[Q] Should I have 4G or Wi-Fi? - Galaxy Tab 10.1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey, I recently joined XDA, coming from webOS and want to begin android developing. I am looking to buy a 10.1 for personal use, but I am wondering if i should get the 4G/3G/Wi-Fi or just Wi-Fi. I travel quite a bit, but also carry a novatel mifi from sprint for 3G (I get no wimax in my area). I would do mostly web browsing, multimedia, gaming. I have my phones on verizon, and would get an 8% discount off of the monthly bill.

gtab55 said:
Hey, I recently joined XDA, coming from webOS and want to begin android developing. I am looking to buy a 10.1 for personal use, but I am wondering if i should get the 4G/3G/Wi-Fi or just Wi-Fi. I travel quite a bit, but also carry a novatel mifi from sprint for 3G (I get no wimax in my area). I would do mostly web browsing, multimedia, gaming. I have my phones on verizon, and would get an 8% discount off of the monthly bill.
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Click to collapse
Imho if you already have a mifi just get the wifi version and tether. Why pay another monthly bill if you dont have to?

I was just wondering if I should get 4G access, but you make a good point.

gtab55 said:
I was just wondering if I should get 4G access, but you make a good point.
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Click to collapse
It would be a pricy upgrade just to get the 4G speed. The LTE tab costs $130 more right up front (16gb model) plus $30/month for the cheapest data plan. So you would be paying $360 each year just for the plan plus $130 more right up front for the device. If you have $500 to spend on faster internet while on the road go for it otherwise I'd just use your mifi with a wifi tab.

If it had been $30 for unlimited data plan then yes, else no.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

Thanks for the advice, just ordered the 16gb from amazon wifi

Related

[Q] 884$ and no 3G :( Time for AT&T?

