Do I need data plan or wifi for iPad mini?

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Joe G.

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Joe G.
Hello,
I'm getting a mimi for flying. Hoping some of you May have experience and advice...
Do i need a data plan or is wifi with a stratus gong to work?
Thanks,
Joe
 
Data plan will not provide reception at altitude.

But the WiFi only models lack a GPS.

I think buying the capability is a good idea for that reason alone.
 
Agree with Eddie -- get one that is cellular capable, but then don't activate a cellular plan unless you find need internet access in places where there is no WiFi. That way, you get internal GPS which works just fine in every light plane in which I've tried it without having to add an external GPS device. And yes, that WiFi will hook you up with a Stratus.

And don't believe any blue-shirt at Best Buy who tells you the GPS won't work unless you activate a cellular plan. Yes, on the ground, it will lock up the satellites a bit faster if it can triangulate off cell towers to get a rough starting position, but that has nothing to do with aviation use.
 
Even if you don't think you'll use it much, then at least get the T-Mobile version, which if free when you buy the iPad from Apple. T-Mobile gives you a 200MB/month data plan for free.

And, as FastEddie said, you won't have an internal GPS with the WiFi-only. So just a bit more and you get two nice extras added in.
 
If you don't mind Android, The Nexus and Samsung tablets have GPS with only the wifi.
 
Having a cell capable iPad is more convenient but you can add an external/Bluetooth GPS receiver like a Garmin Glo or Bad Elf and the wifi iPad will work fine. If you step up to a Stratus or GDL for ADS-B or synthetic vision the cell capability won't matter.
 
Stewartb said:
Having a cell capable iPad is more convenient but you can add an external/Bluetooth GPS receiver like a Garmin Glo or Bad Elf and the wifi iPad will work fine.
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It will, but the extra box will cost as much or more as the $100 extra purchase price for a cellular capable iPad, and add another device to carry around.

If you step up to a Stratus or GDL for ADS-B or synthetic vision the cell capability won't matter.
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Exactly.
 
Just bought a mini with wi-fi only. You need wi-fi at minimum. I don't think any come without it, but I could be wrong.

I'll be pairing it with a GDL-39/3D

The internal GPS is not going to give you WAAS accuracy on any of them.
 
txflyer said:
Just bought a mini with wi-fi only. You need wi-fi at minimum. I don't think any come without it, but I could be wrong.

I'll be pairing it with a GDL-39/3D

The internal GPS is not going to give you WAAS accuracy on any of them.
Click to expand...

WAAS accuracy is useless in a tablet device, you won't be shooting approaches with it. It's more than accurate enough for VFR nav use or as a secondary device for IFR enroute.

I did the same as Eddie and Ron suggest. If I need to look up terminal WX I just do it with the phone, if I have reception.
 
I'm into my 2nd iPad without cellular. I use an external GPS puck that is left in the plane and always connected to plane power via a USB.

I'm sure that if I flew multiple planes, I'd want cellular. Since I only fly one, I find the iPad w/o cellular more than adequate.

I have an iPhone with Hotspot capability that gives me network access for my iPad when needed.

My wife is on her 2nd iPad and it does have cellular because that's her primary device for everything.

Up to you.
 
iPad mini here, no cellular data, no GPS. For the past 2 years I've just been using my phone as a wifi hotspot if I need 'data' while on the ground, assuming I can't use the FBO's wifi.

Recently, I was given access to a Stratus and have been using that as a GPS source.

Having the ADS-B weather and AHRS is absolutely worth it. The traffic and georeferenced plates I can take or leave.
 
Get a 4G ipad regardless if you think you want the data plan or not at this point. It will have better resale value if you get to that point before it is obsolete and if you ever DO want the data, you can activate. If you get get the wifi only, you are stuck forever...or until obsolete...(which is usually 6-8 months!)

I bought a 4G mini but had no plans on activating the data as I had a cell card that I could use as a hot spot. Well, on my first trip with it flying literally cross country, I activated that sucker the first day at a lunch stop in the middle of nowhere as I needed it for flight planning the next leg. Glad I had it and never looked back at the data plan cost.

You will will probably regret not spending the few extra dollars more than you will be happy you saved a few. The data plan is not required to use outta the box in wifi mode.
 
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Others have mentioned that an iPad with cellular (and GPS) runs down faster than one without. With an external puck powered separately, the Ipad can be relieved of that drain.

If you use the iPad on long cross countries, it's good to have a charging option in the plane independent of the cellular config.
 
Bill Watson said:
Others have mentioned that an iPad with cellular (and GPS) runs down faster than one without. With an external puck powered separately, the Ipad can be relieved of that drain.

If you use the iPad on long cross countries, it's good to have a charging option in the plane independent of the cellular config.
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You can turn the cell, gps, bluetooth and wifi power off to save battery life. Only turn them on if you need to use them.

If you're connecting to an external puck, you'll still be using up power to maintain the wifi or bluetooth connection (especially if you have a plug-in puck like the Bad Elf, which draws power directly from the ipad).
 
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I am a Nexus 7 user; these tablets have GPS receivers regardless of 3G/4G. Nevertheless, I would not buy a tablet without data capability.

At home, I do not maintain a data subscription. I have good wifi everwhere I go except in my car, where infrequently I use the GPS for road navigation. I use an app called Copilot Live, for which all the maps are downloaded to my tablet, so I don't need a data plan and I don't have to worry about coverage gaps while driving. My smartphone is the same situation: no data plan, just relying on wifi locally.

When traveling, however, I buy a month's worth of data from AT&T at either $15 or $30 depending on amount. Then I have easy access to Yelp, Tripadvisor, email, etc. Typically my wife will use the tablet in the car to shop interesting restaurants and get directions. Hotel/motel wifi is getting pretty good these days, but the data plan is still nice for checking email at lunchtime and in the evening if the hotel wifi is not good.

