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I bought the iPhone 5 outright, unlocked and switch to T-Mobile after doing so. In the city (Chicago) the service can't be better. Really like that tethering is

I bought the iPhone 5 outright, unlocked and switch to T-Mobile after doing so. In the city (Chicago) the service can't be better. Really like that tethering is just included. LTE tethering has come in handy at a few coffee shops that don't have WiFi. I also recently went to Europe and took advantage of the free worldwide data; was fantastic. Phone calls while roaming in Europe were reasonable, too. Something like 10 cents a minute back to the States. All for ~$70/month. Beats the pants off AT&T.

nardi 13y ago
For the past year or two, AT&T and Verizon have also offered free LTE tethering.
- rybosome 13y ago
  That does not appear to be true in my case.
- tunap 13y ago
  To be precise, since the FCC told Big Red to stop back in July 2012. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-be-allowed-fcc-tells-verizon/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-b...
  - varelse 13y ago
    Not if you had one of the pre-existing unlimited data plans... Just switched to T-Mobile last month: much better experience than what I had with Verizon so far.
    - tunap 13y ago
      I drank Red's 4G flavor-aid early and gave up my unlimited plan. The map said I was in 4G range but my pricey modem disagreed. I switched to Tmo two years ago and love it...better than expected coverage in metro areas, 1/2 price and unlimited everything.
- tsycho 13y ago
  Is this with new subscriptions? I don't see this in my AT&T options.
  - JoshGlazebrook 13y ago
    The flag to enable the built in mobile hotspot feature of your phone's os is enabled by default when you choose the share everything plan on Verizon or the mobile share plan on AT&T. There is also the option of individual data plans (per line) that include this flag as well, but they of course cost more. Example: You get $30 for 2GB on Verizon, but to enable the mobile hotspot you need the $50 for 4GB plan. In AT&T's case you would need the $50 5GB plan to enable mobile hotspot. In the case of Verizon, you're perfectly able to download a third party tethering application (as per the FCC ruling) and use it on their old tiered individual data plans. If you have Verizon's grandfathered unlimited plan, you are able to add on the $30 unlimited tethering option as this plan did not fall under the FCC fiasco. However, I have not heard of Verizon going after anyone using a third party tethering application on an unlimited plan. It's worth noting that Verizon is still the only carrier that ever offered and still offers (to subscribers that already have an unlimited data plan) truly unlimited and unthrottled tethering as an option as their LTE network is not throttled. In the case of users still on AT&T's grandfathered unlimited data plan, they are throttled to 0.5Mb/0.5Mb after 3GB for 3G devices, and 5GB for LTE devices. They also will automatically move you to a tiered plan if you attempt to use any third party tethering applications and do not offer any legitimate way to tether on this plan. I'm hoping that one of T-Mobile's next moves will include adding unlimited tethering that is unthrottled to their unlimited data plan.
    - ryanwatkins 13y ago
      > The flag to enable the built in mobile hotspot feature of your phone's os is enabled by default when you choose [..] the mobile share plan on AT&T. Not if that device is a Nexus 7 tablet. ATT specifically made Google turn off hotspot access from the tablet, while it works with the same SIM in a phone. Or with a TMO SIM in the same device. See: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2450239 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2450239 http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/LwcDQENWhRE http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/LwcDQENW...
- mindotus 13y ago
  Where is this free LTE tethering? Have been told it still requires the extra monthly fee.
  - MartinCron 13y ago
    I got free LTE tethering (on AT&T) once I switched from my grandfathered unlimited plan to the newer metered plans. Which is ironic, as tethering is the only context in which I would come anywhere close to using up my monthly bandwidth allocation.
  - sureshv 13y ago
    You get tethering when you switch to the mobile share plan. If you are grandfathered into the unlimited plan then you don't get tethering.
joelrunyon 13y ago
I'm in Chicago too. Was really concerned about the coverage when I switched - but it's actually better than what I'd get with AT&T. T-mobile has been the one carrier that hasn't made me want to gouge my eyes out.
benjamincburns 13y ago
> In the city (Chicago) the service can't be better. Emphasis mine. My wife and I got the $30 100 minute/"unlimited" data plan as a stop-gap before leaving the country to move abroad. Before leaving we drove from SC, to MA, to CT, to NY, on over to WI. Unless we were near a major city, our devices were roaming on to AT&T, where we only had 10MB of data to use. The voice coverage was fine while roaming, but since we were using one of the phones as a GPS to navigate, it got annoying at times. Now this is a cut-rate plan that's full of limitations, and we knew that, but still the service we received was much worse than we expected. I'd strongly advise anyone considering T-mobile to check the roaming agreement.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  Conversely, I spent two weeks driving an RV from Chicago to Burning Man (where I had coverage on the playa), and then back to Chicago through Yellowstone. Yes, I had a roaming data cap, but it was higher than yours since I'm on the unlimited $50 voice/text/data plan (I believe I get 100MB/month of roaming data). I can't really complain when my wife was sending MMS pics back home of Burning Man from inside our RV. That's coverage.