So after spending a hefty amount for this phone and going through T Mobile channels, I became aware that for the vast amount I paid, I am stuck on EDGE with T MO. I have the T MO prepaid 50$ unlimited txt/talk plan and got excited when they said they are updating that plan on 5/22 to unlimited web as well for no extra charge. With no contract and the use of coupons, I generally spend around 43-45$ dollars for this plan, which will soon include unlimited EDGE speed web lol. Does anyone think it would be worth moving to AT&T simply for faster internet speeds?
The UK phone never was said to support T-Mobile's funky AWS data bands. GRPS/EDGE is like 80's dial-up speeds. Either return the phone or move to AT&T. Having a phone that's so dependent on data that's only going to run at 300KB makes no sense at all. I'm also guessing that the lack of any reference to T-Mobile in the thread announcing the SGS2's names for AT&T, VZW, and Sprint means T-Mobile's probably not going to get the phone at all. All of the analysts are predicting their demise due to customer attrition (Q1's loss was a record) and they have the Sensation which could mean Samsung wanted too much money to customize the phone with AWS bands.
BarryH_GEG said:
The UK phone never was said to support T-Mobile's funky AWS data bands. GRPS/EDGE is like 80's dial-up speeds. Either return the phone or move to AT&T. Having a phone that's so dependent on data that's only going to run at 300KB makes no sense at all. I'm also guessing that the lack of any reference to T-Mobile in the thread announcing the SGS2's names for AT&T, VZW, and Sprint means T-Mobile's probably not going to get the phone at all. All of the analysts are predicting their demise due to customer attrition (Q1's loss was a record) and they have the Sensation which could mean Samsung wanted too much money to customize the phone with AWS bands.
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Thanks for the response. Yea I was pretty mad when I finally found out I would be getting those good ole' dial up speeds only. I think that is why I pay so little and why T Mo is giving its prepaid customers unlimited everything for such a low price.
There's a couple of threads for the "US" that talk about getting unlimited data and messaging on AT&T for $20. Do some research. It might take some of the sting out of moving.
BarryH_GEG said:
There's a couple of threads for the "US" that talk about getting unlimited data and messaging on AT&T for $20. Do some research. It might take some of the sting out of moving.
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Awesome. Will do, thank you.
Well after some research on AT&T's prepaid plans, looks like I'm going to stay with T Mobile and EDGE. 43$ for unlimited everything, albeit EDGE internet, still beats unlimited txt/talk for 65$ a month, plus only a 200mb data plan for 20$ extra on AT&T.
Do you think you'll be fine if/when the merger goes through?
Because you will be using at&t frequency then, am I correct?
topkop said:
Do you think you'll be fine if/when the merger goes through?
Because you will be using at&t frequency then, am I correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I'm hoping for!!
Donnie727 said:
So after spending a hefty amount for this phone and going through T Mobile channels, I became aware that for the vast amount I paid, I am stuck on EDGE with T MO. I have the T MO prepaid 50$ unlimited txt/talk plan and got excited when they said they are updating that plan on 5/22 to unlimited web as well for no extra charge. With no contract and the use of coupons, I generally spend around 43-45$ dollars for this plan, which will soon include unlimited EDGE speed web lol. Does anyone think it would be worth moving to AT&T simply for faster internet speeds?
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? What phone did you get for $884?
Donnie727 said:
Thanks for the response. Yea I was pretty mad when I finally found out I would be getting those good ole' dial up speeds only. I think that is why I pay so little and why T Mo is giving its prepaid customers unlimited everything for such a low price.
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why dont/didnt you just get one of the phones that does support tmobile's 3g frequencies? its been known that the SGS2 did not support tmobile 3g but the upcoming sensation does work with tmobiel 3g out of the box, along with other phones out there that do work.
or did you specifically want the SGS2 and no other device? i feel ya if so. tough call.
Buying an SGSII to use on T-mobile is like getting the latest and greatest notebook that only comes with dial-up connection capability. So in a word, YES TIME TO SWITCH!
cmd512 said:
Buying an SGSII to use on T-mobile is like getting the latest and greatest notebook that only comes with dial-up connection capability. So in a word, YES TIME TO SWITCH!
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I'm not switching lol. This is still perhaps the greatest phone in the world, has a great camera, a FLASH, and loads of other goodies. I lived with EDGE for a year with my Vibrant unknowingly because of an old sim card, so not really a huge deal for me, but would be nice to have 3G for once.
Donnie727 said:
I'm not switching lol. This is still perhaps the greatest phone in the world, has a great camera, a FLASH, and loads of other goodies. I lived with EDGE for a year with my Vibrant unknowingly because of an old sim card, so not really a huge deal for me, but would be nice to have 3G for once.
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3G/HSPA+ at ten bucks a month is no joke. But hey, as they said in Heat, "it's a free country, brother."
cmd512 said:
3G/HSPA+ at ten bucks a month is no joke. But hey, as they said in Heat, "it's a free country, brother."
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Ten bucks a month? As far as I knew, AT&T's prepaid unlimited txt/talk plus ONLY 200mb of data is 75$ a month now. If you can point me in the direction of the said cheap deal, I will seriously consider switching. Right now, with coupons I pay around 43$ a month, unlimited everything, EDGE of course.
I'm on edge and could care less. I get better battery life then everyone else while their 3g connection is sucking battery I'm living the highlife with with gobs of battery power. Every place I go has wifi so I dont miss it one bit. BTW i paid $850 myself. Worth every penny.
Donnie727 said:
Ten bucks a month? As far as I knew, AT&T's prepaid unlimited txt/talk plus ONLY 200mb of data is 75$ a month now. If you can point me in the direction of the said cheap deal, I will seriously consider switching. Right now, with coupons I pay around 43$ a month, unlimited everything, EDGE of course.
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Click to collapse
The trick is to use AT&T's MediaNet plans for dumbphones. Since you have an international phone (rather than a phone that AT&T sells), they won't have your IMEI when you connect to their network. This way you can cash in on the cheaper plans with unlimited texts and data for $30 a month. There's instructions on how to get into the plans on other US threads.
Spending all that money you should have known it wouldnt work on tmobile 3g. Honestly it should not be any surprise to you ...
Donnie727 said:
I'm not switching lol. This is still perhaps the greatest phone in the world, has a great camera, a FLASH, and loads of other goodies. I lived with EDGE for a year with my Vibrant unknowingly because of an old sim card, so not really a huge deal for me, but would be nice to have 3G for once.
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Just ordered the Galaxy S2, and even though I will only get edge service
... it will hold me up until the tmobile Hercules shows its face state-side in September. I have a non-contract plan, and the price is good compared to what I was getting with ATT. And as you mentioned, am pretty much always on wifi.
The Hercules is great news for T-Mobile customers who are craving for a beast
like the SGS2.
Kudos to T-Mobile and for Samsung, lets hope the construction of the
Hercules is not all plasticky as the S2!
bhagiratha said:
lets hope the construction of the
Hercules is not all plasticky as the S2!
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If you want to see it go look at the AT&T Infuse. It's the same phone with different specs. I saw one yesterday. It's HUGE.
superweapons said:
The trick is to use AT&T's MediaNet plans for dumbphones. Since you have an international phone (rather than a phone that AT&T sells), they won't have your IMEI when you connect to their network. This way you can cash in on the cheaper plans with unlimited texts and data for $30 a month. There's instructions on how to get into the plans on other US threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good, but only unlimited txts and data? What about mins? I assume it is something along the lines of 20c a min.

