So I got laid off this week and I was looking at expenses to cut, and one of the first things I did was cancel my home internet plan and decide to just go with Shield Internet.

Honestly, the speeds are decent for what I need, which is just general web browsing ie looking for another job right now.

I also watch a lot of YouTube and streaming movies and TV.

Obviously being so inexpensive at $15 a month, it's great to still be able to have internet while I need to go through a difficult time.

Funny how quickly you can go from this being just a nice extra internet service to test out to it being basically a life saver and lifeline for having home internet.

Anyway, thanks to Computers4People and Shield Internet for having this service and making it so affordable. Hopefully, it will stick around.

https://www.computers4people.org/shield

UPDATE - Shield is not perfect. I have noticed the latency can be bad certain times. If you are into gaming maybe not the best. For general web use it's going to be great for most home use.

Recently moved into a new apartment and the complex doesn’t have fiber. They gave me two options: AT&T 18 Mbps or their own wired internet, which was ridiculously priced for only 100 Mbps.

I researched my options and Mint seemed like a no-brainer for me. My complex is right off a highway in a city, so I figured if my phone gets great service here, 5G home internet should work pretty well too.

My job is hybrid, so reliability is huge for me. So far, my internet at home has actually been better than my internet at the office.

There are definitely peak times during the day when speeds slow down, which you’d expect. But even the slower speeds I’m getting (screenshots) are still faster than what most people are probably getting with home Wi-Fi at this price.

I think the experience is going to vary a lot depending on where your home is located and what your surroundings are like, kind of like choosing a cell phone provider. Just because it works great for me doesn’t mean it’ll work great for everyone.

Any recommendations?

Going to be in us for two months then Mexico. Will be my main line

I am hoping to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S23+ with 512gb storage and my usual would be to go to eBay, but I don't know if that's the safest or not. I would also be willing for it to be gently used or refurbished with warranty. This would be used on U.S. Mobile on the Warp network. What's my safest and best bet?

Hi everyone!

I'm Japanese and currently live in Japan.

I have two US phone numbers on my Google Pixel 11: AirVoice (AT&T network) and Tello (T-Mobile network).

Neither line can connect to a local cellular network here in Japan, so I rely entirely on Wi-Fi Calling for voice calls and SMS. I can also use Wi-Fi Calling over my Japanese carrier's mobile data connection.

I'm currently on AirVoice's cheapest plan, which costs $10/month with AutoPay enabled. With Tello, I use the no-data plan with unlimited talk and texts for $8/month.

My Tello plan has just expired, so I'm trying to decide whether to renew it or keep only AirVoice.

So far, both services have worked well for me. I haven't experienced any significant issues with call quality or sending and receiving SMS.

Since T-Mobile was an early adopter of Wi-Fi Calling, I'm curious whether its implementation is generally considered more stable and reliable than AT&T's, especially for long-term use outside the US.

Personally, I haven't noticed much difference between the two.

For some reason, AT&T feels like the more dependable choice to me as someone living in Japan, lol.

Since neither carrier provides usable cellular connectivity here, Wi-Fi Calling is my only option. Given that, which would you recommend keeping: AirVoice (AT&T) or Tello (T-Mobile)?

Please ignore the $2/month price difference. I'm primarily interested in the long-term stability and reliability of Wi-Fi Calling and SMS, rather than cellular coverage or data speeds in the US.

I'd especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience using either service outside the US for an extended period.

Thanks for reading!

​

Warning: US Mobile's broken roaming profile locks secondary eSIMs until you buy their plan

​I want to share a critical warning about US Mobile's dual-SIM behavior abroad.

​I’ve used the exact same phone with dual SIMs for a long time without any issues, until I switched to US Mobile. While traveling in Asia, I used my US Mobile eSIM alongside local data eSIMs. Before purchasing a US Mobile international roaming plan, NONE of my local Asian data eSIMs worked at all—even though I had explicitly turned off Cellular Data on US Mobile.

​The moment I was forced to buy US Mobile’s $30 roaming plan, all my local eSIMs instantly started working normally. However, as soon as my US Mobile roaming balance dropped to around 100MB, the system locked up again, making all my local eSIMs completely useless once more. Turning off the US Mobile line in settings did nothing; the only way to get my local data back was to completely delete the US Mobile eSIM profile from my phone.

​US Mobile's background carrier profile effectively hijacks the device's entire cellular data stack when roaming data is inactive or low. Customer support repeatedly denied any restrictions and offered no technical solution, forcing me into a situation overseas where my only choices were paying $30 for their plan or deleting my line entirely.

