Forum Discussion
unlimited mobile hotspot for tv and computers?
We really want to get rid of cox. We have unlimited nationwide hotspot on both of our phones. Do you think it would be enough to supply wifi for amazon firestick tv, a computer and ipad?
“Unlimited data” is a different category than “hotspot”
The unlimited data is for apps on the phone itself that are streaming data. With a hotspot, other devices (such as an Amazon Fire Stick) are using the phone data connection to provide data streaming to them. So T-Mobile (as did AT&T and Verizon, when I had phones with them) counts the hotspot data use as something separate. The info from your account that you posted above shows that the plan you have limits mobile hotspot data to 5GB per month.
As others have said, 5GB goes very quickly. Popular Science had an article earlier this year that showed how much data various streaming services used. Here's a quote:
“Netflix: Netflix provides specific estimates for each of its streaming settings. Standard definition uses up to 0.3 GB per hour. High definition (720p) uses up to 1 GB per hour. Full HD (1080p) uses up to 3 GB per hour. UHD (4K) uses up to 7 GB per hour." [source: https://www.popsci.com/reviews/how-much-data-does-streaming-live-tv-use/]