  - dice 13y ago
    My brother did 1.2 GB of tethering in a couple hours on my T-Mobile phone while I was driving down I-75 from Detroit to the middle of Ohio. No coverage problems, no overage fees (I'm on the unlimited data plan), and we had a movie to watch by the time we got to the hotel.
    - supergauntlet 13y ago
      Yeah, but keep going down I75 and coverage gets spotty, you start roaming on AT&T, and then is mediocre T-Mobile until you hit southern Tennessee/Northern Georgia. Luckily though I was getting good 3G around Georgia though.
      - toomuchtodo 13y ago
Steko 13y ago
Add the $450 extra you pay for the unlocked iphone and it's closer to $90 a month. I pay $55-60 a month for AT&T (including a $12 discount thru my employer). Don't get me wrong AT&T sucks and T-Mobile is doing a lot of consumer friendly things but the gap betewen them simply isn't as large as is being presented.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  I'm paying $50/month for unlimited voice/text and 2.5GB of 4G data before I drop to 2G speeds. Is that what AT&T offers for the same price? Also, I run on a Nexus 5 (half the price of an unlocked iPhone 5s).
  - Steko 13y ago
    I'm not an encyclopedia of AT&T offerings but... The Nexus 5 is more comparable to the iPhone 5C which AT&T offers for $199 on contract (let's compare 32GB models since Google only charges $50 vs Apple's $100 for the upgrade). At $399 the extra $200 works out to $8 more a month. This is about what I pay monthly to AT&T including fees. Like I said T-Mobile does a lot of great consumer things. For some people it will be worth it to go with T-Mobile. For others the difference isn't quite so large and in many places the T-Mobile network simply isn't good enough[1]. [1] http://opensignal.com/network-coverage-maps/t-mobile-coverage-map.php http://opensignal.com/network-coverage-maps/t-mobile-coverag...
    - jknightco 13y ago
      I highly disagree that the N5 is more comparable to the 5C than the 5S [1]. It matches or beats the 5S on almost every single spec. 1. http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Google-Nexus-5,Apple-iPhone-5s/phones/8148,7710 http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Google-Nexus-5,Appl...
      - Steko 13y ago
        The consensus opinion of professional reviews is that the 5s is superior. The Nexus beats the 5s on display but lags the 5s in battery life, camera and build quality. CPU/GPU are comparable. We could continue to list minor features in each phones favor all day but those are the major specs most people care about. If you look at reviews across the board the 5s is a better reviewed phone and the Nexus 5 receives marks around the 5c. Vs the 5c it wins on display and CPU/GPU but loses on battery life, camera and build. It may be better than the 5c but I think it's a closer comparison.
lutorm 13y ago
Wtf? I frequently tether my T-mo 3G phone when needed, and I got some sms saying I needed to sign up for a tethering plan when I used it for apparently long enough for them to detect it. What plans have tethering included?
- JoshGlazebrook 13y ago
  You would need the Simple Choice plan with unlimited data to receive 2.5GB of mobile hotspot [1]. If you click unlimited and look at the panel on the right you'll see it. "Unlimited high-speed data on our network. Up to 2.5GB of Smartphone Mobile HotSpot (SMH) service." 1. http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html
- hermantoothrot 13y ago
  All of the simple choice plans include tethering. The plans below unlimited use from your normal pool of bandwidth for the tethering though. (I have the cheapest 500mb data simple choice plan.)
dirkdk 13y ago
Did tethering on the unlimited plan work on your iPhone? Only a couple of months ago I switched from $60/2.5Gig to $70/unlimited and suddenly tethering didn't work anymore
- bgentry 13y ago
  Works for me on a T-Mobile locked iPhone 5s.
hashtree 13y ago
You might also check out Consumer Cellular (https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Plans https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Plans). Even though it is targeted at an older demographic, it is a stellar service all around. My wife and I have 1000 minutes, 15k texts, 2GB data for about ~$70. You can also get the minimal plans and they will give you a heads up when you are about to go over and you can upgrade to the higher plan up without penalty (and switch back down after the month is over). Customer service is also far superior, in my experience. No contracts. No hidden fees. It's AT&T network behind the scenes. They also started supporting the newest iPhones "officially". Prior you had to buy a SIM cutter to get it to nano size. For an anti-(contract|warranty|debt) guy like me, it has been a breathe of fresh air.

