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Hello there guys
Theres a question i would like to be answer , i bought a photon off ebay with bad esn , that means i cannot activate it on sprint , thats alright cause i use gsm i live outside the usa , but i might leave to the states in a few months , so my question is , can i use the kddi radio to activate it on At&t ?
Cause esn = imei but on cdma am i right?
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
The KDDI radio will allow you GSM usage here in the US, correct, but to flash that radio onto the device you're going to have to still be on Android 2.3.4, with an unlocked bootloader as well (at least that's my understanding - I was lucky enough to get a 2.3.4 Photon a few days ago, and I'm avoiding 2.3.5 at all costs meaning the OTA).
As far as "activation" that's not required since the Photon is already unlocked for world operation.
Once you start using the KDDI radio (if you can use it), then you shouldn't have any issues with any GSM carrier here in the US. I currently use mine with T-Mobile prepaid because T-Mobile just turned on their 3G 1900 MHz band here in Vegas about 2 weeks ago and it works great so far.
So there shouldn't be any problems with esn and so ?
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manybreak said:
So there shouldn't be any problems with esn and so ?
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If I understand correctly, your ESN number should not matter at all for GSM networks. Your phone and account information are linked to your SIM card. At least that's how I understand it. I believe ESN numbers only pertain to CDMA networks.
InsanePostman said:
If I understand correctly, your ESN number should not matter at all for GSM networks. Your phone and account information are linked to your SIM card. At least that's how I understand it. I believe ESN numbers only pertain to CDMA networks.
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Click to collapse
Alright then sounds good to me , gonna keep my photon for a while with all this leaking happening *thats what she said*
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The ESN is irrelevant for use with GSM networks, it's not read, it's not noted, it's not used at all - this is one particular reason why some "global" phones are popular in the used smartphone markets: if the owner didn't pay the bill on such a phone with the original carrier (Sprint, Verizon, aka CDMA carriers) they typically - but not always - have the option of potentially being able to use the device(s) with GSM capability.
But that's also the reason such devices when sold here in the US almost always lock out the GSM functionality here in the US so, thankfully in some instances it's possible to open or "unlock" that feature - and I don't mean carrier unlock since global phones almost always are unlocked from the factory anyway.
The Droid Bionic I recently had is easily "unlocked" for GSM use just by changing a few characters in the NVFlash; the Photon just requires flashing that KDDI radio but of course you have to have an unlocked bootloader to get that done so...
Either way, if you're on 2.3.4 and you can do the necessary stuff to get that KDDI radio on there, you'll be good to go here in the US for the GSM networks, and then you can revert back if needed too.
br0adband said:
The ESN is irrelevant for use with GSM networks, it's not read, it's not noted, it's not used at all - this is one particular reason why some "global" phones are popular in the used smartphone markets: if the owner didn't pay the bill on such a phone with the original carrier (Sprint, Verizon, aka CDMA carriers) they typically - but not always - have the option of potentially being able to use the device(s) with GSM capability.
But that's also the reason such devices when sold here in the US almost always lock out the GSM functionality here in the US so, thankfully in some instances it's possible to open or "unlock" that feature - and I don't mean carrier unlock since global phones almost always are unlocked from the factory anyway.
The Droid Bionic I recently had is easily "unlocked" for GSM use just by changing a few characters in the NVFlash; the Photon just requires flashing that KDDI radio but of course you have to have an unlocked bootloader to get that done so...
Either way, if you're on 2.3.4 and you can do the necessary stuff to get that KDDI radio on there, you'll be good to go here in the US for the GSM networks, and then you can revert back if needed too.
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Click to collapse
Yeah the photon i got was on 2.3.4 , i already unlocked the bootloader and been messing around with roms and stuff & i already had the kddi radio but i just had that doubt about it :]
Another thing , to get a simcard with unlimited data for smartphones on at&t , how much would that be ?
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There's just no such thing for AT&T, or any provider for that matter. T-Mobile would be your best bet, they have prepaid service that's "unlimited" and you pay by the day, it's $3 and there really are no limitations that I've ever noted - that's what I currently use and it's fairly worthwhile since I don't actually want full blown monthly service or any contracts.