WiFI vs Carrier

I buy International phones primarily to use the UL MediaNet pans because Carrier data is ridiculous for what it offers and the little I actually use it. I use about 1.5GB a month. My wife uses maybe 600MB. We refuse to pay over $700 a year for that. So we buy International devices (and they are better than their US variants as well in many ways) Wifi is everywhere
I have found 3MPS Downloads on the $10 UL MediaNet plans are good enough for everything and wifi is everywhere and more than pay for the devices especially when including the sale of ATT iPhone upgrades.
. Even in a couple movie theaters here we can piggyback off a nearby Barnes and Noble or another free wifi store. When LTE can be applied to the home and I ca dump cable, then it may be worth it but I suspect cable will offer better deals then for their slower but fast enough service.
how many use WiFi more than carrier data?
Considering that youre posting in the AT&T Galaxy Note section...i'd say less to none. Majority of people here got the Note on contract fron AT&T.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
What is medianet
Kony 2012 is Propaganda.
www.Facebook.com/freeyourmindcampaign
The reason I use data over wifi is because I have an unlimited plan. I use what I pay for.
Kony 2012 is Propaganda.
www.Facebook.com/freeyourmindcampaign
50 mbps downloads are awesome well worth $30 a month
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
RadDudeTommy said:
What is medianet
Kony 2012 is Propaganda.
www.Facebook.com/freeyourmindcampaign
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Click to collapse
MediaNet is what you would get with a dumb phone. ATT has all the ATT 717 IMEI numbers registered on their network. You pop a SIM card in one and they automatically put you on a Smartphone plan... not so with the N7000. They don't have the millions of IMEI numbers sold throughout the rest of the world. So when you buy an International device ATT cannot identify the phone through the IMEI. I gave them the actual IMEI number and they didn't ask what kind of phone it is. Although I have an old Nokia 6126. They offer the low cost UL data mediaNet plan to those whose phones their system cannot identify. Because of my relatively limited data use I stay well under the radar. I have not read of anyone in the N7000 forum with ATT having an issue.
Some are using their Notes with Straight Talk at $50 UL everything and GoPhone with $50 UL everything. But one has to use the Cingular.wap APN and the data speeds are slower. but plenty fast enough to stream video.
It doesn't cost anymore because one can sell their upgrades. That and the savings more than pay for the phones. Plus since there are many more N7000s there are a lot of developers and choices and the device has more features and no ATT bloat.
sh4dow1 said:
50 mbps downloads are awesome well worth $30 a month
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
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I don;t see the advantage on a phone for those speeds. Its not like downloads are gigabyte programs. The most impressive use for high speed downloads are for SW downloading. Then one is bottle necked by the web site server speed. Web pages load imperceptibly fast even at 16 MBPS.
Video runs at what its going to run at and 3MPS is fast enough to steam video.A better video experience is one of the big selling points for a 50Mbps service, but there are no guarantees you’ll get that experience. YouTube still buffers their service,
If tethering or using as a hot spot I could see where it would help. but with ATT's limitations on data it seems rather useless to get those speeds for 4 GB of data then get throttled back. We won't see those speeds her for a couple years. by the ATT will be charging more for less data as people become addicted to the data portion. Although iPhone/iPad users are using 60% of all data at the moment. I expect the cost for home service at those speeds will be $100 a month. We watch netflix movies with 6-8MBPS DL on the home wifi and it looks great
700$ a year for me and my wife is nothing. Now if I could drop the talk plan and just have data and sms I would be happy. Between me and my wife we use less than 60 mins per month.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Using ten gigs plus a month. Hehe they throttle you at 5 gigs but I have three phones I switch between. When you update the imei they have to update the unlimited data plan. Thus making you unthrottled. I constant stream video and download roms on lte. The fact that I also have a hdmi adapter I plug it in to the TV at work our friends house and stream HBO go, Netflix, and Amazon prime videos. If I tethered I would easily triple my data. Oh also I stream google music everyday and have access to my whole music library on the go.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Some of these ROM s are just under 500MB. also installing a game like gta3 will use almost 500 mb to download game files.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
it's very rare for me to use WiFi
always on 3G or 4G
only use WiFi when there's no reception
AllGamer said:
it's very rare for me to use WiFi
always on 3G or 4G
only use WiFi when there's no reception
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Click to collapse
I guess it matters where one lives.
WiFi is much faster here than the Carrier 3Mbps (at best) H+
But I can see where some who use their phones solely for all their media needs would want faster DL speeds and $360 a year is cheap for that. I am not quite there. I still have cable TV and Internet and have no reason to hook my phone up to a TV. If LTE can replace the $120 a month Cable Bill I may consider dropping the whole cable TV and using a tethered PC receiving LTE for our Media and Internet needs. When LTE can be wirelessly routed it would be worth $100 a month if I could lose cable altogether.
We just don;t use enough data to warrant $700 a year for two phones. I would rather pay for better phones.
databooster
I use databooster a new free app, which will automatically use high quality wifi.
I get better speeds (on LTE) than Wifi sometimes. But use Wifi (if fast) when available in order to not waste data.

[Q] Are you still paying the monthly fee?

I actually just closed my account, despite the fact that I use my Jetstream daily. I have a HTC EVO 4G LTE with Sprint, and being in graduate school, times are tough and thought I would like to not have the worry of the 35 or so $ a month for another bill going out each month on something I'm not using. I mostly have used the Jetstream via wifi anyway!
I suppose most people are still under their contract? Or did you purchase it off contract?
Perhaps at a later point, i can reinstate my contract, but I wouldn't want a two year agreement. Pay as you go would be nice, but I don't think they offer such a thing.
i think most of the active members here got it off-contract.
i know i did..payed the full f*&&ing price back then..
Even on-contract with the pen and TPU case, mine was like 900$ or something crazy
I bought mine 2nd hand for $300-ish and just recently activated it on the family's new data plan. Once you start paying $200+/mo for 4 phones and 10 gb of data (thanks AT&T), another $10/mo for the poor lowly jetstream doesn't seem like too much.
I personally know 3 others with jetstreams, all of which bought them 2nd hand.
I got mine off-contract during the Black Friday Sale 2 years ago (2011) and costed me with the pen I think $680 excluding other accessories.
Now, I pay ~$1/month pre-paid for around 500 MB of 2G (edge) data which is more than sufficient for whatsapp and on-need-basis to check mail and other non-speed demanding things which I use when not at home/work. At work and at home, I got unlimited WiFi net access at pretty decent speeds of 2Mbps. When I do however go out of state, I get for ~$5, 1 GB of 3G data on roaming which serves its purpose for most things except ability to download things like I do at home.
kailashpchhabria said:
I got mine off-contract during the Black Friday Sale 2 years ago (2011) and costed me with the pen I think $680 excluding other accessories.
Now, I pay ~$1/month pre-paid for around 500 MB of 2G (edge) data which is more than sufficient for whatsapp and on-need-basis to check mail and other non-speed demanding things which I use when not at home/work. At work and at home, I got unlimited WiFi net access at pretty decent speeds of 2Mbps. When I do however go out of state, I get for ~$5, 1 GB of 3G data on roaming which serves its purpose for most things except ability to download things like I do at home.
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I want that plan! How can I enroll in that plan? Is that something new att is offering?
In India... Sorry should have mention ned that.. Aircel network.
Sent from my HTC PG09410 using XDA Premium HD app

