Update on phone Purchased-? About Pay As You Go Phone Plan That Allow Web Access

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Here is what I need help with. We, (DH & I) both have basic flip phone cell phones. We don't need anything high tech for every use. Our cell phone is not our lifeline its used for basic usage.

What we are interested in, is getting a phone that has a pay as you go plan that has internet access.

Here's why. There have been a number of home break-ins in our area and we have installed a video surviellance system. We are able to monitor the system via the web using our tablet when we are away from home but I would like something smaller that I can carry in my purse. If we are at one of the parks and I am feeling a bit anxious I can pull out my phone, hop on the internet and look at my camera's to make sure everything is okay.

This whole burglery thing has made me nervous to be away from home. We have pets and I worry that if someone breaks in they will run away. And that would just break my heart. But having the ability to log onto my tablet and see that things are okay makes me a bit more relaxed. We have a WDW trip coming up next month and I really hate to say this and don't throw daggers at me, but I really don't want to go. I am worried about being so far away from home. But I have agreed to so a short trip as long as we only go for 4 days!

So we are looking for something that we would only use when we travel. Therefore we need something small, portable, pay as you go, with internet access. And I don't want to spend a fortune.

Does anyone have any recommendation for us.

TIA.

 

[Disnee4Me]

I need help too. My husband just took a large pay cut and now the company is making him buy a smart phone to receive their emails and go on the internet. I need to buy a smart phone and pay as you go plan because if I get a contract plan, I will be stuck with 24 months of payments. if he loses his job.

We have tracfone now which fit our needs, but they have said it is Company policy to have a smart phone. He is on the road and he needs to be in touch with the company to receive emails and pictures.

Any help will be appreciated.

 

[CatNipRules]

I have virgin mobile. I pay $42 a month and it includes unlimited web and text messages. The best part is that I can pay for it for a month and then cancel for the next month. I haven't done that yet, but I'm happy with it.

I have an android phone.

I'm very, very nervous about someone breaking into our house. So, our alarm company installed a web cam. I can check on it via my phone. I can do it at any time and I love being able to check on my house when I'm not there.

DS has a android phone that we bought for $99. It does everything that my phone does, but it's just cheaper. His is also Virgin mobile. It gives me peace of mind while I'm away from home.

We love virgin Mobile and it's brought me peace of mind. Went on vacation at the beginning for the summer and I never panicked one time. Before the web cam, I would have been worried to leave. Not anymore.

I'm not sure if this answered any of your questions, but virgin does have good service. I haven't had any issues with connecting to the web and it's a lot cheaper than any of the other companies out there.

 

[MomToOne]

PlatinumTel Real Paygo - $0.10/megabyte. They have the Samsung M820 Galaxy Prevail (Android) for $60. The phone seems to get good reviews, I'm debating getting one for myself.

 

[megveg]

I have Virgin Mobile and its been perfect. Check Amazon and ebay for a phone that fits what you're looking for for less than what VM sells it for. My plan costs me $35 (300 mins a month/unlimited txt&email&data) and I usually save a few pennies here &there by getting my 'top-up' cards at Walmart. I have an android and I've never had any issues with service (except in some basements/tunnels but thats not a big deal)

 

[rock_doctor]

This whole burglery thing has made me nervous to be away from home. We have pets and I worry that if someone breaks in they will run away. And that would just break my heart.

You don't need a phone you need a house sitter. Do you have a friend that can stay over for the days you are gone? That way you know you fluffy kids are ok and the house is ok because there will be somebody there...

(Phone)
I am doing almost the same thing... I currently have sprint on a 15 yr old plan but want a smart phone and they won't let me change phones with my old plan. I have done well with sprint so i want to stay on their system. This gives me two pay as you go or pre-pay companies to choose from. Both Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile are subsidiaries of sprint. Both have pay as you go and both have pre-pay monthly plans. Virgin has the iPhone 4, both have the HTC Evo and so on. Both have android smart phones and unlimited plans. Virgin has limited plans also i.e. unlimited text and web but 300 or 1500 minutes. Virgin gives you a $5 discount if you auto pay and Boost drops the cost of your plan $5 every 6months of on time payments for a total of $15 savings. They also have the pay as you go plans. Be aware that while they both have unlimited data they do throttle above 2.5gigs. After that the speed drops to 1xRTT, the up side their Android plans are both 3g and 4g so any data you pull off the WiMax (clear) 4g system does not count into the 2.5 gig throttle cap.

If you don't plan to make many calls, T-mobile has a deal going right now. 100 minutes but unlimited text and data up to 5g for $30 a month, which in my opinion is amazing. You can get just a sim card and use your own unlocked GSM phone or pickup a t-mobile phone at walmart and they can activate if for you. This probably the best deal out there as long as you don't plan to make many calls but data is important. You can get the Galaxy Nexus from google play for $350 (GSM and unlocked). It seems the rest of the pre-pay and pay as you go companies have very low data caps. So these are the best i have found.

 

[plummer925]

I have Straight Talk. Their basic plan is $30 a month (1000 minutes, 1000 texts, 30 mb data) or they have an unlimited plan for $45 a month (unlimited talk, text, data with SOME limitations - like you can't use the phone as a hotspot to use your laptop, etc). Great deals.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Thank you for your reply about VM. My husband got some info at Best Buy and he thinks VM might be a the way to go. May I ask what phone you have? Is the picture quality good?