So yes I would suggest having a data capability but as others have said it is really not needed solely for EFB purposes.
 
Rigged4Flight said:
You can turn the cell, gps, bluetooth and wifi power off to save battery life. Only turn them on if you need to use them.

If you're connecting to an external puck, you'll still be using up power to maintain the wifi or bluetooth connection (especially if you have a plug-in puck like the Bad Elf, which draws power directly from the ipad).
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I assumed having the GPS on was the main point... or at least desirable. If you go into airplane mode (sic) to save power, cell, bluetooth, wifi nor as I understand it, GPS, don't function. That handicaps FF usage a bit.

I use the Bad Elf (I think I do... it stays in the plane). Instead of plugging it into the iPad, I plug it into ship power and communicate via Bluetooth. My fully charged iPad will outrun my fuel supply with BT running, no Wifi or cell or GPS to power. If I don't charge up the iPad, I can plug it into ship power but that requires the cord which I prefer not to use.

It's an ideal setup for me but YMMV.
 
Repetition here, but anyway, my CFI has said get the cellular model but just dont activate the cellular, use that model as your gps, and wifi for other internet needs.
 
Bill Watson said:
Others have mentioned that an iPad with cellular (and GPS) runs down faster than one without. With an external puck powered separately, the Ipad can be relieved of that drain.

If you use the iPad on long cross countries, it's good to have a charging option in the plane independent of the cellular config.
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I agree, but my iPad mini Retina with cellular GPS is good for at least 8 hours without running out of battery. It's only when I use it for a couple of hours before flight or during the fuel stop that I run low on battery. But I still carry the charger so I can plug in on the ground between legs.
 
I don't know if anyone else has this issue, but if you also plan on using it for daily use, if you get a cell version, you will get really annoying pop up messages when you open apps that your cell data is not connected.

After a few times, it really, really gets annoying.
 
Unit74 said:
I don't know if anyone else has this issue, but if you also plan on using it for daily use, if you get a cell version, you will get really annoying pop up messages when you open apps that your cell data is not connected.
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You can turn that off.
 
Ron Levy said:
You can turn that off.
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I looked on the apple forums and other techie locations.....Apple has refused to allow the user to turn off the notification. The complaints are overwhelming. Do you have way?
 
Unit74 said:
I looked on the apple forums and other techie locations.....Apple has refused to allow the user to turn off the notification. The complaints are overwhelming. Do you have way?
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I turned off the cellular function in the Settings, and it pretty much went away, popping up only rarely.
 
Ron Levy said:
I turned off the cellular function in the Settings, and it pretty much went away, popping up only rarely.
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I did too...but in mail, Safari, notes, iTunes i still get it anytime I toggle away or open fresh I get the notification..... Really irritating. Mines an Ipad 2 and happened in iOS 7 and in 8 as well.
 
Also, there really isn't any need to buy a dataplan because:
a) most FBOs have WiFi and/or weather and flight planning PCs
b) the cellular data functionality got completely effed up (by crApple) in the iOS 8 update and so far has not been restored (not holding my breath anyway, doesn't seem like those idiots even know what they are doing)
 
Unit74 said:
I looked on the apple forums and other techie locations.....Apple has refused to allow the user to turn off the notification. The complaints are overwhelming. Do you have way?
Click to expand...

I agree with Ron. My wife bought me the mini retina cell model with GPS and the pop-up message was disabled after the first warning. I use Jepp's Mobile Flightdeck VFR and Fltplan Go apps on it and couldn't be happier, though I only fly 12-20 hours per year. It is way better than my iPad2 with the bad elf GPS which would occasionally be knocked off.
 
If you record your flight path with CloudAhoy or ForeFlight recording, having an external GPS may be beneficial. I've found the accuracy of the recordings is much better using an external WAAS GPS unit than using the internal GPS. I use the Dual XGPS160. For basic VFR situational awareness, the internal GPS is fine.

Also, having the cellular iPad is very useful when WiFi isn't available.
 
BigBadLou said:
Also, there really isn't any need to buy a dataplan because:
a) most FBOs have WiFi and/or weather and flight planning PCs
b) the cellular data functionality got completely effed up (by crApple) in the iOS 8 update and so far has not been restored (not holding my breath anyway, doesn't seem like those idiots even know what they are doing)
Click to expand...
Did this just recently happen in an iOS 8 update? I got a new iPad about a week ago and put my old SIM card in, but my cell data stopped working. I figured it had something on the the carriers side with the sim being used in a different device...
 
My cell data works fine after the update. I have it turned in all the time. It's only $10/month extra.
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
Did this just recently happen in an iOS 8 update? I got a new iPad about a week ago and put my old SIM card in, but my cell data stopped working. I figured it had something on the the carriers side with the sim being used in a different device...
Click to expand...


It could be that you just need a new sim card with your new iPad. I recently purchased the iPad Air 2 and a got a new sim card to start the prepaid data plan again. I then switched my phone to VZ and had to get another sim card to have the iPad on the same account.
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
Did this just recently happen in an iOS 8 update? I got a new iPad about a week ago and put my old SIM card in, but my cell data stopped working. I figured it had something on the the carriers side with the sim being used in a different device...
Click to expand...

I certainly cannot speak for all iPads in te world but when I had iOS 7, I had no issues with data reception. After making a huge mistake and upgrading to iOS 8, I have hard time getting and keeping a signal, even in a huge metropolitan area. Example: driving through a multi-million city on an interstate highway, I am lucky if I get a brief signal every 10 miles or so. (wife driving, me playing with iPad, btw)
YMMV
 
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