Ditching Sprint, is TMobile Any Better?

Okay so I used to be a T-Mobile user, HTC G2. Then my sister got a new job with a sprint employee discount, and our contract ended... so we switched, now I'm on Sprint with a Photon Q.
HATE IT. TERRIBLE speeds. Unlimited Everything sounded great, but wow I've never gone over 500MB/month due to the slow speeds. No matter how hard I try. Seriously.
From what I remember, T-Mobile service was pretty decent in NYC. Not amazingly quick, but good enough. And kinda spotting in buildings (but still got 3G-ish speeds I think).
So I need some help here. How is T-Mobile now? I know NYC doesnt have LTE yet. But the T-Mo HTC One works with their AWS HSPA+ right?
How is it in Newark NJ, any experiences?
Indoors?
How is tethering on the phone. I mainly want to tether to my Nexus 7 and I'm unsure about what I'm reading in these plan details...
Can I get around the 500MB tethering limit if I tether via bluetooth or use custom firmware?
When I had my G2 (about a year ago now), I tethered to my laptop and used a browser-agent changer plugin to bypass T-Mobile's tethering checks >.>
Lots of questions here, sorry. Just trying to make sure I make the right choice.
I would have to pay $350 early termination and $150 (after tax) for the phone if I were to switch over.
Oh also, any chance we can get a cheaper plan? I know T-Mobile has a $30/month prepaid plan, 100 minutes and unlimited text/data. Dont suppose I could get that with the phone on monthly payments right lol.
Thanks!
Nippero said:
Okay so I used to be a T-Mobile user, HTC G2. Then my sister got a new job with a sprint employee discount, and our contract ended... so we switched, now I'm on Sprint with a Photon Q.
HATE IT. TERRIBLE speeds. Unlimited Everything sounded great, but wow I've never gone over 500MB/month due to the slow speeds. No matter how hard I try. Seriously.
From what I remember, T-Mobile service was pretty decent in NYC. Not amazingly quick, but good enough. And kinda spotting in buildings (but still got 3G-ish speeds I think).
So I need some help here. How is T-Mobile now? I know NYC doesnt have LTE yet. But the T-Mo HTC One works with their AWS HSPA+ right?
How is it in Newark NJ, any experiences?
Indoors?
How is tethering on the phone. I mainly want to tether to my Nexus 7 and I'm unsure about what I'm reading in these plan details...
Can I get around the 500MB tethering limit if I tether via bluetooth or use custom firmware?
When I had my G2 (about a year ago now), I tethered to my laptop and used a browser-agent changer plugin to bypass T-Mobile's tethering checks >.>
Lots of questions here, sorry. Just trying to make sure I make the right choice.
I would have to pay $350 early termination and $150 (after tax) for the phone if I were to switch over.
Oh also, any chance we can get a cheaper plan? I know T-Mobile has a $30/month prepaid plan, 100 minutes and unlimited text/data. Dont suppose I could get that with the phone on monthly payments right lol.
Thanks!
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Sprint LTE should be better if they ever arrive but I get decent speeds here in Oregon with T-Mobile and the west side has the least coverage.
TrueYears said:
Sprint LTE should be better if they ever arrive but I get decent speeds here in Oregon with T-Mobile and the west side has the least coverage.
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Click to collapse
Yea thats what I keep telling myself. But they did finally deploy LTE in an area near me... Barely worked. And I constantly got dropped calls, calls not coming through at all, missing texts, etc. Had to force LTE to stay off so I could actually use my phone.
I was sitting in Citibank making changes to my account. The customer service rep had to call me back on my own cellphone to verify my identity, so I sat there staring at my phone with 5 bars of LTE. No call. 5 mins later, I decide to turn off LTE, and call comes through. The woman said she kept calling but getting sent straight to voice mail =.=
I dont have much hope for them.. sigh.
And I just dont like the idea that I'm paying them monthly for basically no service.
Nippero said:
Okay so I used to be a T-Mobile user, HTC G2. Then my sister got a new job with a sprint employee discount, and our contract ended... so we switched, now I'm on Sprint with a Photon Q.
HATE IT. TERRIBLE speeds. Unlimited Everything sounded great, but wow I've never gone over 500MB/month due to the slow speeds. No matter how hard I try. Seriously.
From what I remember, T-Mobile service was pretty decent in NYC. Not amazingly quick, but good enough. And kinda spotting in buildings (but still got 3G-ish speeds I think).
So I need some help here. How is T-Mobile now? I know NYC doesnt have LTE yet. But the T-Mo HTC One works with their AWS HSPA+ right?
How is it in Newark NJ, any experiences?
Indoors?
How is tethering on the phone. I mainly want to tether to my Nexus 7 and I'm unsure about what I'm reading in these plan details...
Can I get around the 500MB tethering limit if I tether via bluetooth or use custom firmware?
When I had my G2 (about a year ago now), I tethered to my laptop and used a browser-agent changer plugin to bypass T-Mobile's tethering checks >.>
Lots of questions here, sorry. Just trying to make sure I make the right choice.
I would have to pay $350 early termination and $150 (after tax) for the phone if I were to switch over.
Oh also, any chance we can get a cheaper plan? I know T-Mobile has a $30/month prepaid plan, 100 minutes and unlimited text/data. Dont suppose I could get that with the phone on monthly payments right lol.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to be safe, try to get a cheap T-Mobile compatible phone (I imagine someone you know has to have a crappy one laying around) and sign up for their prepaid plan. I think you can go day to day ($2 a day) or at least the $30/month plan. Give it a test drive. The SIM card activation kit will cost you $10 initially so it's $40 out of pocket to give it a test run. But it'll be a much more accurate view of how T-Mobile coverage is for your particular situation.
in my area tmo is way better i average 15-18 download 6-10 upload my friend who has sprint 1-3 download less than 1 upload
Yeah, do what that poster said, buy a T-Mobile Sim, and do the 30 a month prepaid and ask a friend or someone to lend you their phone and try it out. that what I would do actually, I had a friend who was with Sprint here in Oregon and was getting awful speed. He liked them because of the whole unlimited internet but i told him that having a capped data of 5gb a month that works is better than having unlimited data that doesnt work
