[rossboyer]

We use our iPhones as hot spots for hours on end. A few times for more than 24 hours straight. We are on AT&T 30 GB per month plan. With AT&T, I can use the phone for calls and data at the same time which I don't think you can do with Verizon just one or the other. We do tether (USB cable) our phone to our laptops to keep them charged while using. Also, tethered is a little faster than WIFI between pc and phone. 

[manholt]

Ditto..X2

[hermanmullins]

Ross, just wonder if the damages to cell phones mentioned is just with the Verizon service or phone. I have also used our AT&T for a hot spot (most of the time tethered) with nary an issue. I see you are on a 30 GB plan. Does it slow down after so many GB are used?

Also see you tow an Equinox, any issues with wobble?

Herman

[rossboyer]

I don't know why Verizon would be any different than AT&T, but maybe the phone used is the issue.

We have had our 30 GB shared data plan for several years, and I have not perceived any throttling even when we go past 30 GB with our rollover from the month before.  I don't know if the plan is still available.  I did check on the unlimited data plan that came out about 6-8 months ago.  Fortunately, the salesman asked how we used or phones.  The unlimited data plan will not allow tethering (that's a minus) and doesn't allow data and calls at the same time (another minus), but unlimited data is a plus.

We have been with AT&T since we had a bag phone with Indiana Bell.  Went through the breakup of Bell, buyouts, and still with them.  As most we travel all across the country.  There are no service areas with AT&T, but I bet Verizon doesn't cover central South Dakota either.  Since I am a General Motors retiree, we get a 20% discount on the service, too.  We have DirecTV and since AT&T bought them out, we merged the billing which saved $5/mo, also.  Our DirecTV is not the minimum plan, but just one up and we have the New York and LA feeds of ABC, CBS, and NBC.  

Our worse cellular service is in our own house.  We have a land line wireless box form AT&T in our house that has good service.  It is cellular also, but I am told that the power is 10 times greater than or cell phones. One advantage is that we can take it with us as we travel and receive our 'house' phone calls.  Not sure that is a plus, most of the calls are robo. Our neighbor just across the street that uses Verizon and has to sit on the top step in the two story house to use their phone.  Neighbor next door has Sprint and has poor to no service.  Our data connection rarely has a problem in our house though. A new tower was installed just 0.4 miles away that is, according to the AT&T installers, an AT&T and Verizon tower. My latest coverage app update show better Verizon and AT&T service in our area, but I haven't noticed any improvement. 

When we travel, I use my laptop running Street Atlas 2015 as our GPS.  My phone is tethered the whole time.  Keeps it charged and quickly available for my wife to answer.  I don't use it while driving, have enough distractions.

I have looked at the Mobley for unlimited data for $20/month, but don't think it would be good for us since we have the phones on the shared 30 GB data plan.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but I had the time to explain.

 

[tbutler]

I wonder if the reference to damaging the phone had something to do with battery life?  This is the battery information for our iPhone.  " Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. The iPhone battery isn’t user replaceable; it can be replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider."

Using the phone heavily (as a hot spot) may require replacing the battery earlier than if used only for calls and messaging.  I can find no reference from Apple regarding any possible damage to the phone as a result of using it as a hot spot.

[rossboyer]

There are sources of batteries, tools & instructions for an end user to change their own iPhone batteries. I have not done it. 

When battery time gets shorter each day, I have found that letting the phones battery discharge as low as possible and then fully charge. I then unplug and immediately charge again. The battery seems to have it's life restored. 

[thestoloffs]

4 hours ago, TBUTLER said:

I wonder if the reference to damaging the phone had something to do with battery life?  This is the battery information for our iPhone.  " Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. The iPhone battery isn’t user replaceable; it can be replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider."

Using the phone heavily (as a hot spot) may require replacing the battery earlier than if used only for calls and messaging.  I can find no reference from Apple regarding any possible damage to the phone as a result of using it as a hot spot.

I agree with your point, Tom. It's a potential overheating issue that the store salescritter was suggesting. (However, as an Android user, I can't discuss iPhone problems from personal experience.)

[wayne77590]

We are also on the AT&T 30 gb plan shared between two iPhones and a Mifi with rollover minutes.  99% of the time we are within the minutes allocated. One time when neighbor children FaceTimed with the wife for over 30 minutes we exceeded the allocated time and all I'll say is that it is costly for $10 for every gb used after allocated time.

