Questions regarding iPad 3G SIM cards

[Disney Addicted]

I received an iPad 2 for Christmas and lately have been thinking I might like to put a SIM card to ocassionally connect to the 'net when I'm not in range of a WI-FI.

Am I correct in believing I can only choose between Bell and Rogers?

Do I have a choice of who I want to use, or am I locked in already? I do not have a SIM card, but when I go into the settings under "cellular data" - it has a spot there that says "bell self serve". My brother has a SIM card and he originally used it on everyone's iPad to set them up before giving them out.

Bell is currently offering the SIM card free, no sign up fees, and their lowest flex plan is $5/month for up to 10 MB.

Rogers charges $6.93/month for 10 MB. It says "includes all monthly fees". The fine print talks about a $1.93 "Government Regulatory Recovery Fee". So I guess Bell would charge for that as well even though their website does not mention it?

I don't know how often it would actually get used on the go, so I do not want to sign up for a monthly plan right away.

My understanding is I can leave the default set for connecting via WI-FI, but if there is nothing in range, than I can switch to 3G? So I'm only using & paying for the 3G when I want to, correct?

How am I able to monitor how much data I'm using in a daily/weekly/monthly? I'm not even sure about how much data loading a single webpage uses. My ISP does not offer data monitoring as it's unlimited.

Shoot - I had another question but forgot already. That was faster than usual..

Is there anything I should know about / beware of / hidden fees with using 3G?

This newbie appreciates all & any help! Our family does not even have a phone capable of texting/data so this is all new to me.

 

[MikeyNS]

10Mb is *not* a lot of data at all.
Telus is an option for you as well. Silly question, but are you sure you have a 3G iPad? Not all iPads' are 3G (just wonderin! )

Telus has a nice data calculator here. I would use the "mobile internet key" as a reference. 50 "web pages" and 4 minutes of video are ~25Mb if that helps.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Yep! It's 3G. I have the box it came in, and the back specificially says "iPad 2 Wi-Fi 3G 16GB".

I just thought I read somewhere that you can only choose a 3G provider once, and then you were locked into that provider. Is that true? I'm fairly certain my brother used his Bell SIM card on all the iPads to set them up. That's why I'm wondering if I'm locked into Bell with no choice.

Thanks for letting me know about Telus. I'll look into their plans as well. I'm not particularly fond of Bell.

Hey, I remembered my other question! I like that if I end up using more than 10 MB in a month period, the flex plan with automatically bump me up to the next plan at 250 MB for $15. Then go start at 10 MB / $5 for the next month. I might end up using more than 10. The amount you mentioned sure doesn't sound like much - but again, I just have no idea how often I'll actually use it out of a WI-FI range.

However, back to my other question - I'm assuming just like my wireless network at home - I'll set up a network name & password right? So no one else can access my 3G plan and use up my time??

 

[dennise]

sorry for jumping in here, but I got an I-pad II for christmas, mine is 32 with wi fi. Can these be upgraded to be able to use a sim card?

 

[MikeyNS]

Yep! It's 3G. I have the box it came in, and the back specificially says "iPad 2 Wi-Fi 3G 16GB".

I just thought I read somewhere that you can only choose a 3G provider once, and then you were locked into that provider. Is that true? I'm fairly certain my brother used his Bell SIM card on all the iPads to set them up. That's why I'm wondering if I'm locked into Bell with no choice.

Thanks for letting me know about Telus. I'll look into their plans as well. I'm not particularly fond of Bell.

Hey, I remembered my other question! I like that if I end up using more than 10 MB in a month period, the flex plan with automatically bump me up to the next plan at 250 MB for $15. Then go start at 10 MB / $5 for the next month. I might end up using more than 10. The amount you mentioned sure doesn't sound like much - but again, I just have no idea how often I'll actually use it out of a WI-FI range.

However, back to my other question - I'm assuming just like my wireless network at home - I'll set up a network name & password right? So no one else can access my 3G plan and use up my time??

Oh cool, flexplans can be nice!

As for the 3G thing, it's like a cellphone, no one can jump onto your 3G and use it and you don't need a username and password. All that info is in your SIM card.
I believe you can just flip the "switch" on the iPad to enable your 3G when you're not in a WiFi zone. When you are in a WiFi zone and you forgot to disable your 3G, it should be smart enough to default to WiFi and not use any 3G data.

