Cell phone data plan...how many GB of data will I need?

[jerseygirl07067]

I've been playing around with my work Android knowing I would like to eventually get a smartphone for personal use. Initially I thought I'd use less than GB as I would use my phone for email, FB, forums,etc,mostly so I could keep up with everything better during the day.

Well..now that I am learning all of the fun things I can do with it, I am thinking I might want more data. I do love music and want to take advantage of pandora or slacker, and I love watching videos on youtube. I'd probably do this a lot. I am sure there will be more thing I use it for, like news, etc.

How many GB would be enough? I guess if I can use wifi when able that would help, but I don't want to risk an overage.

[codex57]

You ALWAYS want to use wifi when available. That said, public wifi tends to be real sketchy and can often be slower than 3G (let alone 4G). But if you're home, your phone should automatically switch to wifi so don't mess with that setting.

It really boils down to how often you use data outside of your home (which should have wifi).

Check to see if the cell company lets you switch between the data amounts without penalty. Most do. Also, see if they let you bump up to the next tier in the middle of the month. Again, most do. So, I'd get the lowest amount and watch your data usage like a hawk and see how much data you really use.

Streaming video and music eats up a ton of data. But, if you do most of it through wifi, that doesn't count against your data allowance.

[jerseygirl07067]

Thanks,that makes sense. Two follow up questions...how does the phone know to switch to wifi when I am home? I don't have to set it to do that?

Also...if I watch..let's say 10 youtube videos, how much data would that use?

[Penny's Pappa]

As long as WiFi is turned on (this is a simple setting) and you are within a known network (i.e. one you have connected to before), the phone will connect via WiFi automatically. At all other times it will connect via cellular.

As for how much data YouTube uses, I imagine that would depend on a number of factors, but mostly video length. Obviously, the longer the video, the more data you'll use.

To help answer your original question, I am on the Internet all the time -- browsing, Facebook, Pandora, Netflix, YouTube, etc. I'm on WiFi about 90% of the time and I have never gone over 2GB in a month. It's usually around (or under) 1GB.

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[codex57]

I know AT&T has a calculator. I bet all the big cell companies have some kind of calculator on their website.

Generally (I've never heard of a case where this isn't the case), a phone's default position is to actively search for a wifi signal. If it finds one, the default is that it will use the wifi over a cell signal.

You can tell it to stop using wifi, but that requires an active step on your part. Going through some menus and pushing some buttons. You do this when the wifi is really sketchy (the public one at my mall sucks, so I turn off wifi and just use the cell signal).

Youtube videos over the mobile site doesn't use as much as your computer. However, there are other variables such as are you watching a high def version or not? I think it defaults to the highest your signal can carry. If you get a 4G phone, that could mean a youtube vid sucks up a lot more data than if it were on 3G.

http://www.att.com/standalone/data-calculator/index.html
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/datacalculatorPopup.jsp

[codex57]

DS likes to watch Youtube videos when we're out. Like when I take him to school, if we go out to eat at night, etc. I get close to my 2GB data cap. If it's just me, I don't get close to 1GB I think, cuz I usually only use intensive data at home with wifi. No signal at work.

I can't get any more detailed then that cuz I'm usually driving or something so I never know when he's on Youtube. I know part of the time, he plays games or watches videos I have stored on there so I have no idea what % of the time he's on Youtube.

[jerseygirl07067]

Ah, all makes sense. One more question...what if you have a phone with the mobile hotspot tethering capability? I'm assuming that since your phone is allowing the wifi, it still counts toward the data usage vs being connected to wifi externally like at home,starbucks, hotel with free wifi, etc?

[tmahanes]

The hot spot uses the data! If you are streaming things it uses a ton of data. For example if i stream on episode of glee from Amazon using the hit spot it uses almost a GB of data

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[Penny's Pappa]

Ah, all makes sense. One more question...what if you have a phone with the mobile hotspot tethering capability? I'm assuming that since your phone is allowing the wifi, it still counts toward the data usage vs being connected to wifi externally like at home,starbucks, hotel with free wifi, etc?

Using Mobile Hotspot uses cellular data. Your phone connects to the Internet via cellular and then transmits that connection via WiFi. That way your non-cellular devices (e.g. laptop) can connect to the Internet - via WiFi hence the "hotspot" label - wherever there is cellular coverage. If I'm not mistaken, Verizon makes you purchase a separate tethering data package for this, so tethering does NOT count against your normal, cellular-only data.


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[tmahanes]

Using Mobile Hotspot uses cellular data. Your phone connects to the Internet via cellular and then transmits that connection via WiFi. That way your non-cellular devices (e.g. laptop) can connect to the Internet - via WiFi hence the "hotspot" label - wherever there is cellular coverage. If I'm not mistaken, Verizon makes you purchase a separate tethering data package for this, so tethering does NOT count against your normal, cellular-only data.


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If you buy it from them i think is it separate and when i had it there was a 2GB limit. I've found an app that works great and was only $15 as opposed too the $20 a month that Verizon charges. The app uses the normal cellular data.

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