RIP Spectrum, Hello Karma Go

It’s official. I woke up this morning and tried to check the weather on my Google Home Mini only to be REJECTED!!!!!!! How's that for a pre-Valentine's Day break up?

RIP Internet, you will be sorely missed. 

That being said, I’ve got a plan waiting in the wings for just this moment! 

My solution: Karma Go

Rather than paying a cool $45 a month for internet I don’t fully utilize, I got a hotspot so that, when I do need Wifi, I can just pay for what I'll be using. After looking at a couple of options, I decided that Karma Go’s Drift Plan would be the best fit for me. Karma Go is a tiny hotspot device that fits in the palm of my hand and weighs next to nothing. While it normally cost $199, my boyfriend (Hi, Will!) conveniently had one that he wasn’t using and was willing to donate it to the cause. (Thank you!) (If anyone’s interested in getting Karma Go, just click on my share link: Karma Go! Thanks!) 

The Plan: 

While there are a couple of different plans, including monthly options, Karma Go’s Drift plan works on a pay-as-you-go basis. You pay a $3 monthly activation charge and another $10 for each gig you use.

The Pros: 

Since I’m only going to use it sporadically with my tablet and computer, it’s perfect! As long as I use less than 4 gigs a month, I come out ahead. It’s far more likely that I’ll use less than 2 gigs per month, so I’ll be saving a substantial amount per year. 

Annual Cost of Spectrum Wifi: $540

Annual Cost of Karma Go, assuming I use 2 gigs a month:  $276

Annual Reallocation to my Booze Fund: $264

That’s under the assumption that I’ll use more than a gig every month or even that I use internet at all. I have might just use my phone for everything. It’s basically a tiny, handheld computer anyway. 

Another benefit of Karma Go are the complete lack of overage fees. If you run out of data, you buy more. You don’t have to worry about streaming the second season of The Crown and blowing wayyyyyy past the data you have on your account. (I’m looking at you, Verizon!) Karma Go helps you stick to the limits you’ve set for yourself and that’s a good thing. I’ve been on the wrong side of overage fees before; I don’t recommend it. 

It’s super portable. While it’s going to live in my apartment most of the time, I have the option of taking it with me anywhere I go without it having a noticeable impact in terms of weight. It’s lighter than my phone! If I decide that I want to do some work in a cafe or that I want to take a quick trip to visit friends in Boston, I can take it with me without any sort of hindrance. 

Why don’t I use my phone as a hotspot? Very good question! While I do get unlimited, 3G hotspot privileges, who in world wants to go with 3G? Can we get out of the Stone Age, please? I'm sorry but that way too slow for me. I could also pay for a hotspot plan, but that cost an extra $30 a month on T-Mobile, for 5 gigs. While I like the idea of having 1 less item, I’m highly unlikely to use 5 gigs at home, so why would I pay so much every month for it when there’s a more economical option? 

The Drawbacks: 

So, here’s the rub. No matter what, a hotspot option will be slower than your Wifi. Period. There’s no arguing that. In preparation for this grievous moment, ran a few tests in a completely scientific manner, aka connecting my tablet to different Wifi options and running it through the Speed Test app. 

The Results:
I connected my tablet to my home Wifi, and got a download speed of 36.52 Mbps and an upload speed of 12.02 Mbps. Then, I ran the same test using my phone as a 3G speed hotspot, code named Speedy Gonzalez, for an incredibly fast download speed of 0.42 Mbps and an upload speed of 0.52 Mbps. Finally, I ran it through Karma Go for a middling download speed of 7.59 Mbps and an upload speed of 5.36 Mpbs. There's no contest. A dedicated home Wifi network will be faster than a mobile hotspot no matter what. That being said, while Karma Go isn't nearly as good as my Wifi, it'll do for little emergencies. 

In conclusion, this is my wireless life now. I’m going to start relying even more on my phone at home, while using Karma Go as needed. In some ways, I feel that not having Wifi set up at home and just relying on my phone and Karma Go is making me more mobile. There’s a certain freedom in the knowledge that I’ll have access to internet wherever I go and I never even considered that benefit when I started this. I don’t know how it’ll all work out and I don’t know if using a mobile hotspot is even going to work for my lifestyle, but I’ll let you know what happens, and I think, at the very least, I’ll learn a lot about myself .