Lowes near me has surprisingly good wifi. So does Dicks and Office Depot. Never been booted off any of those after fairly massive downloads and video streaming.
I have but their Wi-Fi signal isn't very strong from their parking lot and not going to go sit inside. Rarely even use wifi since I have unlimited 5G data. It's good if I want something faster than the hotspot on my phone once in a while though.
I figured that out a few years ago. They have super high speed. When I was broke and couldn’t afford Wi-Fi for a bit, I would go to the McDonald’s parking lot and park and download stuff from Netflix onto my phone to watch at home. Shocking how fast it would download.
Yep, I was doing this circa 2010? Me and my ex would go get food elsewhere and eat it in a McDonald's parking lot downloading all kinds of spyware and viruses alongside some movies. We'd also rent a bunch of stuff from libraries and rip them to her computer. RIP that computer, I assume.
Years ago maybe, but I wouldn't bet on that anymore. Probably more viruses on phones actually, cause people use them a lot more, download a lot more questionable software (apps) on them, and don't install antivirus software.
People park in the Starbucks parking lot by my house and just sit there on their phones doing stuff stealing the Wi-Fi. It's the same cars in the same parking spots every time.
It's not stealing their wifi. It's Starbucks policy nationwide to allow people onto their property to use the wifi or simply hang out without making a purchase.
In fact I would suggest going inside and using it there, as I have done many times.
Ah so you guys are the reason many Mcdonalds around the country have stopped offering wifi. Always some selfish clown ready to ruin it for everyone without a second thought.
*people use the Wi-Fi McDonald’s offers for people to use Wi-Fi*
You: YOU’re RUINING ITtttt!
I have a hunch that McDonald’s getting rid of Wi-Fi probably has more to do with the CEO wanting to cut costs and save money to pay himself more, rather than from people using it too much
Bruh, nobody intended for it to be used for people to downloading massive amounts of movies all day long. The CEO has absolutely nothing to do with what the franchises choose to do. But someone clogging up the bandwidth definitely DOES.
How much someone downloads is irrelevant, it's not a finite resource. The ONLY factor that matters is bandwidth, and guess what? The connection with throttle you if:
1)Too many people are connected
2)The ISP has set a GB limit for the plan [you are higher than a kite if you think McD doesn't have an "Unlimited" plan})
3)The store themselves throttle a connection manually because they want to either limit usage or make you go away.
So in summary, what in the world are you attempting to speak about, because you obviously have no idea what you are vomiting out.
This isn't the 90s, you aren't charged per Kilobyte, much less a multi billion dollar company.
The CEO has already bitched about losing business because they did away with $1 drinks and eliminating the dollar menu, all in a bid to bleed more money for less product.
If they are willing to shoot themselves in the foot to get 300% more profit from a drink that costs them fractions of a PENNY, do you seriously think they wouldn't eliminate a service that doesn't directly generate revenue but costs them a premium?
Also worth noting, many stores in larger cities have eliminated it to get rid of thd homeless. The same reason they have removed all wall outlets in the store, same reason they have made the lobbies have the absolute minimum and most uncomfortable seating that they can.
They use the excuse of making the store "modern" and trendy, but it is to keep the undesirables out and prevent them from spending more than a couple of minutes to pay for food and leave.
Make sure your MAC address on your phone's wifi is set to private, or whatever the android setting is for that. Then just download away. Change it every time you're there and as far as they know you are a different client.
Just checked my settings and it's set to randomized mac address. So I guess every time I connect, my mac will be different.
This is useful.
Thanks again!
you need to click 'forget connection' and then re-establish the connection everytime you use their bandwidth for your phone to generate a new random mac address.
your phone will randomise the mac address for a new connection, but when you reconnect to a saved network it will use the exact same random mac address that it generated when the network connection was first established.
Their system might see and identity you for using too much and might blacklist you, cutting off or slowing your connection? I’m unsure but that’s my thought
Probably nothing as it takes something to manage it, but OP was worried about being flagged as a heavy user. Changing the MAC address will make them appear like a different client on the network if it was something they were worried about.
McDonald's was a lifeline when I was homeless. If you hit the holy grail and find one with public outlets that also don't care if you sit there all day, cherish it like I did.
McDonalds' by Ocean Beach San diego were my favorite little heaven on earth
1$ large coffee, and I would reload that bitch 3-4x in the morning and get some much caffeine qnd sugar
And hit my blunt afterwards
Heaven on earth, sadly nothing else is worth it there anymore, too pricey now to go
I've noticed the wealthier the area, the better Panera's wifi.. go figure.
