Hi All
I'm really excited to be back on these forums now that I'm ready (BEEN READY!!!) to move on from my HTC EVO 4G.
I've been reading up and doing my research and concluded that the Galaxy Note is going to be my next phone.
Ok, so here's where I need your help.
All you guys seem to have grandfathered AT&T accounts, so it's been difficult to gleam info in this regard that pertains to my needs/questions.
Question 1: Any new AT&T customers? How much are you paying each month?
Question 2: Is there LTE on any pre-paid providers? If so, which? AT&T prepaid?
Question 3: Given that the Galaxy I717 is AT&T (U.S.) LTE, I'm assuming that would be the one to purchase. Would AT&T recognize one of their phones and give me a hard time about it being on prepaid?
Basically, I'm looking to get the Galaxy Note with LTE (if possible) on as cheap a monthly plan as possible. Suggestions welcome.
Guys, I've spent hours and hours reading up here, and elsewhere. I really appreciate your help and guidance with this.
BTW- I am in Los Angeles, if that makes any difference.
THANK YOU!!!
Cmon guys, I'm sure someone here can answer a couple of these!
Thank you for your help!
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
I guess I was somewhat in your same shoes a couple weeks ago. I decided to make the Note the successor to my beloved but dying Nexus One.
My objectives were a cheap month-by-month plan that I could use with a Galaxy Note.
I purchased the Note GT-N7000 International version from Amazon for about $540. Also bought a StraightTalk pre-paid SIM for $45 per month. Unlimited talk, messaging and data, but the forums point to there being an unspoken cap of around 2GB. Used this configuration for a few weeks and like it, but the speeds were kind of slow.
I saw that T-Mobile had a deal for new activations for 100 minutes talk and unlimited data with first 5 GB at 4G speeds for $30 per month. Since I rarely use the phone for talking, this sounded reasonable for me as I could just use VoIP if I needed more talk.
Unfortunately the GT-N7000 isn't compatible with the T-Mobile network at all. The ATT version is compatible with a modem flash, so I decided to go pick up the I717 version at the local ATT store with the intent of returning the N7000. Retail price was $649 locally and on Amazon.
Got the I717 home and rooted, flashed with T-Mobile modem and Saurom, and I've been on that setup for about 2 days.
StraightTalk (ATT network) $45 per month
Pros: StraightTalk (ATT network)
- Works seamlessly with both N7000 and I717
- Unlimited Talk if you talk alot
- Probably better national coverage than T-Mobile
Cons:
- Only getting 3G speeds topping out at about 1.2M down and 200 up
- Possible unwritten cap at 2GB then shutdown data after that
T-Mobile Pre-Paid ($30 per month)
Pros:
- 4G speeds. At my location 3.5M down and 2M up
- Clear 4G cap which is easy to see via the online account management, then EDGE speed after that cap
Cons:
- Cannot forward calls, so using Google Voice for my voicemail is out...have to use T-Mobile voicemail
Now, for the hell of it, here's a comparison of the N7000 and I717:
N7000
Big Pro!! - Physical home button on front of phone. I didn't realize how much I would miss this button until I didn't have one
- More mature ROM's available for this. Several strong and stable ICS ROMs are out and I've used a few with good results
Cons
- Only 3G speeds with only ATT network.
- You have to order screen protectors specially for this version of the phone. Picked up a Zagg InvisibleShield at BB and was confused why it didn't have the cutout for the home button.
I717
Pros
- 4G speeds. Can't wait to travel around a bit where I have stronger signal to stress the 4G speeds on T-Mobile
- With modem flash, can be used interchangeably between ATT and T-Mobile just by swapping the SIM.
Cons
- Less mature ICS roms available now
- Lack of physical home button means you have to press the power button to wake and this is difficult if the phone is in a case
All in all, I think I'm going with the I717 and T-Mobile for a while to see how it works out. The ICS roms are getting better and the speed of 4G at $30 per month is pretty appealing. Now, if only I can figure out how to get Tasker to pull some shenanigans to get missed calls over to Google Voice!