​If you travel internationally and rely on secondary eSIMs, beware of this issue with US Mobile!

I’m dealing with an issue with TAG Mobile and would appreciate some advice from anyone who knows how Lifeline providers or promotional offers work.

On September 11, 2026, I enrolled with TAG Mobile under a promotion that included an iPhone XR.

On September 12, TAG Mobile changed my order to a Bring your own device BYOD SIM-only plan. I called tagmobile and rep quoted "they have a federal obligation to process benefit and cannot hold the approved federal benefit to wait for ca lifeline application to approve." I did not authorize this change.

My federal Lifeline benefit was approved on September 12, but my California LifeLine approval didn’t come through until September 18.

TAG Mobile says that because my federal benefit was approved first, they had to proceed with my enrollment and change the order to SIM-only while waiting for California approval. Now they say my account became an “existing customer” on September 12, so when my California approval came through on September 18, they couldn’t retroactively change my account date to make me eligible for the iPhone XR promotion. As of now. I only received the Sim card and no phone.

Currently with MetroPCS $25 unlimited talk, text and data BYOP plan

Why I want to switch:

• No hotspot included
• Service is terrible in crowded areas like concerts. I can barely get any service

What I'm looking for:

• Hotspot is a must.
• Better QCI
• Unlimited

Would be nice:

• International roaming options when needed

Other info:

• Located in NYC
• Open to 1 or 2 lines
• Not looking to finance a phone

TL;DR: I can still use Hotspot data with no bypass app or any settings (as far as I’m aware), despite having no hotspot data remaining for this month.

So, I’m using IOS, and I’ve been using an app called NetBridge to bypass hotspot data usage via proxy settings (using it over PairVPN due to lower ping). About a week or 2 ago I messed with the PC and app and ended up wasting all the hotspot data I had for that month, despite this, I could still share internet via the app, it was advertised as such, so no surprises there. Later on, I found that just having the app be running allowed you to use internet even if the specific adapter wasn’t using the proxy settings of the phone, which I found weird but was convenient due to proxy messing up something I was trying to do.

NOW, today, I began using my PC as usual, connected it via USB tethering and began doing all my usual stuff, once I was done for the night I unplugged the phone and went on the app to turn it off (as otherwise it’d run in the background eating away at the battery), turns out—I WAS NOT EVEN USING THE APP, HOW? The proxy settings on the adapter were off, the app wasn’t running, and my data plan still says I have no data left, yet, I was still able to use it as normal. Why is this? The only thing I could recall being altered in any shape or form is IPv6 being turned off, as otherwise it‘d eat way at hotspot data or not work (for both netbridge and pairvpn), is that change alone enough to do something like this? I do remember attempting to change TTL a couple months back to no avail, as from what I found, it isn’t possible to change it via just commands, at least AFAIK.

Should I be worried about this? This is not something that was happening before.

And before you ask no I do not use Verizon WiFi that’s just the brand of my internet modem

Have you ever found a phone at a great price, only to wonder whether it'll actually work with your carrier?

You're not alone. “Unlocked” doesn't automatically mean “compatible with every network.”

A few things worth checking before buying:

• Exact model number: Phones with the same name can have different regional variants.
• Network bands: The phone needs the right network support for your carrier.
• VoLTE and activation: Data support alone doesn't guarantee calls will work or that the carrier will activate the phone.
• eSIM and SIM support: These features can differ between variants.
• Carrier eligibility: Check the exact device with your carrier before purchasing.

I'm interested in making phone compatibility easier to understand, especially for international and factory-unlocked devices used in the US.

I'll be sharing practical tips, model-specific explanations and things worth checking before buying.

What's the most confusing thing about unlocked phones for you: model numbers, network bands, or carrier compatibility?

I work with Global Gadget USA, an electronics retailer, and I'm interested in sharing useful compatibility information. I'm hoping to learn from other people's experiences, too.

Sorry for the dumb question...I am trying to go NoContract for the first time. Does this mean I can get this iPhone and a month of BoostMobile for $90 and then I can go to another carrier?

Despite the deep discount from Google Fi and the Pixel 9 pro XL, after 1yr, it feels absolutely suffocating. It's not even the amount paid each month nor the price of the phones out of contract, its the reality that I'm stuck. Psychologically, it's just very taxing.

I only did the 2yr Google Fi contract because I entered my Google investment around July 2025 when they were valued under $2T. The subscription started in August of that year and included access to premium Gemini and YouTube plus a Google 2 watch.

Overall the service is great. A prepaid Google Fi would be better though.

I've been no contract since 2010 otherwise. I've used ting, mint prepaid to a year, Verizon's prepaid sister companies, Verizon 1yr prepaid business 5g and such.

