data usage question

[teamjnz]

Hello,

I have an older Palm Pre2 and I am looking at getting the Lapdock and Bionic phone. Verizon won't honor my old plan that I have with the palm pre2 if I upgrade to a new phone. I have to change plans and get charged for mobile hotspot. If I buy a phone out right and can stay on my old plan, month to month and still have "unlimited" mobile hotspot.

If I were to get the a Driod Bionic and lapdock then cruz the net does this get noticed as tethered or still just to the phone?

Thanks
teamjnz

 

[wildkitten]

From my understanding, Verizon has ended the grandfathering of unlimited data plans because they intend to do away with all of them.

Verizon will kill 'grandfathered' unlimited data plans, push users to data share - FierceWireless

Now supposedly if you don't get a subsidized phone, from Verizon, you can still keep unlimited. Now, if you are on an unlimited data contract, Verizon can charge you for the mobile hotspot, however, if you change your plan that would mean you have to go to a capped data plan and they are not allowed to charge you for mobile hotspot.

Let my Wi-Fi go: FCC rules Verizon can't charge for Wi-Fi tethering | ZDNet

But if you use the lapdock, that should not count as tethering because the lapdock isn't accessing internet through the phone's wifi, you are still on the phone itself, just using a a connected larger screen and keyboard.

 

[doogald]

I believe that Verizon requires that anybody moving from a 3G phone to a LTE device change to the new shared data plans. I'd call them first to make sure that you can activate the Bionic on your month-to-month contract without having to change the data plan to a shared data plan (i.e., lose the unlimited data with free hotspot.)

 

[Satires]

From my understanding, Verizon has ended the grandfathering of unlimited data plans because they intend to do away with all of them.

Verizon will kill 'grandfathered' unlimited data plans, push users to data share - FierceWireless

Now supposedly if you don't get a subsidized phone, from Verizon, you can still keep unlimited. Now, if you are on an unlimited data contract, Verizon can charge you for the mobile hotspot, however, if you change your plan that would mean you have to go to a capped data plan and they are not allowed to charge you for mobile hotspot.

Let my Wi-Fi go: FCC rules Verizon can't charge for Wi-Fi tethering | ZDNet

But if you use the lapdock, that should not count as tethering because the lapdock isn't accessing internet through the phone's wifi, you are still on the phone itself, just using a a connected larger screen and keyboard.

Good answer! I hadn't heard about that ruling. It's a good thing that people who have tiered/shared data plans should be able to tether without restriction.

 

[Satires]

I believe that Verizon requires that anybody moving from a 3G phone to a LTE device change to the new shared data plans. I'd call them first to make sure that you can activate the Bionic on your month-to-month contract without having to change the data plan to a shared data plan (i.e., lose the unlimited data with free hotspot.)

I agree, he should check. But I also believe that is a myth. Unless something changed recently I don't know about.

 

[Satires]

Hello,

I have an older Palm Pre2 and I am looking at getting the Lapdock and Bionic phone. Verizon won't honor my old plan that I have with the palm pre2 if I upgrade to a new phone. I have to change plans and get charged for mobile hotspot. If I buy a phone out right and can stay on my old plan, month to month and still have "unlimited" mobile hotspot.

If I were to get the a Driod Bionic and lapdock then cruz the net does this get noticed as tethered or still just to the phone?

Thanks
teamjnz

I thought Verizon was not offering Bionics anymore.

Sounds to me like you will have to buy everything used on ebay.

If you do buy a bionic used on ebay, get from a top rated seller with a 30 day guarantee! Then use the hell out of that phone during the next 30 days to make sure everything and every function works properly. I don't see Verizon giving you issues and I believe you can keep your unlimited.

If you've never experienced webtop, I think it would be a good idea to find one with gingerbread, if you don't like gingerbread and the webtop that comes with it, you can always upgrade to ice cream sandwich.

Before updating, I would suggest you play around with ics webtop at verizon as webtop in ics is totally different than with gingerbread.

 

[wildkitten]

Good answer! I hadn't heard about that ruling. It's a good thing that people who have tiered/shared data plans should be able to tether without restriction.

That was always a pet peeve of mine when I first got my Bionic. I never had an unlimited plan because I just had multimedia/feature phones before my Bionic so never needed a data plan. The most I do for tethering is check my email on my laptop maybe a couple of times a week and I found it ridiculous VZW wanted to charge $20 a month for doing nothing when I had already purchased a phone that had the hotspot ability in it and was already paying for 4GB of data a month. Just pure greed to charge me for how I want to use data I already paid for.