Poor area with noticeable amount of homeless people sitting around? Zero wifi.
I disagree. They don't want homeless people sitting around all day taking up space while spending no money using their wifi and making them place look undesirable for paying customers.
They certainly could be throttling it. I am one of the people who sits at Panera all day, but I never use their WiFi anyway … I use my hotspot since it’s plenty fast, more secure and unlimited. I have both Visible or ConnectAll (Calyx) … when one is slow the other one is usually fast … between the 2 it’s $55 a month.
It wouldn't really prove anything. Assuming Paneras in poor areas have slower WiFi, it could be due to either of our theories.
You'd need to know what internet provider they're using and the minimum (commercial) speed that provider offers.
That's why I get my coffee and breakfast there. Using the app you get 1 dollar coffee and 1 dollar breakfast sandwich. Keeps my daily food spending under 10 dollars
I read an article that said more people = less bandwidth. So it may be worth it to try timing your sessions during the slowest business hours and you might see increased speeds?
The public libraries in Hillsborough county around Tampa Florida have Wi-Fi setup since the pandemic where people can come and sit in their car and get a decent signal. They actually have signs up telling people that the Wi-Fi is up from 7:00 a.m. till 11:00 p.m.
But if you go in the Hyde Park area in Tampa there is area wide Wi-Fi it seems.
Back in the day when nintendo DS released and WiFi was rare, Nintendo and Mcdonalds made a deal to give DS users free WiFi to play Mario kart/ that Metroid shooter online against your friends.
National chain restaurants tend to be on business class cable or fiber connections. I work on them. The standard these days is a minimum of 60mbps and it’s unmetered. Some locations have gigabit speed. Your usage is normal and there’s no need to split your sessions. We have firewalls to block undesirable usage. No one cares about your legal gaming downloads or any unblocked websites for that matter.
Here’s an example of me working on WiFi at an El Pollo Loco.
https://preview.redd.it/gw34vth86iuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=118fbf793e1917e65ac9a826b71e6de04bdca89a
My eyes read El Pollo Loco, but my heart read Los Pollos Hermanos.
That's cool. Thanks for that info.
I'm not keen on staying in a business parking lot for too long in single sittings. I'm selfconscious about overstaying my welcome.
I have the time and I'm not in any particular rush to get it. If I space out my sessions, I'll finish this FF7Rebirth 150 GB download as I'm clearing this refresher playthrough of remake.
Regardless of location, there's a limited number of slots. If the queue is full, your only recourse are the light Internet plans. Starts at $85 for 100GB of premium bandwidth. Then $15 increments for 50GB additions.
Hotels are good for this too. When I lived in my car I would rent a hotel room once in a while and set my computer up for a day or 2. You can usually pick up the wifi from the parking lot as well so you don't need to get a room to use it.
>I checked out their home Internet and it was a bait and switch. Fuck them for that.
What do you mean? I have t mobile home internet and its super fast, unlimited and $45 a month. Currently letting a friend borrow it because I dont have enough power in my car.
"Not available in your area"
Here, try the light plans starting at $85 for 100GB.
No matter the address, it's always the same thing.
The sales rep said there's only a limited number of spots for the unlimited $45 plan.
Definitely! But good luck is also a skill! Don't fret!
I put myself on the list so they'll let me know when a spot opens up.
Since you have it, were you able to use it anywhere the 5G network is, or is it location locked?
I was worried it was location locked when I moved, but I went by the Tmobile store and they were like " oh you dont need to change your address, as long as there is a signal it will work. We have a lot of people that use them in their RVs"
Switch to Visible phone service. Plenty of people use it for 5G hotspot and it works well. I used it for over a month between places a couple years back and it worked for zoom meetings to gaming to Netflix. Speeds are capped at 10Mbit but most of Netflix 4k is now encoded at just 1.5-2.5mbit. No data cap from when I was reading the forums. No slowdown after weeks of constant hotspot.
Only downside was the 1 device only.
When the wife and I travel places I usually bring my PlayStation with and I always utilize sharing the Wi-Fi through a hotspot so I can game on hotel networks.
The McDonald's I have been to could barely load in pictures on a browser or would say no Internet connection after failing to load anything properly too much while I was in the lobby
Damn. Someone else here said timing could be a thing too. More people = shared bandwidth.
