thanks for the answer, but how much of a data plan should i get (4 gig 8 gigs or what to start)
thanks Scott
Some of the data plan guidance depends on how much media you are likely to use (streaming a lot of content, uploading/downloading a lot of pictures and video, etc.). Most plans allow you to change if you're improperly sized (you may get overage charges if you use more than allotted), but you can start smaller and upgrade if your usage is overly high.
For navigation duty, many (most) GPS apps will allow you to download the maps when connected wifi, and then use them in disconnected mode, relying on the internal GPS hardware - this effectively uses no data plan.
Yeah, that covers the bulk of it. Data usage can vary greatly and is solely dependent on the type of stuff you are doing. Do as much when on wifi as possible in order to keep usage down. Any streaming services for video or music are relegated to wifi only for us (for the most part). Movies or video should be downloaded before the trip (Dish allows you to download stuff off your DVR for offline viewing!)
When camping we intentionally do not use data. I mean, that's part of the reason we are camping! We will usually have a couple of games and movies / shows downloaded though, for watching / playing before going to sleep, usually. My wife has an iPad and prefers that, I'm more comfortable with Android.
One thing to note with Verizon.. Set up data usage alerts on your Verizon phones. When you start getting low, contact Verizon about adding a one time lump data purchase to avoid going over. We have had to do this once or twice when travelling with our daughter. Usually because our destination doesn't have wifi and she watches (and makes) a lot of youtube videos.
For a family of 4, we have 16 gigs a month shared, but usually only use a few if we aren't travelling as we are all always on wifi when possible. Our daughter has used as much as 15 gigs in a few days, while travelling.
Oh, that reminds me. If you are streaming you tube or other videos, make sure you aren't watching in '1080' if you can manually change it (like on youtube). The worse the resolution, the less data you are using. So if you can stand for the picture to not be perfectly precise on that 10" screen, you will save a lot fo data as a trade-off.