Glad to hear Tmo is better than Sprint for you skinsfan, gives me some more hope.
And Wayne, True, not sure why I didnt think of that.. lol I guess I could just use my old G2 for a few days and try it out. Although I cant remember if my G2 has HSPA+... hm.
EDIT: Would still like to hear more opinions though. Switching over would be expensive enough as it is, if I can just be reassured more by other members, I think thats enough to convince me to switch over.
From what I've heard so far, from my friends, its definitely not as bad as Sprint. Whether its as good as ATT/Verizon is arguable. I know those two are definitely better when out of metropolitan areas. And Verizon is best for being in buildings/underground due to their use of the 700mhz band.
Any one have any idea how tethering really works with the unlimited 4G plan?
Nippero said:
Glad to hear Tmo is better than Sprint for you skinsfan, gives me some more hope.
And Wayne, True, not sure why I didnt think of that.. lol I guess I could just use my old G2 for a few days and try it out. Although I cant remember if my G2 has HSPA+... hm.
EDIT: Would still like to hear more opinions though. Switching over would be expensive enough as it is, if I can just be reassured more by other members, I think thats enough to convince me to switch over.
From what I've heard so far, from my friends, its definitely not as bad as Sprint. Whether its as good as ATT/Verizon is arguable. I know those two are definitely better when out of metropolitan areas. And Verizon is best for being in buildings/underground due to their use of the 700mhz band.
Any one have any idea how tethering really works with the unlimited 4G plan?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you have to pay extra for it unless your on a custom rom with the unlocked tethering mod but tethering is free with the 2.5 gb 4glte plan i have
nice, so it sounds like they havent changed their tethering policies since I last used them.
Had to run CM on my old HTC G2 in order to tether to my tablet/laptop and not pay for their hotspot service.
Tethering is incredibly important to me.. mainly since my office doesnt allow WiFi for unauthorized personal devices (security issues) =.=
Just to clarify, tethering is unlimited on all data plans on Tmobile except for unlimited which has a 500mb cap. However all plans are actually unlimited data, the data cap is for full speed.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Cor-master said:
Just to clarify, tethering is unlimited on all data plans on Tmobile except for unlimited which has a 500mb cap. However all plans are actually unlimited data, the data cap is for full speed.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
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Click to collapse
Hmm.. So let me make sure I get this right.
If you have the 500MB or 2.5GB Data Plan, you have full speed tethering/data until you hit your limit, then you can continue to tether/use data at 2G speeds.
If you have the unlimited plan, you have full speed on your phone always, but tethering is limited to 500MB. Once you hit the 500, do they just block you from tethering? Or can you continue to tether at limited speeds?
Nippero said:
Hmm.. So let me make sure I get this right.
If you have the 500MB or 2.5GB Data Plan, you have full speed tethering/data until you hit your limit, then you can continue to tether/use data at 2G speeds.
If you have the unlimited plan, you have full speed on your phone always, but tethering is limited to 500MB. Once you hit the 500, do they just block you from tethering? Or can you continue to tether at limited speeds?
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I believe that's correct but I dunno what happens when you hit your cap. I'm not actually on Tmobile, I'm on at&t but me and my wife both have nexus 4s and it's actually cheaper for me to switch not and eat my etf rather than wait till the end of my contract so I've been heavily researching it. I really want unlimited data so I can use google play music without worrying about hitting my cap within a week
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Nippero said:
nice, so it sounds like they havent changed their tethering policies since I last used them.
Had to run CM on my old HTC G2 in order to tether to my tablet/laptop and not pay for their hotspot service.
Tethering is incredibly important to me.. mainly since my office doesnt allow WiFi for unauthorized personal devices (security issues) =.=
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea but most of the sense based roms have included it on the international forum so no need to have aosp for free tethering anymore
Ohh soo tempting to just switch asap.
Thanks for the help guys.
I would miss my QWERTY keyboard on this Photon Q though. Its basically the one and only redeeming feature >.> lol
How is typing on the HTC One? I was never able to really get used to swype on my phone :|
Wonder if I can restrict myself to screen typing only with my current phone, so I can get used to it.
i have both sprint and tmobile... tmobile is much better as for as 4g speeds.. it keeps up with verizon and att lte sprint doesnt keep up for anything.. tmobile is building their lte and should launch this summer in newark nj.. i have an apt in newark and central jersey.
Nippero said:
Okay so I used to be a T-Mobile user, HTC G2. Then my sister got a new job with a sprint employee discount, and our contract ended... so we switched, now I'm on Sprint with a Photon Q.
HATE IT. TERRIBLE speeds. Unlimited Everything sounded great, but wow I've never gone over 500MB/month due to the slow speeds. No matter how hard I try. Seriously.
From what I remember, T-Mobile service was pretty decent in NYC. Not amazingly quick, but good enough. And kinda spotting in buildings (but still got 3G-ish speeds I think).
So I need some help here. How is T-Mobile now? I know NYC doesnt have LTE yet. But the T-Mo HTC One works with their AWS HSPA+ right?
How is it in Newark NJ, any experiences?
Indoors?
How is tethering on the phone. I mainly want to tether to my Nexus 7 and I'm unsure about what I'm reading in these plan details...
Can I get around the 500MB tethering limit if I tether via bluetooth or use custom firmware?
When I had my G2 (about a year ago now), I tethered to my laptop and used a browser-agent changer plugin to bypass T-Mobile's tethering checks >.>