We have never seen any throttle back.  Also looked into unlimited with AT&T and the 30Gb per month with roll over works better for us. The unlimited plan does have throttle back.

p.s., got rid of MA Bell phone 4 or so years ago and went with Magic Jack, $99 for 5 years service and ported the AT&T phone number to the Magic Jack.  With MJ App on phone, when house phone rings App on phone rings, but also can go on-line and forward MJ to any phone I like. Saved $70 a month switching to MJ.

[alflorida]

I believe the issue of using the phone as a hot spot and voice at the same time is a smart phone issue not the carrier.  We have a Samsung 6 & 7 used with Verizon and both work find on voice while being used as a hot spot.  I did not check to see if the data speed slowed down when we had a voice conversation or not.

[kathylarry]

Yep, I got the Verizon hotspot in Feb. Worked great Mar and April, used about 80gig each month (don't know how that happened and it was cool). Then came May and all months since, 10gig high speed and then it goes to crawl speed. I'm not complaining simple because we do have the internet 99% of the time for checking email, facebook, etc.

Now, regarding using your IPhone as a hotspot....... Couple of months ago I got a new case for my 5SE with an additional battery built into the case. It only cost about $18.00 on Amazon. Just push a button on the case and it starts charging the phone battery. Have not heard any problems with the battery yet but will be looking out for one. In other words, I'm not familiar with the case MFG. Check it out, it's slick.

Might be a good way to use your phone fulltime as an hotspot?

[desertdeals69]

I used my iphone 5 for a hot spot sometimes.  I have been using the battery case for about 5 years.  I"ve had to replace it twice because I dropped it and broke it, one time off the roof of the motorhome.  I buy them on eBay for $9+ and free shipping from China.  Takes about 2-3 weeks to get it. I also have a Verizon Mi Fi which works better sometimes.

[lewisedge]

My wife has a Samsung and I have a Motorola Turbo2 that run on the Verizon network,  We both have unlimited data/calling plans and have used our phones as hotspots in both the USA and Canada for hours at a time with no apparent harm to either of our phones.  Hotspot usage does cause a heavier drain on the phone's battery, so we usually have our phones plugged into a charging cable.

[rlbarkleyii]

On 8/2/2017 at 10:48 AM, rossboyer said:

 

I have looked at the Mobley for unlimited data for $20/month, but don't think it would be good for us since we have the phones on the shared 30 GB da

 

AT&T's ZTE Mobley unlimited data deal ,  $21.05  per month , $99.00 purchase price with no contract is the best deal on the planet, bar none. You can run up to five devices on its WIFI  and the speeds are really fast in most areas. We previously used the lowest data plan for Verizon and used the Mobley  for data at home and on the road, never needed more than the 4K plan, cut my monthly service cost substantially. There is supposed to be throttling at 22GB but AT&T does it differently. They refer to it as prioritizing, if the area/tower  you are in is congested, than they will throttle you after 22GB, as the traffic declines, or you move to a less congested tower, speed is restored. My  average is between 90-160 GB per month. Haven't found a area without good coverage. Adapters are available to use this device in the house, in the car, or motor hone. The devices are a little bit difficult to get because they go off the shelves as soon as the manufacturer ships them. Best bet is online at AT&T. Be advised most customer service rep's don't know anything about the Mobley, so you have to be persistent and ask for the "auto connect" people. Don't buy a Canadian Mobley (eBay) because the firmware is not compatible with AT&T USA. Best buy sells the AT&T ZTE Mobley with contract when they have them in stock, look online or call around.

[hermanmullins]

On 8/2/2017 at 11:55 AM, TBUTLER said:

 The iPhone battery isn’t user replaceable; it can be replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider."

Using the phone heavily (as a hot spot) may require replacing the battery earlier than if used only for calls and messaging.  I can find no reference from Apple regarding any possible damage to the phone as a result of using it as a hot spot.

Tow,

I wonder if the issue you mention had anything to do with the latest information about Apple and their batteries. We have use our cell phones as a Hot Spot for some time with nary a problem.When home I tether to the computer and it keeps the phone charged like Ross said.

Hope to see you in Perry.

Herman