Tablet with 4G, PAYG confusion!

[Allen]

My Dad is looking to get a tablet and I am trying to help them decide. He isn't a heavy internet user but wants to be able to Google stuff and check maps on the go. He has difficulty using 4-5" screen smart phones due to their size so I am currently looking at the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 (possibly 10.5) 4G.

The problem is, I don't use a 4G tablet, I tether to my phone on the move if need be (which is rare as I mostly use my HTC One for everything). So how do you get 4G on a tablet? I assume you have to get a SIM card and sign up for a contract or PAYG? I have checked the EE and O2 websites and both provide a GB amount of download with the purchase but neither seem to give prices for how much data costs after you have used the included amount!

Does anyone have any idea where I can find this info?

[MrRockliffe]

With PAYG once the data limit is reached I believe you have to buy more.

I'm interested to see if a 15 pound 3 PAYG sim would work with unlimited internet as I can get 4G where I live, well near where I live.

[Saracen]

Two ways I can think off. Either get a tablet with 4G built in, or get a dtandard wifi tablet and one of those little 4G wifi hotspot thingies. EE certainly do them, some for some use but at least one (codename Buzzard IIRC) and it just plugs into a car cigarette lignter socket. Then, you have a portable WiFi hotspot that ANY of your WiFi-equipped devices can use.

And yes, you need either a PAYG or contract SIM for it. As for what topup costs are, dunno. Ask EE, etc?

[Flibb]

I have been using a three 3G portable wifi hotspot. I paid £35 for the unit with 3GB of data, I think topups last 30 days are have copied the cost below. Worked very well while waiting for adsl to be installed, but wife soon used up the allowance on the days she worked at home.

Pay As You Go Broadband Add-ons.6
Allowance Price
Broadband Lite 1GB £10
Broadband Plus 3GB £15
Broadband Max 7GB £25
Pay Per Day 500MB* £2.99

[Saracen]

These also have a 'use it or lose it' time limit, don't they, Flibb? 30 days?

[cptwhite_uk]

For the 4G portable Wifi hotspot options EE have the best deals. Options are:

Buzzard (with car 12v charger)
Osprey = £49.99 for the device
Kite = £59.99 for the device

These are based on 30 day rolling accounts.

you then have the following data plan options:
£10 for 1Gb
£15 for 3Gb
£20 for 15Gb (under 4GEE+ tab)
£30 for 25Gb (under 4gEE+ tab)


See here: (click the 4GEE+ button for the larger data plans)
http://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-mon...oosePlanAnchor

I get good signal strength in Sheffield on their network, but it's definitely worth checking out their coverage checker before you commit:
http://ee.co.uk/ee-and-me/network/4gee/coverage-checker

Good thing about this is like Saracen says it can double up as a portable wifi hotspot - so you can move it around the house for better wifi signal (you're not teethered to a phone socket like a router), and you can also take it anywhere - on holiday etc.

My experience with the Kite has been favourable, but the Wifi range is poor so best to keep it in the room in which you're using it if possible.

[Saracen]

It's that "30-day rolling" bit that stops me. It doesn't suit my usage patterns.

Far better for me would be a 12-month (pay upfront) plan, even if the cost/GB was the same, because with the 30-day thing, I'm likely to find inadequate data when I do need it, and a lot of wastage from timing out, when I don't.

[Flibb]

I think any unused allowance rolls over to the next month, but you need to purchase a top up to use it. Not ideal.

[Saracen]

Will check that, Flibb. Thanks.

Agreed, it's not ideal but it might work for me.

For instance, I buy Jan's topup, but don't use it all. I don't need it in Feb at all, but come March, buy a topup and get Jan's unused data rolled over. Don't use it in April/May, but top up in June, getting the rollover.

Need to have a think, but yeah, that might work .... if you're right that it works that way.

[Allen]

Seems like a call to some suppliers is in order, I can't seem to find answers to my questions anywhere.

Thanks for the info though chaps, I'll update the thread if I get clarification.

[cptwhite_uk]

Here's EE's policy detail. But to save you the effort, no roll over of data in any circumstance:

http://ee.co.uk/content/dam/ee-help/...%2009%2013.pdf

[Saracen]

Here's EE's policy detail. But to save you the effort, no roll over of data in any circumstance:

http://ee.co.uk/content/dam/ee-help/...%2009%2013.pdf

Oh well. Scrap that idea, then. No surprise, though. That's how I thought it worked. At least I now know.

[cptwhite_uk]

Check out the top of paragraph 4, there's a comment your allowance could last upto 12 months on certain plans, I'm assuming these will be based on long term contracts but it's worth checking out. Maybe you can buy in "bulk" for a longer term time.

[DanceswithUnix]

I used to use a Three sim in a tablet, it was supposed to be for phone use but I don't see how they can really tell it is something other than an Android device. Meant it could send text messages as well which was handy. Their "123" pay as you go sims are so cheap it might be worth a try. You can order one for free on their website, took a few weeks for mine to turn up though. Otherwise I think supermarkets have them for a quid.

Otherwise you could try http://www.aa.net.uk/telecoms-mobile-data.html which is twice the cost at 2p per MB but is intended for mobile data use. You do have to pay £2 per month on top even on those days that you don't use any data at all, but compared to most data sims that seems pretty good. Only 3G not 4G mind, but I think that is generally good enough.

These days I tether using T-Mobile, and the fact that they allow tethering is pretty much the only reason I bother with them. Am tempted to get one of those 2p/MB sims and a mobile access point though, then I could get a cheaper phone deal and overall save money.