Lots of questions here, sorry. Just trying to make sure I make the right choice.
I would have to pay $350 early termination and $150 (after tax) for the phone if I were to switch over.
Oh also, any chance we can get a cheaper plan? I know T-Mobile has a $30/month prepaid plan, 100 minutes and unlimited text/data. Dont suppose I could get that with the phone on monthly payments right lol.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm in the Phoenix market, but I'll give you my experience as I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile. Being in the 5th largest market with no 4G coverage since I joined Sprint in Sep 2010 has been frustrating. This is mainly what led me to leave them. As you mentioned, unlimited data isn't worth much of anything if you can't get data at a decent speed. Kinda like being in a chugging contest with a straw! Anyway, I've had T-Mobile for about a week now and it is so nice to be able to use your phone to look information up or browse the web. I envisioned myself doing that when I joined Sprint, but never used my phone for those type of activities due to the speed limitations. Now, I have occasional LTE, but mostly 4G as I run around the Valley here. The 4G is way faster than anything I experienced at Sprint. Again, I don't know how the NY market is shaking out. One other reason for me to switch to T-Mobile, believe it or not, was price.
I'm a face to face kind of guy, so I went to a T-Mobile store. I told the T-Mobile rep that I was going to have to get out of Sprint ($80.08/month) and had a early termination fee of $160 (contract ends in Feb 2014). He said that he could apply a $100 credit to my next billing period to help on that front. Also, depending on the sales guy you get, ask for a percentage discount. I got an 18% discount on my bill (your mileage may vary, depending on how the rep wants to stretch). Anyway, tax/title/tags out the door with a monthly bill of $62.45 for unlimited everything!
I'm going to switch my wife from Verizon (17% discount from work and 2GB/month paying $97.18/month) and get her unlimited everything added to my T-Mobile acct. Our bill will be $107/month. With her Verizon and my Sprint bill every month, we were paying $177/month. Love saving me $70/month to spend elsewhere!
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for credit for ETF and a percentage discount.
asheikh90 said:
i have both sprint and tmobile... tmobile is much better as for as 4g speeds.. it keeps up with verizon and att lte sprint doesnt keep up for anything.. tmobile is building their lte and should launch this summer in newark nj.. i have an apt in newark and central jersey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! My office is in Newark, so I definitely want to have good service out here lol.
I Like Soup said:
Well, I'm in the Phoenix market, but I'll give you my experience as I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile. Being in the 5th largest market with no 4G coverage since I joined Sprint in Sep 2010 has been frustrating. This is mainly what led me to leave them. As you mentioned, unlimited data isn't worth much of anything if you can't get data at a decent speed. Kinda like being in a chugging contest with a straw! Anyway, I've had T-Mobile for about a week now and it is so nice to be able to use your phone to look information up or browse the web. I envisioned myself doing that when I joined Sprint, but never used my phone for those type of activities due to the speed limitations. Now, I have occasional LTE, but mostly 4G as I run around the Valley here. The 4G is way faster than anything I experienced at Sprint. Again, I don't know how the NY market is shaking out. One other reason for me to switch to T-Mobile, believe it or not, was price.
I'm a face to face kind of guy, so I went to a T-Mobile store. I told the T-Mobile rep that I was going to have to get out of Sprint ($80.08/month) and had a early termination fee of $160 (contract ends in Feb 2014). He said that he could apply a $100 credit to my next billing period to help on that front. Also, depending on the sales guy you get, ask for a percentage discount. I got an 18% discount on my bill (your mileage may vary, depending on how the rep wants to stretch). Anyway, tax/title/tags out the door with a monthly bill of $62.45 for unlimited everything!
I'm going to switch my wife from Verizon (17% discount from work and 2GB/month paying $97.18/month) and get her unlimited everything added to my T-Mobile acct. Our bill will be $107/month. With her Verizon and my Sprint bill every month, we were paying $177/month. Love saving me $70/month to spend elsewhere!
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for credit for ETF and a percentage discount.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oooh interesting... I called them up last week and asked if they could help me out in any way since my ETF would be hefty ($350.. ugh) but the guy on the phone said there was nothing he could do.
I'll try going into an actual store later today.
Question, did you go to a corporate store (big fancy ones) or one of the smaller authorized dealers?
Nippero said:
Thanks! My office is in Newark, so I definitely want to have good service out here lol.
Oooh interesting... I called them up last week and asked if they could help me out in any way since my ETF would be hefty ($350.. ugh) but the guy on the phone said there was nothing he could do.
I'll try going into an actual store later today.
Question, did you go to a corporate store (big fancy ones) or one of the smaller authorized dealers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Nip, I went to a corporate store. Hell, if you wanna try, I'll give you the guys name/number. Maybe he can set you up outside your state and ship it to you!
I Like Soup said:
Hey Nip, I went to a corporate store. Hell, if you wanna try, I'll give you the guys name/number. Maybe he can set you up outside your state and ship it to you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that would be great, thanks!
Actually guys I switched from unlimited 3G/text and I think it was 900 shared min at sprint and hopped on T-Mobile with unlimited 4G LTE/text and 1000 shared min. I pay $150 a month, but only because were paying off our phones(I have the HTC One and she has the GS4). I haven't regretted it one bit. Also since LA got lit up with LTE its been awesome.
Sent from my Stock HTC One
_____________________________
Current phone:
HTC One(Stock Non-rooted), 32GB
Retired phones:
GS3 CM10, 32GB
HTC EVO 4G LTE CM10.1, 16GB
iPhone 4s, 64GB

