I would like to share my experience with Verizon's mobile hotspot feature, which I feel is an often overlooked advantage of these smartphones. Recently the modem for my home dsl service apparently took a shot from a power surge and no longer worked. That is when I gave the mobile hotspot on my phone a try. 4G service was MUCH faster than my basic dsl.
I contacted AT&T about my dsl, I was told I needed to purchase a new modem, or preferably switch to the new Uverse, which of course came at a much higher price. It didn't take me long to decide to cancel the dsl, which I paid 30+ a month for, and switch to using the Verizon hotspot for my internet connection. Much cheaper (with the share everything plan) to add a few extra GB of data than pay a large fee each month for yet another internet service.
Of course, beware, there are downsides to it. You need to have a share everything plan, the old unlimited plans do not include a mobile hotspot feature. The data is not unlimited. We are empty nesters and do light internet surfing and email. It would not be cost effective for a household that downloads a lot of movies or music, etc. There ALWAYS has to be a smartphone nearby. No phone, no service!
I am a big fan. We pay a large amount each month for our smartphone communication.... Take advantage of it!!