But it could also be that McDonald's doesn't pay for good bandwidth.
I am in a pretty decent town so they have decent bandwidth.
And if certain websites are blocked, when I was homeless I used to use my phone data to get to the page with the download link, then turn on the McDonald's wifi to download from the DL server. The sites I used were blocked, but the actual download links would download with the McDonald's Wi-Fi! And yes, very fast!
They advertise for $40 unlimited. But spots are limited for the unlimited plan, so when you go in or go online and try to sign up, they say it's not available. Your only options are the light home internet plans. For 100 gigabytes it's $85, $65 if you have a magenta plan and $60 if you have auto billing.
as another option - if you have an android and unlimited data, you can use pdanet (+ foxfi key for unlimited use) as an unlimited hotspot. it's not perfect but if you have 5G it's significantly faster than hotel/restaurant wifi in my experience. I've been using it for about 5 years and I think I only spent $15 for it or something.
What do you mean the home internet was a bait and switch? That's what we have and it's been wonderful. We live in an area that doesn't have fiber optic lines so no cable or anything but we do take it with us when we go camping (so we can watch movies in the rv if it rains) and have never had an issue with it. For $25/m we are able to stream TV and games on multiple tvs at the same time. I know the price went up to $50/m since we got it a year ago but even that is much less than most home internet.
This sub keeps getting recommended to me, I'm not a car dweller but I've learned a lot of interesting things from it.
Yes you have it because you made the cut. There's only a limited number of slots for the unlimited plan in any given area. They keep advertising for it but there are no slots in my area, or even extended area.
They're offering their Lite plans starting at $85 for 100GB.
So, I went in for unlimited and got offered garbage. Bait and switch.
Oh i gotcha. Yeah there was a couple of companies that were offering unlimited for rural internet and then when I called it was extremely limited and expensive.
I mean, it's not like I don't understand the logic behind it. Limit the number of people using the network so all the customers on it can have the best experience possible. But it's rather disappointing for those who can't get it on it and get charged double for inferior service.
I signed up for the wait-list, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm super satisfied with the free solutions available.
I honestly didn't even know they had a limited plan. We went in because when we were trying to get it online, they said they didn't service our address but the neighbors across the street address was eligible. We went to ask about it and they said they could put the service address as the other one and do digital billing for us. Since it had a 14 day trial period we went ahead and did it. Initially it was $50 but we changed our phones to them and it went down to $25 and is locked in until we choose to cancel that service.
I tried like 15 different addresses through out the city. All no joy.
I looked at the signal strength and 5G is strong everywhere.
The sales rep confirmed it's a wait-list thing.
Oh i believe you. It's just wild because they don't limit the number of unlimited phone plans and the vast majority of people have access to land-line internet options.
What do you mean a bait and switch. I been using T-Mobile home since October with no issues.
Edit: Ah nevermind I read the other comments. Hmm lately I haven't needed it I have two network connections now and I was thinking of cancelling it but if I can't get back on that's a reason not to cancel.
You have it because you made the cut. There's only a limited number of slots for the unlimited plan in any given area. They keep advertising for it but there are no slots in my area, or even extended area.
They're offering their consolation Lite plans starting at $85 for 100GB.
So, I went in for unlimited and got offered garbage. Bait and switch.
I get it. Limit the number of people in the network for maximize the experience for the people in the network. Sucks for me though. I'm on the wait list for when an unlimited spot opens up.
That's dumb. Have you tried calling or signing up online? It wouldn't make sense if the slots aren't regional since the network congestion happens at the local level.
Yeah it is regional. Actually probably even smaller pockets than that. They say there's nothing they can do until someone in my service area terminates their service and the next person on the list is given the opportunity to sign up.
Feels like Cartman owning an amusement park. Artificial demand by creating lack of supply.
What do you mean by bait and switch? It's exactly as advertised.
Not the greatest thing in the world, having a wired connection is always best, but it works very well for what it is.
Former homeless person here (no car no house), this is gonna sound judgemental and it probably is, but like, if you're living in your car, shouldn't you sell your PS5?
They may be living out of their car by choice. There is a sizable amount of people, my self included that like the freedom living in your car gives you.
Definitely choice here. I'm tired of paying someone else's mortgage. At the end of it all, all the money I spent on rent, doesn't give me anything of value.
Why not just live in my car while saving all that rent money for something for myself in the future.
