AT&T or T-Mobile Data Usage in US

[Mrious_be]

Hi everyone,

Not sure if anyone still remembers me here
But I have a question which I find is really difficult to find out the details just browsing the internet.

This all has to do with our trip to the US, and field trip we'll be doing in Hawaii and California.
I will unlock my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Ace) so I can use it in the US to receive calls.
It looks like I will only be able to use it on the 2G network though (with AT&T or T-Mobile):
2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network: HSDPA 900 / 2100 or HSDPA 850 / 1900 - Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830L

This phone is a A-GPS phone, which means I need to be within range of my providers cell towers (in this case either AT&T or T-Mobile).
For any of those, I can hardly find any information if they sell SIM Cards only that includes Data usage!
I can find some SIM card information (very expensive actually) but none of them mentions Data Usage.
I need Data Usage because of the A-GPS system from my phone (or it won't connect much to the GPS satelites).
I do think I will get Nav software where I can download the maps on my phone so not to use too much data though.

Any ideas are most welcome.
This is mainly for the State of California where we want to do the Pacific Coastline Road up to San Fransisco, and Hawaii (Oahu).

Thanksssss all
The Stranger

[Xairbusdriver]

I have no idea what most of your message means! Mainly because I don't know what all those terms mean! But I would suggest calling either or both your local provider or Verizon/AT&T (1-800-288-2020). I'm not sure they have overseas Toll-Free numbers, I'll check and repost if I can find any. On second thought, it might be better to try their "Chat" method. Here's Verizon's page: <http://www22.verizon.com/content/ContactUs/> and AT&T: <http://www.att.com/econtactus/>

[krissel]

Hi Marcel! Hope you and Smiley are well. Is that a honeymoon trip you are planning?

I don't know anything about smart phones and data usage that would help you but as you know we have several members in CA and at least one in Hawaii (hey Al!). I'm afraid my phone is so dumb it doesn't even have a camera.

Hang in there and someone should come by with info.

[Mrious_be]

Hi Airbusdriver, Krissel,

Thanks for the feedback, the contact details might be handy so I'll try those out.
Maybe I should just get a GPS system when renting a car actually, I might save some money getting an App for Android but it seems to be painful to see if it would actually work well (I'm not even sure how well the A-GPS would work in the first place).

Krissel,
Yes, it's for our wedding trip.
We're getting married in Oahu on May 9th but will be arriving in Honolulu on 5th.
We'll stay in Hawaii till 19th (Hopefully see some more islands) and then off to Los Angeles where we'll do a small road trip between 19th and 24th (Coastal road up to SF, back road back).

Thanks
Marcel

[dolphin]

Hi Marcel,
I think renting a car with GPS would be the wise thing to do.  Good Luck!

[Xairbusdriver]

I think it is getting to be fairly common for rental cars to have the GPS capability built-in. And their reception will probably be better since they will be external.

On the bright side, it will be hard to get lost in Hawaii for very long, they just aren't that big! And as for CA, just turn west and you'll eventually hit 101 or the ocean! Then turn north or south and follow either one! In my opinion, however, the road/coast is more beautiful from San Fran north...

[daryl66]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Mar 15 2012, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it is getting to be fairly common for rental cars to have the GPS capability built-in. And their reception will probably be better since they will be external.

Mid size cars on down  NO, however most car rental firms do offer external GPS's for a fee (naturally). Wife, who travels nationwide  at least once a month  personal experience. ( She travels with her Tom Tom)

Daryl

[tacit]

I used to have an iPhone (on AT&T) and now I have an Android phone (on T-Mobile).

I live in Portland, and have traveled down the coast through California to San Francisco. AT&T coverage is pretty good along the Western seaboard. T-Mobile coverage is lousy. Total rubbish. There are many dead spots along that part of the country.

I don't have any idea what coverage is like in Hawaii, but T-Mobile coverage is quite poor along the California coast.

[Paddy]

Marcel, if you have a GPS unit at home, consider getting the North American maps for it. It will likely be much more reliable than a cellphone. (Consider buying one in the US even - you can often find the basic models of Garmin/Tom Tom on sale for around $100, these days) Also, GPS uses a LOT of data - and as far as I know, those data plans you can buy in the US are not unlimited.

When my son was working in the US for a summer, he bought a Virgin Mobile phone and then got a monthly plan with no contract for it. I think that was on Verizon's network, which is the best for coverage in many areas of the US, but is NOT GSM (or wasn't the last time I looked).

Check some of the other providers like Virgin, who offer pay-as-you-go type plans. I'd check from here, but for some reason or other the internet has slowed to a crawl (I'm in the Bahamas right now) and I can't load any pages for love nor money. It will be interesting to see if this post even makes it through!

[daryl66]

QUOTE(tacit @ Mar 15 2012, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't have any idea what coverage is like in Hawaii, but T-Mobile coverage is quite poor along the California coast.

