lenr
Indianapolis, IN
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Joined: 04/12/2008
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After 5 minutes of experience, it looks like the AT&T 100 Gig plan prepay for $55 works just fine with my Winegard Connect 2.0 4g. I had been running it on Verizon with 15 gigs for $20. My local AT&T store knew of the 100 gig plan but they were quite sure that it would not work with the Winegard since I couldn't bring it into the store for configuration. We also had a Catch 22 for a while when they refused to sell me a SIM since they couldn't have the device in hand. After my insistence that it would work they set up a new account (not previously an AT&T customer). I think they were surprised when I could provide an IMEI number from the sticker on my owner's manual (be sure to take your manual to the store.) Initial cost was $55 prepay, $15 activation, and $5 SIM card.
The next day I configured the Winegard:
1) Configured it to connect to my home WiFi.
2) Turned the power off.
3) Went to the RV Roof to remove the Verizon SIM and insert the AT&T SIM.
4) Turned the power back on.
5) Connected to Winegard with my tablet.
6) Logged in as admin.
7) Checked that Winegard was still connected to home WiFi.
8) Migrated to the Change Provider menu and changed to AT&T.
9) It will take a few seconds to download to the modem--click Continue and Proceed buttons as needed.
10) When the program configuration is done, migrated back to the Admin home page and select 4G/LTE instead of WiFi for the Winegard connection.
11) Wait for the switch, and then check your tablet of other device connect to make sure it is still connected to the Winegard (the Winegard will go dead while switching; then my tablet will switch to an alternate WiFi; then, the Admin page will complain that it can't connect, and the whole problem is I have to connect my table to Winegard again.)
I was very impressed that it configured quickly and took right off and ran fine. No messing with PINs or chatting with online support. I was also able to create a "Prepaid" account and set up a credit card hit for the monthly bill.
Feel free to post questions--I'll monitor for a while.
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wanderingaimlessly
Buggs Island lake
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Joined: 08/23/2017
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Uhhhh , What does that plan cost?
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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Joined: 09/07/2010
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Link to the plan and details ? (AT&T sales people are notoriously uninformed.)
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lenr
Indianapolis, IN
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Joined: 04/12/2008
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Plan is $55 per month prepaid--don't pay they'll shut you off. It is also 100 gig fixed--not an "unlimited" where they slow you down when they feel like it. You can't set it up online--it is an in store program only. It costs me $15 to initiate and $5 for the SIM card. They charged me local sales tax on the whole purchase. I'll see if the monthly renewal charges any tax. The store folks new of the plan but didn't know about implementing on a device not in their hands. This is an experiment for me to see how I like it on the Winegard Connect 2.0 4g.
https://www.att.com/prepaid/mobile-hotspot-tablet/
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wanderingaimlessly
Buggs Island lake
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lenr, how far away from your rv are you able to access the wifi?
When home, my rv is parked just over 100 feet from my house, would equipping it with the Winegard let me also connect my home smart tv and tablets to the rv system?
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lenr
Indianapolis, IN
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Joined: 04/12/2008
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Wanderingaimlessly: Maybe--it would be right on the edge due to distance and walls reducing the signal strength. In the case of the TV, streaming would use up the 100 gigs of data allowance amazingly fast. We once used up 15 gigs in a day (higher resolution uses faster, obviously.) Tablets would probably be acceptable as long as you're not streaming video. Depending on how much you are in the house for cost justification, there would be much better solutions. Most of the major cellular carriers offer home programs with a non-mobile 4g antenna.
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lenr
Indianapolis, IN
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Joined: 04/12/2008
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For those wondering about the Windgard Connect 2.0 4g: this device has both a WiFi antenna and a cellular 4g antenna. You configure it to do one or the other. We got it to (hopefully) amplify park WiFi to make it strong enough to use inside the trailer. It creates its own WiFi from the roof where it is mounted that will be strong in the RV. If the park WiFi isn't strong enough, it can then be switched to cellular 4g (assuming that is strong enough.) You need a corresponding data plan from a cellular carrier. We started with a 15 gig Verison plan--only enough for data, not TV streaming. With the 100 gig plan we expect to be able to TV stream a little at low resolution, probably 480p. We also use a Roku on the TV which lets us mirror from a cell phone either streaming from the cell phone app or playing a previously downloaded video. The Roku really likes to be connected to a WiFi signal even when mirroring so the Winegard keeps it happy.
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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I would be curious to know consumption at 480p, 720p and 1080p.
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wanderingaimlessly
Buggs Island lake
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FWIW I was just in a Helmart in Roxboro NC, they had a display promoting this program and selling mobile hotspots for $49.99
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Sagebrush
Jacksonville AL
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Joined: 02/05/2003
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Walmart has the refill cards: https://www.walmart.com/ip/AT-T-PREPAID-........e-Hotspot-100-GB-Direct-Top-Up/775917832
Thanks for posing, I didn't know about the 100 gig plan for $55.
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