Thank you so much to your reply!
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Too bad it seems T-mobile does not offer that anymore.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Here's a list of plans they offer and my plan is the 4th one down. I suppose they could vary by region...I'm in the Portland, OR area.
If you go to the main T-Mobile site, choose the very bottom link on the left column. That will take you to a secondary site. Go to "SIM Card" link and then Browse Plans. (I'd include the URL, but this forum doesn't let me for some reason.)
You order the SIM card online for 99 cents and then activate online. That plan is only available in Walmart, on Walmart.com or T-Mobile.com. Local T-Mobile store can't offer it.
Activating was a total hassle which involved several calls to Customer Support and being ping-ponged around overseas call centers. I was 15 minutes from giving up until I got a winner on the phone from Sales Order support who took care of me in 3 minutes.
uckfay said:
Too bad it seems T-mobile does not offer that anymore.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The $30 plan is exclusively for Walmart tmobile prepaid phones. so you have to buy a cheap $20 tmobile prepaid phone from walmart and then you can get the $30 plan with unlimited text, 5GB data and 100mins of talk. put the sim that came with tmobile prepaid phone into Gnote and enjoy.
I was able to activate the 100 min/unlim. text/5 GB HSPA+ data without buying a Walmart phone. I purchased a t-mobile SIM card online and activated it online.
estebond said:
I was able to activate the 100 min/unlim. text/5 GB HSPA+ data without buying a Walmart phone. I purchased a t-mobile SIM card online and activated it online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here.
PrePaid AT&T Galaxy Note I717
circuit.007 said:
same here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello i have an AT&T prepaid Galaxy Note i717 running 4.0.3 ice cream sandwhich, swapped out my iphone 4s 64gb that was also prepaid. I pay 50 a month for the unlimited talk,txt, and i had to add the 25 a month for data. They reconized the phone as a smart phone this time when i set it up. No problems with talking or data, had to change the apn a few times to find the right one, but i have had an issue with picture messaging taking forever to send.
firefighter0213 said:
Hello i have an AT&T prepaid Galaxy Note i717 running 4.0.3 ice cream sandwhich, swapped out my iphone 4s 64gb that was also prepaid. I pay 50 a month for the unlimited talk,txt, and i had to add the 25 a month for data. They reconized the phone as a smart phone this time when i set it up. No problems with talking or data, had to change the apn a few times to find the right one, but i have had an issue with picture messaging taking forever to send.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you able to add the $25 data plan? AT&T told me I cannot add this to the galaxy note because it does not support it. What APN did you use?
mha1021 said:
The $30 plan is exclusively for Walmart tmobile prepaid phones. so you have to buy a cheap $20 tmobile prepaid phone from walmart and then you can get the $30 plan with unlimited text, 5GB data and 100mins of talk. put the sim that came with tmobile prepaid phone into Gnote and enjoy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong they still offer it its the top 2 plan on their monthly 4g plan. Second dont need walmart at all just get a sim from amazon and tell the 30 plan you want. I even got to keep my existing number from previous $50 monthly 4g plan.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Apn settings
felicity603 said:
How are you able to add the $25 data plan? AT&T told me I cannot add this to the galaxy note because it does not support it. What APN did you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i changed my apn after i added the data plan to my phone, i don't think it matters what order you do it in.
this is a screen shot of the apn seeting off my wife's galaxy note I717, after setting TechnoTradingHouse as the apn.
1) i set up an online go phone account
2) i went to add feature packages, and added the 1 gb (25.00) data plan to my account
Related
Sgs2 Sgh-i777
Can somebody tell me if the gophone plan for 50$ works and does it have internet?
Thanks.
Mom's AT&T go-phone ($25 plan) runs on call minutes. Not sure about $50 plan or T-Mobile, but I think internet is a no-go on go-phone.
