Use iPhone 5 As Exclusive Internet Access?

I'm a dummy, so you'll have to bear with me. I barely know how to frame this question, but here goes:

Can I get rid of my Spectrum Cable Internet Service ($69.99/mo.), and use my iPhone 5 as a Personal Hotspot instead?

1) I currently have a limited data plan. I would have to contact Verizon and find out if an unlimited plan would be cheaper than $69.99/mo.

2) I have done a few rudimentary tests. Using the iPhone as a base station appears to allow me to view youtube videos normally and visit the sites that I want to visit. I haven't tried to watch a movie this way yet.

3) Security: What should I be worried about?

4) Any advice is welcome.

Basically, my question is: I'm sick of cable. Can I get rid of cable and use my iPhone in its place?

Thanks.


P.S. I am accessing Mac Forums using my iPhone 5 as a Personal Base Station right now.

I have no idea what Verizon would charge you for an unlimited data plan and also include the hotspot at the same time. However, comparing prices for data plans I have always found Verizon to be the highest among all the carriers. I have personally been thru all the carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and now T-Mobile. I finally settled on T-Mobile because they have the best prices for unlimited data, text messages, and hotspot.

Here in Texas (Dallas - Fort Worth) Spectrum has some very good plans that include internet, TV, and VOIP phone service starting at $39.99/month and will guaranty 100Mbs up and down. I'm sure you can get the same thing in LA?

The quick answer is "yes, you can." But the better answer is "you may not want to." The iPhone certainly CAN serve as a hot spot, but I don't think any of the "unlimited" plans now offered are really unlimited. All of the carriers start to throttle speeds for the heaviest of users at some point. If you plan to ditch cable and stream TV/Movies/whatever, you could hit that threshold pretty quickly and find that the throttling causes lots of stops and starts in the video because of buffering. Also, I don't know about your location, but where I live the cell signal inside my home is pretty poor. In fact, I use Verizons WiFi calling to be able to get calls on my iPhone. So, while it is possible to use the iPhone for internet access, it may not be the better solution (and will have some serious down sides if you do). So, before you pull the trigger on that, you will need to check with Verizon on the pricing of unlimited service, make sure that unlimited is really unlimited (no throttling) and that your signal strength is sufficient to handle the workload. And maybe try to watch one movie to see if buffering kicks in.

Frankly, it might be better to see if there is an internet-only option from some vendor in your area. In my area, for example, Comcast does offer internet-only connectivity at various prices depending on the speed of the line. It's much less expensive than the full cable service.

Will the advent of 5G make it possible to use an iPhone hot spot in place of a cable service? Or will the telecoms throttle speeds on that, too?

By the way, my current cable derive is internet-only.

No way to know for sure if they will throttle 5G connections but my instinct says yes. There has been a pattern in that industry, whether deliberate or otherwise. of offering some new feature that everyone wants with the catch that it gets threottled back for heavy use.

One thing that might help you make a decision about cutting the cable enitrly. If your cable provider has a page on their site that lets you track the amount of data used per month look at the trnds there. Use the internet for a month or so in roughly the same way you would over cell service (stram similar things etc). After a period of time mimicing how you think you would normally check your data use. Some providers even show previos months useage on the bill.

Once you have a good idea how much data is used in a month you'll have a better idea what to tell the cell provider about how much data you will need. One other thing to watch out for when discussing data plans: Some plans limit the amount of data that can be run throuugh a personal hotspot. I think that is to make sure that you have a data plan for each device.

And when 5G comes along, there is probably not going to be a way to use it to full advantage on that iPhone. The 5 is pretty old, technology-wise.

MacInWin said:

And when 5G comes along, there is probably not going to be a way to use it to full advantage on that iPhone. The 5 is pretty old, technology-wise.

Click to expand...

You're probably right. The upside is it gives Marrk the perfect excuse to buy a new phone.

Slydude said:

You're probably right. The upside is it gives Marrk the perfect excuse to buy a new phone.

Click to expand...

That really does have to happen. It's overdue.

But 5G phones won't be out until 5G is out, so it could be bit of a wait for that technology.

What about security? Is using my Phone as a hot spot about as secure as using my Airport for WiFi? I believe my iPhone has a WEB2 protected password.

Security is about the same except that in addition to the WiFi signals, you are also going to be using cellular signals, which can also be intercepted. If you go this route, I would suggest you use a good VPN for security on both.