Someone else with more info can jump in and correct me if I'm off base.

 

[MikeyNS]

sorry for jumping in here, but I got an I-pad II for christmas, mine is 32 with wi fi. Can these be upgraded to be able to use a sim card?

Unfortunately not. You need to buy the 3G version.

 

[ccudmore]

3G-enabled iPads are by default unlocked and are not tied to a contract with any carrier. You can swap out and in SIM cards to change carriers as you want. Discounted US data roaming plans offered by most Canadian carriers do not cover iPads and 3G iPad usage in the US is at the highest roaming rates.

So you're best off to buy a pre-paid 3G SIM card for one of the US carriers when you're in the US and use their data plans. SIM removal is fairly easy if you kept the SIM removal tool that comes in the box with the iPad.

In the Settings of the iPad there's a few key things you can do:
- turn on/off data roaming (if you have a Canadian data plan it won't automatically roam onto a US carrier's data network when you cross the border if this is off, which is the default)
- turn on/off airplane mode (disables WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth)
- check data usage
- reset data usage. Reset it when you switch to your new carrier and then the check data usage will use the data usage since the reset.

You could also buy a MiFi in the U.S. (places like WalMart carry them). These are little battery-powered boxes that use the 3G network to create a small WiFi hotspot around you. You can get ones with pre-paid plans where you get a certain amount of wireless usage for the initial fee. THey run around $100US.
These are great options if you want to use a WiFi only iPad or an iPod Touch around the park.

 

[tattooed princess]

I just thought I read somewhere that you can only choose a 3G provider once, and then you were locked into that provider. Is that true? I'm fairly certain my brother used his Bell SIM card on all the iPads to set them up. That's why I'm wondering if I'm locked into Bell with no choice.

AFAIK, if you buy an 'unlocked' iPhone or iPad, you won't get locked into a provider by putting in their SIM. If you'd bought it through Bell (like an iPhone), it comes pre-locked down to the provider. Buying unlocked SHOULD allow you to switch SIMs and providers as you like -- which is great for travel!

There's more info here at ipadincanada dot ca... I had a link, but I still can't post 'em. I'll PM!

The relevant bit:

If you decide on an iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G, be sure to select the model that corresponds with the carrier you’d like to use for 3G service. The iPad model you purchase is specially configured to work with either Bell, Rogers, or Telus. So while you don’t have to activate 3G service right away, you should choose your iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G according to the carrier you prefer.

When you decide to activate 3G data service, you can choose the amount of data per month you want to buy — with no long-term contract. So if you have a business trip or vacation approaching, just sign up for the month you’ll be travelling and cancel when you get back.

Hope this helps!

 

[tattooed princess]

You could also buy a MiFi in the U.S. (places like WalMart carry them). These are little battery-powered boxes that use the 3G network to create a small WiFi hotspot around you. You can get ones with pre-paid plans where you get a certain amount of wireless usage for the initial fee. THey run around $100US.
These are great options if you want to use a WiFi only iPad or an iPod Touch around the park.

So looking into this for travel... Bell has the worst data plans for the US and abroad.

 

[Disney Addicted]

As for the 3G thing, it's like a cellphone, no one can jump onto your 3G and use it and you don't need a username and password. All that info is in your SIM card.

I believe you can just flip the "switch" on the iPad to enable your 3G when you're not in a WiFi zone. When you are in a WiFi zone and you forgot to disable your 3G, it should be smart enough to default to WiFi and not use any 3G data.

I'm glad to hear that. Since all I want to start out with is the $5 flex plan, I sure would hate for someone to use it while I'm on Wi-Fi at home.

AFAIK, if you buy an 'unlocked' iPhone or iPad, you won't get locked into a provider by putting in their SIM. If you'd bought it through Bell (like an iPhone), it comes pre-locked down to the provider. Buying unlocked SHOULD allow you to switch SIMs and providers as you like -- which is great for travel!

There's more info here at ipadincanada dot ca... I had a link, but I still can't post 'em. I'll PM!

Looks like it's an unlocked iPad then. My brother purchased it at Future Shop.

I'll check my PM and the links in a bit. Thanks for them.