Of course, you could go Google go-phone and find out... I just wanted to say no-go go-phone...
Since GoPhone is an AT&T service:
1) No need to unlock. However:
2) AT&T will detect that it is a smartphone based on IMEI and will block the $50 unlimited plan.
Entropy512 said:
Since GoPhone is an AT&T service:
1) No need to unlock. However:
2) AT&T will detect that it is a smartphone based on IMEI and will block the $50 unlimited plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile does the same... I have [email protected] phone with tmobile unlimited plan with tzone but it only gets edge.. And I want to move to 3g or 4g data. I am looking into this http://www.straighttalk.com/
It appears to be a great and cheap unlimited plan, do not know if it will work with 3g or 4g network..
secret GoPhone user? Entropy?!?
I didn't start that rumor...
Najuto9tail said:
Tmobile does the same... I have [email protected] phone with tmobile unlimited plan with tzone but it only gets edge.. And I want to move to 3g or 4g data. I am looking into this http://www.straighttalk.com/
It appears to be a great and cheap unlimited plan, do not know if it will work with 3g or 4g network..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible but difficult. The carrier used by ST varies from phone to phone - some are T-Mo, some are AT&T, some are CDMA!
Also, many have SIMs that are device-locked (kind of the opposite of a SIMlocked device).
As I understand it, there are two $200 Nokia models that you can purchase which have non-locked AT&T-compatible SIMs. These will work in unlocked (and maybe locked?) AT&T phones. HOWEVER - you must NEVER activate another SIM in the original Nokia - if you do, your old SIM will get deactivated. So the $200 Nokia needs to sit collecting dust.
A few guys in the Infuse forums did this, I never did though.
Entropy512 said:
It's possible but difficult. The carrier used by ST varies from phone to phone - some are T-Mo, some are AT&T, some are CDMA!
Also, many have SIMs that are device-locked (kind of the opposite of a SIMlocked device).
As I understand it, there are two $200 Nokia models that you can purchase which have non-locked AT&T-compatible SIMs. These will work in unlocked (and maybe locked?) AT&T phones. HOWEVER - you must NEVER activate another SIM in the original Nokia - if you do, your old SIM will get deactivated. So the $200 Nokia needs to sit collecting dust.
A few guys in the Infuse forums did this, I never did though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a conversation via email with support from straight talk and they will send me a sim card for use with at&t network using their 45$ unlimited plan. They explained to me with details how it works and I am really happy for their support.
Compared to the offer they give here where I live 50+ 25 of data= 75$ and the same with them for 45. I am saving 30$ every month.
Najuto9tail said:
I had a conversation via email with support from straight talk and they will send me a sim card for use with at&t network using their 45$ unlimited plan. They explained to me with details how it works and I am really happy for their support.
Compared to the offer they give here where I live 50+ 25 of data= 75$ and the same with them for 45. I am saving 30$ every month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait... They sent you a SIM card to use with an arbitrary smartphone???
That surprises me...
gotta watch data usage tho on st. theyll kill the card first time warning then they kill the phone
Entropy512 said:
Wait... They sent you a SIM card to use with an arbitrary smartphone???
That surprises me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah they advertise this every where....
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Najuto9tail said:
I had a conversation via email with support from straight talk and they will send me a sim card for use with at&t network using their 45$ unlimited plan. They explained to me with details how it works and I am really happy for their support.
Compared to the offer they give here where I live 50+ 25 of data= 75$ and the same with them for 45. I am saving 30$ every month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind, can you pls post the ST info in detail?
I've never heard of ST until lately but couldn't find any info about it.
All I know that people keep saying ST has $45/month UNLIMITED but have no clue how that unlimited got defined.
