Also, some carriers will give you "unlimited" data for the phone and limited data for tethering. That is still a different situation.
Ballcocks, you can tether any device to any phone if you know how.
Unless the situation is very different in the US your carrier cant physically stop you doing it. A lot of the mobile/cell carriers over here (including my own) say the same thing and they dont like it but I tether my GPS via BT and on occasion if Im out and about my iPad via a WiFi tether.
The biggest issue is running out of data allowance
That said I've got a dual sim phone running 2 SIMs from different carriers and I swap my Datat between my work & personal SIMs
Well, back to the simple version: smartphone, unlimited data (per the purchased plan) and tying it to a computer.
If one has an Iphone, with a contract with, say, Verizon for unlimited data service, cannot that phone be connected to anything via WiFi, and one of those, or the only device, be a computer and so.... a cellular 'Net connection? With unlimited data, for a <reasonable> monthly fee?
And if so, how would the bandwidth of the cellular link be regarding speed? I realize this is a very variable situation, depending on where the cell phone is, how many others are using it and so forth but again, would this provide a viable system for high- speed (compared with dial- up here, not the 300 MBps I have with a wire from the dreaded COX of course) for those who cannot or will not get hard- line, connected, 'Net service?
And if not, what would be the failure point (given the conditions I already listed: unlimited data plan and one computer)?
My wife has a cellular data link (I do not know the correct term) that is just that- a data link, that connects to a computer via USB; she is required to have it with her for work due to regulatory agencies.... long story. It works OK, ranging from reasonable to terrible but never great, and the data is absolutely NOT unlimited but sold in blocks ,and fairly expensive. It would be prohibitively expensive for anyone who uses a computer a fair amount every day. So I know they are available and not viable but again, I am talking about a package that is meant to be used with a smart phone, not a generic digital link.
Brian
Possibly the easiest way to answer that is.
From time to time (especially If I'm out & abut but technically working) I set my phone up as a wifi hotspot and connect my works laptop up to it then access the company systems via VPN.
The below is a snapshot of the typical speeds I get from my mobile connection.
Occasionally it's a little lower, sometimes higher but its more than enough bandwidth for what I need to do (which includes using Skype for Business for voice calls over the data connection)
For reference a TV over IP service (such as the one my company provides) typically requires a minimum of 4mb for good service although I have had it working reasonably well at just over 2mb
Well, back to the simple version: smartphone, unlimited data (per the purchased plan) and tying it to a computer.
If one has an Iphone, with a contract with, say, Verizon for unlimited data service, cannot that phone be connected to anything via WiFi, and one of those, or the only device, be a computer and so.... a cellular 'Net connection? With unlimited data, for a <reasonable> monthly fee?
And if so, how would the bandwidth of the cellular link be regarding speed?
Not without violating your terms of service, no.
I kinda already answered that, above. It depends on lots of factors, it can be anywhere from very slow to extremely fast.
From time to time (especially If I'm out & abut but technically working) I set my phone up as a wifi hotspot and connect my works laptop up to it then access the company systems via VPN.
Yeah well, that's me: a violator. <looks to the left, looks to the right> Let me tell ya' Max, back in the olden' days, I used to connect <looks again, both ways> TWO televisions AND a VCR to the cable coming into my house. And that was strictly Verboten! I am just a wild man like I tells' ya'.
Which is perfectly allowed under most plans. But no plan in the USA on ANY CARRIER (and probably there either) allows that to be done on an "unlimited" data plan AND pull from the "unlimited" high-speed data pool (it is usually a separate, capped, data pool). Which means you will hit caps.
Now, there are technical ways around it so it CAN be done, which requires unlocking the phone, rooting the phone with nefarious tools, installing special utilities. Doing so could then enable wifi hotspot access to your "unlimited" data pool- which will violate your terms of service (the contract you signed with your provider). And they can and do catch people. It is not necessarily criminal, just civil. So they could just warn you, they could terminate your service, they could ban you, they could damage your credit rating, and they could also sue you for lost revenue (I doubt that is ever done, though).
On MY T-Mobile plan, I have a older (grandfathered in) 6GB plan. So they don't care how I use the data because it is not "unlimited." Tethering from that pool works great, is very fast, and is built right into the phone- it is one, shared, high-speed data pool. But their standard "unlimited" phone plan includes only very slow, 3G tethering (wifi-hotspot). If you pay $10 more a month, you can then retain the "unlimited" high-speed data on the phone and also add 10GB of high-speed tethering (wifi-hotspot) and after 10GB, it drops to very slow 3G data speeds for tethering. And when I say slow, I mean SLOW.... like only a little faster than the fastest dialup modem speeds.
