My husband’s grandmother needs full-time supervision so she can stay in her home, and we are doing our part by staying with her a few days a week. Granny doesn’t have internet, so I’ve been looking into some sort of mobile broadband to keep us connected.
What we need is the most inexpensive…whatever the thing you plug into your USB is called, and ideally a way we can just buy minutes for it, like the way Trac-fone works. My cell provider, Virgin Mobile, has something where you pay by-the-day rather than buying minutes, which is OK but not really ideal. Also, I don’t need to necessarily stick with them.
Does anyone have a service they really like, or any other tips for me?
Do you have a smartphone? I bought an app for $25 that allows me to tether my laptop or netbook using my phone’s bandwidth. Works a treat.
I have US Cellular and an HTC Merge. The app is called EasyTether.
I’ve got a 4G device from Sprint called the iSpot, unlimited mobile broadband for $25/month. Decent bandwith but high latency (lag); I don’t use it anymore because my current iPad has 4G built in and it can be shared. Sprint stopped making the iSpot a while back, but they’ve got similar mifi gadgets.
It’s not available for all areas, but FreedomPop reportedly gives you 500MB free every month. Never tried it and not vouching for it, but maybe something to look into.
I don’t have a smartphone. But it looks like Freedom Pop has coverage at Granny’s!