nardi 13y ago

For the past year or two, AT&T and Verizon have also offered free LTE tethering.

rybosome 13y ago
That does not appear to be true in my case.
tunap 13y ago
To be precise, since the FCC told Big Red to stop back in July 2012. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-be-allowed-fcc-tells-verizon/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-b...
- varelse 13y ago
  Not if you had one of the pre-existing unlimited data plans... Just switched to T-Mobile last month: much better experience than what I had with Verizon so far.
  - tunap 13y ago
    I drank Red's 4G flavor-aid early and gave up my unlimited plan. The map said I was in 4G range but my pricey modem disagreed. I switched to Tmo two years ago and love it...better than expected coverage in metro areas, 1/2 price and unlimited everything.
tsycho 13y ago
Is this with new subscriptions? I don't see this in my AT&T options.
- JoshGlazebrook 13y ago
  The flag to enable the built in mobile hotspot feature of your phone's os is enabled by default when you choose the share everything plan on Verizon or the mobile share plan on AT&T. There is also the option of individual data plans (per line) that include this flag as well, but they of course cost more. Example: You get $30 for 2GB on Verizon, but to enable the mobile hotspot you need the $50 for 4GB plan. In AT&T's case you would need the $50 5GB plan to enable mobile hotspot. In the case of Verizon, you're perfectly able to download a third party tethering application (as per the FCC ruling) and use it on their old tiered individual data plans. If you have Verizon's grandfathered unlimited plan, you are able to add on the $30 unlimited tethering option as this plan did not fall under the FCC fiasco. However, I have not heard of Verizon going after anyone using a third party tethering application on an unlimited plan. It's worth noting that Verizon is still the only carrier that ever offered and still offers (to subscribers that already have an unlimited data plan) truly unlimited and unthrottled tethering as an option as their LTE network is not throttled. In the case of users still on AT&T's grandfathered unlimited data plan, they are throttled to 0.5Mb/0.5Mb after 3GB for 3G devices, and 5GB for LTE devices. They also will automatically move you to a tiered plan if you attempt to use any third party tethering applications and do not offer any legitimate way to tether on this plan. I'm hoping that one of T-Mobile's next moves will include adding unlimited tethering that is unthrottled to their unlimited data plan.
  - ryanwatkins 13y ago
    > The flag to enable the built in mobile hotspot feature of your phone's os is enabled by default when you choose [..] the mobile share plan on AT&T. Not if that device is a Nexus 7 tablet. ATT specifically made Google turn off hotspot access from the tablet, while it works with the same SIM in a phone. Or with a TMO SIM in the same device. See: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2450239 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2450239 http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/LwcDQENWhRE http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/LwcDQENW...
mindotus 13y ago
Where is this free LTE tethering? Have been told it still requires the extra monthly fee.
- MartinCron 13y ago
  I got free LTE tethering (on AT&T) once I switched from my grandfathered unlimited plan to the newer metered plans. Which is ironic, as tethering is the only context in which I would come anywhere close to using up my monthly bandwidth allocation.
- sureshv 13y ago
  You get tethering when you switch to the mobile share plan. If you are grandfathered into the unlimited plan then you don't get tethering.

joelrunyon 13y ago

I'm in Chicago too. Was really concerned about the coverage when I switched - but it's actually better than what I'd get with AT&T. T-mobile has been the one carrier that hasn't made me want to gouge my eyes out.

benjamincburns 13y ago

> In the city (Chicago) the service can't be better. Emphasis mine. My wife and I got the $30 100 minute/"unlimited" data plan as a stop-gap before leaving the country to move abroad. Before leaving we drove from SC, to MA, to CT, to NY, on over to WI. Unless we were near a major city, our devices were roaming on to AT&T, where we only had 10MB of data to use. The voice coverage was fine while roaming, but since we were using one of the phones as a GPS to navigate, it got annoying at times. Now this is a cut-rate plan that's full of limitations, and we knew that, but still the service we received was much worse than we expected. I'd strongly advise anyone considering T-mobile to check the roaming agreement.

