Mobile Data vs Home Data
Understanding how mobile and home internet connections are different can help you save money.
How is home data different from mobile data?
Most people have two different and separate internet connections:
A home data connection, which everyone at home can share.
A mobile data connection, which is just for your mobile phone when you are out and about.
The data for your home internet connection and mobile internet connection comes from different places.
Your home internet data comes through your home’s router and is shared by all the devices in your home.
Mobile internet data comes to your phone through a nearby mobile phone tower. Your mobile internet data is used only by your mobile phone.
You will have a separate data allowance for your mobile phone and home internet. Even if an internet service provider bundles your home internet and mobile phone into a single bill, the data allowance for each will appear separately.
How much data for your money?
A mobile data plan usually has a much lower data allowance than a home internet plan. While each provider charges slightly differently, here’s a general estimate of how much data you can expect for your money.
Home Data Allowance
$50 per month: 500GB
$100 per month: unlimited
Mobile Data Allowance
$50 per month: 10–15GB
$100 per month: 40–100GB
Which of my devices uses which kind of data?
The two kinds of data – home internet and mobile data – are used by different devices. Here’s a list of common devices that use each type of data.
Home Internet Data
Devices usually intended to stay in your home all the time use home internet, including:
Desktop PCs
Laptops
Smart TVs
Tablets
Security cameras
Mobile data
Devices usually intended to go out and about use mobile data, including:
Mobile phones (or smartphones)
Some laptop computers
Some tablets
Some smartwatches
Some medical alert devices
Home AND Mobile Data
Some devices can use home internet and mobile data, however. Those devices can be set up to automatically switch to whichever signal is strongest so that you can stay connected to the internet wherever you are. These devices include:
Mobile phones (or smartphones)
Some laptop computers
Some tablets
Setting your phone up to connect to your home Wi-Fi when you are at home is a good way to save money on your mobile data plan. Mobile data is much more expensive than home data and using your home Wi-Fi saves your mobile data for when you are out and about.
To set up your mobile phone to use your home Wi-Fi, there are a few basic steps:
Enable Wi-Fi in your phone settings.
Search for your home Wi-Fi name in the list of networks and select it. The first time you do this, you will be prompted to enter the password. This password is usually located on the bottom of the router or on a special card provided by your home internet service supplier.
From then on, each time you come home, the phone will connect to the Wi-Fi automatically.
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