Also, in the US anybody that advertises "unlimited" is basically lying unless you do pay out the nose for it. T-Mobile does have a $30/monthly "true" unlimited plan now but they don't have it for any prepaid stuff, so that means a) you have to set up a 2 year contract and b) you have to sign up for a regular phone plan on top of the $30 so you'd be looking at the 2 year commitment and about $80 a month so, that's not gonna work either.
The T-Mobile $3/day prepaid thing would do great for you if you're just going to be here on a visit or something. If you intend to actually move here permanently and you want something decent, that T-Mobile $30/monthly unlimited on contract would most likely be the best overall right now and who knows when they may change it. It works for 4G as well but unfortunately there's no 4G service with the Photon with that unlocked bootloader and replacement radio.
br0adband said:
There's just no such thing for AT&T, or any provider for that matter. T-Mobile would be your best bet, they have prepaid service that's "unlimited" and you pay by the day, it's $3 and there really are no limitations that I've ever noted - that's what I currently use and it's fairly worthwhile since I don't actually want full blown monthly service or any contracts.
Also, in the US anybody that advertises "unlimited" is basically lying unless you do pay out the nose for it. T-Mobile does have a $30/monthly "true" unlimited plan now but they don't have it for any prepaid stuff, so that means a) you have to set up a 2 year contract and b) you have to sign up for a regular phone plan on top of the $30 so you'd be looking at the 2 year commitment and about $80 a month so, that's not gonna work either.
The T-Mobile $3/day prepaid thing would do great for you if you're just going to be here on a visit or something. If you intend to actually move here permanently and you want something decent, that T-Mobile $30/monthly unlimited on contract would most likely be the best overall right now and who knows when they may change it. It works for 4G as well but unfortunately there's no 4G service with the Photon with that unlocked bootloader and replacement radio.
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Alright let see if i got this
A)So i cant just get the 30/monthly plan from T-mobile without signing up for a regular phone plan?
B)how does the prepaid service for data works? Like how you pay the 3 bucks a day
C)if i get T-mobile as my phone provider for data and so , im gonna get 3G with my photon?
Thanks for being around and answering my questions
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
A) Correct, because the $30/unlimited data plan must be tied to a regular calling plan aka you get locked into a contract.
B) You stop by a T-Mobile store or direct reseller and get the prepaid SIM card, put money on it (minimum $10) and then if you use your device with the SIM card it'll start the clock running in whatever time zone you happen to be in, the $3 is good till midnight in that time zone so it's best to try and use it just after midnight to get the most time possible. If you don't use it then you don't pay, basically (keep the phone in airplane mode till you actually require it, that sort of thing).
C) T-Mobile just starting rolling out service in the 1900 MHz GSM frequency band a few weeks ago here in the US - until the day the iPhone 5 came out T-Mobile did not offer 1900 MHz service anywhere in the US and using a device like the Photon would limit you to 2G/EDGE service and speeds.
However, the day the iPhone 5 was released was the first day T-Mobile enabled their 1900 MHz coverage for 3G/4G service in the US, and I happen to be lucky enough to have gotten it here in Las Vegas since this was the first city in the entire country to get that service turned on. It's spreading fast, of course, and you can go to this website:
http://www.airportal.de/
and see where T-Mobile is finally offering 3G service (and 4G as well) on non-T-Mobile devices like our Photon, or the Atrix 4G or Atrix 2, etc. I added a few reception reports for Las Vegas as soon as it went live here and now it's popping up all over the US as the rollout for 1900 MHz for T-Mobile spreads. They're doing it for several reasons but one big one is they're hoping to attract a lot of customers with unlocked GSM devices like the older iPhones to T-Mobile.
It's a smart move on their part.
Alright nice , i went to that webpage you just gave me and new york got 3G services so woohoo
About the T-mobile prepaid plan , so alright i bought my simcard with 10$ on it , got it at 9 am in the morning , once i activate my data on my photon , 3 bucks will be deducted from my balance until that day is over ?
