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Data connection

Gensca

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How do I activate my 3G card and to the via satellite? How much can I expect to pay?
 

twerppoet

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Not sure what you mean by satellite. You don't need the 3G plan to use GPS, though it may improve the time it takes to get a location lock.

For data services on 3G:

Go into Settings >> Cellular Data and turn it on. Now you'll see a View Account, or maybe Add Account. Not sure. Just tap on it and follow the instructions. You will need your Apple ID, and it will charge the credit card associated with that ID. At least I'm pretty sure that's how it worked. Been a while since I activated mine.

You have the option of two plans.

$14.99 gets you 250MB for 30 days.
$29.99 is 2GB for 30 days.

These plans auto renew, but you can stop them or change them at any time right on the iPad. If you stop your data plan service will actually keep running until the end of that 30 day cycle. You will not get any money back for closing it early, but you won't lose any use time either. If you start a new plan it begins immediately, there is no rollover of data from the old plan. So you can lose some data that way if you are not careful.

Say you had a 2GB plan going and decided to spend less. When you activate the 250MB none of the 2GB is going to roll over. It is gone. That's a bummer, but in compensation, you will never be charged for accidental over usage. When/if you use all your data allowance the 3G service just stops working until you either add data with a new plan, or it auto-renews at the end of the month.

Note: I might have some minor details wrong. It's been a while since I reviewed this info and my memory has been know to slip, just a little, every once in while, no more than twice a minute.
 
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Gensca

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Good Afternoon Twerppoet,
Thanks for responding to my question. Your response enlisted another question though! What is the difference between 250 MB and 2GB? What do you think I would require just using the data connection occasionally? If Inam in a WiFi area, would I still be required to use the data connection? I am sorry for such rudimentary questions.
 

twerppoet

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1 GB = 1000 MB (roughly) So the larger plan is 8 times larger than the smaller one.

If all you are doing is checking your email, the forums, and browsing the web the 250MB plan is probably enough. The easiest thing to do is to simply get the smaller plan for now. Just make sure you connect to your WiFi spots when available and do your heavy downloads then. You can also chose to leave the Cellular data turned off except when you need it, if you don't mind missing push notifications for email and such when you don't have Wifi.

I use the 250 MB plan. It' is enough to let me look things up, read my RSS feeds, and check my email when I'm about. If I went on a trip I'd bump it to the 2 GB plan for a month.

If you find that you are running out of data before the end of the month then you can always upgrade to the 2 GB plan.
 

twerppoet

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No, it is data. Think of everything you upload, download, or look at on the internet as being buckets of water. The plans only allow you to use so much water a month.
 

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