Owners of new Apple iPad owners are finding an unpleasant surprise that owners of 4G phones have known about for a while: 4G LTE networks are so smooth and speedy that it's easy to bust your monthly data cap within days. It's probably even easier to bust it on an iPad than on a phone, because the iPad's screen lends itself to video streaming and because Verizon's and AT&T's LTE networks are often faster than public Wi-Fi.
Back in December, we calculated that you can blow through Verizon's 5GB data cap in 32 minutes. Most iPad users will probably be on even more restrictive plans, with the most popular looking like the $30 per month plans which get you 2GB on Verizon Wireless and 3GB on AT&T.
As you can see from the chart at left, the best thing to do is just to not stream video over 4G. Video takes up huge amounts of data. Even ratcheting down Netflix to the lowest of its three quality levels, you can use up a 2GB monthly allotment in only six hours.
Gauging the amount of data used in ordinary Web surfing is harder. In a 2009 test of pure Web surfing and teleworking, I marked about 20MB per hour without any media streaming. That would give you 100 hours of Web surfing on the 2GB plan, or about three hours a day of Web access.
(Here's where I got the YouTube bitrates used in the chart, as well as the source for the Netflix numbers.)
So how can you prevent yourself from busting through that 4G data cap? I have some suggestions.
Download a usage monitor. The iPad has a usage monitor, but it's buried four levels down in Settings. Instead, buy a usage monitor app like sigterm's Data Usage ($0.99), Left Foot's Air Meter ($1.99) or XVision's Data Man Pro ($3.99). These apps will keep you more easily apprised of your data usage; the sigterm app, for instance, always shows how close to your data cap you are, right on your home screen.
Keep Wi-Fi on and find free Wi-Fi. Download JiWire's Wi-Fi Finder to locate free Wi-Fi hotspots. Or just remember that lurking near a McDonald's, Starbucks or Panera will get you hooked up for free. If you're an AT&T subscriber, you get access to the hotspots shown on AT&T's website. Your home Internet provider may also give you access to a set of Wi-Fi hotspots. Remember to open your Web browser and click through the user agreement to make sure you're online!
Sign up for Boingo. Boingo Mobile's $8 per month plan opens up unlimited Wi-Fi usage at hundreds of thousands of paid hotspots worldwide. To see if it has a sufficient number of hotspots near you, go to the hotspot finder on Boingo's website.
Don't use the iTunes Store or App Store over 4G. Under Settings and Store, turn off "Use Cellular Data" to prevent your tablet from downloading apps and music over 4G.
Lock down your hotspot. If you use your iPad as a mobile hotspot with Verizon Wireless, make sure you put a secure password on the network. While you can control your own usage, you don't want strangers hopping onto your network and using up your precious data.
For more, see New iPad's Screen Hogs Battery Power, as well as 3G vs. 4G: What's the Difference? Also check out PCMag's full review of the new iPad and the slideshow below.