Thanks
Update:
Got it here, StraigthTalk plan but still wondering it is truly unlimited or any restriction behind.
hi guys
my contract with att expires this 21st of june. and im very reluctant to extend my contract with att, but on the upside i have a grandfathered unlmtd data plan and pay around 90ish monthly. do you guys have any idea what is the best service provider that i can switch to? im looking to save money and still rock my amazing gnote i717.
thanks
chiwire2000 said:
hi guys
my contract with att expires this 21st of june. and im very reluctant to extend my contract with att, but on the upside i have a grandfathered unlmtd data plan and pay around 90ish monthly. do you guys have any idea what is the best service provider that i can switch to? im looking to save money and still rock my amazing gnote i717.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you check out strait talk? they resell AT&T service and I think it's like $45 monthly for unlimited everything. don't quote me on that though. I read that a long while back.
IMO.. if your grandfathered in at ~90.. unlimited everything then I wouldn't dump it.. I've had all services and I would say Att is only 2nd to Verizon.. and just barely.. I am with Sprint now which I would say is on par with ATT but the unlimited everything for 99 is what keeps me. I guess it depends on your usage though.. if you never go over 2gb or 3gb a month in Data then you probably won't miss anything.. only thing is Att carries most popular phones.. along with exclusivity with the NOTE and if you love the Note then everything else will fall short..
I'm using Straight-Talk with my Note and its pretty good for what you pay for $45 I dont know at what gb they throttle at but I've had service for around two weeks and I'm at least 1.5gb.
How does the straight talk prepay thing work? just pay for the card and slap the sim in and it works? Does the Note have to be unlocked or rooted? Is it using att or tmobile?
It would be on Cingular/AT&T towers, no root or unlock needed. Buy the Sim for 15 and the unlimited card for 45. Its like a 63 dollar bill total. Specify AT&T phone and regular not micro Sim... Plug and play except the son change but its like 5 entries in son... Easy stuff and same coverage...ISH. No lte though
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
tyler79durdan said:
It would be on Cingular/AT&T towers, no root or unlock needed. Buy the Sim for 15 and the unlimited card for 45. Its like a 63 dollar bill total. Specify AT&T phone and regular not micro Sim... Plug and play except the son change but its like 5 entries in son... Easy stuff and same coverage...ISH. No lte though
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I am pretty much a Noob when it comes to the whole SIM card thing. Where could you buy the correct SIM card for this to work? 15 bucks sounds cheap...for sure would like to know how to go about all this!
brandon440 said:
So I am pretty much a Noob when it comes to the whole SIM card thing. Where could you buy the correct SIM card for this to work? 15 bucks sounds cheap...for sure would like to know how to go about all this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just go to straighttalk.com and shop there for the ATT sim card like the other guy said not the micro but regular size one
TMobile 4G is pretty good
tyler79durdan said:
It would be on Cingular/AT&T towers, no root or unlock needed. Buy the Sim for 15 and the unlimited card for 45. Its like a 63 dollar bill total. Specify AT&T phone and regular not micro Sim... Plug and play except the son change but its like 5 entries in son... Easy stuff and same coverage...ISH. No lte though
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Son is supposed to be apn... Lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
expertune said:
TMobile 4G is pretty good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im thinking about this one too sounds like i might get better service on this than on Straighttalk but since Im going off contract I'll probably try both to see which is better.
If your grand fathered unlimited you should just stay with them til they get wont honor your unlimitted. Just my opinion.
Do you get 4g service or 3g.... I know you said you don't get lte.....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
You would only get 3G or hspa+ speeds on Straight Talk
straight talk
i think i will go with the straigh talk. i kinda of did a bit of research and i also saw that i could switch to tmobile by flashing a custom rom that allows me to have the radio for tmobile, but thats too much hastle. i dont really like att they a-holes i used to have the 4s and everymonth id get the "you'r using too much data" and thy would drop my speeds to .14mb, in my area lte is not great the best speed i usually get between work and home are 3-5 mbs so speed is not really a big deal for me.
