Except tethering is laggy and not as convenient
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All iPads what are some of the reasons for buying iPads with cellular data capability?
- Thread starter beerseagulls
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Overall, yes, using a cellular hotspot may be sub-optimal. Or it may be all that someone really needs.
It depends on conditions, on how much data you need, and how often you need it.
A hotspot creates a wifi connection between iPhone and iPad. That isn't likely to add much or any noticeable lag, any more than it creates lag when you connect to a dedicated wifi network like your home or office router.
The quality of your cellular connection is a factor, but if you're in a bad location for cellular then it doesn't matter much whether you're accessing it through the iPhone or directly from the iPad.
Sharing a single cellular data connection with multiple devices is certainly a factor. If both devices require significant amounts of data at the same time, that can cause performance issues.
The question comes down to how necessary is it to have a dedicated cellular connection? How often is it needed? Is the added monthly cost for a dedicated connection justifiable compared to that need? Is the slightly greater inconvenience of using a hotspot a burden or a way of saving money?
People ask the same question about whether to get a cellular connection with Apple Watch. It will always depend on the individual's circumstances.
Caveat, while tethering doesn't add noticeable lag in and of itself, carriers sometimes throttle hotspot data but not direct connection.
Yes, there is a point if you want GPS-based location on the iPad.
Everyone has their phone. Pair it to your phone. Save the money. I can’t understand why anyone would pay extra for this.
I had cellular on my last two iPadPro’s but opted out for my current iPadPro 4th gen. I used cellular on the other devices very infrequently and decided I didn’t need the feature and the ongoing subscription expense from the carrier. Now, like others here, when I want to connect the iPadPro away from a WiFi signal I use my iPhone’s hotspot feature. Works fine.
Read all of the posts. I want GPS. No cellular, no GPS. Simple.
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You guys not have share plans? I have 4 iPads on my plan that share 50gb of high speed data for no extra charge per month
Data sharing is only one component of carrier costs. AT&T anyway charges a fee plus applicable taxes and fees for any cellular service amounting to about $20/month for an iPad added to our cellular account with 2 iPhones and another iPadAir with cellular service. Not needed in my case.
Convenience and redundancies of having a different 5G network providing data other than your iPhone's 5G network.
So have AT&T on your iPhone then T-Mobile in your iPad Pro. So when signal is bad/gone on your iPad Pro you can teather to your iPhone and vice versa. This is one of the premises of a dual SIM iPhone.
So have AT&T on your iPhone then T-Mobile in your iPad Pro. So when signal is bad/gone on your iPad Pro you can teather to your iPhone and vice versa. This is one of the premises of a dual SIM iPhone.
I replaced pen an paper for my dance school with iPad pro and pencil. My Word documents are all synced with dropbox so my iPad has to be connected whenever I need it and where I teach there is no free wifi (and in summer I teach in a park, no wifi either).
For travels, if you have an Android phone and an iPad like me, tethering is hit and miss. Much more reliable Android to Android or to Windows. And even when you do Android to Windows for instance, if signal is low you may have internet on your phone but not you your laptop (happens to me regularly on planes before takeoff and landing, phone has weak 3G/4G, enough for whatsapp messages, but not enough to give Internet to a laptop... connects but no internet).
For travels, if you have an Android phone and an iPad like me, tethering is hit and miss. Much more reliable Android to Android or to Windows. And even when you do Android to Windows for instance, if signal is low you may have internet on your phone but not you your laptop (happens to me regularly on planes before takeoff and landing, phone has weak 3G/4G, enough for whatsapp messages, but not enough to give Internet to a laptop... connects but no internet).
I’m in Canada with Telus, we pay no extra fees to have any data devices added to our plan. Obviously that’s specific to my plan I got, most other carriers here charge $10 a month per device.
Just surprised the states doesn’t have a better deal
I think most people underestimate this.
An iPhone hotspot offers at most around 100Mbps, even with a 5G connection. The ad-hoc Wi-Fi network also adds latency.
I'd actually be super happy with 100 Mbps. Peak hours, I get maybe 1-2 Mbps on LTE and 10-15 Mbps on 5G.
