How many here just tether their ipad to their iphone?

[Tapmyapple]

To me i think having 3G ipad if you have an iphone already is pointless. Cause if youre like me and have iphone and i literally always have my iphone one me. When im out its always with me. Im glad i returned mine and got the wifi one cause i realized that tethering takes 5secs and it saved $120. People say it drains the battery, yes but its not that bad, i can get a solid 6-7hrs usage using my iphone tethered and really how often do i need to use 3g for this long? never.

But the most importamt factor is not having a second data plan which im so happy about or having to swap sim cards.

Sent from my sexy black iPad 2 using iPF

 

[firemanprice]

I don't have a iPhone yet, was hoping for a iPhone 5 release but I do have a Droid X that I tether my ipd2 to and it works great. A matter of fact I'm tethering to it right now.

 

[DrHouse]

If you already have an iPhone (or any smartphone that can be tethered), having the iPad 3G is a bit overkill. But mostly, this is about money. A WIFI only cost less than a 3G... Wait a minute! The real saving is on the monthly cost, not on the initial purchase.

Here in Canada, with Rogers, you can have a data sharing plan between devices for 10$ per device + the plan itself. That means for a 1Gig/month at 30$, you have to add 10$/month for the iPad 3G to share that data plan. That's cheaper than 2 x 30$/month...

But in the end, it will cost you 120$/year to have an iPad 3G sharing your initial iPhone data plan...

Let's do some math: Assuming that you keep your iPad for 2 years...

Savings = (2 * (10$*12)) + 120$ = 360$...

Keep your iPad for 4 years (600$), using tethering and the iPad will be "free"!

Note: Tethering is free with a data plan of at least 1Gig/month... And I'm a lucky bast*** as I got a promotion for 6Gigs/month for 30$, 2 years ago...

VicoPad addict!

 

[RAC]

I have a non 3G iPad and use a 3G wireless "modem", basically a 3G phone without voice.

That way I can use the same 3G account for the iPad and my laptop.

 

[Diane B]

Bought Palm Pre phone in May 2010 when I bought Ipad 1 because it came with free 2 year mobile hot spot. I doubt this will continue at contract renewal and phone needs to go anyhow LOL so I will have to make a decision. I use a phone for very little since Ipad is with me all the time. We also have wide wifi coverage in my small city--most everywhere you go plus available in DT square.

 

[twerppoet]

Tethering is a satisfactory experience for me, but if I'd had the money I would have bought the 3G model anyway.

Reasons?

Even if I chose not to use it, the 3G is there and ready as a backup with zero notice.

As little time as it takes, it is still a pain to fish out the iPhone. Not a big pain, just a little one, but still. I'll suffer with the iPhone's smaller screen (even if the iPad would be superior for the task), unless I'm actually going to sit down and use the iPad for several minutes.

The biggy. I really miss accurate GPS tracking on the iPad. It's not just about navigation. Star Walk, LighTrac, geotagging (Evernote, Camera), and the many other apps that are enhanced by or need a GPS to be practical. I had 3G on my iPad 1, so my expectations are already skewed towards this kind of function. I just didn't realize how skewed until I didn't have it anymore.

 

[Tapmyapple]

Tethering is a satisfactory experience for me, but if I'd had the money I would have bought the 3G model anyway.

Reasons?

Even if I chose not to use it, the 3G is there and ready as a backup with zero notice.

As little time as it takes, it is still a pain to fish out the iPhone. Not a big pain, just a little one, but still. I'll suffer with the iPhone's smaller screen (even if the iPad would be superior for the task), unless I'm actually going to sit down and use the iPad for several minutes.

The biggy. I really miss accurate GPS tracking on the iPad. It's not just about navigation. Star Walk, LighTrac, geotagging (Evernote, Camera), and the many other apps that are enhanced by or need a GPS to be practical. I had 3G on my iPad 1, so my expectations are already skewed towards this kind of function. I just didn't realize how skewed until I didn't have it anymore.

How is it a paim? Edited by moderator: angry comments are frowned upon in these forums, restrain your anger or do not post, there will be no further warnings And it literally connects instantly.

Sent from my sexy black iPad 2 using iPF

Edited by Gabriel1

 

[Beryl]

Bought Palm Pre phone in May 2010 when I bought Ipad 1 because it came with free 2 year mobile hot spot. I doubt this will continue at contract renewal and phone needs to go anyhow LOL so I will have to make a decision. I use a phone for very little since Ipad is with me all the time. We also have wide wifi coverage in my small city--most everywhere you go plus available in DT square.

I enjoyed my tiny PalmPre but not the overheating battery quirkiness whenever it is used as a hotspot. it was replaced twice and Verizon wants us all off the gravy train so they will offer nothing more. My iPhone 4S will ship on the 21st. The extra $20/mo to turn my iPhone into a hotspot would be great if it would use its unlimited data plan. It doesn't. I decided to get a Truconnect Mifi for now. I doubt I'll need more than that when I'm out and about and don't want to use my iPhone for online activities.