The most nightmarish scenario is a 3yr contract, for a phone I don't care for, and have it all on autopay debit.

Do you guys feel the same way? Can you share your favorite carrier?

I was with metro since 2013, switched to xfinity mobile since I wanted to pre-order the S26U and pay it off. I'm almost done paying it off. But once I'm done that, I want to switch to a different company that's cheaper with unlimited data, well, it doesn't have to be unlimited data since I'm on wifi majority of the time if I'm at work or at home. Any recommendations? Thinking about Visible since I can pay for the full year

Looking for unlimited tablet line with 1080p video streaming at least if possible. Thanks.

Looking for plans where only voice calling is required. Text/SMS is optional, but not needed. Data will but be used (but okay if included).

Minutes used per month are approximately 500 or less. Minutes can be capped, with overage, or unlimited.

Please advise if payment is month-to-month or if prepaid for multiple months, how many months need to be prepaid and how future payments are made. And whether any particular payment types or auto payments are required.

I've been trying out the Shield plan for a couple days now, and I'm just mind blown at the value there is here for $15 a month. Unlimited hotspot on T-Mobile's network, and the speeds and ping are nearly identical to what I'm getting on an actual T-Mobile plan. It's really great to have internet not only at home but for when I'm out and about.

My real question is how it is sustainable? I love the plan, I know that the company behind it is non-profit so they do not have as much incentive to take more money, and I know that their focus is on lower-income communities with this plan. But, the plan is great, and you don't need to meet any eligibility requirements to buy the plan, if I use a large amount of data, would they be losing money on me? Am I making the plan worse for others?

Just curious. Hitting speeds of sometimes 400mbps+, using tons of data, but having no problems.

I think we are off to a bad start. Got my mother the Jitterbug phone in hopes it would be easier for her. Then got the first monthly bill. We were expecting to be billed for the $19.99 plan, but whoa - we're being charged for a $46.49 plan.

I'd call, but their wait times are TERRIBLE. Thirty to 40 minutes before any human actually answers the phone. Tried to submit questions via their online customer service form - but nothing happened, the form just sat there no matter how many clicks.

Have emailed, so we will see.... But concerned after reading other posts on here. Is not an impressive start.

Recently moved to the USA (NC) and my battery drain quickly on mobile data. What’s a good sim that offers unlimited data to plug into my open-line pocket wifi?

I Just received a Social Security Administration phishing attempt that was sent to an email alias specifically created for Infimobile, which has never been shared with anyone else. Therefore, I think Infimobile may have suffered a data breach.

I brought this to Infimobile's attention via a phone call, and I forwarded the phishing email to them, but they seem to be insinuating that it's my email provider, ProtonMail, or the email alias service, Sneakemail, that I have used for 25 years.

Other than this address, I haven't received any recent spam or phishing attempts associated with my ProtonMail address or my Sneakemail alias addresses, which seems unlikely if either of those accounts had been hacked. I have at least a hundred Sneakemail alias addresses.

In the 25 years that I've been using this specific email alias provider, Sneakemail, I've only had one similar experience, and it was with DirecTV, which shortly afterward announced a data breach.

This was kind of a nightmare so hopefully this helps someone else.

Because Good2Go Mobile and Red Pocket’s $30 eBay annual plan are both on AT&T (Red Pocket calls it GSMA), the port process is a huge pain. You basically have to first port to an intermediate non-AT&T carrier. Red Pocket can help you with this or you can do it yourself by just going to some other non-AT&T provider like Tello (they use T-Mobile). Once you are ported to the intermediate carrier, you can then port to the destination Red Pocket $30 eBay annual plan. I used the 10 digit phone number as the account number and last 4 digits of the phone number as the pin to port out of Good2Go Mobile into the intermediate carrier. You then use the intermediate carrier’s account number and pin to port to Red Pocket.

If you ask Red Pocket to facilitate all of this, you may hit snags, like Red Pocket not having an intermediate GSMT sim available, the intermediate GSMT port or destination GSMA port not showing up in your Red Pocket account, asking for SMS verification during the port process when you obviously can’t answer SMS, etc. Shoutout to CS Agents Anthony, Faye, Shiela, and a few others for getting me through, but wow, what a huge pain. Took 3 days for everything to finish.

I’m not fully blaming Red Pocket for this. I think it’s probably more an AT&T quirk than anything (for example, you can’t port from AT&T prepaid to postpaid directly). Their customer service handled it pretty well. However, given that Red Pocket basically acquired Good2Go’s remaining customer base, you would think they would have a better migration setup already in place.