Phone Blues: Could I Use a Mobile Hotspot Instead?

[jesse_the_k]

My iPad is always within reach, but it doesn't have cellular service. Could I get a mobile hotspot and use it as a phone?

I have a feature phone for when I need to talk/text away from wifi, but its prepaid minutes run out soon. Last year I just bought another year's worth of minutes. 358 days later and it's phone decision time again.

(I know the standard approach is easy: one "tethers" a smartphone to provide cellular internet access over wifi to a tablet.)

But I'd like to do the opposite: get a mobile hotspot (which seems to come with a SIM, thus a phone number) and use it as my phone.

Is this possible? A terrible idea? Should I bite the bullet and sell my iPad and buy one with cellular service?

Comments

[cathexys]

I do that all the time for my computer (and my ipad when I don't ring my computer). I have a default hot spot on my phone and my computer already defaults to it.

(I started becoming a hot spot afficionado in Europe--we always take one old unlocked phone and buy a cheapo SIMS card and then hook all our phone on it that have phone services turned off. So when I'm by myelf I always run around with two phones--one to get internet connection and the other because it's my actual phone)

So yes...I think that'd be an easy way to get access if you wanted that.

[jesse_the_k]

I investigated further, and I'm reluctant to yield my even-I-can-remember-it cell phone number to the clutches of Google or Microsoft.

So I caved and got a tiny iPhone, powered by Consumer Cellular for just $20/month.