My GF lives in the country. She's never had home internet.
Her cable (TV) bill keeps going up.. She has a 'smart' TV, but it needs internet to work (with the 'smart' features). So I looked into affordable options for her.
I found that T Mobile actually has affordable mobile internet now!
I found that they have: 5 GB for $25 /mo.
Their cellular WiFi hotspot is a Frankin T9. They want $90 for it (or $4 for 24 months). But there are places online that sell them for $65. And used ones are going for $25+!
I bought a used one. I think a Sprint one will work (because it just recently merged with T Mobile), but I got a T Mobile one to be sure.
I was surprised that it's the size of a deck of cards. The battery is replaceable (you take out the batt to put in the SIM).
It says the battery is good for 8 hrs of use.
I charged it up and played with it. It shows the WiFi name and PW (with a cpl button taps).
You can change the WiFi name and PW. You can set up limited access connections. You can change the admin name and PW (I did).
Note: I found that a 12 sided dice works GREAT for creating a random PW! I used some of the #s, and some for letters (1=A, 2=B...)
I met her at a T Mobile store yesterday for her to get a SIM and a plan.
The SIM is $10. There is no activation fee (as it's a pre-paid plan).
Then... we found out that they JUST lowered the price of data! 5 GB is $20 / mo!
SWEET.
I RE-looked up their prices when I got home;
https://prepaid.t-mobile.com/prepaid-internet GB $ / mo
.5 5
2 10
5 20
10 30
30 40
100 50 (limited time offer)
This is all 5G too!
I'm going to her house today to setup the WiFi on her TV. And show her how to use Google Play store on her tablet.
Note 2: T mobile has kinda spotty coverage in some rural areas, so it's not for everyone.
Oh, and I'm going to put the charger for the hotspot on a timer she has for her Xmas lights.