 

[Satires]

That was always a pet peeve of mine when I first got my Bionic. I never had an unlimited plan because I just had multimedia/feature phones before my Bionic so never needed a data plan. The most I do for tethering is check my email on my laptop maybe a couple of times a week and I found it ridiculous VZW wanted to charge $20 a month for doing nothing when I had already purchased a phone that had the hotspot ability in it and was already paying for 4GB of data a month. Just pure greed to charge me for how I want to use data I already paid for.

I agree with you 100%

On a side note, I'm rather glad that they didn't make the same ruling for unlimited data users even though I am unlimited. My Gawd, network abuse would sky rocket! Supposedly we're running out of bandwidth/spectrum and could start seeing the consequences as early as 2013/2014... We'll be in what the call a "Deficit". I don't know if it's true or if it can be fixed or not...

 

[teamjnz]

Thanks for all of the help!!!

Yes I will be buying used on Ebay and hopefully with the lapdock

I didn't think about calling VZ to see if I could change phones from 3g to 4G and them not having an issue with the month to month plan, old contract. I will be calling them again.

cheers
teamjnz

 

[Satires]

Thanks for all of the help!!!

Yes I will be buying used on Ebay and hopefully with the lapdock

I didn't think about calling VZ to see if I could change phones from 3g to 4G and them not having an issue with the month to month plan, old contract. I will be calling them again.

cheers
teamjnz

If you don't get the answer you want, don't settle for just one rep.

I really don't think it's going to be a problem.

 

[wildkitten]

Thanks for all of the help!!!

Yes I will be buying used on Ebay and hopefully with the lapdock

I didn't think about calling VZ to see if I could change phones from 3g to 4G and them not having an issue with the month to month plan, old contract. I will be calling them again.

cheers
teamjnz

Yeah that may be a big issue. Verizon really wants to end the unlimited plans altogether and get those grandfathered in off them.

[Update: Verizon Clarifies] Verizon Will End Unlimited Data Grandfathering If You Buy A 4G Phone From This Summer Onward
While current 4G phone owners with unlimited plans will be allowed to live out the duration of their remaining contracts with unlimited data, the next time you (or anyone on your plan, for that matter) upgrade your handset to anything with 4G LTE service, your unlimited goes bye-bye for good.

I have a feeling they will likely force this on you even though you purchase the phone elsewhere.

 

[Satires]

Yeah that may be a big issue. Verizon really wants to end the unlimited plans altogether and get those grandfathered in off them.

[Update: Verizon Clarifies] Verizon Will End Unlimited Data Grandfathering If You Buy A 4G Phone From This Summer Onward
While current 4G phone owners with unlimited plans will be allowed to live out the duration of their remaining contracts with unlimited data, the next time you (or anyone on your plan, for that matter) upgrade your handset to anything with 4G LTE service, your unlimited goes bye-bye for good.

I have a feeling they will likely force this on you even though you purchase the phone elsewhere.

I respectfully disagree...

The only thing that will take away your unlimited data plan is if you change the plan on your own or your phone number. If you buy a phone off of ebay, it shouldn't make a difference. The last time I was on the phone with verizon, that's how they put it to me. My account number is my account. It doesn't matter if I add or remove features, add a line or turn a line off. As long as I don't change my phone number, there is no way that will change my unlimited status. It doesn't even matter if I went to a 3g phone and back to 4g.

EDIT: Verizon just said it doesn't make a difference now if you change your phone number. Supposedly you can change your phone number and keep your unlimited data. I personally wouldn't want to take a chance on that. But all should be well buying a used phone and activating it.

 

[Satires]

Alright, I just called Verizon. They said if you ugrade your phone as an upgrade is when you will lose your unlimited. She went on to say basically what I said, it doesn't matter if you've been on a 3g device for the past few years and never had a 4g device, you can in fact buy a used 4g device and keep your unlimited data.

 

[wildkitten]

Alright, I just called Verizon. They said if you ugrade your phone as an upgrade is when you will lose your unlimited. She went on to say basically what I said, it doesn't matter if you've been on a 3g device for the past few years and never had a 4g device, you can in fact buy a used 4g device and keep your unlimited data.

Hopefully you're right, but given Verizon's recent history of being so anti-customer I have a feeling they will give him some hassle on it.

 

[Satires]

Hopefully you're right, but given Verizon's recent history of being so anti-customer I have a feeling they will give him some hassle on it.

I don't disagree with you that front. It's possible to get some brown noser or uninformed rep whom will lie just to get you to unknowingly switch plans.

If I was the OP and had a rep tell me I would lose my unlimited data plan, I would hang up and call again to get a different rep.

Then I would check my online account or the bulit in verizon app from time to time to make sure I was still on an unlimited satus.

I know what you mean though, I have heard stories of what's happened to others.