You'll get capped on straight talk also... Heed my warning. Tether when absolutely necessary, and try to actually use less data. Be aware of data and this won't happen.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
I have been getting absolutely HORRIBLE service with T-mobile lately so I was thinking of switching to Straight Talk with an AT&T SIM card. I just unlocked my Amaze, and I saved the thread for unlocking my DH's Galaxy S4G. My daughter is getting an unlocked phone I won on eBay in a cpl days.
So my current contract with T-mobile is up in January 2014. That is 17 months. I have 3 lines on my family plan that I currently pay $240 a month for.
$240/month * 17 months = 4080 I would pay to finish my contract
3 * $200 = $600 ETF (Early Termination Fee)
$4080 left - $600 ETF = $3,480
$45/month (Straight Talk) * 3 lines = $135
$135/month * 17 months = $2,295
$3,480 - $2,295 = $1,185 savings
That's a whole lotta dough...
The only problem with this comes purchasing phones in the future.... I typically don't have $500+ to shell out for a new phone. Also I would no longer have the insurance on my phones.
Before I present this to my husband, I was wondering if anyone here has any input on it? Have you made the switch? What did you do to get a new phone when your phone was obsolete?
If you are getting poor reception in your house, then you can likely get out of your contract.
As for phones, the Galaxy Nexus from Google is only $349. Nice phone, no contract, unlocked, works with ATT and T-Mobile. Not sure what future phones from Google will cost, but it's a reasonable assumption that something near the $350 price point will be available.
Also read that if you overdo the data or tether, the SIM will be suspended. Its rare. But possible.
Also, if you use the Straight Talk cards, you got to do it the day your 30 days expire. Do it earlier, and you lose the time remaining on your previous card.
I believe if you have it automatically charge your credit card its easier. However every time you add your 45 Time Card, it resets your 30 days. Its only annoying part.
But seems the website makes it easier so that this doesn't happen.
I used this service. Personally was OK. Or you could go and use Straight Talk $40 unlimited talk text and data.
But.... MMS stopped working on me. Wouldn't send MMS after my 10th MMS message.
As long as you have a bunch of unlocked phones/spares and not afraid it will break/accidents you are good. Personally I've not had phones die on me. LG (Never again), HTC, Samsung. They are reliable all reliable. And if any of them do break is if I mess up when flashing/rooting.
What is your current plan. I'm a former Rep and I can probably save you guys a lot of money by giving you my suggestions.
I still get great phone service with T-Mobile. The crappy part is the customer service (phone services). You should walk into a T-Mobile store and have them look over your plan and see if they can make any adjustments to get your bill down. I only pay $145 for my 3 lines. You should also check if they offer a discount with your company.
hasoon2000 said:
What is your current plan. I'm a former Rep and I can probably save you guys a lot of money by giving you my suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Classic Unlimited Talk & Text 5GB Web 2 lines
4G Web on daughter's line. It doesn't give a GB amount...
We also have the insurance on all 3 lines
brainbone said:
If you are getting poor reception in your house, then you can likely get out of your contract.
As for phones, the Galaxy Nexus from Google is only $349. Nice phone, no contract, unlocked, works with ATT and T-Mobile. Not sure what future phones from Google will cost, but it's a reasonable assumption that something near the $350 price point will be available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope... my house is the only place I get really good service. Its work and when I'm visiting my friend about 45min away that I get crappy service. I checked the map and it says 2G for her entire town. Maybe I should tell t-mobile I live there so I can get out of the contract LOL
My DH is the one who always loses his darn phone. Leaves it places LOL. The only time mine broke was when my little one thought it was a teething toy and got it all wet. My 15 year old goes through phones like clothes... I already put in a claim for her this year and got her a sidekick in which she cracked the screen shortly after. So now the adapter isn't working to charge it but I can't do a warranty exchange because the screen is broken and I wasn't about to shell out another $100 insurance copay for the POS sidekick so I bought her one on eBay for $30.
Nevermind you can't afford to go Prepaid option because there is no insurance.