3G-enabled iPads are by default unlocked and are not tied to a contract with any carrier. You can swap out and in SIM cards to change carriers as you want. Discounted US data roaming plans offered by most Canadian carriers do not cover iPads and 3G iPad usage in the US is at the highest roaming rates.

So you're best off to buy a pre-paid 3G SIM card for one of the US carriers when you're in the US and use their data plans. SIM removal is fairly easy if you kept the SIM removal tool that comes in the box with the iPad.

In the Settings of the iPad there's a few key things you can do:
- turn on/off data roaming (if you have a Canadian data plan it won't automatically roam onto a US carrier's data network when you cross the border if this is off, which is the default)
- turn on/off airplane mode (disables WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth)
- check data usage
- reset data usage. Reset it when you switch to your new carrier and then the check data usage will use the data usage since the reset.

You could also buy a MiFi in the U.S. (places like WalMart carry them). These are little battery-powered boxes that use the 3G network to create a small WiFi hotspot around you. You can get ones with pre-paid plans where you get a certain amount of wireless usage for the initial fee. THey run around $100US.
These are great options if you want to use a WiFi only iPad or an iPod Touch around the park.

Wow, lots of information. Thanks!

Future Shop said their iPads come with a SIM sealed in a little bag in the box. I don't see it in the box (although the SIM removal tool that looks like a sort of paperclip) so my brother must have already placed it in the tray. Now I'm trying to figure out how to open the tray. I don't know how far/hard to insert the clip and I certainly don't want to damage it. Wish I could get hold of my brother.

I'll remember that bit about purchasing a SIM card in the States for use there. The phone networks list $3 per MB for roaming in the States. I'm sure not going to pay that!

 

[nannye]

Hi,
I have the 32 GB wifi 3g and that is exactly what I do, I keep the cellular data turned off all the time except when i need to. I can't really tell how much I have used but I am with Bell and signed up for the $5 one that automatically upgrades, there is something under usage that lets you reset it so you can track your usage, but you have to remember to reset it at the end of billing period etc...

 

[nannye]

also I bought my ipad at future shop and the SIM card was not in the box. I bought the ipad and went back a few days later after I had decided which provider I wanted, then they set it up for me.
Erin

 

[pxlbarrel]

I believe all iPads in Canada are unlocked.

Do you have an iPhone? I have an iPhone and I use it as a personal hotspot for my iPad whenever there's no wifi. My iPhone data package allows for 1 GB of data which is way more than enough to use with both devices. Using the iPhone as a hotspot will be very useful in Canada.

Travelling in the U.S. is another story. Data rates from Bell or Rogers pretty much suck. Very expensive. Getting an American sim card to pop into your iPad is also difficult. You need to set up an account with AT&T and then remember to cancel it after you come back and all kinds of really annoying things. When I travel to the States, I just rely on wifi.

If you ever travel to the UK though, that's a country for the 3G Ipad. I bought a sim card worth 3 G of data for 10 GBP. So civilized. LOL

 

[disneyred]

I believe all iPads in Canada are unlocked.

Do you have an iPhone? I have an iPhone and I use it as a personal hotspot for my iPad whenever there's no wifi. My iPhone data package allows for 1 GB of data which is way more than enough to use with both devices. Using the iPhone as a hotspot will be very useful in Canada.

Can you explain the above to me?? just trying to learn before I go out and get myself one !! what does it mean using your iphone as personal hotspot ??

 

[pxlbarrel]

Can you explain the above to me?? just trying to learn before I go out and get myself one !! what does it mean using your iphone as personal hotspot ??

Sure! Your iPhone should have the ability to become a personal hotspot, meaning that you can connect to it with your iPad as if it were a wifi. When you go into the settings of your iPhone, you see "Personal Hotspot". Toggle it on. Then you go into your iPad and you can turn on your Bluetooth. Once you do that, the iPad looks for another bluetooth device to pair up with. It'll see your iPhone and ask if you want to pair up with your it. Your iPad would then be using your iPhone as a way to access the internet. In other words, it's using your iPhone's data package. If you're already paying for a data package for your iPhone, this is a economical way to use your iPad without having to buy it's own data package.

Think of it as your own personal wifi.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Oh, I should note that if you're using the iPhone as a personal hotspot, 2 things happen: your iPhone battery and iPad battery gets depleted faster. I find that my iPhone gets really hot.