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
Pretty much, yep, $3 per 24 hour period max - like I mentioned already, your best bet it to keep the phone in airplane mode when it's not in use, and turn that mode off just after midnight in whatever time zone you happen to be in to get the most use. That "day" will end at midnight regardless so, if you don't care or it's not a big deal then don't bother with it - as each new "day" begins it'll just deduct the $3 from the balance on the account till it's out or there isn't enough to refill the day's charge. When you "activate" a day's charge, it's not good for 24 hours from the time you activate it, it's good till midnight in that time zone so, if you enabled it at 11PM you'd only get about 59 minutes of service for the $3... hope that makes sense.
Been using it for a while now, it works fine for me and my purposes, doesn't cost an arm and a leg and there's no practical limit on me given the time I use it. There are a ton of services like Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, and NET10 that say "$50/month unlimited" or $45 or whatever and you have to avoid them because their terms of service has some very tricky fine print in it. Using those services, technically if you fire up iHeartRadio or Pandora or any kind of streaming service at all they can and have been known to just literally kill your service.
Pisses me off to no end when a company puts "unlimited" in their plans and yet then turns around and slaps limitations on your as to how you can use the service.
T-Mobile doesn't do that: it's $3/day and I can do whatever I want with that bandwidth and time. Hell, I even tethered my Photon a few days ago when my Cox cable connection crapped out and I leeched about 7GB of data in a few hours (I live across the street from a T-Mobile tower so I pull about 10Mbps with great stability). No problems doing that so it's a fallback for me if needed.
Ohhh i think i got the whole "midnight data' thing
So its 11PM and i decide to turn on my data , as soon as i do this , 3 bucks are deducted and i got 59 mins of data , cause when i get to 12am its a "new" day , and 3 more bucks will get deducted if i keep using data , am i right?
Those simcard only work for data ? Or they come with a number also?
And when i start using data , it just runs out even thought im not using it right?
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
Correct on the midnight thing; soon as the clock rolls over to 12:01AM in the time zone you're in, that's another $3 deducted from the balance, good till 12:00AM 23 hours and 59 odd minutes later.
T-Mobile prepaid SIM cards have a number, it's full prepaid phone service for $3/day. Voice, text (SMS/MMS), data, all inclusive.
Not sure what you mean by the running out - if you mean at midnight does it stop, I can't say for sure, never been in the middle of some big download before the midnight rollover, but I'd guess that yes it would stop at that point. Might have to try that sometime if I intend to use the account two days in a row and see if it "rolls over" through the midnight cutoff.
Nevermind on the running out lol , so you dont have to make a call or txt a number to t-mobile to get data running? , just activate data and automatically data starts running ?
Btw , the apn's just shows up in the phone right?
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
In newyork u an use a prepaid sim called h2o which uses [email protected] tiwers u can pay 40 or 50 $ each mnth and completly unlimited just open their site and see their deals and their signal is good in ny ;nj and i tried it also in ohio
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MIONS said:
In newyork u an use a prepaid sim called h2o which uses [email protected] tiwers u can pay 40 or 50 $ each mnth and completly unlimited just open their site and see their deals and their signal is good in ny ;nj and i tried it also in ohio
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Translation: In New York, you can use a pre-paid SIM from a company called H2O which uses AT&T towers. You can pay either $40 or $50 per month and get unlimited access. If you open their website you can look at their plans. The signal is good in New York, New Jersey as well as Ohio from my personal experience.
Thanks cant say it better
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
InsanePostman said:
Translation: In New York, you can use a pre-paid SIM from a company called H2O which uses AT&T towers. You can pay either $40 or $50 per month and get unlimited access. If you open their website you can look at their plans. The signal is good in New York, New Jersey as well as Ohio from my personal experience.
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But H2O offers real unlimited data ? If it does not i'll just stick with the T-mobile data
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Ok so when I use my hotspot, I get the T-mobile page that comes up and says "T-Mobile Smartphone Hotspot yada, yada" unless I change the UserAgent. However, I was rooting a person's phone (also on T-Mobile), and once I rooted it and installed tethering, his worked flawlessly without any even having to change the UA. So I said "just for the heck of it, let's change SIMs", so we swap SIMs. So I put his SIM in my phone, and guess what, it worked flawlessly with no blocks. I found out he was on the $50 Pre-Paid 4G plan, and I'm a shared unlimited 4G data contract plan with my Girlfriend. So I guessing maybe they are blocking Hotspot on Contract plans, but not Pre-Paid Plans. I don't know if this was discussed before, but I thought it was interesting. What you guys think.
