Is 4G faster than WI-Fi?

4G or just regular cable WiFi for new iPad?

• I want to buy mother a new iPad but I don't know whether I would be better off buying the WiFi only model or the 4G model. She only has a landline right now (she has AT&T for her phone service and pays about $28 a month) and no internet service. If I buy her the WiFi only model she would need to get an internet plan. However, if I get her the 4G model she could replace her landline with a cell phone and get internet through the cell phone provider. I want to know how fast 4G is compared to say18Mbps from a cable company, and would it be more cost effective to have a cell phone and 4G internet rather than pay two separate costs for landline service and broadband internet service? What 4G service provider would you recommend?

• Answer:

  It's actually better for her to get Wifi. There are quite a few iPad apps that are too big to be downloaded without a wifi connection. Though, I guess for those she could take it to a local McDonalds or Starbucks and borrow their wifi as she downloads apps or updates apps... But, if she isn't getting super fast internet that is dependable, it would be good for her to have the 4G option. I've been saved several times by having the ability to still check my work email when the internet went off. A con of this option, though is the data plan. Though, most people won't use up 3GB per month. Faced with the choice, I'd go with the latter option of getting the 4G iPad and not the Wifi. 4G is great. It's super fast. Sometimes faster than Wifi, and not to mention, more dependable. As long as when she needs to download or update big apps she has a place with complementary wifi available, she will be just fine.