Cheap $20 a month Stand Alone Unlimited Rural Internet through AT&T Wireless

[aeblank]

I have been using Exede for just over 2 years (at like $80/month) for 15GB cap and now 25GB cap. I acquired my first Mobley 2 months ago and have been happily streaming and updating my PCs, and doing everything else I feel like ever since. Yesterday I took deliver of my 2nd Mobley so that the PCs and DISH DVR in the basement can have their own AP and I'm using my original on the main floor for the mobile devices and Amazon FireTV. The monthly fee - $45 and both have unlimited data. Exede will be out the door by July 28th.

Hopefully AT&T doesn't change their unlimited data policy any time soon. I'm not sure why folks were having issues acquiring Mobleys; unless it's because you weren't already ATT customers, but I ordered 2 direct online and had them within 5 days each and they arrived activated and ready to go.

Why two? Every device can share the one Mobley (though you might need to set up a router).

 

[coldsteelva]

Why two? Every device can share the one Mobley (though you might need to set up a router).

Why? Because a router only gets you passed the 5 device limit; it does NOT get you additional bandwidth. I have a 10 year old that, although he does stream YouTube from time-to-time, needs to have reliable internet for school and I don't want my viewing behaviors and multitasking via our Surface tablet and our cell phones to interfere with his productivity. He loves Minecraft (I still don't get it). The Windows PCs in the basement will be on the router with the Mobley so I don't have to download all Windows updates twice (or more), they can share with each other.

School is a whole lot different than when even I was in school. $45 gets me two unlimited APs, with two separate SSIDs, two separate IP schemas for half the price of the data capped, weather-affected Exede.

 

[aeblank]

Why? Because a router only gets you passed the 5 device limit; it does NOT get you additional bandwidth. I have a 10 year old that, although he does stream YouTube from time-to-time, needs to have reliable internet for school and I don't want my viewing behaviors and multitasking via our Surface tablet and our cell phones to interfere with his productivity. He loves Minecraft (I still don't get it). The Windows PCs in the basement will be on the router with the Mobley so I don't have to download all Windows updates twice (or more), they can share with each other.

School is a whole lot different than when even I was in school. $45 gets me two unlimited APs, with two separate SSIDs, two separate IP schemas for half the price of the data capped, weather-affected Exede.

As long as you're aware......

I also have 2. One for home and one for travel. Both combined are 4/7-ths the cost of my 20GB AT&T plan previously. I plan to eventually bond the two when the second isn't traveling. Doing so gets kinda complicated, as the WAN ports are always network. So that means a mobley (router) plugged into a router (to give a network connection) plugged into a dual-wan router. So 5 routers for one connection. Fool proof, right? arg. There must be dual-3/4G routers out there for not $1 million.

Honestly, I think that other providers (and politicians) could learn from this. This thing is "so cheap" that we're all buying "extras" for various uses. In the end, it's only a little bit more total data (cost for AT&T) but 2x the monthly fee paid. We don't feel like we have to "get everything we can" out of it, cause it's cheap... I've read that limited-data users use more than unlimited-data users.

To my "(and politicians)" above.......I think the same thing about taxes. When they're high, everyone tries to "beat them". When they're low........"eh, whatever". Lower taxes increase the economy which increases the number of tax payers. Likewise, lower mobley costs increases the number of mobleys. We are proof. Right here.......on TBN.

The evolution of what's limited on cell phone plans has always entertained me. Minutes to texts to data. Blackberrys had data-saving server-side compression in the days when there was unlimited data. Blackberrys are pretty irrelevant these days, but data is limited these days. Musings of a dork. Wish it wasn't too hot to do firewood with my TRACTOR.

 

[BigBlue1]

Why? Because a router only gets you passed the 5 device limit; it does NOT get you additional bandwidth. I have a 10 year old that, although he does stream YouTube from time-to-time, needs to have reliable internet for school and I don't want my viewing behaviors and multitasking via our Surface tablet and our cell phones to interfere with his productivity. He loves Minecraft (I still don't get it). The Windows PCs in the basement will be on the router with the Mobley so I don't have to download all Windows updates twice (or more), they can share with each other.