Wait til your friend uses a lot of data. Then they catch on to it and will block him.
hasoon2000 said:
Wait til your friend uses a lot of data. Then they catch on to it and will block him.
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I second this. It worked fine no problems for me without changing anything. Then finally the other day when I had it connected to my laptop and I was doing a ton of things including some downloads it finally popped up. Funny thing was my downloads kept on downloading
sent from my
NRGized amaze
powered by Faux
I never had that pop up on my Amaze till I decided to update my PS3 on it since my wifi took a $hit. It still works and lets me tether.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using Tapatalk 2
I had some trouble but a little APN change made it work, maybe that could help, search for it.
Sent from my NexusHD2 using xda premium
hey i posted this in the other tethering thread but just in case anyone missed it, dont change to the android user agent because you will have to deal with stupid mobile sites on your pc while tethering, instead use the opera user agent to get non mobile sites.
Ive been using IE6 or IE7 UA on mine with no problems
hasoon2000 said:
Wait til your friend uses a lot of data. Then they catch on to it and will block him.
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Click to collapse
The $50 Monthly 4G plan throttles your data to EDGE speeds after 100mb.
The $60 Monthly 4G plan does the same at 2.5GB.
So if you 'use alot of data' you just get choked to dialup speed automatically - weather it's with your phone or with tethering...
If they are doing an HTTP-proxy-based tether-block now (eg, if it looks for user-agent strings), just use TOR or CoDEEN to get around that.
So I bought this LTE EVO 4g for lte.. I pay 10 dollars for premium data service and well all I get is 3g ..my bill for one line is roughly 100 dollars a month.. so my girl has straight talk and pays 45 unlimited a month.. well I'm ready to jump ship and I was wondering if I can one get me off the cheap way sprint contract and 2 use my LTE EVO for straight talk?
I think straight talk uses AT&T bands (gsm) so the Evo LTE wouldn't work because it uses cdma bands. It WILL work on Boost though. If you must use Straight Talk, then sell your Evo and buy a One X or One of XL.
Sent from my White Evo LTE running MeanBean, using XDA Premium
Here's a guide to start you off
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1473141
#Root-Hack_Mod*Always=LTE
Do you live in an active NV deployment?
If you are tired of Sprint service just pay the ETF and move on.
stanglifemike said:
I think straight talk uses AT&T bands (gsm) so the Evo LTE wouldn't work because it uses cdma bands. It WILL work on Boost though. If you must use Straight Talk, then sell your Evo and buy a One X or One of XL.
Sent from my White Evo LTE running MeanBean, using XDA Premium
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Click to collapse
Straight Talk uses several carries, including SPRINT, ATT, and VERIZON. How do i know this you ask; well I sell them as part of my job. Straight Talk is working hard on making it easy to bring your own phone and activate service through them. In a few months (subject to change) The system should be in place to bring any cdma phone to straight talk. Currently at the store i work at, all of our straight talk phones go off verizon. Some stores have ones that go off ATT or Sprint, so you need to be careful in which phone you select.
leerage said:
Do you live in an active NV deployment?
If you are tired of Sprint service just pay the ETF and move on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They haven't deployed here yet.. cost 300 dollars to Etf
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
jcwxguy said:
Straight Talk uses several carries, including SPRINT, ATT, and VERIZON. How do i know this you ask; well I sell them as part of my job. Straight Talk is working hard on making it easy to bring your own phone and activate service through them. In a few months (subject to change) The system should be in place to bring any cdma phone to straight talk. Currently at the store i work at, all of our straight talk phones go off verizon. Some stores have ones that go off ATT or Sprint, so you need to be careful in which phone you select.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never once heard of st working on sprint towers.. and Verizon and AT&T believe it or not share towers..
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
I am in a same boat. Struggling with unusable speeds, while my friends with t-mobile's "wannabe" 4G are getting 14mbps down and 3 mbps up. Faster than LTE in 2 spots that I was able to get it.
