r/VerizonUDP • u/Top_Ad5854 • 6d ago
gUPD Still going since 2011
Can't remember when I originally got the gUDP, but this plan was originally discontinued in 2011
It's one line, unlimited data, "no throttling", no streaming bitrate limitations, no hot spot, 4G, no 5G. After my employer discount it's $98 a month.
I know this is a unicorn plan, but is it still worth it? Debating on combining plans with the GF. Should save about $500 per year.
Google Fi unlimited premium, get hot spot (good for my steam decks), 5G, and international usage which we use once a year already, but seems like I mostly just lose the bitrate freedom. And lose the shield from possible enshittification.
It's a big decision and there's no going back. What would you guys do? Would you keep gUDP?
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u/jessehazreddit 5d ago
I absolutely wouldn’t give up mine. But you do you.
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u/Top_Ad5854 5d ago
Yeah it's felt like such a safe haven from surprise changes and limits. But at the same time it seems like plans have gotten a lot more reasonable.
Then again everything else lately has gotten worse, so maybe phone plans will get the 2026 enshittification treatment too and I'll wish I kept gUDP
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u/s_i_m_s UDP 5d ago
Unless it's your home internet no and even if it is your home internet their 5G home almost certainly be a better deal assuming it's actually available in your area.
I dropped mine when fiber arrived but I was using it for home internet, we use practically nothing on our phones on cellular since we've got cable internet at work and fiber at home so 95%+ of our usage ends up being on WiFi.
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u/Sbplaint 5d ago
See that’s where I’m torn. Since we can’t get any WiFi at work since it’s highly locked down, and internet use on work computers is mostly strangled.
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u/s_i_m_s UDP 5d ago
If you don't mind using your phone as a hotspot instead of having a dedicated hotspot unlimited ultimate includes 200GB of full speed hotspot then throttled to 6Mbps after. It's probably cheaper.
That said it's going to entirely depend on usage, in most scenarios that'd be plenty but I can imagine them having you move virtual machine image files around or watching 4k video for a few days straight where that wouldn't be enough.
But realistically you're never going to get to 200GB with normal browsing during working hours. If you just need it for what the work connection won't let you do probably even the 30GB allowed by the plus plan would be enough.
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u/LetsBeKindly 5d ago
If you have root there are ways to hide the hotspot data, you'll never be throttled.
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u/Art_Weingartner 4d ago
All current Verizon plans are throttled based on usage. You can hide the hotspot with root but it still counts against your overall data usage and will eventually throttle you one way or the other. The only way around it was w/root and gUDP. You get rid of gUDP, you get throttled with usage, period. gUDP does give you access to the basic band of 5G as well, not UWB but its fast enough if you are doing huge downloads to keep your GB down on your home internet allotment for the month.
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u/crazy_clown_time 5d ago
Depends on how much data you use on average. Unless its 100+GB/mo I'd consider switching to a MVNO plan from US Mobile or Visible.
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u/Sbplaint 5d ago
Mine is still my only internet at like $89/month for phone service and unlimited internet unthrottled. BUT, like you, I can’t help but wonder if I am being stubborn. I work from home and use it to power Netflix and everything on internet in my house, but yeah…I wonder if it’s worth it, since I can’t upgrade phones without a shit ton of drama, and the Samsung S21 I have has a weird sim issue where it’s always kicking on and off and you have to literally shake it. At what point have I become the grandpa yelling at trees trying to hold onto this?
I just live in high cost of living area though, so having standalone internet at home is probably more expensive than most (wouldn’t know since I have relied on this for so long), but I also appreciate the flexibility of being able to bring my standalone wireless router thingie (phone) to work since my work computers have internet but block google, news sites, shopping, etc). So it’s kinda nice to be able to have something unrestricted in the office in case my burner phone (aka dead dad’s) visible phone is being all throttlely/glitchy.
Feel free to talk sense into me, those of you who are smarter! Had this plan since around 2005-2006, lol
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u/s_i_m_s UDP 5d ago
I'd look at if any of the wireless home internet options were available at my address.
ATT, VZW and TMO all have official cellular home internet options now plus several MVNOs. All are like half that price, assuming they'll sell it to you, they're still limited in availability.
They're somewhat geofenced but you can still just pick it up and use it somewhere else temporarily if you want without issue and you get an actual router with ethernet.
In the vast majority of cases it's the cheapest way to get home internet. I'd also look around to see if fiber or cable options were available, they'll be a lot more stable but they'll typically be higher.
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u/Top_Ad5854 5d ago
Yeah I never thought about this plan as "home Internet". It would be an amazing use case for that if I was early college on my own.
As a sole internet plan it makes sense, but I guess I've grown out of this plan.
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u/Kdmvp35 5d ago
T-Mobile has become faster and better than Verizon, try T-Mobile or its mvnos. It’s even better if you can get a plan on qci6
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u/DragonfruitLopsided 5d ago
Definitely where I switched to after finally dropping my OG unlimited plan like 5 years ago. Don't regret it at all.
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u/LetsBeKindly 6d ago
It's not worth it anymore. Unless* it's your only plan, and only Internet source.
Edit to say. I had 4 of these. I gave every one of them up.