School is a whole lot different than when even I was in school. $45 gets me two unlimited APs, with two separate SSIDs, two separate IP schemas for half the price of the data capped, weather-affected Exede.

Until getting this Mobley we survived on a "5 Mb/s" DSL connection that was typically 1.5 to 3.0 in reality, dropping to almost nothing in the evenings. Both my wife and I were able to work from home (me on VPN, her accessing her company via Citrix remote desktop without an issue. Even, occasionally, when the kids were home in the summer playing Playstation or watching Netflix (though Netflix during the day did push the limits). I'm saying all of this to emphasize that unless you are getting horrible speeds on your Mobley you really do not have a need to have two of them. No way in heck a 10 year old doing schoolwork is going to tax throughput like a corporate laptop on VPN running WebEx and VOIP phone. You'll obviously make the decision that you want to make but I'm offering this as a data point to possibly save you $250+ per year.

Rob

 

[Midniteoyl]

As long as you're aware......

I also have 2. One for home and one for travel. Both combined are 4/7-ths the cost of my 20GB AT&T plan previously. I plan to eventually bond the two when the second isn't traveling. Doing so gets kinda complicated, as the WAN ports are always network. So that means a mobley (router) plugged into a router (to give a network connection) plugged into a dual-wan router. So 5 routers for one connection. Fool proof, right? arg. There must be dual-3/4G routers out there for not $1 million.

Ya, I was gonna get 2 and 2 GLi modems, then connect them to my TP-Link Load Balancing router, but then decided against it since I get 30% more speed at 20% the cost of the dual DSLs that I had from Centurylink.... I might still get it later if ATT doesnt change or eliminate the plan.

For those of you connecting to the correct towers, the Unite Explore is a Carrier Aggregate enabled LTE router that works with the Mobley SIM and could double, if not triple, your current speeds. The Mobley is not a CA modem so is limited to 30-40mbps normal, and in my area, a CA modem does not improve speeds.

 

[TractorGuy]

I had never tried FAST.COM until last night. It was about the same as speedtest.net. for me.

My speed is cut in half from what I was getting before. This morning it is still 1.7 down. That is still a shade better than my DSL so if that's what they consider throttling I can live with it.

DOH!

Just needed to restart everything and speed returned. No different from the DSL. It too requires an occasional restart.

 

[aeblank]

Ya, I was gonna get 2 and 2 GLi modems, then connect them to my TP-Link Load Balancing router,

Yeah. There has to be a better way!

Though, I'd like a router that works with foxfi/pdanet too, and that doesn't exist either.

 

[jcummins]

Another chat session with AT&T this morning....they finally admitted the device has an issue.....BUT...instead of replacing, they referred me to a 'number' which I thought was another AT&T department. Turns out it's ZTE, and they won't replace but have to send it in for repair.

I KNOW how in **** this is going to go. The device works fine....sometimes....then loses data signal. ZTE will test and send the **** thing back and say it's the network, since they won't be able to trap the problem.

I'M A BIT PISSED RIGHT NOW.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Another chat session with AT&T this morning....they finally admitted the device has an issue.....BUT...instead of replacing, they referred me to a 'number' which I thought was another AT&T department. Turns out it's ZTE, and they won't replace but have to send it in for repair.

I KNOW how in **** this is going to go. The device works fine....sometimes....then loses data signal. ZTE will test and send the **** thing back and say it's the network, since they won't be able to trap the problem.

I'M A BIT PISSED RIGHT NOW.

Have no idea what the warranty is, but calling ZTE cant hurt. They might be able to help you reflash the thing.

 

[Xfaxman]

Define "loses data signal".

Does the green signal light turn red?

Have you tried putting it in different locations?

Mine is very position sensitive, I can move it to the other side of the window and the upload speed will be faster than the download speed. I can turn it over and both speeds will drop.

When mine quits working I flip the plug in switch for a power on reset.