Best you could do is threaten to port all your lines to T-Mobile prepaid service. When I did that, I got offered the 49.99 with Unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data.
What my phone bill really is the $59.99 with a 10 dollar discount. Actually, my plan is the Value, meaning I can't get discount on upgrades. Need to pay full price for phone. I managed to add device insurance but I see it as waste since I haven't really broken any of my devices or damaged them by accident.
Just threaten to walk and you might get a better deal. Did that over a year ago.
Personally, I recommend going to the value plan. Much cheaper. You will save a lot in the log run. You can still add insurance to the phones but no discounts. Hell, I buy all my phones off of eBay and Craigslist. Much cheaper in the long run. Whoever's name is on the account may qualify for a discount program. Who's name is on the account and if they work at a company/go to school, you may be eligble to receive a discount on your plan ranging from 6% - 18%
I bought a year with my straight talk service. You prepay for eleven months and get twelve months service.
Straight talk offers:
CDMA phones = Verizon = 3G ^Cap Risk
GSM SIM = ATAT = 3G Lower
GSM SIM = T-Mobile = 4G Least risk
T-mobile sim will provide fastest data connection assuming you get equal or better signal and possibly true unlimited data!
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
Edit: dumbed down for 'ghost'
FutureAirways said:
Straight talk offers Atat, t-mobile sim cards for gsm phones right..but what you don't know t-mobile is the only company to get truly unlimited data on st. Also an this is big the t-mobile sim provides 4g service something the Atat one can't, because they have 3g , were t-mobile does not. But if you don't get service I guess it won't matter just food for thought. Same 45$ for 4g vs. 3g
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wat?
this entire post is confusing.
rachelm920 said:
I have been getting absolutely HORRIBLE service with T-mobile lately so I was thinking of switching to Straight Talk with an AT&T SIM card. I just unlocked my Amaze, and I saved the thread for unlocking my DH's Galaxy S4G. My daughter is getting an unlocked phone I won on eBay in a cpl days.
So my current contract with T-mobile is up in January 2014. That is 17 months. I have 3 lines on my family plan that I currently pay $240 a month for.
$240/month * 17 months = 4080 I would pay to finish my contract
3 * $200 = $600 ETF (Early Termination Fee)
$4080 left - $600 ETF = $3,480
$45/month (Straight Talk) * 3 lines = $135
$135/month * 17 months = $2,295
$3,480 - $2,295 = $1,185 savings
That's a whole lotta dough...
The only problem with this comes purchasing phones in the future.... I typically don't have $500+ to shell out for a new phone. Also I would no longer have the insurance on my phones.
Before I present this to my husband, I was wondering if anyone here has any input on it? Have you made the switch? What did you do to get a new phone when your phone was obsolete?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeez, $240 for three lines seems really high. That's a car payment right there. We have three lines on AT&T, and our bill averages $160 month. You must have every possible option available.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"
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hasoon2000 said:
What is your current plan. I'm a former Rep and I can probably save you guys a lot of money by giving you my suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to hear your suggestions sir. Im planning on making the switch to straight talk as well. I have one line at&t, and i go over my 3 gb of data a lot!!! So it seems smart to switch for 45 a month unlimited everything! Right? Thanks man!
RATTLED FROM MY TEAM VENOM POWERED AT&T HTC ONE X USING ICS TAPATALK 2
zounduser said:
Im planning on making the switch to straight talk as well. I have one line at&t, and i go over my 3 gb of data a lot!!! So it seems smart to switch for 45 a month unlimited everything! Right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This Straight Talk review seems to imply that their "unlimited" is really limited to 100MB per day and/or 2GB per month, after which you receive an excessive usage notification and service termination threat.
If you don't use allot of talk time, t-mobile's 5GB / 100 Min for $30 pre-paid may be a better deal.
brainbone said:
This Straight Talk review seems to imply that their "unlimited" is really limited to 100MB per day and/or 2GB per month, after which you receive an excessive usage notification and service termination threat.
