Data Usage

[Frosty Jack]

I'm on the cusp of getting a smartphone, but I'm holding off because I can't find a definite answer for data usage. I'll only be a light user of the 3G network, checking E-Mails when needed etc, and any main web browsing would be done either using my home wifi signal, or on my laptop. I'm looking at a 100MB a month contract, which would be fine, but what about Geocaching?

 

I understand that the GPS itself won't eat 3G usage (giving me a 50m to go reading if the cache is already in the phone), but if I'm out and about and want to find a cache using Google Maps, will this rapidly deplete my data allowance?

 

Also, how much data will downloading a few dozen caches onto an app use up?

 

Any help greatly appreciated

 

Many thanks

 

FJ

[+CacheFreakTim]

I'm on the cusp of getting a smartphone, but I'm holding off because I can't find a definite answer for data usage. I'll only be a light user of the 3G network, checking E-Mails when needed etc, and any main web browsing would be done either using my home wifi signal, or on my laptop. I'm looking at a 100MB a month contract, which would be fine, but what about Geocaching?

 

I understand that the GPS itself won't eat 3G usage (giving me a 50m to go reading if the cache is already in the phone), but if I'm out and about and want to find a cache using Google Maps, will this rapidly deplete my data allowance?

 

Also, how much data will downloading a few dozen caches onto an app use up?

 

Any help greatly appreciated

 

Many thanks

 

FJ

 

It can be very hard to estimate the amount of data you will use while just Geocaching. Obviously pulling down maps and photos will eat up most of your bandwidth. When I was trying to determine if I wanted to switch off of my unlimited plan for the iPhones 4GB tethering plan I was watching my usage and found that I was pulling down around 100MB a day. I think you will find that 100MB/month on a smart phone now a days really isn't realistic enough to do anything with. Im sure it would be fine for just email but once you start adding photos, videos, and webpages into the mix you will quickly go over your limit. I use on average 2.8GB/Month out of my 4GB plan. That is about 30X what your cap is and If I didn't watch myself I could go even higher.

 

Personally I wouldn't bother with a 100MB plan...it just isn't enough. What you could do is before you leave the house use wifi to download all of your Geocache information including the maps. Both Geosphere and the official iPhone app allow the maps to be cached for offline use. This way once you are out in the field you can turn off your 3G and just use the cached data. I assume you would be getting an iPhone or Android so you could do this on either.

[ao318]

I have a teenage daughter that is limited to 200 mb per month. She gets very close every month and has exceeded it only once in the past 12 months. Her main use is pandora music and Facebook. It's the music that racks up the usage for her.

I have AT&T and they send out a message to me and her when she is at about 90% of her allotted usage. When she gets that message she really cuts back because she knows she has to pay for the overage.

[Frosty Jack]

Thanks for the responses.

 

Tim: I hardly see myself going overboard using the 3G network at all. I hardly use my current phone (2G PAYG), and have had it for nearly 4 years, and pay on average £10 to £15 every two months. For that I get 300-500 free texts, and I've never reached the limit (the month time limit runs out before the quantity does). Basically I want a smartphone to streamline a few devices into one, and to have a nicer phone of course but without paying a huge deal more than I want to.

 

As a result, I will be looking at usage similar to, if not less than ao318's daughter. So I'd be quite happy with a 50min/250text/100MB plan on a HTC Android phone.

 

My main question is, however, how much data does Google Maps require? For instance, over a 2 hour journey, using just the basic road map overlay (not satellite imagery).

[+kwcahart]

Frosty, just my opinion but do you really need the maps? I have found several caches with my Motorola Atrix and I've never gone over the 200MB plan. I don't use the maps much though. Once in a while I use the maps to take me to a clients address or to get me close to a cache, then I just use geocaching.com app and radar. Why not try it and see, you can always upgrade your data plan. Or, better yet, get a GPSr to do your geocaching with. I use both, and much prefer the GPSr most of the time and use the Atrix when I just want to find a quick "close by" cache. For the cost of a big data plan over several months you can buy a very good GPSr.

[Frosty Jack]

Thanks kwhart, that's good to know. I only ask about the maps because they're pretty much the only thing I'd be using on the 3G network. My job involves lots of driving to new places, so although I do prefer the traditional map-navigation, in emergencies it'll be nice to know I won't spike my limit on a one off 'getting lost'.

 

Usually I do use a normal GPSr, and it's lasted nearly 3 years now, and still going strong, so I'm not going to depart from it any time soon. The phone would be used like you use yours, for quick spur of the moment caching. But good to know your usage is low. I'll probably go for the 100MB plan for now, and get one of those counter apps to check where I am on my limit. p

 

Ta

[+TL&MinBHIL]

I've had the 200MB/month data plan through AT&T for a year now and have never come close to my limit. Like you, if I access the web on my phone, 9 times out of 10 I'm connected to WiFi. I do surf the web on occasion when I'm out & about, usually to just look something up or send/receive email, but that doesn't use up much data at all. The most I've ever used in a month was nearly 150MB and that was when we were caching a lot last year on the weekends (Fri., Sat. & Sun. sometimes all day). But that was before I figured out that if you save caches to your favorites on the Geocaching app, you don't use any data to access them. So now, on average, I only usually use just over 100MB/month. So depending on your use, I would say 100MB/month could be pushing it, but if you use it like me, then 200 should work fine.

[Frosty Jack]

Thanks for your input!

 

I think I'll try the lower end data usage first, and upgrade my contract if I think I do need some extra. I'm going to settle for the £13.50p/m O2 contract which gives 50mins, 250texts, and 100MB. O2 do say that they don't really like you dropping down to less expensive contracts, but I'm pretty sure they won't mind if I ring them up and say that I'd like to pay another £3 per month to them to upgrade to a 50/250/500 plan.

 

Now to go and barter at the shop!

[NordicMan]

Kinda/sorta on the same topic.. I've been using my Viewsonic Viewpad 7" tablet for Geocaching for a few weeks now. This thing doesn't have any 3G connectivity at all! (although I could add that) so all my Geocaching has been "purely offline". I bought the Locus Pro app for ~$6 and with it I can download large map areas for offline use. Then I build pocket queries which I drop into the Viewpad while connected wifi. After that I can romp around Geocaching all I want, with "0" data usage cost

 

..you can do the same thing with a Smartphone