Verizon calls their main phone plan "unlimited" and then clearly indicate after 22GB it will drop to the "lowest priority speed." But they include 10GB of high-speed tethering data which after 10GB drops all tethering to 2G speed (which is like having no data at all). Want to use just tethering data with a dedicated hotspot? Sure thing! They have a plan for that device which is $110 for 20GB (for example). If you are trying to replace a home cable modem and have multiple users and stream HD video regularly and such... you are probably using WAY more than 20GB. But not to worry, they have a 50GB plan for $335 a month!
Sprint/AT&T are much the same.
You cannot get unlimited high-speed cellular data (LTE/4G) without breaking your terms of service (which is like service theft). At least not in the USA (which is what I am most familiar with) and I speculate it is the same for every carrier in the world.
If I activate a Wifi Hotspot on my phone and connect to anything in the outside world I appear as though I am coming from the same IP address as my phone so therefore the data is all coming out of the same pot.
Of course this works on the presumption you live in a free world where you can do what you want with your devices without your provider tying one of your hands to your ankle
That said my phone (the works supplied Motorola G4 Plus) is completely stock & non rooted. I just use the built in android functionality
Admittedly the speeds are a little slower than on my Works SIM (4g) but still more than usable on the road if I do need to use it
Yeah well, that's me: a violator. <looks to the left, looks to the right> Let me tell ya' Max, back in the olden' days, I used to connect <looks again, both ways> TWO televisions AND a VCR to the cable coming into my house. And that was strictly Verboten! I am just a wild man like I tells' ya'.
Reminds me of a funny story I will post in the thread about nothing at all....
Brian
That is your phone... not most phones here
And there you have it! Carriers here are quite, shall we say, "controlling"
I have a Nexus 5- it doesn't get much more stock and vanilla.... I believe the stock Android tether application has concessions (spyware if you like) for the carriers so it would be approved to ride on their network.
Again, I am not arguing it can't be done. It *can* be done. It takes effort here to make it work. But when all is done, you are still breaking the terms of your agreement. I am just trying to make that clear to everyone so it isn't a surprise. I don't know all tools at the carriers' disposal, but they do catch people. Some of the tools I know about are monitoring data usage totals, and patterns, and examining browser ident strings. I doubt they spend much effort enforcing it on the people who are just using a few GB more than their tether plan allows.
There isn't as much push for people to mod their phones for breaking tethering restrictions anymore- the main reason is that in the past, there were no "unlimited" data plans, but the carriers were assholes and STILL locked things down and didn't let people tether. That made no sense at all, since it was already a limited plan. Most people weren't trying to run a whole house every day (nor would they have enough data to do so) but wanted to occasionally use their laptop or tablet on the go with the data they paid for. Eventually the carriers caved and allow that tethering. When the "unlimited" plans started, most of the carriers had already learned the lesson, so they included the ability to tether a LIMITED amount of high-speed data for occasional use. That seems to satisfy the vast majority of people who even want/need to tether.
What makes me crazy and annoyed.
Wearing a new helmet INSIDE waiting to see if it causes pain because if I "ride" with it, I can't return it. It is a new experience posting on the computer, vacuuming, paying bills, and watching television WITH A HELMET ON. The cats are rather confused, too.
Did that myself once in a store, wore it for as long as I could and finally bought it. It was a Nolan, on sale, and not returnable: turned out that it put undue pressure on the sides of my head and I could not wear it for more than 20 minutes or so. And of course I was in Tacoma, WA, when I bought it :-( So I left it and had my son ship it to my house while I wore my old helmet on the ride home.
Eventually sold it for almost what I paid for it so all was fine but I think it took 2 or 3 years.
One of the things that kinda sux about long rides on a motorcycle is that we usually do not find out what works or does not work until we try it, and then only after several hours usually. A saddle may feel great for an hour but may make you hate it after three hours. Outfitting a motorcycle so all parts work together to allow hours of time in the saddle is expensive and can take a long time and a lot of effort.
Brian
Being on a long motorcycle ride finding and finding out that your helmet/seat/handle bar risers/hwy pegs/<enter something here> is still infinitely better than being in the office on the best day. But have found that almost any helmet that feels ok at first, but then has pressure points, will again feel ok after wearing it enough. Within some tolerance, it will take on the shape of your head. The question is how much pain before it does.