I'm officially a Project Fi User!

Day 2 and amazing so far. Left VZ to stop wasting money on none used data.
Took 5 days to get the invite. Transferring my number went flawlessly and crazy fast. Up and running in under 15 minutes.
Nexus 6P and project fi. I guess I'm all googled up!
Lepa79 said:
Day 2 and amazing so far. Left VZ to stop wasting money on none used data.
Took 5 days to get the invite. Transferring my number went flawlessly and crazy fast. Up and running in under 15 minutes.
Nexus 6P and project fi. I guess I'm all googled up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I activated today too also leaving verizon. I however have to wait a day or 2 for the number transfer to happen. Did you by chance give them the pin upfront. Because I did not know mine was my social until today when I entered it and it accepted it. Just wondering if that made it instantly activate for you.
It is amazing
Gizmoe said:
I activated today too also leaving verizon. I however have to wait a day or 2 for the number transfer to happen. Did you by chance give them the pin upfront. Because I did not know mine was my social until today when I entered it and it accepted it. Just wondering if that made it instantly activate for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct, I entered my VZ account info right after the invite request. When I got the SIM card, all information was pre populated, I hit activate and literary like 2 minutes and I get notification that transfer is complete and survive fully active!
Maybe I should do some more research, but what's so good about project fi? Seems extremely expensive, and limited data plans...
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Powell730 said:
Maybe I should do some more research, but what's so good about project fi? Seems extremely expensive, and limited data plans...
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Extremely expensive!? Not sure what your sources are but its really cheap
https://fi.google.com/about/plan/
Gizmoe said:
Extremely expensive!? Not sure what your sources are but its really cheap
https://fi.google.com/about/plan/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.. I guess it all depends on your usage. For me.. I was paying around $120 on T-Mobile for unlimited, just jumped to att unlimited and will pay around $100 after discounts... Which, yes, I could spend less on project Fi.. However, if I use more than 10gb/ month, which I often do, then I'm gonna spend just as much or more.
I should have clarified and said for data hungry users, it seems expensive.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I will be switching from Fi to T-Mobile soon..I've had Fi for about 4 months now..I hate the idea of being data conscious.. I work from a van all the time so I rarely have WiFi..and I don't touch my phone because I hate the idea of opening xda developers and spending money on data that I could have saved if I didn't open it..so..yeah. Plus I get random beeps during phone calls which is a confirmed google issue that has been going on with Google voice for years..plus sometimes I have lte and nothing will load..all of that together makes me not want to deal with it anymore unfortunately..
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
My whole data usage for a month on Verizon is consistently under 1gb. I don't go out of my way to conserve data. I do however have cable internet and a router at home. So for people not using their mobile data as their only internet connection, project fi will be considerably cheaper. So far in my city I have better LTE coverage. This is day one though, but I get the filling coverage is going to be equal if not better.
Service is never indicative until after the fourteen day nevertheless that was hoopla. The reality is if you use 2GB or less of data each month now then Fi is for you
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Powell730 said:
Well.. I guess it all depends on your usage. For me.. I was paying around $120 on T-Mobile for unlimited, just jumped to att unlimited and will pay around $100 after discounts... Which, yes, I could spend less on project Fi.. However, if I use more than 10gb/ month, which I often do, then I'm gonna spend just as much or more.
I should have clarified and said for data hungry users, it seems expensive.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't at&t throttle you after you use a certain amount though?
It's good, can be buggy on custom roms. Expensive for high data use.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I used Fi for almost a month before I cancelled. I was on UDP with VZW but got kicked off, my own dumb fault. Fi generally worked well for me, I had to switch my mindset. When I had UDP I never used WiFi ... ever and used my phone to tether when traveling. I had issues with Fi in two spots, one was in the middle of the woods, no surprise there, but VZW worked fine and the other was in Tampa on NYE, my signal indicated good but messages wouldn't send. since I am moving to Tampa in a few months I decided to abandon the Fi for now. I also want to better track my data usage on my VZW family plan for a few months to get a real indication of what I use, which I surmise to be 2-4Gb a month without seeking WiFi out and using WiFi at home. Fi seemed to rarely connect to WiFi automatically, something I expected to happen all the time. I also believe my battery life suffered a bit from the constant network switches and WiFi jumps.
