iPad Personal Hotspot using Verizon

Have been at a Hospice House with my mother since Thursday and discovered that the Wifi won't connect.  It did connect with the iPad on Thursday, but not the iPhone or laptop :-(

Needless to say no Internet access results in frustration.  My brother let me borrow his iPhone hotspot but it would time out.  That meant I had to activate the Verizon cellular service account for the first time.  I was using the iPad to access one of my online courses, but responding to students postings was time consuming using the iPad without the bluetooth keyboard.

Setting up the cellular service was just as easy as it had been when using AT&T on the iPad2.  I looked at the Internet for information on how to establish the hotspot.  It looked easy, but it did not work because I was overlooking a simple step.  Fortunately my brother is in the Apple ecosystem, too.  I had not opened Settings > General > Network > Personal Hotspot On.  Once the hotspot was turned on, it showed up in the Settings menu under Wi-Fi.  When I clicked on the Personal Hotspot in the Settings menu, it was on, meaning the hotspot was discoverable.  The Wi-Fi password was displayed. Remember that the hotspot function only works with the New iPad.

So now you might imagine the Hospice room with not one or two iPads, but 5 (brother, sister, mother, me and my son).  You might think that WE brought down the wifi system, but we didn't.  Since we could not get the wireless system to work, only my brother and I were online using our personal hotspots.  

iPad - Verizon Data Plan Update

I received email from a Verizon representative today.  Her email is noted below.  Note the correct URL for the iPad data plan.

My name is Chloe Zabicki and I work with Verizon Wireless. I'm writing with an update for your post titled "New iPad 4G Data Plans Comparison." For your reference, the URL of the story is:

http://jeanne-sewell.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-ipad-4g-data-plans-comparison.html

You were kind enough to include a link to Verizon's website at the end of your article (on the words "[http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/ipad.jsp]"). However, in its current form, the URL as provided will not work for some users (presenting them with a blank page), or will present other users with a "zip code wall" (asking for their location). Recently, the iPad has received a permalink URL on the verizonwireless.com site, so I thought I'd write and let you know so you could include it in your piece for your readers' information.

The proper URL for the iPad would be as follows:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/ipad.shtml

This URL will take visitors directly to the product page where they can find details, without requesting a zip code. 

New iPad 4G Data Plans Comparison

The ePublishing faculty development workshop participants met last week.  One of the agenda items related to hardware configurations for the New iPad.  The New iPad was not released until yesterday, so we were guessing about the comparisons for pricing of 4G connections.  Not surprising, the plans are competitive.  I frequently use the AT&T $14.99 data plan on the iPad2.  For example, I used it the past two days at the NLNAC self-study forum in Atlanta because WiFi was not available at the conference (apparently WiFi was a problem everywhere at the hotel).  The table below shows a comparison of the monthly access fee pricing (assuming that the iPad has the capability of 4G). Of course, the choice is personal - and for me - a difficult one to make because for just an additional $5, I could get 1Gb. 

Verizon 1Gb - $20 2Gb - $30 5Gb- $50 10Gb - $80

AT&T 250Mb - $14.99 3Gb - $30 5Gb- $50

One other interesting difference is that if you order the New iPad WITH 4G activated, the package allows global connectivity.  The AT&T package is only for nationwide coverage.
Sources: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/ipad.jsp  and http://www.att.com/ipad/?fbid=W7ZoQBpj9j-