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So Tell Me, What You Think? 3G or No 3G?

bosamar

Well-Known Member
On the contrary, I can setup WiFi tethering with my Smartphone in 10 seconds.

I recently went to AT&T (my phone provider) and they said I could tether my RT to my WP7 for $20 additional per month.... I don't think it worth it for me because I rarely take my RT to a spot without free wifi....
 

rbeste

New Member
I agree with all that has been said here about tethering ( I have a Lumia 900 with 4GLTE and it is very fast), but one thing to consider for those that haven't done this yet and are considering it is that turning on internet sharing (wifi hotspot) on your phone kills battery life so you will need to either be somewhere you can charge your phone or you will need an external battery to charge the phone if you will be using it for many hours.
 
Our church doesn't have wifi, and since I'm the pastor I do a lot of my work from there, though a lot is done from my "home office" (the recliner next to my bookshelf). At church I rely on my phone as a hotspot. It's quite effective and I'm very comfortable with that solution. I wouldn't have paid extra for a 3g or 4g option on my Surface. If they were going to add something, GPS would be my first choice, though I'm really satisfied as it is.
 
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ArnoldC

New Member
I recently went to AT&T (my phone provider) and they said I could tether my RT to my WP7 for $20 additional per month.... I don't think it worth it for me because I rarely take my RT to a spot without free wifi....

Like the guy from Brazil, the Philippines do not offer true free WiFi. Mobile phone data subscription is cheap and does not have restrictions about tethering. I have two phones, both with data plans. That's all I use and don't depend on any WiFi othe than that from work.
 

R0bR

Member
Since the Surface RT has a USB port someone should just make compatible 3G dongle, probably be cheaper than having a Surface 3G option.
 

d31dk

New Member
no,surface with 3/4G would cost about 100GBP extra, and another contract, I use Nokia lumia 800 hot spot,mobile internet is cheaper,
or mi-fi hot spot modem for much faster mobile broadband,costs a bit more, only takes a few seconds,i bought Xoom wi-fi/3G tablet last year for 70% off price as nobody was buying them and retailer clearing unsold stock. Never used sim in it yet,
my surface wi-fi connects quickly and no problems, brilliant tablet,

Exactly what i do too. Use my Nokia Lumia 800 as hotspot the few Places without WIFI.
I have not missed it at all :)
 

cauzion

New Member
Well, almost 5 month after Suface RT was launched and NO compatible 3G USB modem. It's a shame. It's interesting how almost all conclusions about this issue are based on people who don't want/need a USB 3G modem. I definetelly need one. Many places without a WIFI, many companies where I have meetings have blocked Wi-Fi for internal use only. It's quite unconfortable have to depend on the cell phone to work as a wiFi spot. It doesn't work for: 1) quick connection on a quick meeting, 2) depends on the cell phone battery, if it's gone, you are absolutelly helpless, 3) Many people, maybe almost smart phone users, don't know how to install and configure a Mobile WiFi Spot software. I could go on about many reasons a 3G modem is a must have for business people using tablet. Please, don't tell me about Surface Pro, I'm talking about a tablet. Surface Pro is heavy (I confess RT is unconfortable for using more than 3hours a day., The PRO battery lasts much less.... So, I want a Windows Tablet, but a flexible one. Any good news about it ???
 

ArnoldC

New Member
Your arguments against WiFi tethering doesn't work for me. I've been tethering for *years* and i find your argument about "installing and configuring wifi software" to be baseless.
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Along the lines of Arnold's sentiment, wifi tethering to a smart phone is a fairly simple affair with no additional software required in most cases. Some of the other points regarding using a phone are valid though.

Instead of using a phone or a stick you can use a dedicated wifi hotspot such as mifi. It has it's own battery and can easily be activated with one touch.

[video=youtube;cpojqtOodeY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpojqtOodeY[/video]

There are many personal hotspot options. Not only that but you also have the added advantage of connecting more than one device to use data or setup a private mobile network to move and share files unlike a usb stick.
 
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cauzion

New Member
Your arguments against WiFi tethering doesn't work for me. I've been tethering for *years* and i find your argument about "installing and configuring wifi software" to be baseless.

Yes, you said well, the arguments doesn't work for you. I'm an experienced and heavy user computer, with 35 years of IT background and what I always take with me in my entire career is to have empathy with people who are not tech lovers and/or have not ease working with computers. My wife, my oldest brother, my sister in law...all of them have no idea about tethering, but use 3G modems in their notebooks with ease. So...just ask yourself. Why the computer industry spend money making tablets with 3G ? why so many people buy tablets with 3G ? Is it a real market demand for tons of preople or evebody is just loosing money ? Give people what they want and need and not spend money and time trying to convince them that they don't need what they say they need.
 

cauzion

New Member
Along the lines of Arnold's sentiment, wifi tethering to a smart phone is a fairly simple affair with no additional software required in most cases. Some of the other points regarding using a phone are valid though.

Instead of using a phone or a stick you can use a dedicated wifi hotspot such as mifi. It has it's own battery and can easily be activated with one touch.

[video=youtube;cpojqtOodeY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpojqtOodeY[/video]

There are many personal hotspot options. Not only that but you also have the added advantage of connecting more than one device to use data or setup a private mobile network to move and share files unlike a usb stick.

A MiFi sounds as a good solution. I will do a search about it once I need 3G and a unlocked device because I will use it in Brazil (I'm a brazilian and speak portuguese as a native language and some english). ...therefore I would prefer not having to take with me an extra phone size device...but this is not a big problem at all. Thanks for the sugestion.
 
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