Connect On The Go - Round 2

[sundancev]

Thank you Mike.  Do you also have a separate phone plan with Verizon?  If so can you tell me the cost(s) please>

[BillAdams]

YOU NEED 2 DATA PLANS if you want to use data for your phones.  You can drop your phone data plan from 24GB to something like 4-6GB and use the FMCA MiFi for your data while at home (both phone and computer).

[sundancev]

OK Bill, I am on Verizon site now and came to that conclusion also.  Their data plans are horribly expensive for 1 or 2 phones at minimal data.  

[BillAdams]

OK, if you say so.  I don't see it that way but I need phone service.  My monthly bill is certainly not cheap but it's the best I could find.  I was going to move to AT&T to save on my DTV service but it was even more than Verizon.  These folks have us by the footballs and they know it.  You just have to figure out what works for you and go for it (or not).

[hermanmullins]

Bill for all of us that travel a great deal but still have Brick and Stick home have another issue. There are all of these ads on TV about how you can monitor your home with security cameras an door bell that can tell you who may be at your door plus all the ways to turn the heat up or down, close the garage door and so on. for all these you need a land line or at least a WiFi modem in the house.  When we built our home the only phone service available was Verizon with no fiber optics and don't provide Hi Speed Internet.

But we have AT&T cell phones with Hot Spots and now the MiFi from Verizon that work great in our All Metal home. And we stay connected. Never had an area without service other than Yellow Stone. 

Keep those cards and letters coming, we will get to then eventually.

Season Greetings to all.

Herman   

[chindog]

9 hours ago, sundancev said:

Thank you Mike.  Do you also have a separate phone plan with Verizon?  If so can you tell me the cost(s) please>

Yes, I do have a separate phone plan, but not with Verizon.  I have a phone plan with Consumer Cellular, and we pay $52/mo for 2 phone lines with unlimited talk and text, and 3GB of data.  That's with the geezer discount (AARP).  Our phones connect over the AT&T network, as Consumer Cellular subleases from them, as well as T-Mobile.  The network your phone connects to depends on what SIM card you have.

 

So, for just a little over $100/mo, we have 25GB of internet data on the Verizon plan (and I can connect my phone to that MiFi if my data usage on Consumer Cellular is running low), plus 3GB for the phones only.  The computers connected to the Verizon MiFi use a lot more data than the phones, maybe because my wife doesn't watch a lot of cat videos on the phones.  (But don't tell her I said that).

[the_dotsons]

1. The question for many of us current Verizon users is....
2. If you have a current data plan using your phone as a Hotspot and switch to the new FMCA plan, will your new Mifi  be able to share the data plan with your phone without being connected to the Mifi. and use your phone as a Hotspot when needed?
3. In other words, having multiple devices capable of connecting to the towers and receiving data, share one plan, as it is now.

[sundancev]

Based on numerous conversations with the good folks at FMCA, Verizon and others, it appears to me, the FMCA/Verizon mifi data plan will only work if you have another separate phone plan either with Verizon, Cellular, Tmobile or someone else.  The FMCA/Verizon mifi plan stands alone.  We could not find a good deal with Verizon on phone plans (the Verizon 2gb/4gb/unlimited phone plan still costs excessively when you add the $49.99 FMCA/Verizon mifi data plan.  We stuck with a three phone $60 per phone with unlimited data.  Could have saved a little with a 2 or 4 gb per phone line plus the FMCA/Verizon plan but the give/gets in there started to get messy for us.  

[BillAdams]

6 hours ago, the_dotsons said:

1. The question for many of us current Verizon users is....
2. If you have a current data plan using your phone as a Hotspot and switch to the new FMCA plan, will your new Mifi  be able to share the data plan with your phone without being connected to the Mifi. and use your phone as a Hotspot when needed?
3. In other words, having multiple devices capable of connecting to the towers and receiving data, share one plan, as it is now.

This is a stand alone data plan.  If you are more that about 50 feet away from the Mifi device, no device will use the service you signed up for.  You will always need a phone data plan but the idea is that you could dramatically reduce that plan to a minimum data plan for use while away from home.  You could also take the MiFi with you in the car or your wife's purse but it you are away from the MiFi you cannot use any of that data.

When you are within range of the MiFi, and you remember to set your phone to WiFi, then your phone, computer, tablet, Fire TV, Alexa Dot, whatever, will use the limited 25GB in this plan.  I have 3 days left on my month with the AT&T Mobley and I have just pushed over 90GB.

[chindog]

Holy Cow!  90 GB is huge!  Since we've been on the road for the past 3 years, I don't think we've ever gone over 25GB.  Of course, we don't stream any movies or TV shows, and keep the cat videos on youtube to a minimum.  Although, back when we had the sticks and bricks, I think we used to use somewhere in the vicinity of 250 - 300 GB/mo.  But when we went full time, we went on a data diet.

[BillAdams]

OK, that's even a bit high for me but I average around 40GB.  I just bought a Fire TV Stick and downloaded the entire 6 year series for the TV show Northern Exposure.  I have been looking for it to come back on TV for years and years and then discovered I could grab it and stream it.  We watched the pilot and episode 2 last night.  AWESOME!!!!!!

[manholt]

BillA.  Did not know that your an "Old TV Show" Junkie!  Linda has Series and mini-series from the 70's on up to present..  

[the_dotsons]

Thanks for the reply everyone.  It appears that a separate data plan would be needed for phones and the Mifi, unless your phone(s) were always connected to the Mifi.  Total cost for a 4 GB/2 phone Plan with the FMCA/Verizon Plan not much different than a Verizon Unlimited Plan.  Rather have the latter as not to be tethered to a Mifi and use the phone as a Hotspot when needed.

[jarmansfield]

I joined the FMCA specifically to get the Verizon unlimited internet for 49.99 per month.  My cell phone is thru a different carrier and I only need the internet on the go.  When I got to the Verizon portal it is wanting birthdate, SS number, DL number.  Has anyone had any issues with putting all of this personal information out there to Verizon ?    Kind of leary, since this is everything someone needs for identity theft

[dball]

Hi Jarmansfield,

Verizon requires this information so they can run a credit check.  They take identity protection very seriously (as do we) and I can assure you this portal is secure and safe.

If you have any other questions or concerns feel free to send me a private message and we can discuss.

Sincerely,

Dan Ball

Director of Membership & Marketing