If you don't use allot of talk time, t-mobile's 5GB / 100 Min for $30 pre-paid may be a better deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya dont think imma do the straight talk thing now!!!! I piss 2gb everymorning!!! lmfao!!!!
RATTLED FROM MY TEAM VENOM POWERED AT&T ONE X USING ICS TAPATALK 2
brainbone said:
This Straight Talk review seems to imply that their "unlimited" is really limited to 100MB per day and/or 2GB per month, after which you receive an excessive usage notification and service termination threat.
If you don't use allot of talk time, t-mobile's 5GB / 100 Min for $30 pre-paid may be a better deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please see my previous post, if you use a straight talk branded phone (verizon network) or the atat sim card there is a higher chance you will get a cap. Ive read reports of Tmobile sim card users going over 7GB in a month with no problems!! Obviously straight talk pays these companies, when your data is costing them more than 45 dollars a month you get cut off. The Tmobile sim provides the least risk for that as they are currently the cheapest network provider!!
FutureAirways said:
The Tmobile sim provides the least risk for that as they are currently the cheapest network provider!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that there is apparently no clear language from Straight Talk on this, for any of the networks they resell. The service may be called "Straight Talk", but just try to get a "Straight Answer" from them on their limits.
The 5gb prepaid you speak of. Do those mins count towards texting. ?
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
codey895 said:
The 5gb prepaid you speak of. Do those mins count towards texting. ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For t-mobile?
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans
The $30 "Unlimited Web & Text with 100 Talk Minutes" gets you 5GB data before being throttled, "unlimited" texts, and 100 min. talk time.
Hi guys,
I find myself exclusively using Talkatone for all my calling needs, both receiving and making calls. I text through Google voice, but mainly use whatsapp for my messaging needs. Further I travel a lot out of the country so I find that I am not using my voice/text plan at all.
Before I would justify keeping my ATT plan because I'm grandfathered with unlimited data. We all know it's not really unlimited but I figured it was worth keeping.
Now I figure it's time to cut costs by getting rid of my voice plan and just having a 3 GB a month prepaid data plan. It's cheaper and I would only pay for the months I am actually in the country. That's big savings right there.
So before I go down this road, I wanted to know which tablet my Galaxy Note should pretend to be when I sign up for the ATT tablet plan. I can't tell them it's a Galaxy Note because then they will insist on me having a voice plan because it's a smartphone.
Any ideas and where would I find the APN settings needed to make the Galaxy Note work with whatever device you guys recommend I ask for.
Thanks.
Your phone will tell at&t what it is. You can't bypass that. APN settings won't help either. As soon as you register your device on the network your phone sends your IEMI number.
rangercaptain said:
Your phone will tell at&t what it is. You can't bypass that. APN settings won't help either. As soon as you register your device on the network your phone sends your IEMI number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I travel to other countries,I can buy a USB modem with a prepaid plan and then I take the sim out of the modem and put it into my phone. I then configure the APN and my internet starts working.
Can't I do something similar with ATT? I asked at ATT if I needed to bring my "tablet' and they said no, just to tell them what I have, and they had IMEIs the could use to provision it.
That's why I thought there would be a good tablet my Note could pretend to be. I was thinking a Galaxy Tab since it's a Samsung as well.
The reason you can do that out of country is because those companies don't have at&t imei numbers stored in their databases.
You can give at&t whatever imei you want to try to use. However, as soon as you put that sim in your note, its going to report back exactly what it is and your plan will be changed automatically.
Another option would be T-Mobile prepaid. $30/month for 5gb data. If you don't live in a refarmed area, you'd have to flash a T-Mobile modem to your phone for 4g speeds, otherwise you'll be stuck on edge.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Maybe the answer is buying an ATT Hotspot device. Would mean carrying two devices though. But maybe I can live with that. One plus is I wouldn't have to swap sim cards in my phone when I travel. I would just put the device away and turn off airplane mode when I go out of country and begin using the other sim card.
chrstndsgnr said:
The reason you can do that out of country is because those companies don't have at&t imei numbers stored in their databases.