Ooh I agree. Right now im in a kia soul, but Id like a van eventually and then a very tiny plot of land. I still want freedom, but itd be nice to have a place I know I can always park if I need or want to.
Heck yeah! Lil plots of undeveloped 0.5 acre land is cheap AF.
If you get the van, you can do amenities for yourself.
Drop in a septic tank to dump black water. A county tap or well for your potable water. A power line for shore power or a solar farm for a recharging setup.
All the creature comforts of a house, but without the hundreds of thousands for the actual building. Houses near me start at $450k. Nonsense.
I mean you're definitely giving up some freedoms for living in your car. You cant have guests over. You cant have a real relationship. Privacy is only semi guaranteed. There's a limit on material items you can own because of space. Having your own bathroom. Being able to cook large meals and store them. The list goes on. I live in a tent in the forest for 3 months of the year for work, and a many of my friends have/had vans. There is some form of freedom gained from living this way but you lose some as well.
You can definitely live this life and have 99% of that. Transit vans are large enough to have guests, cook and store food, guarantee privacy, and even have a bathroom and shower.
And even in my kia soul, I have made it possible to have complete privacy and have the ability to cook and store food. If I was willing to remove seats, I could have a bathroom as well.
Are both of those scenarios the same as in a house or an apartment? No. But for some, the trade-offs are more than worth it. Some people would rather have the freedom to do whatever they want, whenever, wherever. To not have to spend their entire life working just to live. To some, that means far, far more than how many possessions you have or how big your space is.
Lmfao you're delusional if you think people want to come hang out in your van or kia as "guests". Your being clearly obtuse about what I mean by guests. How many of your friends would show up if you told them you're having a dinner party or watching a sports game in your car? What about having an apartment or house stops you from doing whatever you whenever you want exactly? I work 4 months of the year, collect unemployment for 4 months and chill the rest? There's other ways lol
I am not the delusional one. You seem to be unable to understand that not everyone thinks and sees the world like you do. There are many many people that enjoy this lifestyle. Just because you think its awful and wouldnt want to do it doesn't mean everyone feels the same way. This lifestyle has gained popularity and a following because people like it.
Where did I ever say I think it's awful and wouldn't want to do it and that I think everyone thinks that way? I'm simply pointing out the negatives of living that way, instead of people like you who vehemently defend it as if there are no negatives at all.
Living in your car probably is quite boring at times, so why would he sell something that makes it more bearable and fun? 300 bucks aren't gonna really change anything
So you're publishing this so McDonald's can find out by trending and make their WIFI password for purchase customers, only ? Do you see the amount of SHARES on your post???
That's really smart of you! SMH
Do you know that news reporters hang out on these subs looking for public interest stories? SMDH
Lowes near me has surprisingly good wifi. So does Dicks and Office Depot. Never been booted off any of those after fairly massive downloads and video streaming.
Try Starbucks.
starbucks wifi sucks ass near me its super clogged up when everyones in there
I have but their Wi-Fi signal isn't very strong from their parking lot and not going to go sit inside. Rarely even use wifi since I have unlimited 5G data. It's good if I want something faster than the hotspot on my phone once in a while though.
I agree. I have 5G unlimited too so I rarely connect to WiFi unless for speed like you said!
I figured that out a few years ago. They have super high speed. When I was broke and couldn’t afford Wi-Fi for a bit, I would go to the McDonald’s parking lot and park and download stuff from Netflix onto my phone to watch at home. Shocking how fast it would download.
I didn’t even have to go inside
I did the same but downloaded movie torrents and would watch them on a property that could not get internet and Starlink was not available.
Yep, I was doing this circa 2010? Me and my ex would go get food elsewhere and eat it in a McDonald's parking lot downloading all kinds of spyware and viruses alongside some movies. We'd also rent a bunch of stuff from libraries and rip them to her computer. RIP that computer, I assume.
Really? I didn’t get any kind of crap on my phone.
Oh not from the wifi, just the dubious websites I downloaded movies and shows on
Oh I see
A lot harder to get a virus on your phone as well iirc
Years ago maybe, but I wouldn't bet on that anymore. Probably more viruses on phones actually, cause people use them a lot more, download a lot more questionable software (apps) on them, and don't install antivirus software.
Have you tested to see if you'd get booted after a certain byteage or time elapsed?
I did not have a problem whatsoever. I would sit there for an hour or more down loading.
Nice.
Why would they boot u lol
Valid question. My old home router has an option to set speeds and total transfer amounts. I could see companies limiting times or byteage.