I think all 3 of the major wireless companies cover Hawaii pretty well, at least on the main Island (Oahu). We just spent 9 days there, and because of the roaming charges on our Verizon plan we bought a "pay as you go" plan from T-Mobile and had no problems (average cost about .18 per minute) .  We were traveling with a couple that had an iPhone (not sure if it was Verizon or AT&T) and it worked just lovely.

FWIW

Daryl

[Mrious_be]

Thanks everyone

I'll try to answer everyone here... hope I don't miss anything out

Tacit:
Thanks for the coverage info. I checked both coverage for AT&T and T-Mobile and they are actually quite similar. But both showed death spots along the Coastal Route so I was somewhat concerned there yes. Specially if I would be using A-GPS system which, like I mentioned, should be in range of cell towers to keep track of Satelite Signal (don't ask how it works but somehow the GPS signal triangulates through the cell towers, not straight to a GPS receiver in the phone... or maybe a combination of two but yes, an external GPS receiver is much more powerful then a phone).

Paddy, Daryl (and others):
I don't have a GPS unit at home, I don't have a car here (and never will in London). Otherwise I would surely take that one
But still considering to just rent a unit with the car yes, and leave behind all the fuzz of connecting the phone and using it as a Navigator. I know it works theoretical, but there's a few things that can go wrong which till now I don't find the answer for so the investment in the App software, unlocking and US SIM might not be worth it (thinking about those dead spots mentioned above, if GPS works, will my signal hold on my phone while driving, the costs for a US SIM only look pretty steep and no information yet about Data usage which I need to connected....)
One other solution I found = Holiday Phone which would be the same price as unlocking, Decent SatNav App and SIM.
Buying a phone is not really an option, I can just as well rent the GPS unit then
When I take my phone, I can only use AT&T and T-Mobile since Verizon and Virgin are using non-GSM systems which are not compatible with Europe's systems.

I surely will unlock my phone since I want our relatives to be able to call me in the US just in case. So that's why I was thinking to go all the way and use it for SatNav as well. We'll also be using the phone to play music at the reception (in between entertainment)... with an amplifier obviously

Thanks again
Marcel

[Mrious_be]

I might have found some info

The website USASims shows some options and what can be included... pretty much what I need
Just giving it a glance makes me feel the cost of getting a SIM for Satnav is getting just as expensive as actually renting a GPS unit so I think I'll go that way.


Thanks guys

[Mrious_be]

Hi again,

So I still went to dig a little deeper and at least I have a good view on the rates for both T-Mobile and AT&T.
Just in case when anyone was interested, here's the choice between both (click on the links to take you to the PAYG section).

AT&T:
$25 a Month + Data Package $25 for 500 MB = $50.00 and I assume you need to top-up once this 500 MB is finished.
- Benefit: If I can do with 500MB it would be cheaper then T-Mobile;
- Downside: If not, it will be more expensive.

T-Mobile:
$2 a day for unlimited 2G speed (= $60.00 for month).
- Benefit: It's unlimited.
- Downside: It's more expensive then AT&T.

Obviously, both of the above will be 2G, so the speed for me won't be too good but according to T-Mobile it should be good for Directions (which is NOT the same as Navigation but might still be good enough for me, as long I have coverage).

Now... If anyone has any experience using data for Navigation or Directions, I would love to hear if 500Mb is enough for let's say a 14 day trip, 6 hours/day driving.
It will be my next Quest.

And if Al is reading... 1 Month and a half and we'll be in Oahu!

Thanks

[Mrious_be]

Woohooo, we're getting somewhere!

According to this Forum (don't worry, I'm not a member there, just found it with Googling)
Although never really going into the data usage for A-GPS, it does give some helpful information actually.
1) Google Maps ONLY downloads the maps/route you need to get to your destination when requesting so, OR when you do a detour and it will need additional information;
2) Data Usage for those maps do not seem to be that big of a chunk;
3) They suggest to deactivate 2G/3G data streaming once the map is loaded in order not to get more data usage (just in case), although that takes a longer time to connect to GPS satellites then);
4) Best thing they mentioned is to calculate your route using Wi-Fi, once the route is calculated deactivate Wi-Fi and go.

So I'm starting to feel comfortable with the AT&T 500 MB data plan.

Now the question is... does US really have a lot of free Wi-Fi hotspots?
Airports, McDonalds, Hotels, Train Stations... any thoughts?

Thanks again
M

[daryl66]

QUOTE(Mrious_be @ Mar 19 2012, 10:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now the question is... does US really have a lot of free Wi-Fi hotspots?
Airports, McDonalds, Hotels, Train Stations... any thoughts?

Thanks again
M

Cannot speak to train stations or McDonalds, however, B (read traveling wife) has discovered that all of the airports seem to have Wi-FI  however some of them have a daily charge usually about 10 bucks, the trend seems to be more and more are offering it free.   Hotels.  Same story, in your room WI-FI. The ones that charge seem to he the higher end types. ie: Crown Plaza, Four Seasons etc. You can normally find out by checking their web pages. Those that charge usually have a "business center" where the WI-FI can be accessed free.  ( Emphasis on USUALLY) The Not so "high end" folks seem more likely to be free and use it as a completive tool.

HTH

Daryl