toomuchtodo 13y ago
Conversely, I spent two weeks driving an RV from Chicago to Burning Man (where I had coverage on the playa), and then back to Chicago through Yellowstone. Yes, I had a roaming data cap, but it was higher than yours since I'm on the unlimited $50 voice/text/data plan (I believe I get 100MB/month of roaming data). I can't really complain when my wife was sending MMS pics back home of Burning Man from inside our RV. That's coverage.
- dice 13y ago
  My brother did 1.2 GB of tethering in a couple hours on my T-Mobile phone while I was driving down I-75 from Detroit to the middle of Ohio. No coverage problems, no overage fees (I'm on the unlimited data plan), and we had a movie to watch by the time we got to the hotel.
  - supergauntlet 13y ago
    Yeah, but keep going down I75 and coverage gets spotty, you start roaming on AT&T, and then is mediocre T-Mobile until you hit southern Tennessee/Northern Georgia. Luckily though I was getting good 3G around Georgia though.
    - toomuchtodo 13y ago

Steko 13y ago

Add the $450 extra you pay for the unlocked iphone and it's closer to $90 a month. I pay $55-60 a month for AT&T (including a $12 discount thru my employer). Don't get me wrong AT&T sucks and T-Mobile is doing a lot of consumer friendly things but the gap betewen them simply isn't as large as is being presented.

toomuchtodo 13y ago
I'm paying $50/month for unlimited voice/text and 2.5GB of 4G data before I drop to 2G speeds. Is that what AT&T offers for the same price? Also, I run on a Nexus 5 (half the price of an unlocked iPhone 5s).
- Steko 13y ago
  I'm not an encyclopedia of AT&T offerings but... The Nexus 5 is more comparable to the iPhone 5C which AT&T offers for $199 on contract (let's compare 32GB models since Google only charges $50 vs Apple's $100 for the upgrade). At $399 the extra $200 works out to $8 more a month. This is about what I pay monthly to AT&T including fees. Like I said T-Mobile does a lot of great consumer things. For some people it will be worth it to go with T-Mobile. For others the difference isn't quite so large and in many places the T-Mobile network simply isn't good enough[1]. [1] http://opensignal.com/network-coverage-maps/t-mobile-coverage-map.php http://opensignal.com/network-coverage-maps/t-mobile-coverag...
  - jknightco 13y ago
    I highly disagree that the N5 is more comparable to the 5C than the 5S [1]. It matches or beats the 5S on almost every single spec. 1. http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Google-Nexus-5,Apple-iPhone-5s/phones/8148,7710 http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Google-Nexus-5,Appl...
    - Steko 13y ago
      The consensus opinion of professional reviews is that the 5s is superior. The Nexus beats the 5s on display but lags the 5s in battery life, camera and build quality. CPU/GPU are comparable. We could continue to list minor features in each phones favor all day but those are the major specs most people care about. If you look at reviews across the board the 5s is a better reviewed phone and the Nexus 5 receives marks around the 5c. Vs the 5c it wins on display and CPU/GPU but loses on battery life, camera and build. It may be better than the 5c but I think it's a closer comparison.

lutorm 13y ago

Wtf? I frequently tether my T-mo 3G phone when needed, and I got some sms saying I needed to sign up for a tethering plan when I used it for apparently long enough for them to detect it. What plans have tethering included?

JoshGlazebrook 13y ago
You would need the Simple Choice plan with unlimited data to receive 2.5GB of mobile hotspot [1]. If you click unlimited and look at the panel on the right you'll see it. "Unlimited high-speed data on our network. Up to 2.5GB of Smartphone Mobile HotSpot (SMH) service." 1. http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html
hermantoothrot 13y ago
All of the simple choice plans include tethering. The plans below unlimited use from your normal pool of bandwidth for the tethering though. (I have the cheapest 500mb data simple choice plan.)

dirkdk 13y ago

Did tethering on the unlimited plan work on your iPhone? Only a couple of months ago I switched from $60/2.5Gig to $70/unlimited and suddenly tethering didn't work anymore

bgentry 13y ago
Works for me on a T-Mobile locked iPhone 5s.

hashtree 13y ago

You might also check out Consumer Cellular (https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Plans https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Plans). Even though it is targeted at an older demographic, it is a stellar service all around. My wife and I have 1000 minutes, 15k texts, 2GB data for about ~$70. You can also get the minimal plans and they will give you a heads up when you are about to go over and you can upgrade to the higher plan up without penalty (and switch back down after the month is over). Customer service is also far superior, in my experience. No contracts. No hidden fees. It's AT&T network behind the scenes. They also started supporting the newest iPhones "officially". Prior you had to buy a SIM cutter to get it to nano size. For an anti-(contract|warranty|debt) guy like me, it has been a breathe of fresh air.