BTW, I do not trust public wifi - at all. I have way too much personal financial data and apps. I'll have to weigh out the value of gps when I upgrade to the iPad 3 next year. If I really love Siri, I might have to get the 3G (or 4G) model.

 

[Bingoldsby]

I'm using an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2 WiFi. My ONLY source of Internet access is through the phone, as I'm a wandering, retired, Oregon State Parks Volunteer Host, fulltime. I not only have the (Verizon) tethering plan subscription, but I also have the phone Jailbroken and can use some of the Unlimited Data pool by the use of MiWi, if I need to. 2 Gb can go up in a vapor pretty quickly.

And yes... the phone/pad tethering connection can be a bit tricky and step intensive. It's not ALWAYS "instantaneous." When using the paid tethering connection after having turned the pad off, or it having gone to sleep, I nearly ALWAYS have to stop WiFi, stop Tethering, restart WiFi, restart Tethering, (on the phone) and then go into the iPad's settings and connect. When using MiWi OnDemand, it's not so unreliable. Remember, I'm talking about Verizon's phone, perhaps ATT is different and better in this tethering respect.

A number of areas where I will spend a month or two at a time, are not very good speed-wise. I do have a cradle for the phone with an inductive antenna connection, fed to a Wilson booster, and that feeding an external directional antenna, but in spite of a good signal indication, throughput or up/down speed is sometimes pretty mediocre.

Works for me, and the alternatives are pretty terrible in themselves for various reasons.

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[skallal]

I have a first gen iPad WiFi only and an iPhone 3GS. That leaves me fewer options because the 3GS only supports bluetooth tethering. I've heard Bluetooth tethering is slower than WiFi and drains the battery. That leaves me with other options:

1. Upgrade to the new iPhone 4S
2. Get an different iPad with 3G
3. Buy a separate hotspot device

I'm leaning towards 1 above. AT&T will likely let me have an upgrade in the next couple months. I've long wanted to use my iPad when away from WiFi.

 

[SusanR]

Would someone be willing to explain to me or point me to instructions on how to tether? I have an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2 with wifi and 3G. I pay $20 per month for a small data plan for the iPad2, but if I could save, I would be eternally grateful.

 

[mybubbles65]

How do you tether? I am in Canada on Rogers. I have a 1st gen iPad and a Blackberry. What to I do to get it to work?

 

[twerppoet]

In the U.S. tethering the iPad to the iPhone requires your carrier to activate the Hotspot feature on the Phone. Both AT&T and Verizon charge about $20 for this and and give you about 2GB (above your existing limit) for data. That is the plan I have, though I believe they are offering more options now.

Now that Sprint has the iPhone, I have no idea what they are offering for tethering plans.

You'll have to make up your own mind and compare the various data plans to decide if you can save money by activating the hotspot. Sounds to me like you would end up paying about the same, but get more data. If you are actually coming up against your data limit, that would be worthwhile. If not, then you'd just be trading convenience for extra data you probably won't use.


The only way to avoid an extra fee is to jailbreak. You can find most of what you want to know by reading the first few posts in the Hacking area. Hold in mind that you are bypassing the carrier's user agreement if you do this, and they can terminate your service if they catch you and decide to enforce things. The risk is not high for people who are conservative with their data usage, but you should be aware of it.

I'm not a jailbreaker, so my opinion is hardly definitive, but I highly recommend you do your research before choosing to jailbreak. Like deciding to do your own car maintenance, you should first know what tools/knowldege you'll need and how your mistakes might affect your service warrantee.

 

[SusanR]

So I would be exchanging the 1GB data plan for $20 for the $20 hotspot charge (Verizon) but add a 1GB? Hmm, after you activate the hotspot, what are the steps to tether? Or should I just ask if it is complicated?

Thanks for your response.

 

[twerppoet]

Once you activate it you will find a new Personal Hotspot entry in the Settings app. You assign and turn it on/off there. Connecting to your iPad is as simple as connecting to any other password protected Wi-Fi network. Open the Wi-Fi settings, select your hotspot (whatever you named it) and enter your password.

Just like your home network it will remember the password and network, making linking even easier the next time.

The symbol when they are connected is a bit different. Instead of the signal-fan icon you'll get a something that looks like two links in a chain.

The hotspot is not limited to your iPad. It can handle up to five wi-fi devices/computers. That makes it a good backup for when your home network loses service; at least enough to check your mail, social networks, and send a complaint to your ISP.


Edit: You can not assign a name to the hotspot. It uses whatever you named the phone. I've corrected this in the body of the text.