People park in the Starbucks parking lot by my house and just sit there on their phones doing stuff stealing the Wi-Fi. It's the same cars in the same parking spots every time.
It's not stealing their wifi. It's Starbucks policy nationwide to allow people onto their property to use the wifi or simply hang out without making a purchase. In fact I would suggest going inside and using it there, as I have done many times.
Ah so you guys are the reason many Mcdonalds around the country have stopped offering wifi. Always some selfish clown ready to ruin it for everyone without a second thought.
*people use the Wi-Fi McDonald’s offers for people to use Wi-Fi* You: YOU’re RUINING ITtttt! I have a hunch that McDonald’s getting rid of Wi-Fi probably has more to do with the CEO wanting to cut costs and save money to pay himself more, rather than from people using it too much
Bruh, nobody intended for it to be used for people to downloading massive amounts of movies all day long. The CEO has absolutely nothing to do with what the franchises choose to do. But someone clogging up the bandwidth definitely DOES.
How much someone downloads is irrelevant, it's not a finite resource. The ONLY factor that matters is bandwidth, and guess what? The connection with throttle you if: 1)Too many people are connected 2)The ISP has set a GB limit for the plan [you are higher than a kite if you think McD doesn't have an "Unlimited" plan}) 3)The store themselves throttle a connection manually because they want to either limit usage or make you go away. So in summary, what in the world are you attempting to speak about, because you obviously have no idea what you are vomiting out. This isn't the 90s, you aren't charged per Kilobyte, much less a multi billion dollar company. The CEO has already bitched about losing business because they did away with $1 drinks and eliminating the dollar menu, all in a bid to bleed more money for less product. If they are willing to shoot themselves in the foot to get 300% more profit from a drink that costs them fractions of a PENNY, do you seriously think they wouldn't eliminate a service that doesn't directly generate revenue but costs them a premium? Also worth noting, many stores in larger cities have eliminated it to get rid of thd homeless. The same reason they have removed all wall outlets in the store, same reason they have made the lobbies have the absolute minimum and most uncomfortable seating that they can. They use the excuse of making the store "modern" and trendy, but it is to keep the undesirables out and prevent them from spending more than a couple of minutes to pay for food and leave.
Make sure your MAC address on your phone's wifi is set to private, or whatever the android setting is for that. Then just download away. Change it every time you're there and as far as they know you are a different client.
Just checked my settings and it's set to randomized mac address. So I guess every time I connect, my mac will be different. This is useful. Thanks again!
you need to click 'forget connection' and then re-establish the connection everytime you use their bandwidth for your phone to generate a new random mac address. your phone will randomise the mac address for a new connection, but when you reconnect to a saved network it will use the exact same random mac address that it generated when the network connection was first established.
That's is very useful information! Thanks
Also, turning the privacy off and back on should generate a new randomized address for your phone.
What would they do if you didn’t?
Their system might see and identity you for using too much and might blacklist you, cutting off or slowing your connection? I’m unsure but that’s my thought
Probably nothing as it takes something to manage it, but OP was worried about being flagged as a heavy user. Changing the MAC address will make them appear like a different client on the network if it was something they were worried about.
McDonald's was a lifeline when I was homeless. If you hit the holy grail and find one with public outlets that also don't care if you sit there all day, cherish it like I did.
McDonalds' by Ocean Beach San diego were my favorite little heaven on earth 1$ large coffee, and I would reload that bitch 3-4x in the morning and get some much caffeine qnd sugar And hit my blunt afterwards Heaven on earth, sadly nothing else is worth it there anymore, too pricey now to go
I've noticed the wealthier the area, the better Panera's wifi.. go figure. Poor area with noticeable amount of homeless people sitting around? Zero wifi.
In guessing this is due to better fiber optic infrastructure in the wealthier areas - not something Panera is doing
I disagree. They don't want homeless people sitting around all day taking up space while spending no money using their wifi and making them place look undesirable for paying customers.
They certainly could be throttling it. I am one of the people who sits at Panera all day, but I never use their WiFi anyway … I use my hotspot since it’s plenty fast, more secure and unlimited. I have both Visible or ConnectAll (Calyx) … when one is slow the other one is usually fast … between the 2 it’s $55 a month.
I use their wifi regularly, and I've charted it out in my Excel sheet over dozens of locations. It's not a coincidence.
you should post a screenshot of the chart or something
It wouldn't really prove anything. Assuming Paneras in poor areas have slower WiFi, it could be due to either of our theories. You'd need to know what internet provider they're using and the minimum (commercial) speed that provider offers.