I'd kill my phone battery if I do this. I have an iPhone SE 2020 (small size + LCD) because OLED iPhones give me migraines. Plus I use the iPad as 5G hotspot (with gigantic battery) for the laptop.
That's pretty disappointing. Is that after the tethering overhead? Or measured from the iPhone?
- I don’t have an iPhone.
- I don’t have an unlimited data plan.
- I have Verizon cell phones but AT&T has better signal at our camp, where we have no electricity (unless we run a generator) so no wifi.
- It is cheaper for me to pay $35/month each for AT&T cell service on two iPads than it would be for me to get an unlimited Verizon plan and add the iPads to it. I pay less than $160/month for 2 phones, one cellular trail camera, and two iPads. It would be a good bit more to have everything on Verizon and having Verizon phone and AT&T iPads gives me options.
Native/on-device speed tests.
2020 iPhone SE for LTE.
2021 iPP 12.9 with built-in cellular for 5G.
I just tested my 2021 12.9 tethered to my iPhone 12 Pro Max on T-Mobile 5G (Seattle) and got 485Mb/sec on the 12.9. iPhone running at around 535Mb/sec.
I like the convenience of having an option if Wifi isn't available or is too slow. I use about 100 GB per month on my T-Mobile $10 plan for my iPad, primarily reading Apple News. I tried tethering, but it got glacially slow. Turns out the T-Mobile has a cap on high-speed tethering. They increased the cap but by then I had a 5G iPad so it was no longer needed. Don't need the hassle.
My use case for one of the iPads use is very specific, but I talked my employer into getting me a new this year base iPad but with lte. I work on cars and also have to do inspections on cars out in the parking lot, sometimes a 100 yards or so away from Wi-Fi. They upgraded the router to go that far, and it does usually if it’s summer and the shop doors are up. But when the shop doors are down no Wi-Fi flow. I did tether to my iPhone for some, but as some
Have mentioned it can be laggy and isn’t always a constant stream of data, it seems to cut out sometimes which can cause these large forms I deal with that have 15 pictures or so each per car to fail to upload, the I have to start over as that form would crash and lose all its info.
So that’s my reason for the lte version.
I also have a 2018 12.9 Wi-Fi that’s my personal device, I use it in the shop for 99% of my computing with Microsoft RD app linking into the company’s computer program we run, as well as all my other computer work tasks and with the strong Wi-Fi, does great in there and at home.
While traveling with it I have not had issues with tethering to my phones hotspot I believe because the DL speeds are better than what I was trying to do at work which are huge upload tasks.
Brad
Have mentioned it can be laggy and isn’t always a constant stream of data, it seems to cut out sometimes which can cause these large forms I deal with that have 15 pictures or so each per car to fail to upload, the I have to start over as that form would crash and lose all its info.
So that’s my reason for the lte version.
I also have a 2018 12.9 Wi-Fi that’s my personal device, I use it in the shop for 99% of my computing with Microsoft RD app linking into the company’s computer program we run, as well as all my other computer work tasks and with the strong Wi-Fi, does great in there and at home.
While traveling with it I have not had issues with tethering to my phones hotspot I believe because the DL speeds are better than what I was trying to do at work which are huge upload tasks.
Brad
I know this is a different animal all together, but I have Tmobile home internet with one of their 5G routers. We regularly pull 2-300gbps connections on multiple devices, 7 or 8 at a time with no noticeable lag. Includes my son who often games simultaneously on Xbox, laptop and watches internet TV.
PS I do agree, even with 5G iPhone if I try to tether to my phone, it is much laggier than my cellular iPad even though it is only 4G LTE.
Meh . . like I stated before, to each his own. For me it's just another $10/mo with my corporate discount to get an unlimited plan for an iPad on my Verizon account so I just do it and I don't fret over the extra cost since it adds the convenience of not having the device dependent upon any other or having to connect to any WiFi networks other than my own. I'm sure we all can pick on something we perceive as wasteful behavior in someone else . . . spending $10/mo for an iPad data plan is not the only thing I "waste" money on in my life LOL.
Well for me we have tmobile UC and Verizon UW so it’s a delight to use and tether. We have 100 gb plans on T-Mobile and 100 - 150 gb on Verizon we use with caution lol luckily we also have unlimited on sprint. And last and least is spectrum.