Strange new at&t rumors [telecom]

Hopefully the District Court won't fall for this trick.

I just ordered (via Walmart ship to store) a Prepaid (no contract) T-mobile 4G hotspot to replace my deteriorating DSL service.

At the same time my pitiful 27$/mo AT&T POTS service will also be on the chopping block for cheaper cell phone service.

Interesting -- care to divulge (i) its cost and (ii) the cost of the data service? I could well be an interested fellow-buyer. TIA!

Cheers, -- tlvp

tax for the unit... no extra charge to ship it a store near you.

Weekpass(100MB) 10,00 Monthpass(1GB) 30.00 Monthpass(3GB) 50.00

***** Moderator's Note *****

Amazon shows what looks like the same phone for $100. There are probably other deals out there as well.

Bill Horne Moderator

I got a Virgin Mobile mifi for $150 at Best Buy with a $50 rebate card for a net cost of $100 last month. It's a mobile hotspot. Your computer connects to it like to any other wifi hotspot, no software installation needed or even possible.

Data service is prepaid, no contract. $10 for 100MB/10 days, $20 for

500 MB/month, $50 for unlimited MB/month. Carrier is Sprint; it works quite well if you can get a Sprint signal. It's about the size of a credit card and 1/4" thick, with a battery adequate for several hours of use between recharges.

I'm definitely taking it with me on trips rather than pay for hotel wifi.

R's, John

***** Moderator's Note *****

Hotels charge for WiFi?

Bill Horne Moderator

The expensive ones do, the cheap ones don't. Go figure.

R's, John

***** Moderator's Note *****

Some do, some don't. It's a lot like local calls used to be - inexpensive hotels provide it free as a selling point while higher end hotels in big markets charge for it assuming their clients can pay for it.

Thanks,

-Gary

Rule of thumb: The pricier the hotel, the more they will nickle and dime you for everything, including the internet.

I suspect this is because they can. They're catering to business people on expense accounts. Since connectivity is necessary, the accounting department won't balk when they see a charge for it on the expense report.

Even that rule of thumb is more honored in the breach than in the keeping.

Examples: Motel 6 (*very* inexpensive chain) tends to charge $3 for 24 hrs; every single hotel on a recent tourist trip to Turkey offered wi-fi gratis; most US Hiltons (not lower-end :-) ) offer free wi-fi to HHonors members.

It's a crazy-quilt world out there! Cheers, -- tlvp

Last year a hotel attempted to charge me for access: it appears that the system detected my Ibooks AirPort Card. I did not use their system, since I carry an Overdrive from Sprint and when I logged [in], I [knew] I was using it and not the hotel [WiFi]. I can not understand how they could do that: my understanding [is] that you have to ask for the service since they charge [for it], [and] it is like charging for food in the room even though your did nit use it.

Unpuzzle me, please: even if the system *did* detect your AirPort card, how'd it know to link that card to *your* bill and not to someone else's?

TIA; and cheers, -- tlvp

More likely they just charge everyone and take the charge off if you complain. It's the same deal as the copy of USA Today in front of your door each morning that you don't read.

R's, John

That was one of the questions I asked and was told each room had its own receiver, I pointed out that even if that was a fact, then mine should have been turned off, so if it was on it still was not my problem. plus it could not have been that short of a range since mine at home works up to 100 feet. I showed the manager my computer with the card and my Hot Spot showing that it was linked to its own, I also showed him the hotels hot spots and each one was locked and you needed a code to get it to a allow use, by the way, the code was the room number, end of problem.

Good question, AFAIK you usually have to log into a web page to authenticate with Room number etc.

Since most "Smartphones" can also auto-connect to any available Wi-Fi network then charging for those if they happen to hook up would also be an issue.

Maybe there is a WAP in every room?

-- Regards, David.

David Clayton Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a measure of how many questions you have.

Ah-hah! So a clever lodger here need only log in with an access point serving another room? Or maybe even with *any* handy access point, but using as code another room number?

Doesn't sound all that well planned out, now, does it :-) ?

Cheers, -- tlvp

On Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:30:19 -0700, Steven wrote: .......

So if the "Hot Spots" are not set to the same frequency (or you disable the one in your room), then you can connect to another room and rack up charges on their account?

I have no idea, all I know is I was using my own. When I travel I use mine when I can even if is free, I just don't like the security or lack of on open ports.