Spectrum wants to raise my hangar internet to $89.99 / month.

I make very light use of the internet there, maybe six hours / week at most, probably less. No real need for high speed, no streaming video, no music listening, mainly access to QuickBooks data file kept in iCloud, some email, some text, and very small amount of internet browsing. Definitely not worth ninety bucks / month, so I want to tell Spectrum to put it where the sun don't shine.

Straight Talk offeres "Home Internet" riding in the Verizon network, which gives me good reception at that location. The connecting device with router and wifi is a one-time purchase at $99, and no-contract service plan is $45 / month with download speeds of 20 to 100 GB, which more than meets my needs.

Has anybody used this Straight Talk service? If so, how died it work out for you

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Verizon advertises home internet starting at $35 / month, but "Check Availability" on the Verizon website indicates that this service is not available yet at my addrss. I added my email address to their "please notify me" list.

Looks like about the same quoted speeds as my current Spectrum plan, for about the same price.
Spectrum is about my only option at home, as ATT copper is nearly double the price for slower speed. No fiber option available.

Looked at TMobile but their speeds were a lot slower than our current Spectrum plan.

On the StraightTalk, I only get a 'Refill' option, no ability to get any kind of new service option. Looks like you have to already have ST service to qualify?

Also consider Tello. Something like $26 per month IIRC for more data than it sounds like you need.

I took an old phone, got a Tello sim card and used hotspot mode. Worked great for my laptops.

might depend on how good the LTE or 5G coverage is at your hanger for T-Moblie, which is being used by Tello. This is the greatest factor IMHO.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

Looked at TMobile but their speeds were a lot slower than our current Spectrum plan.

On the StraightTalk, I only get a 'Refill' option, no ability to get any kind of new service option. Looks like you have to already have ST service to qualify?

Did you look here? https://www.straighttalk.com/devices/home-internet

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
Also consider Tello. Something like $26 per month IIRC for more data than it sounds like you need.

I took an old phone, got a Tello sim card and used hotspot mode. Worked great for my laptops.

might depend on how good the LTE or 5G coverage is at your hanger for T-Moblie, which is being used by Tello.

Hotspot from phone will work, but it is a clumsy pain in the anatomy. I really need something that acts like a modem (like DSL modem or cable internet modem) and connects to my router / LAN via ethernet. I forgot to mention that I have security cameras that need a 24 / 7 connection. In normal conditions (normal, as in no unauthorized entry to hangar), there is zero traffic from these, but the internet connection needs to be "hot" at all times.

There is also a fire alarm monitoring system, mandated by the City for all hangars at the airport, that does a simple handshake once every second. Again, minimal data, but needs an always-on "hot" connection,

You mentioned T-Mobile network for Tello -- that, along with AT&T, is a no go. Coverage with those carriers stinks at th3 airport; Verizon is the only reliable network at my location there.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

Looked at TMobile but their speeds were a lot slower than our current Spectrum plan.

On the StraightTalk, I only get a 'Refill' option, no ability to get any kind of new service option. Looks like you have to already have ST service to qualify?

Did you look here? https://www.straighttalk.com/devices/home-internet

Thanks, I was just looking at plans, not devices.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Spectrum wants to raise my hangar internet to $89.99 / month.

For straight Internet, I'm guessing the most economical plan available, and given the hanger is certainly on space zoned commercial, this might be Business Class service?

If not: You can probably safely disregard the following.

If it is Business Class service be aware that, if Spectrum is like Comcast in this respect: While you probably don't have an SLA (Service Level Agreement), like real business class Internet service would have, their Business Class "best effort" is probably a good bit better than residential Internet service "best effort."

E.g.: If I have a service outage, Comcast will roll a truck, if necessary, within hours or less, 365 days a year. Residential? Essentially: When they get around to it.

(I verified that, one time, talking to a Comcast Business Class tech during a truck roll for something-or-other. "Yup. I was dispatched last Christmas for an outage not far from you. Your neighbors are lucky. They benefit from you being on Business Class.")

Now, you say...

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
... I have security cameras that need a 24 / 7 connection. In normal conditions (normal, as in no unauthorized entry to hangar), there is zero traffic from these, but the internet connection needs to be "hot" at all times.

There is also a fire alarm monitoring system, mandated by the City for all hangars at the airport, that does a simple handshake once every second. Again, minimal data, but needs an always-on "hot" connection, ...

That fire alarm monitoring system: You might want to check with the company that monitors it, and possibly your insurer, before making the change you're considering.

Haven't used Straight Talk, wonder if you could move your phones to the plan and save more?

Is there a return policy on the router, If so have them ship one, turn it on and see how it works for 30 days and if you don't have the coverage, send it back and cancel.

Keep your current service active until you validate Straight Talk works without down time.

Also check ATT have they run fiber out there yet? If so you can get a decent plan with high speed connection though them.

IF you have Spectrum tell them you want to cancel and move to ATT/Straight Talk etc and they may reduce the price to match...

What did Verizon say

https://www.verizon.com/home/internet/