Tag Archive for Cellular network

| August 31, 2023
Comments Off on 5 Ways to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill

5 Ways to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill

In today’s cell phone dependent world, staying connected is essential, but soaring data costs can quickly eat into your budget. However, there are several effective ways to reduce your reliance on the cellular network for data on your mobile phone. By implementing these strategies, you can optimize your data usage and save money while still enjoying the benefits of a connected lifestyle. In this blog post, we will explore the top five ways to prevent excessive cellular data usage on your mobile phone.

Did you know that streaming high quality audio uses over 100MB per hour while HD quality video can use anywhere between 1GB to 3GB per hour? If you have a metered data plan, you could easily hit your cap in no time!

Connect to Wi-Fi networks

One of the most effective methods to minimize your cell phone bill is by utilizing Wi-Fi networks whenever available. Whether you’re at home, work, or a public place, connecting to a trusted Wi-Fi network can provide fast and reliable internet access without utilizing your cellular data plan. Ensure that your device automatically connects to known Wi-Fi networks and disable any prompts to use cellular data when a Wi-Fi network is available.

How to connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi networks:

  1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on “Wi-Fi” and ensure that the Wi-Fi toggle is switched on.
  3. Select a trusted Wi-Fi network from the available list and enter the password if required.
  4. To automatically connect to known Wi-Fi networks, enable the “Auto-Join” option.iPhone Wi-Fi

Not all Wi-Fi networks are built the same, so be careful of public Wi-Fi networks. Public networks at coffee shops, shopping areas, or airports, may put your personal information at risk. Many times these networks are not secure. Other users may be able to see your internet traffic, including your personal information, logins and passwords, so make sure not to access personal or financial information on public Wi-Fi. If you are going to use a public Wi-Fi network consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) app to encrypt your internet activity. Here are some more tips from the Federal Trade Commission on how to use public Wi-Fi networks safely.

Manage background data on your cell phone

Apps running in the background can be data hogs and drive up your cell phone bill. They consume a significant amount of data without your knowledge. To prevent this, review your app settings and restrict background data usage for applications that you don’t require to be constantly active. iOS devices offer options to limit background data for individual apps, allowing you to prioritize essential services while conserving your cellular data.

How to manage app background data on your iPhone:

  1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on “Cellular”
  3. Scroll down to see which apps are using cellular data.
  4. You can see which apps are using the most data and consider limiting their use only to when you’re on a Wi-Fi network.
  5. Toggle off the switch for apps that you don’t want to use cellular data in the background.Background Data

Enable low data mode

Low Data Mode can significantly reduce your cell phone bill. This mode limits data usage by preventing background app refreshes, app updates, and automatic downloads. Enabling Low Data mode can help you avoid unnecessary data usage, especially when you’re on a limited data plan or experiencing slower network speeds.

How to set up Low Data mode on your iPhone:

    1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
    2. Select “Cellular”
    3. Tap on “Cellular Data Options”
    4. Open “Data Mode”
    5. Check “Low Data Mode”Low Data mode

Don’t back up over cellular network

Apple’s cloud backup service iCloud is great for backing up your photos and other important data. However it can really jack up your cell phone bill if they are syncing over a cellular network. It’s a good idea to turn that setting off to conserve data.

How to stop backing up over cellular on your iPhone:

  1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  2. Select “Photos”
  3. Tap on “Cellular Data”iPhone Photos
  4. Toggle off Cellular DataPhoto cellular data

Optimize cell phone streaming settings

Streaming media, such as music and videos, can quickly deplete your cellular data allowance. To prevent excessive usage, adjust the streaming settings for popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, and others. Opt for lower quality video resolutions, disable autoplay, and download content for offline viewing when connected to Wi-Fi. Additionally, streaming music and videos from dedicated apps that offer offline playback options, like Spotify or Netflix, can significantly reduce your reliance on cellular data.

