Catch-22 - How to determine usage when on unlimited plan?

[jtara]

Here's a Catch-22, and yet another anti-consumer move on the part of ATT.

How do you determine your data usage if you are on the "unlimited" plan?

If you are on the current 250MB plan, it shows your usage in your Cellular Data Account page under Cellular Data in Settings. It will show how much you have used and how much is remaining.

However, if you are on the "unlimited" plan, it only shows the number of days remaining.

This makes it impossible to gauge whether or not the plan is appropriate to your needs.

Is there some way to determine how much data you have used? (And ONLY cellular data - not WiFi usage.)

Is this yet another reason for class action?

Who does this? ATT, that's who!

 

[gillybean]

Err.. under "Settings > General > Usage", that value shows your cellular data usage.

 

[jtara]

OK, got my own answer. It's under "general". It's a pain in the butt, though, because you have to remember to reset it when your plan renews. Otherwise, it will just show the total data usage. This still should be in the Data Plan information so that you don't have to go through the hassle of resetting, and there should be some historical stats available, as there is for iPhone.

One thing's for sure - the 200MB plan is going to useless to just about anyone. I just opened USA Today and the Cool Hunting app, viewed one story on USA Today about the oil spill.

2.8 MB.

I can see LIGHT browsing eating-up 50MB/day. That's 1.5 GB/month.

One difference vs. iPhone is that on iPhone you are often getting "light" home pages designed for iPhone - at least on popular sites. Few sites have yet to optimize for iPad, and when they do, they haven't (at least as of yet) been emphasizing reduced bandwidth.

Of course, I'll be leaving WiFi OFF, as will probably most people activating the plan to be grandfathered, so that I can determine how much usage is typical. As an unintended consequence, ATT will be getting a stress-test of their network when they least need the bad publicity.

FWIW, 3G seems pretty good in my neighborhood. Speed Test gives me 1274 kbps down/192 kbps up. That's as good as some low-end DSL connections. Not up to par with my 18000 down/6000 up from Cox, but seems more than adequate for browsing - no noticible delay for me.

 

[iBookG4user]

It should show how much data you have used on your ATT account page.

 

[Hammie]

I wish there was a way to let me link my iPad cell number to my master AT&T online account.

 

[jtara]

It should show how much data you have used on your ATT account page.

ATT account page? What's that? Is there somewhere on the web where I can log-in to view this?

This is in no way tied to any ATT account you may already have for iPhone or other cell phones. It's a seperate account.

I just tried logging-in to ATT's "my account" page (a link to which does does appear at "att.com/iPad") but was unsuccessful using either the email address tied to the account or the cellular data number assigned to the iPad.

Maybe it takes a while for the ATT website to get the info? I just activated my account this morning. Try again tomorrow?

I'm more and more convinced that the reason ATT employees can't take vacations this month is because of this messy stunt they knew they were going to pull, NOT because of the new iPhone.

I wouldn't care as much how much I'm using if it weren't for the new plans and the multiple ambiguous statements they've made. Now they are going to need to get some reasonable usage tracking in place which doesn't seem to be there yet.

Yet one more cause for class action - people who purchased unlimited data plans that they don't need right now, because of the FUD that ATT has created. If they wind-up grandfathering everyone who purchased before the 7th at any time that they activate, then my activation was unnecessary. But there is so much uncertainty, that the safe course, if you think you MIGHT need unlimited, is to get it as a precaution.

ATT is now selling protection from fear, uncertainty and doubt. And probably making a bundle from it.

 

[Gav2k]

Remember if your using the ipad settings page as a guide you need to add sent and received to get your total.