[iamfyrefly]

I have never had to be responsible for my own data plan, or anything. Since the first cell phones hit the street, followed by wifi, my company has issued and paid for my devices and usage. Cell phone, laptop, and aircard. (verizon service)

Not anymore.

The company has now decreed that the ownership, and subsequent plan responsibility, shift to employees.

I estimate that 90% of the time that I need to connect my laptop to wifi, I'm either in my office or in a hotel. It's the other 10% that I need help with.

As an aside, my family was on their own Verizon family plan, independent of me. I moved my company phone over to my family plan.

Now, I'm trying to decide whether to have tethering enabled, or to get an air card, or to get a jetpack.

I have been told that if I tether my laptop via my cellphone, and then I access the internet on my laptop, that will not affect my data plan.

I don't understand how it all works to make an informed decision. And, various Verizon reps seem to give conflicting information.

Currently, I am on 2gb plan. Obviously, I don't want to go over and incur overage charges.

Any input would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Fyrefly

[underway99]

What you've been told about tethering your phone to your laptop is not entirely accurate. You are correct in that your data PLAN itself will not be affected. You WILL, however, consume data if you use the connection feature built in to the BlackBerry Desktop Software. The carriers have the means to determine if you are tethering. If your VZW TOS is the same as mine, tethering is prohibited unless you pay for it as part of your service.

If you want to play it safe, look at one of the Jetpack devices. That would let you create a WiFi hotspot for up to five (I think) WiFi devices that would share data. If you have one of the new shared data family plans, you can just buy and add the device.

You'll also see references to some apps that allow you to tether your BlackBerry to your laptop without paying the additional tethering fees. Those apps work by masking the data to make it appear that the data is being consumed by the BlackBerry. I'm not sure just how it's done, but it seems to work. You can use them to connect via bluetooth or USB, but they do not create the WiFi hotspot. It is a direct connection to between the phone and the laptop. They tend to be slow -- great for checking email and such, but not so good for browsing or streaming or transferring large files. These apps generally cost between $25 and $50 but it's a one-time charge. Sometimes the CB store has them on sale.

Look for Tether (Tethering for BlackBerry, iPhone & Android | Tether.com) and Fixmo Extend (http://fixmo.com/products/extend) . I am not promoting either of these. I've tried both but there might be others so look around.