How to optimize streaming settings:

  1. For streaming apps like Netflix or YouTube, open the respective app.
  2. Tap on your profile or account settings within the app.
  3. Look for options related to video quality or streaming settings and choose a lower resolution or quality option.
  4. Additionally, disable autoplay features to prevent videos from playing automatically.

rb-


By implementing these top five strategies, you can effectively minimize your reliance on the cellular network for data on your mobile phone. Connect to Wi-Fi networks whenever possible, manage app background data, enable Data Saver mode, optimize streaming settings, and utilize offline features. With these proactive measures, you can take control of your data usage, avoid unexpected charges, and enjoy a connected lifestyle without breaking the bank. Remember, a little awareness and optimization can go a long way in preserving your cellular data and ensuring a seamless mobile experience.

 

How you can help Ukraine!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| January 24, 2013
Comments Off on Another Net for IoT

Another Net for IoT

Another Net for IoTKevin Fitchard at GigaOM writes about the French start-up Sigfox that wants to take on the mobile service providers. Sigfox plans to build a new network just for the Internet of Things (IoT). Thomas Nicholls, Sigfox business development chief, and internet of things of evangelist said that cellular networks are built to connect humans, not objects. Sigfox is proposing to build an alternate wireless network dedicated solely to linking together the internet of things.

Sigfox logoThe Toulouse France-based start-up argues that the majority of objects linked to the network will connect rarely. A GPS tracker in a vehicle or shipping container may send out its coordinates just once a day. A smart meter may link back to its utility company’s servers once a week. Many of the sensors being embedded in devices from vending machines to security cameras only transmit when something goes wrong, meaning an M2M module may wait months if not years between connections to the Internet of Things. Connected home appliances like LG Electronic’s (LGLD) new Smart Thinq refrigerator, GPS tracking devices, smart meters and medical alert sensors are all the types of devices that Sigfox hopes to target.

Mr. Nicholls added that Sigfox thinks there’s a huge opportunity in the growing business-to-consumer connected device space. The assortment of gadgets and wearable devices making their way into the connected home and onto our bodies are typically connected by local area networking technologies like Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi. But he thinks there’s a big case to be made for replacing those technologies with Sigfox according to the article.

Wireless networkThe author claims that as Sigfox achieves economies of scale, its radio will not only shrink, their costs will fall to just a few dollars per module. Due to the huge efficiencies in running its network, Sigfox can support a device connection for little more than a dollar a year, Mr. Nicholls said. At those prices, gadget manufacturers can include IoT connectivity costs into the device costs without requiring customers to sign up for a subscription.

Not only would using Sigfox give these devices a range far beyond local networks, but they would also be “on” right out of the box, the Sigfox IoT evangelist said. It also wouldn’t require any signing up or logging on, as the machine-to-machine communication would just work out of the box.

Noisy networkTo host these devices over power-hungry and expensive cellular radios makes little sense, the business development chief said. The better course is to attach these devices to a network optimized for their use cases — one that can support billions of devices each sending relatively little data at distinct intervals, the start-up believes. “Our network is structured in a radically different way,” Nicholls claims in the GigaOM article. “There is really no notion of a network. You only connect when you have a payload to deliver.”

Sigfox has developed a wireless architecture using ultra narrow-band modulation techniques that can theoretically support millions of devices with only a handful of network transmitters. Using the unlicensed frequencies commonly used for baby monitors and cordless phones (868 MHz in Europe and 915 MHz in the US), Sigfox says it can offer the same coverage with a single tower that a cellular network could provide with 50 to 100 cell sites. Sigfox is building a network covering all of France with 1,000 transmission sites, and Mr. Nicholls estimates that the company could do the same in the US with 10,000 transmitters.

size of two thumbnailsThe author describes the embedded radio modules as about the size of two thumbnails, and they transmit at power levels 50 times lower than their cellular M2M counterparts. Such low consumption levels mean that objects that normally have no external power supply could stay connected for as long as 20 years before their module batteries would need recharging, Mr. Nicholls said.

rb-

Apparently, Sigfox’s ultra narrow-band technology can only support bandwidths of 100 bps (YEAP THAT’S BPS, NOT KBPS) — which makes it far slower than even the poorest 2G data connection so it will be popular with wireless service providers who will try to connect everything to the Internet of Things.

Sigfox does not seem to be the answer for devices that send large quantities of data or keep up constant connections to the network like telemedicine aren’t the “things” that Sigfox intends to connect to the Internet.

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,