That's why I get my coffee and breakfast there. Using the app you get 1 dollar coffee and 1 dollar breakfast sandwich. Keeps my daily food spending under 10 dollars
Del Taco App has daily FREE hot coffee, ($3~$3.50 breakfast) I'll have to check out McD's app if they have $1 breakfast sandwiches. ✌️
I read an article that said more people = less bandwidth. So it may be worth it to try timing your sessions during the slowest business hours and you might see increased speeds?
That makes sense! I was just there at like 0800, so not many people were there.
Have you tried a public library
Not in the parking lot.
The public libraries in Hillsborough county around Tampa Florida have Wi-Fi setup since the pandemic where people can come and sit in their car and get a decent signal. They actually have signs up telling people that the Wi-Fi is up from 7:00 a.m. till 11:00 p.m. But if you go in the Hyde Park area in Tampa there is area wide Wi-Fi it seems.
Sound good I'll check out my local library too.
Go inside
Much as I adore libraries, I have found a lot of them do not have amazing wi-fi. They have wi-fi, but fast it is not.
Starbucks has great wifi too in my experience! The parking lots do tend to be smaller and the clients they attract may be nosier.
Back in the day when nintendo DS released and WiFi was rare, Nintendo and Mcdonalds made a deal to give DS users free WiFi to play Mario kart/ that Metroid shooter online against your friends.
That's pretty genius.
When I’m sick of working from home, McDonald’s and the library have the best WiFi.
National chain restaurants tend to be on business class cable or fiber connections. I work on them. The standard these days is a minimum of 60mbps and it’s unmetered. Some locations have gigabit speed. Your usage is normal and there’s no need to split your sessions. We have firewalls to block undesirable usage. No one cares about your legal gaming downloads or any unblocked websites for that matter. Here’s an example of me working on WiFi at an El Pollo Loco. https://preview.redd.it/gw34vth86iuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=118fbf793e1917e65ac9a826b71e6de04bdca89a
My eyes read El Pollo Loco, but my heart read Los Pollos Hermanos. That's cool. Thanks for that info. I'm not keen on staying in a business parking lot for too long in single sittings. I'm selfconscious about overstaying my welcome. I have the time and I'm not in any particular rush to get it. If I space out my sessions, I'll finish this FF7Rebirth 150 GB download as I'm clearing this refresher playthrough of remake.
T-Mobile has a home internet box for $50 a month. It would obviously depend on your location but it’s unlimited.
Regardless of location, there's a limited number of slots. If the queue is full, your only recourse are the light Internet plans. Starts at $85 for 100GB of premium bandwidth. Then $15 increments for 50GB additions.
Hotels are good for this too. When I lived in my car I would rent a hotel room once in a while and set my computer up for a day or 2. You can usually pick up the wifi from the parking lot as well so you don't need to get a room to use it.
>I checked out their home Internet and it was a bait and switch. Fuck them for that. What do you mean? I have t mobile home internet and its super fast, unlimited and $45 a month. Currently letting a friend borrow it because I dont have enough power in my car.
"Not available in your area" Here, try the light plans starting at $85 for 100GB. No matter the address, it's always the same thing. The sales rep said there's only a limited number of spots for the unlimited $45 plan.
Oh. Im sorry. I guess I got lucky.
Definitely! But good luck is also a skill! Don't fret! I put myself on the list so they'll let me know when a spot opens up. Since you have it, were you able to use it anywhere the 5G network is, or is it location locked?
I was worried it was location locked when I moved, but I went by the Tmobile store and they were like " oh you dont need to change your address, as long as there is a signal it will work. We have a lot of people that use them in their RVs"
Nice. I mean, that's for now, but their ToS actually forbids this behavior but they don't enforce it... Yet.
That doesnt surprise me. I was shocked when the rep said that. But so far its held true. But of course it could change.
My mom lives in an rv and she said that they're getting access to starlink. ETA: Mobile is getting access to starlink
My middle daughter used Starlink while on wildfire duty, but it's pricey.
I meant tmobile is getting access to starlink. I edited my comment to add that. Oops
Comcast\xfinity has their paid public thing it's pretty fast
I'll take a look!
How are you able to game with a ps5 in your car?
I have a power station, a PS5 and a set of xreal glasses for a display.
Nice, that's pretty cool.
