So I have an iPhone tethering option question for all you users. I currently live in an apartment with cable internet. It's terrible, and even though I pay just $24 for it, it's just too slow(supposed to be 1.5Mbs but more like 128-256kbs). I already asked them and they've gone multiple times to inspect and they all tell me the lines are saturated or some technical term like that. Basically there's too many people living in that building and they just won't fix it. The other option I have is DSL but I'd have to pay for a telephone line for that so it would cost around $40-ish when it's all said and done. For these two reasons I was considering some kind of wireless 3G/EV-DO service, but they seem too pricey for me. I investigated and AT&T doesn't offer a tethering option for the iPhone, but they do offer a data only line for $60 with a 5GB limit. After seeing my options, here are my questions:
1) How much is a 5GB data limit for a guy who occasionally watches videos on youtube, uses facebook, goes to some forums and uses adium? I mean, I'd like to see some statistic of what I use somewhere, are there programs that do that for you?(For Mac OS X if possible).
2) I see that people can jailbreak the iPhone and use a tethering option. My question, is it worth it to jailbreak just for this(considering my situation) and can I always go back to the non-jailbreak version in case of needing warranty? Also, I've read that you shouldn't use this option much because AT&T could find out and screw you up. Is this real and how much data should I be using to avoid this?
3)When using tethering, can the phone still make calls or does it act like a modem and nothing else?
Thanks very much. By the way, the 3G signal is pretty good in both of my places, so that's a plus.