I thought of using Verizon PRL and force Sprint to boot me off their network, but I called them, gave them all of my complaints, and hoping they could help me. I was with them for 11 years, so maybe they will take it into account.
The verizon prl is the best solution. Because the only thing they are gonna take into account is the fact that right now they are making a ton of money off you. If you wanna try to flash your phone to verizon or pageplus you won't be disappointed. If you need 4g and live in good tmobile coverage area then selling your device after you get kicked off sprint is a good idea.
thlinx said:
Never once heard of st working on sprint towers.. and Verizon and AT&T believe it or not share towers..
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
physical tower yes, same panel, NO... and yes, some phone go off the sprint network
Asadullah said:
The verizon prl is the best solution. Because the only thing they are gonna take into account is the fact that right now they are making a ton of money off you. If you wanna try to flash your phone to verizon or pageplus you won't be disappointed. If you need 4g and live in good tmobile coverage area then selling your device after you get kicked off sprint is a good idea.
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Click to collapse
How do you do that.. I remember the og evo being able to do that . How do you do that?
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
I actually left straight talk with the BYOP program (Nexus 4) I had the AT&T sim, which was all fine and dandy until about the second of January. It seemed like all of my towers were either down or just working very poorly. I also got throttled after streaming ONE youtube video during my month (I'm on wifi otherwise) so trust me, you WILL get throttled on ST. I also had problems with the phone not connecting to towers for literally an entire day, and when people tried calling me it said my phone was "disconnected" even though I paid for service 3 months in advance.
My personal opinion is to avoid them, but it really is up to you what you want to deal with. My data with ST was way faster than with sprint, but all I use my phone for is streaming music, which Sprint's 3G can handle rather easily where I live. I would recommend flashing to boost, same phone, speed, and a lower price. Plus you actually know at what point you'll be throttled.
Also, before anybody says anything, I also tried a tmo sim and had the same issues. I get great tmo and AT&T reception where I live also. It seems to me they're cheaping out on their towers.
just my 2 cents.
shiftylock said:
I actually left straight talk with the BYOP program (Nexus 4) I had the AT&T sim, which was all fine and dandy until about the second of January. It seemed like all of my towers were either down or just working very poorly. I also got throttled after streaming ONE youtube video during my month (I'm on wifi otherwise) so trust me, you WILL get throttled on ST. I also had problems with the phone not connecting to towers for literally an entire day, and when people tried calling me it said my phone was "disconnected" even though I paid for service 3 months in advance.
My personal opinion is to avoid them, but it really is up to you what you want to deal with. My data with ST was way faster than with sprint, but all I use my phone for is streaming music, which Sprint's 3G can handle rather easily where I live. I would recommend flashing to boost, same phone, speed, and a lower price. Plus you actually know at what point you'll be throttled.
Also, before anybody says anything, I also tried a tmo sim and had the same issues. I get great tmo and AT&T reception where I live also. It seems to me they're cheaping out on their towers.
just my 2 cents.
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Click to collapse
Since I'm upgrading the AT&T cell sites I can assure you they are def upgrading there sites rapidly ..
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Is there any way to actually force roaming with Verizon PRL? I flashed that, but it shows that data is going through Sprint 3G, not roaming.
Meanee said:
Is there any way to actually force roaming with Verizon PRL? I flashed that, but it shows that data is going through Sprint 3G, not roaming.
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Click to collapse
Are you sure its a Verizon Prl that allows data roaming? If I'm not mistaken some of then do and some don't.
#Root-Hack_Mod*Always=LTE
thlinx said:
Since I'm upgrading the AT&T cell sites I can assure you they are def upgrading there sites rapidly ..
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue with the tom sim. Maybe it's just that straight talk has issues in my area specifically, I'm not sure.
laie1472 said:
Are you sure its a Verizon Prl that allows data roaming? If I'm not mistaken some of then do and some don't.
#Root-Hack_Mod*Always=LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on that 001337 PRL. Should I be on something else?
