Those who do not buy their iPad as part of a package deal will find that they are left without internet access as soon as they are out of a wireless zone. This may happen while you are travelling, or simply when you pop out of the house. It is possible to access the internet when you are in wireless hotspot range whilst travelling but, if you leave the zone, you will not have access. This is when you will wish that you had a sim card for your iPad.
SIM Card for iPad
If you have a mobile phone with a suitable contract, you will not be able to use that same sim card in your iPad. This is something a lot of people dont realise when they intend buying an iPad. Using your mobile phone sim card will be possible only if it is, in fact, the same as the ones used in iPads.
However, the sim card used in iPads is a micro-sim whereas those used in most mobile phones are normal sim cards. There are newer models of mobile phones that make use of micro-sim cards, but you may experience compatability difficulties if you use that sim in your iPad. The iPad Mini makes use of a nano sim, and none of the modern mobile phones use this technology.
iPad SIM Card Deal
You will normally not have to sign a contract when you sign up for a sim card for iPad deal. This is because there is no hardware cost for your service provider to recoup. The main deals for the sim card are monthly rolling contracts, which are very advantageous because:
You have the facility to terminate your contract with only a months notice period
You will be able to switch from one service provider to the other at fairly short notice, which is perfect if you see an opportunity to obtain a better deal with another provider
You will not have to be concerned about lengthy contracts if you are unhappy with your current service provider. It will not cost you a contract buy-out if you are unhappy with the service you are currently receiving and want to move your contract
iPad SIM Card Connection Speed
Moderate or heavy users of the internet need to have a stable and fast connection when they access the internet. It is critical that you check the network coverage that the service provider of your choice offers. The average speed linked to iPad sim cards is normally around 7mb per second. If the network coverage is poor in the area where you are trying to access the internet, the speed of your connection will be reduced sometimes to an unacceptable level. When you obtain a sim card, make sure that you are getting the 3G and not 2G connection. The older 2G connection is not suitable for the newer versions of the iPad, and there are service providers that only offer the older connection type. For you to fully enjoy the technology that your iPad offers, you must have at least the 3G connection.
Data Allowance Cap
The type of contract you sign up for will determine the amount of data allowance that you receive. If you choose a pay-as-you-go option, you will be able to choose any level of data allowance. It is not always wise to choose the data package that offers the highest allowance. The allowance is valid for a specified period of time and, if you do not use all the data during that time, you will forfeit it at the end of the period. The normal period of validity for data is 30 days, but you should confirm this with your provider when you purchase the data. You do sometimes find deals where you are offered twice the amount of data for the price of one package.
If you opt for a rolling contract, the amount of data will be dependent upon the contract price and the specific service provider. The lowest amount available is normally 500MB and the maximum amount about 10GB. These are the normal data limits available from the main service providers; however, you could find better deals with higher allowances from the smaller and lesser-known providers.
Penalties when Exceeding Data Allowance
You must ensure that you obtain a deal that will provide you with a suitable data limit. If you are a light internet user, you will not require a high level of data allowance. Heavy internet users will require higher levels of data allowance to allow them to undertake all their normal internet activities. It is advisable that you do a calculation of the amount of data that you use during the month as you could be charged a penalty in the event that you exceed the monthly allocated allowance. The excess data usage will be charged per MB or GB, but this depends upon the amount of the excess usage. The current charges from most service providers on excess usage amount to about £15/GB.
For those on pay-as-you-go sim card plans there will be no penalties payable. However, you will also not have the facility to access the internet once you have used all of your allowance.
Extra Charges
Many people expect to pay an extra charge when they obtain a fixed home broadband connection and will normally not expect to be charged a fee for something that is placed into a device. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case when you obtain a sim card for iPad. Service providers call it a set-up fee. Not all the service providers charge for this, but many of them do and you should be aware that this may happen.
To make sure that you are charged correctly for what you receive, you should confirm the exact charges for your iPad sim card deal irrespective of the type of contract you have opted for. Ensure that you read the fine print as this is often where additional charges are listed. Check your contract to ensure that the verbal price you were given is in line with the price stated on the contract.
Getting a SIM card for iPad use was easy for Sam Jones. He simply clicked on to comparison services such as uSwitch to see what deals were available to him.
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