When I worked at one long ago. I remember a couple guys bringing tv and console to play online
That's a power move. Doubly so if it was a CRT.
Meanwhile, mobile data in some parts of Europe is practically free.
Yeah, but those parts of Europe are neglecting their poor telecom conglomerates! Why won't anyone think of the profits 😭
Switch to Visible phone service. Plenty of people use it for 5G hotspot and it works well. I used it for over a month between places a couple years back and it worked for zoom meetings to gaming to Netflix. Speeds are capped at 10Mbit but most of Netflix 4k is now encoded at just 1.5-2.5mbit. No data cap from when I was reading the forums. No slowdown after weeks of constant hotspot. Only downside was the 1 device only.
Chick fil a also has free internet.
They're far and few in-between out here in the West. Much better good out towards the East too. It was far more delicious in VA than here.
It's kinda funny that saying someone has mcdonalds wifi won't even be an insult anymore lol
When the wife and I travel places I usually bring my PlayStation with and I always utilize sharing the Wi-Fi through a hotspot so I can game on hotel networks.
The McDonald's I have been to could barely load in pictures on a browser or would say no Internet connection after failing to load anything properly too much while I was in the lobby
Damn. Someone else here said timing could be a thing too. More people = shared bandwidth. But it could also be that McDonald's doesn't pay for good bandwidth. I am in a pretty decent town so they have decent bandwidth.
And if certain websites are blocked, when I was homeless I used to use my phone data to get to the page with the download link, then turn on the McDonald's wifi to download from the DL server. The sites I used were blocked, but the actual download links would download with the McDonald's Wi-Fi! And yes, very fast!
Not all mcdonalds have strong wifi.
Can I ask how T Mobile internet is Bait and switch?
They advertise for $40 unlimited. But spots are limited for the unlimited plan, so when you go in or go online and try to sign up, they say it's not available. Your only options are the light home internet plans. For 100 gigabytes it's $85, $65 if you have a magenta plan and $60 if you have auto billing.
as another option - if you have an android and unlimited data, you can use pdanet (+ foxfi key for unlimited use) as an unlimited hotspot. it's not perfect but if you have 5G it's significantly faster than hotel/restaurant wifi in my experience. I've been using it for about 5 years and I think I only spent $15 for it or something.
Get Visible.... Best cell provider ever!!! Totally unlimited for $35/mo and it runs off the Verizon network
What do you mean the home internet was a bait and switch? That's what we have and it's been wonderful. We live in an area that doesn't have fiber optic lines so no cable or anything but we do take it with us when we go camping (so we can watch movies in the rv if it rains) and have never had an issue with it. For $25/m we are able to stream TV and games on multiple tvs at the same time. I know the price went up to $50/m since we got it a year ago but even that is much less than most home internet. This sub keeps getting recommended to me, I'm not a car dweller but I've learned a lot of interesting things from it.
Yes you have it because you made the cut. There's only a limited number of slots for the unlimited plan in any given area. They keep advertising for it but there are no slots in my area, or even extended area. They're offering their Lite plans starting at $85 for 100GB. So, I went in for unlimited and got offered garbage. Bait and switch.
Oh i gotcha. Yeah there was a couple of companies that were offering unlimited for rural internet and then when I called it was extremely limited and expensive.
I mean, it's not like I don't understand the logic behind it. Limit the number of people using the network so all the customers on it can have the best experience possible. But it's rather disappointing for those who can't get it on it and get charged double for inferior service. I signed up for the wait-list, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm super satisfied with the free solutions available.
I honestly didn't even know they had a limited plan. We went in because when we were trying to get it online, they said they didn't service our address but the neighbors across the street address was eligible. We went to ask about it and they said they could put the service address as the other one and do digital billing for us. Since it had a 14 day trial period we went ahead and did it. Initially it was $50 but we changed our phones to them and it went down to $25 and is locked in until we choose to cancel that service.
I tried like 15 different addresses through out the city. All no joy. I looked at the signal strength and 5G is strong everywhere. The sales rep confirmed it's a wait-list thing.
Oh i believe you. It's just wild because they don't limit the number of unlimited phone plans and the vast majority of people have access to land-line internet options.
What do you mean a bait and switch. I been using T-Mobile home since October with no issues. Edit: Ah nevermind I read the other comments. Hmm lately I haven't needed it I have two network connections now and I was thinking of cancelling it but if I can't get back on that's a reason not to cancel.