Meanee said:
I am on that 001337 PRL. Should I be on something else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try 00003... I think for 01337 you need roam control to force roam but I'm not sure. 00003 will keep you on Verizon and I'm enjoying better speeds and the possibility of getting out this horrible contract for free!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
gmfeny said:
Try 00003... I think for 01337 you need roam control to force roam but I'm not sure. 00003 will keep you on Verizon and I'm enjoying better speeds and the possibility of getting out this horrible contract for free!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems hit or miss..I've read reports of people roaming multiple gigabytes and getting no warning while I went just over 300mbs twice and got the letter. Good luck getting out if that's what you so desire. Some will give you flack for this method, but I support you. Sprint advertises "normal" 3G speeds, but for a portion of us the speeds are dismal. I got a free airave out of it so I was happy as my only real issues were at home.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
mulhiny said:
This seems hit or miss..I've read reports of people roaming multiple gigabytes and getting no warning while I went just over 300mbs twice and got the letter. Good luck getting out if that's what you so desire. Some will give you flack for this method, but I support you. Sprint advertises "normal" 3G speeds, but for a portion of us the speeds are dismal. I got a free airave out of it so I was happy as my only real issues were at home.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol Ive dealt with their horrible data speeds for so long it doesn't even bother me. And paying the extra $10 for data when I only picked up wimax when I was in Albany and it wasn't even that good there was annoying but I sucked it up. But after losing my discount right after I signed on for another 2 years pissed me off.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I'm considering getting an HTC One and getting the $30/mo 100 mins, 5Gb plan. I hope to use a VOIP app for most of my calling to make the 100 mins workable. Can anyone recommend a favorite VIP app, preferably one that works with Google Voice (since I've had a GV number for several years now)?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Try Groove IP app. It uses Google Voice number and transmit call via either wifi or T-Mobile data service
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
AirSupply said:
Try Groove IP app. It uses Google Voice number and transmit call via either wife or T-Mobile data service
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I agree with this and personally use both GrooVe IP and Talkatone for my Google Voice number.
Used GrooveIP fr the first time today. Sprint's 3g network does not seem able to handle it (surprise). Unless there is some setting I can tweak. Even on my home WiFi (23Mbps down, 3 up), a friend complained the voice quality wasn't great. I could hear him fine though. Of course, I can't judge after only two calls.
Hope to try it on Sprint's 4G LTE later.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Vonage
ericshmerick said:
Vonage
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Click to collapse
Vonage what? Don't you have to subscribe to their service?
More bad luck with Groove today. First, the person I called contnued complain about my voice breaking up. I tried adjusting the buffering, and he reported it got slightly better. But later I called two more people and both could not hear me, as if my mike was muted. I could hear them loud and clear. In fact, quality n my end was better than a typical cell call.
I have to repeat, Sprints network is really slow. But using Groove on my home WiFi yesterday was no better.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Internet calling on this plan has its highs and lows. Accepting and trying to work around the lows are an unavoidable part of having it, alas.
There is vast talk about these issues in the Nexus 4 forum.
The T-Mobile $30 Prepaid Plan Users Thread has lots of talk about the plan the OP references, plenty of which relates to ways to do wifi calling.
The Free VoIP (internet call) Solutions for Smartphones thread opens with acegolfer's comprehensive and invaluable list of ways to do wifi calling along with some pros and cons for each.
There are plenty of other threads that deal with some of the specifics.
I used this plan for a few months until recently when I switched to a three phone family plan, which made more sense for the way we're using phones as a family. But I really enjoyed the 100 minute talk, 5GB data plan and was sort of sad to let it go. It's a terrific deal, at least by US terms, if you use a lot of mobile data and can live with its phone calling limitations. I have to say, though, that now that I'm on a more conventional plan, I'm happy to have more reliable calling and easier bluetooth usage in the car.
Maybe T-Mobile's wifi calling on the One would be useful with this plan. I don't know, because when we bought the One, we switched out of the $30 plan.
With the $30 plan, I used Spare Phone, which is in the same sort of category as GrooveIP and Talkatone. I had good luck with it, though you may need to do a little tweaking of settings, particularly related to microphone gain. That's the case with any of the VOIP software. Spare Phone's dev is responsive and helpful.