Would I try it again, almost certainly. If you have a Unlimited plan and use it then Fi isn't right for you and Google even says that. If you are in a city, home, or office that has WiFi and you don't use a ton of data Fi is worth a shot. I ported my Google Voice number over and then back without issue.
Fi is expensive. $70 for 5Gb? It is $65 for 6Gb from T-Mobile plus binge for music and video streaming.
I am still on the $30 5GB plan from T-Mobile with binge on.
For $75 Fi plan, I better be on AT&T or Verizon network, not on the inferior TM or Sprint with some sort of streaming service.
I am disappointed by Fi. I was expecting google to have some sort of best in class hotspot network with cellular to fill in the gaps. Except TM and Sprint have best in class worst coverage outside of major urban areas, makes little sense. I thought Google was going to leverage google fibre network.
I already pay for xfinity and have access to xfinity hotspot frequently enough. So google fi makes no sense to me.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I just ordered a Fi sim card. Currently I'm on Straight Talk, an AT&T MVNO paying ~$48 for up to 5gb data then throttled after that. I don't think I even use 1-2gb a month because I'm always either at home or on campus with a great Wi-Fi signal. I can only see this as being an issue if I'm streaming Pandora or something via Bluetooth to my car. I'm hopeful.
Lepa79 said:
Day 2 and amazing so far. Left VZ to stop wasting money on none used data.
Took 5 days to get the invite. Transferring my number went flawlessly and crazy fast. Up and running in under 15 minutes.
Nexus 6P and project fi. I guess I'm all googled up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcomw to Project Fi!
I have been with Fi since November 2015 and I love it! The coverage is great in my area (Seattle, WA). Band 12 is great and now I have LTE where I didn’t have before with just T-Mobile. And for me the best part is that I only pay for the data that I actually used.
You may want to join the Project Fi Community in Google+. it's invite only and vary helpful.
You may also want to check out this app, for me, its a must have app for Fi user. :cyclops:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cheekydevs.fiswitch
I just activated Fi myself. Coming from Sprint using a flip phone.
Fi seemed perfect for my set up since I work from home. It's actually why I was reluctant to switch to a smart phone, since I don't really need one at home and my wife has one for when we're out. But Fi was the same cost for phone service as the family plan I was on (with my parents) and then whatever data I use, which can't be much.
zymphad said:
Fi is expensive. $70 for 5Gb? It is $65 for 6Gb from T-Mobile plus binge for music and video streaming.
I am still on the $30 5GB plan from T-Mobile with binge on.
For $75 Fi plan, I better be on AT&T or Verizon network, not on the inferior TM or Sprint with some sort of streaming service.
I am disappointed by Fi. I was expecting google to have some sort of best in class hotspot network with cellular to fill in the gaps. Except TM and Sprint have best in class worst coverage outside of major urban areas, makes little sense. I thought Google was going to leverage google fibre network.
I already pay for xfinity and have access to xfinity hotspot frequently enough. So google fi makes no sense to me.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't tell the difference in network performance and I switched from Verizon. I agree they need to offer more data for less but at least you get money back for what you don't use. Even if I got on 4gb a month it would still be cheaper than my Verizon family plan. I barely use 1 gig a month though. I did read a rumor that if Fi takes off they will start offering more pricing flexibility and family plans. It is probably more rumor than fact though. But I assume they have a plan.
I was interested in Fi and their financing plan for Nexus phones, but I don't want to give up unlimited music streaming on T-Mobile. Plus, I pay $30 a month for Unlimited Talk & Text with 10GB of data. At $30 a month on Fi, you get all that but only start at 1GB of data which isn't enough for me.
I paid $26 last month for my FI plan.
I have WiFi at work for 9 hours a day, 15 minute drive each way to work, where I hop on xfiniti WiFi 4 or 6 times, then home on WiFi.
Now it's more of a game to see how little data I can use and make use of all the free WiFi around me.
If I were driving to my previous job at 65 miles each way streaming Netflix, yeah, I probably wouldn't be on fi.
But even if I pay $70 for 5 gb of data, next month if I only use 1gb it's $30 not $70.
No one else credits you back when you don't use data.

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