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So it turns out that it's pretty easy to get around tethering data caps on phones in a couple of different ways, especially if you're on Android and have more c
by jzellis 6y ago
So it turns out that it's pretty easy to get around tethering data caps on phones in a couple of different ways, especially if you're on Android and have more control over your network settings.
I'm in the UK now and use prepaid GiffGaff cell service, which includes 80GB of LTE hotspot data. I don't do Zoom, but i use it for tethering upstairs sometimes because wifi and stone 19th century walls do not mix.
But honestly, if Zoom is your biggest bandwidth hog, just get a cell with unlimited data and use it instead of your laptop. If you're going nomadic, you can't reasonably expect your workflow to be unchanged from what you'd do at home or an office, right? A phone tripod stand is a lot cheaper than a big bandwidth plan for tethering.
Aside from that advice, I always carry a Raspberry Pi with me, with a couple of different setups on different SD cards, so I can use it as a local Node dev server with my iPad Pro as my workstation, or as a media server or a RetroPi game device or even a travel router if need be. Get a USB 3 external SSD and rubber band it to the Pi and, especially now with 64 bit Raspberry PiOS and Ubuntu, you've got a fairly decent little system that fits in your pocket.
I keep a lot of my gear in old fashioned tool rolls, like cables and adapters and such. They're great on space and it looks cool as hell when you roll one out on a table.
Anker makes a couple of USB battery packs that are also built in chargers for both USB 2 and USB C, and I can't recommend them highly enough. I've used them in Mexico and here in the UK and a million times on road trips, and they not only save on space but simultaneously allow you to charge themselves and your devices, rather than charging separately, and they're especially great for Pis because you can pull them off the socket and they won't lose power.
I can keep 90% of my gear in one shoulder bag and be able to work happily anywhere on earth. I also keep a MIDI keyboard in my checked luggage for writing music and a Leatherman and precision screwdriver set in there with my Dopp kit (I shave with a straight razor, which is also handy if you find yourself in a shifty motel somewhere.)
Hope that helps!
- ghaff 6y ago>But honestly, if Zoom is your biggest bandwidth hog, just get a cell with unlimited data and use it instead of your laptop. Or mostly just use a dial-in number and do without video. Doesn't help if a presentation is being given and hasn't been shared in advance of course.
- xur17 6y agoI've tried using a dial-in number a few times, and the latency was horrible - made it really hard to jump in and say things without interrupting others. Not sure if it was just the crappy connection, or if that is a product of using the cell network.
- Godel_unicode 6y agoAgreed, between latency and terrible quality I always hate when people dial in to Zoom/Teams. It always sounds like the person is talking through a sweater from the moon. What makes it worse for me is they never seem to notice, and if you tell them they immediately go "oh, is that better?" and then they stop talking. How are we supposed to know if it's better...?
- ghaff 6y agoNot clear why that would be the case. I used to dial in to BlueJeans from a landline all the time and it was fine. Don't have a lot of cell experience though. The one time I did it for an extended period was because my power/Internet had an extended outage. It didn't work well but it was actually better than using an app on my phone; my cell reception absent WiFi assist is pretty bad at home.