I used Vonage some, but found it to be hopelessly unreliable with lots of dropped calls and problems for whoever was at the other end of the conversation. I had to abandon it out of consideration for other people alone. It doesn't require a paid suscription. Just install the app, register and you're good to go for Vonage to Vonage along with Vonage to phone calling. Skype was much better, with better call quality than the Spare Phone/GrooveIP type stuff. Occasionally, I'd have problems there, too, but not that often. For longer calls, I tended to use that. Otherwise, I mostly I used Spare Phone, occasionally, I'd try GrooveIP.
If you really want to get geeky, the threads above will give you some other alternatives with better potential, but you'll have to invest some time with them, something you may or may not get enjoyment out of.
The biggest negative about all this is T-Mobile's shaky mobile data coverage. There are so many places with poor speeds or no coverage at all that you have to adjust to being in places where you're not going to be able to talk at times. And talking while in a moving vehicle often leads to dropped calls.
Have fun with the plan.
maigre said:
Internet calling on this plan has its highs and lows. Accepting and trying to work around the lows are an unavoidable part of having it, alas.
Maybe T-Mobile's wifi calling on the One would be useful with this plan.
The biggest negative about all this is T-Mobile's shaky mobile data coverage. There are so many places with poor speeds or no coverage at all that you have to adjust to being in places where you're not going to be able to talk at times. And talking while in a moving vehicle often leads to dropped calls.
Have fun with the plan.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I will check out those threads.
My understanding of Tmo's WiFi calling is that it uses your cell minutes, even though you're calling over the Internet (maybe because it still goes out over their network?).
I'll have to roll the dice with Tmo's data coverage, Sprint's is horrible. Actually, it became worse after they started rolling out their LTE. 3G speeds went down, when you can actually get them at all. 4G is very spotty right now. I'm sure their 4 G will improve, but I've had my EVO LTE a good (bad) year now and I'm tired of paying for promises. By the time they have good coverage, I'll be looking for another phone, and my EVO LTE will rarely have had the chance to actually use LTE! I can't see how Tmo's coverage can be any worse, but at least I'll be throwing away less money.
leebo said:
Thanks. I will check out those threads.
My understanding of Tmo's WiFi calling is that it uses your cell minutes, even though you're calling over the Internet (maybe because it still goes out over their network?).
I'll have to roll the dice with Tmo's data coverage, Sprint's is horrible. Actually, it became worse after they started rolling out their LTE. 3G speeds went down, when you can actually get them at all. 4G is very spotty right now. I'm sure their 4 G will improve, but I've had my EVO LTE a good (bad) year now and I'm tired of paying for promises. By the time they have good coverage, I'll be looking for another phone, and my EVO LTE will rarely have had the chance to actually use LTE! I can't see how Tmo's coverage can be any worse, but at least I'll be throwing away less money.
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Click to collapse
I'm in a populated area where I'd think coverage would be pretty good. And mostly it is. But there are improbable places where it's really weak or non-existent, mostly in residential areas just a few blocks from a busy street.
You sure you're not on Sprint?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
leebo said:
Vonage what? Don't you have to subscribe to their service?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Free Vonage app. No subscription needed. Just install, set your caller ID, confirm it via text or receiving a call with a pin and you are good. It works great on wifi, OK on TMo 4g and I'm sure it totally sucks as all data does on Sprint non-LTE.
You can't receive calls on it though. I just call people right back and my number shows on their caller ID. Its a lot better than Groove or Talkatone.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
the WiFi calling feature is amazing actually. i already tried calling in asia, europe and guam and its crystal clear.
ad78 said:
the WiFi calling feature is amazing actually. i already tried calling in asia, europe and guam and its crystal clear.
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Click to collapse
Are you talking about Tmo's WiFi calling app or Vonage?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
leebo said:
Are you talking about Tmo's WiFi calling app or Vonage?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile
ad78 said:
T-Mobile
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Click to collapse
Well, that's nice to have that option when you can get a signal. But it still uses your cell minutes.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
leebo said:
Well, that's nice to have that option when you can get a signal. But it still uses your cell minutes.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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im good with the cell minutes because i have unlimited plan, the new plan they introduced. no extra charge
this might help you
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2281639
Hi all,
I'm vacationing with my family to Disney Paris and T-Mobile has a nifty feature of unlimited data and texting in foreign countries included in my plan.
Awesome!
