Best option for iP4 and occasional data use

[graylocks]

friends of mine in chicago are being given a hand me down IP4. they are macbook pro, iPad, iPod Touch people who have a dumb phone between that they rarely feel they need to turn on. they spend a good deal of time at their lake house in southeastern michigan that has no internet access so when they are there they have to go into town and check email on the Pizza Hut's wifi. although they enjoy being off the internet grid they would like to have internet at the lake house directly.

they are well heeled so money is not an issue but they are circumspect with their resources and would prefer not to shell out regularly for a data plan they only need when at the lake house a number of times a year. the IP4 they are being given is ATT and ATT does list the lake house as being in their coverage area. what might be their best option for getting a data plan for this iPhone? i know from the forum there are a number of companies that use ATT's network - H2O, StraightTalk, T-Mobile, RedPocket, SimpleMobile - but can you shut off those services every once in a while without losing your assigned number? do these alternate providers have an option for tethering so they could also hook in the laptop, iPad and Touch?

[Speedy]

Go iPad and buy the data plan that suits them. Pay only for the months they want.

[dmann]

When you activate the iPhone you are forced into a data plan. It is an always on proposition and you have to pay every single month whether you use it or not. AT&T does not offer anything else for the iPhone.

If they go with the iPad as Speedy suggests, they can pick and choose when to use the data plan and they can turn it on and off on a monthly basis as needed.

DM

[graylocks]

hmmm. I forgot to ask if the iPad 2 they have is the 3G one. if it isn't perhaps they should consider trading up to a new one that does. then they could simply activate the ip4 on one of the off carriers for talk only and use the iPad for their limited occasional data needs.

[GGD]

What about some sort of Pay as you Go MiFi device, so they can use all of their current devices at the same time and just ignore the iPhone 4 or use it as an iPod Touch, since it might not be the best solution to their problem, and continue using the dumb phone for voice calls.

How good is the cell coverage from the different carriers at their lake house?

[graylocks]

GGD wrote:
How good is the cell coverage from the different carriers at their lake house?

they say that friends who visit have no problem with reception. i'll get them to ask those friends what provider(s) they use.

[sekker]

Ipad3 from Verizon can be used as a hotspot, might be an option if they have to upgrade.

[onthedownlow]

https://www.freedompop.com/

[graylocks]

onthedownlow wrote:
https://www.freedompop.com/

i checked on that already. Freedompop is not available at their lake house.

[space-time]

sekker wrote:
Ipad3 from Verizon can be used as a hotspot, might be an option if they have to upgrade.

besides the data plan, do you have to pay extra to enable the hotspot? or is that because they use LTE (similar to the iPhone 5 deal)