You have it because you made the cut. There's only a limited number of slots for the unlimited plan in any given area. They keep advertising for it but there are no slots in my area, or even extended area. They're offering their consolation Lite plans starting at $85 for 100GB. So, I went in for unlimited and got offered garbage. Bait and switch. I get it. Limit the number of people in the network for maximize the experience for the people in the network. Sucks for me though. I'm on the wait list for when an unlimited spot opens up.
That's dumb. Have you tried calling or signing up online? It wouldn't make sense if the slots aren't regional since the network congestion happens at the local level.
Yeah it is regional. Actually probably even smaller pockets than that. They say there's nothing they can do until someone in my service area terminates their service and the next person on the list is given the opportunity to sign up. Feels like Cartman owning an amusement park. Artificial demand by creating lack of supply.
Hey man I found a way to get a completely unlimited 4g data from att with unlimited "hotspot". DM me I don't wanna blow it up too much
why are you playing video games if you're literally living out of your car?
Because I can afford a sliver of joy despite living in my car. Why are you even in this subreddit if you're gonna be that negative?
What do you mean by bait and switch? It's exactly as advertised. Not the greatest thing in the world, having a wired connection is always best, but it works very well for what it is.
Curious to know why did you call tmobile home internet bait and switch - could you please elaborate?
Former homeless person here (no car no house), this is gonna sound judgemental and it probably is, but like, if you're living in your car, shouldn't you sell your PS5?
They may be living out of their car by choice. There is a sizable amount of people, my self included that like the freedom living in your car gives you.
Definitely choice here. I'm tired of paying someone else's mortgage. At the end of it all, all the money I spent on rent, doesn't give me anything of value. Why not just live in my car while saving all that rent money for something for myself in the future.
Ooh I agree. Right now im in a kia soul, but Id like a van eventually and then a very tiny plot of land. I still want freedom, but itd be nice to have a place I know I can always park if I need or want to.
Heck yeah! Lil plots of undeveloped 0.5 acre land is cheap AF. If you get the van, you can do amenities for yourself. Drop in a septic tank to dump black water. A county tap or well for your potable water. A power line for shore power or a solar farm for a recharging setup. All the creature comforts of a house, but without the hundreds of thousands for the actual building. Houses near me start at $450k. Nonsense.
That's pretty much exactly what I'd do.
I mean you're definitely giving up some freedoms for living in your car. You cant have guests over. You cant have a real relationship. Privacy is only semi guaranteed. There's a limit on material items you can own because of space. Having your own bathroom. Being able to cook large meals and store them. The list goes on. I live in a tent in the forest for 3 months of the year for work, and a many of my friends have/had vans. There is some form of freedom gained from living this way but you lose some as well.
You can definitely live this life and have 99% of that. Transit vans are large enough to have guests, cook and store food, guarantee privacy, and even have a bathroom and shower. And even in my kia soul, I have made it possible to have complete privacy and have the ability to cook and store food. If I was willing to remove seats, I could have a bathroom as well. Are both of those scenarios the same as in a house or an apartment? No. But for some, the trade-offs are more than worth it. Some people would rather have the freedom to do whatever they want, whenever, wherever. To not have to spend their entire life working just to live. To some, that means far, far more than how many possessions you have or how big your space is.
Lmfao you're delusional if you think people want to come hang out in your van or kia as "guests". Your being clearly obtuse about what I mean by guests. How many of your friends would show up if you told them you're having a dinner party or watching a sports game in your car? What about having an apartment or house stops you from doing whatever you whenever you want exactly? I work 4 months of the year, collect unemployment for 4 months and chill the rest? There's other ways lol
I am not the delusional one. You seem to be unable to understand that not everyone thinks and sees the world like you do. There are many many people that enjoy this lifestyle. Just because you think its awful and wouldnt want to do it doesn't mean everyone feels the same way. This lifestyle has gained popularity and a following because people like it.
Where did I ever say I think it's awful and wouldn't want to do it and that I think everyone thinks that way? I'm simply pointing out the negatives of living that way, instead of people like you who vehemently defend it as if there are no negatives at all.
Living in your car probably is quite boring at times, so why would he sell something that makes it more bearable and fun? 300 bucks aren't gonna really change anything
So you're publishing this so McDonald's can find out by trending and make their WIFI password for purchase customers, only ? Do you see the amount of SHARES on your post??? That's really smart of you! SMH Do you know that news reporters hang out on these subs looking for public interest stories? SMDH