Unfortunately the data is only 2G. Makes it impossible to use GPS. Surf the web or send pictures attached to a text.
Is there a mod that can bump that back up to 4G?
Thanks,
NJ
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
njdevils28 said:
Hi all,
I'm vacationing with my family to Disney Paris and T-Mobile has a nifty feature of unlimited data and texting in foreign countries included in my plan.
Awesome!
Unfortunately the data is only 2G. Makes it impossible to use GPS. Surf the web or send pictures attached to a text.
Is there a mod that can bump that back up to 4G?
Thanks,
NJ
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the reason why it's free
GPS should work fine though. You can pay to get 4G data, but it's so expensive for so little data, I wouldn't bother. Try looking for free wifi hotspots.
njdevils28 said:
Hi all,
I'm vacationing with my family to Disney Paris and T-Mobile has a nifty feature of unlimited data and texting in foreign countries included in my plan.
Awesome!
Unfortunately the data is only 2G. Makes it impossible to use GPS. Surf the web or send pictures attached to a text.
Is there a mod that can bump that back up to 4G?
Thanks,
NJ
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to your T-mobile account and buy a one week 200 MB data for $25 (or 2 weeks 500 MB for $50). This is fast data, the free one is 2G only.
The best data prices when traveling abroad usually entail getting a local SIM card. Prepaid or sometimes a regular (cancel anytime) plan. For example, the last time that I looked SFR France had a 1 GB data plan (3G+) for 8 Euro.
.
fffft said:
The best data prices when traveling abroad usually entail getting a local SIM card. Prepaid or sometimes a regular (cancel anytime) plan. For example, the last time that I looked SFR France had a 1 GB data plan (3G+) for 8 Euro.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally forgot about this. OP, do this. Europe is so much cheaper than here for cell service, you can get something that will cover you for an entire month for about $10. You do have to make sure that your phone is unlocked though. If it isn't and you've had the phone for more than 40 days on the same tmobile account, you can ask mobile to give you the unlock code. If you haven't had it for more than 40 days, then you can just pay for one online.
njdevils28 said:
Hi all,
I'm vacationing with my family to Disney Paris and T-Mobile has a nifty feature of unlimited data and texting in foreign countries included in my plan.
Awesome!
Unfortunately the data is only 2G. Makes it impossible to use GPS. Surf the web or send pictures attached to a text.
Is there a mod that can bump that back up to 4G?
Thanks,
NJ
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly what is supposed to happen. Your connection may range from 2G through LTE when roaming internationally, however on the "free" plan you will be capped at 128kbps. Which isn't great, but it is fine for email, light web-lookups, most apps even skype calls!
You are lucky that the S5 worked out of the box. I was in London last week on an LG G3 and it took hours of fiddling with the APNs to get the damn phone to roam over there. So much of a hassle to have to find the perfect combination of mobile network/APN, that I just gave up and traded for an S5. I'm hoping that like my old iPhone 5s the data will just plain work without any fiddling.
T-mobile's free data plan may sound slow, but compared to roaming plans that existed before, this is the best thing since sliced bread! Imagine landing in a foreign country and immediately having working data...without having to hunt for a local SIM? Priceless. For folks who travel to many foreign destinations for short times, this is perfect.
lordhamster said:
That is exactly what is supposed to happen. Your connection may range from 2G through LTE when roaming internationally, however on the "free" plan you will be capped at 128kbps. Which isn't great, but it is fine for email, light web-lookups, most apps even skype calls!
You are lucky that the S5 worked out of the box. I was in London last week on an LG G3 and it took hours of fiddling with the APNs to get the damn phone to roam over there. So much of a hassle to have to find the perfect combination of mobile network/APN, that I just gave up and traded for an S5. I'm hoping that like my old iPhone 5s the data will just plain work without any fiddling.
T-mobile's free data plan may sound slow, but compared to roaming plans that existed before, this is the best thing since sliced bread! Imagine landing in a foreign country and immediately having working data...without having to hunt for a local SIM? Priceless. For folks who travel to many foreign destinations for short times, this is perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with your statement that the Tmo roaming works right out of the box, no fiddling. Where I go in the Caribbean, you step off the plane and everything just works (slowly).