I have virgin mobile. I pay $42 a month and it includes unlimited web and text messages. The best part is that I can pay for it for a month and then cancel for the next month. I haven't done that yet, but I'm happy with it.

I have an android phone.

I'm very, very nervous about someone breaking into our house. So, our alarm company installed a web cam. I can check on it via my phone. I can do it at any time and I love being able to check on my house when I'm not there.

DS has a android phone that we bought for $99. It does everything that my phone does, but it's just cheaper. His is also Virgin mobile. It gives me peace of mind while I'm away from home.

We love virgin Mobile and it's brought me peace of mind. Went on vacation at the beginning for the summer and I never panicked one time. Before the web cam, I would have been worried to leave. Not anymore.

I'm not sure if this answered any of your questions, but virgin does have good service. I haven't had any issues with connecting to the web and it's a lot cheaper than any of the other companies out there.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Sprints network just wasn't working for me so I wanted to switch to Verizon network. The best deal I could find was to use page plus. 55 dollars per month for unlimited calls, unlimited text, and 2 GB of data.

OP, Did you purchase your cameras on your own? If you don't mind could you share the camera type that you selected? If you don't feel comfortable naming the brand on this thread could you PM me the info? I've installed some very cheap security cameras but I'm not really happy with them and want to upgrade.

 

[Lisa0620]

I also went with pageplus because most months I can get by with the $12 plan (only 10 mb data.) When we're on vacation I upgrade to the $29.99 plan (100 mb) or the $55 (unlimited data.) I only check email on mine, so I wanted one that would be cheap for me for MOST of the year and upgradable for me when I needed it. If you'll be checking home only on vacation this might be good for you, if you are checking from work everyday, etc. I would go with Virgin Mobile with its emphasis on data. Hope you have a stress free vacation!

 

[dakotix]

I just switched to virgin mobile -- no contract and I love it. its $45/mo and I get a 1000 minutes and unlimited data(internet) and texts. I have an android phone which cost $150 but they also have more basic phones which are way more affordable.

 

[CatNipRules]

Thank you for your reply about VM. My husband got some info at Best Buy and he thinks VM might be a the way to go. May I ask what phone you have? Is the picture quality good?

I have the LG Optimus Slider. My husband has the same phone also. He takes pictures with his all the time. The picture quality is really good and the video quality is exceptional.

If you go onto VM website they are having sales on their phones and you can get a really good deal on the phones.

If you have any other questions just let me know.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I have the LG Optimus Slider. My husband has the same phone also. He takes pictures with his all the time. The picture quality is really good and the video quality is exceptional.

If you go onto VM website they are having sales on their phones and you can get a really good deal on the phones.

If you have any other questions just let me know.

Thank you so much for sharing this info!!!

If you have time, could you post a picture that your DH has taken with his phone.

YES Cat nip does rule in this house. I open the container and they come running.

 

[hsmamato2]

Sprints network just wasn't working for me so I wanted to switch to Verizon network. The best deal I could find was to use page plus. 55 dollars per month for unlimited calls, unlimited text, and 2 GB of data.

yes.... I use pp- but on the 40.00 per month plan,(unlimited talk and text-100 mb data) I bought a refurb smartphone on ebay(has to be a 'clean' verizon phone) and turn off the 3g data unless I really need it,just spent the morning using the 'net over wifi on it,no extra cost as it's like using a tablet with the data shut off. (I can always turn data on if needed)

 

[CatNipRules]

Thank you so much for sharing this info!!!

If you have time, could you post a picture that your DH has taken with his phone.

YES Cat nip does rule in this house. I open the container and they come running.

Here is a picture that he took yesterday morning. It was a bit foggy and he took it at a distance. LOL!!

 

[englishteacha]

I haven't used the "Browser" yet on my StraightTalk phone (just got it recently) because I'm near WiFi and have my laptop 95% of the time. I just got the $30 a month plan so I don't have unlimited data. One thing to consider, that I didn't know till I got it, is that picture messaging uses data as well as texts. Straight Talk's $45 a month plan has unlimited talk/text/data. You could also consider a Verizon pay-as-you go, $50 a month with unlimited talk/text/web.

If you're that concerned about having your house empty, though, I second the suggestion to get a house sitter. Yes, you can check the webcams when you're away, but what can you do about it in Florida? Having a person going and staying at the house, or even just checking in on it every day, will be a great deterrent. Also, you can put some lamps on timers to come on/go off in the evening so it looks like someone is home. Stop your mail, have UPS/FedEx hold any deliveries, etc. till you get home.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We have a friend who will stop by everyday. We already use timers on several lights in our home. I don't like coming home to a dark house. We also have a device called a "fake TV" that simulates a TV being on http://www.faketv.com/

When we vacation, we screw a "C" clamp into the roller track of the garage door to prevent anyone from opening the door. And it works because I forgot it was there and the door would not go up.

Having the ability to view the camera's give me some peace of mind and if something happens to the house while we are in Florida we would just come home.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Here is a picture that he took yesterday morning. It was a bit foggy and he took it at a distance. LOL!!

That is a GOOD photo. Thanks of posting it!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We decided on VM and bought the htc evo v phone 4G phone.
The service has been great. The picture/video quality is excellent!

We stayed at the Poly and had a room facing the MK so I decided to record the Halloween fireworks from our balcony. I could not believe how clear the audio/video was from that far away!