You can give at&t whatever imei you want to try to use. However, as soon as you put that sim in your note, its going to report back exactly what it is and your plan will be changed automatically.
Another option would be T-Mobile prepaid. $30/month for 5gb data. If you don't live in a refarmed area, you'd have to flash a T-Mobile modem to your phone for 4g speeds, otherwise you'll be stuck on edge.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
slocko said:
When I travel to other countries,I can buy a USB modem with a prepaid plan and then I take the sim out of the modem and put it into my phone. I then configure the APN and my internet starts working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I leave the US I buy a local sim card and buy data credit. Why buy the modem?
---------- Post added at 11:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------
slocko said:
Maybe the answer is buying an ATT Hotspot device. Would mean carrying two devices though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the price of a hotspot data plan more costly than a voice+data smartphone plan?
If dollars is the bottom line then move to Straight Talk. Its a little cheaper and its pay as you go.
When I started travelling a few years ago, usb modem was the easiest way to do it. I was actually surprised when I was able to remove the sim card from the modem and put it into my iphone at the time. It even had a phone number associated with it and I was able to buy voice credit for it.
Now I have a voice/data plan abroad.
rangercaptain said:
When I leave the US I buy a local sim card and buy data credit. Why buy the modem?
---------- Post added at 11:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------
Isn't the price of a hotspot data plan more costly than a voice+data smartphone plan?
If dollars is the bottom line then move to Straight Talk. Its a little cheaper and its pay as you go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has it been confirmed that the AT&T Note will not work on an AT&T prepaid tablet plan, or are we being theoretical?
I want a Note as a second (third, fourth,... ) device but don't yet want to rely on the TMobile refarming in Chicago, can't find a TMobile Note 1, don't want to pay Note 2 prices, and don't want to flash a new radio.
I've considered the international Note but they run noticeably more and I really do prefer the other's layout.
Worst case scenario, I jump on the next clean $250 AT&T Note I see, give it to my girlfriend as a mini wifi tablet, get MY SGP 5.0 back from her, and sell that thing.
If memory serves, it was confirmed by quite a few people in this forum when the phone came out a year ago.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Bummer. How about the international version? I could activate the sim in my 7.0+.
I don't think so, but the real savings are realized when you can just pay for the hotspot plan as needed versus paying every month.
Assuming you can use the prepaid data plans on the Note, which I don't you can, the cheapest prepaid voice that allows you to add a data plan is $25 a month and the most logical dataplan offered for prepaid smartphones is $25 for 1 GB. That's $50 a month for a lousy 1 GB.
The hotspot plan is $50 a month for 5 GB. I didn't see any mention that it required a contract. There is an option for monthly if you buy the device full price.
Keeping my contract plan I would have to pay $70 a month on the cheapest plan, and no flexibility to only pay the months I'm in the US.
Once I'm back in country, I'll look into this more.
The other option would be to skip the hotspot and use the $200 towards the galaxy tab and use a tethering app. But then you don't know if they are going to catch you tethering.
rangercaptain said:
When I leave the US I buy a local sim card and buy data credit. Why buy the modem?
---------- Post added at 11:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------
Isn't the price of a hotspot data plan more costly than a voice+data smartphone plan?
If dollars is the bottom line then move to Straight Talk. Its a little cheaper and its pay as you go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
slocko said:
The other option would be to skip the hotspot and use the $200 towards the galaxy tab and use a tethering app. But then you don't know if they are going to catch you tethering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will catch you, and send you a text asking you to buy a tether plan. They wait a few days then cut you off. Possibly there's a tether work around for the tab.
Hot Spot it is
So I decided to test Tmobile and ATT in my area where I live, now that I"m back in the states.
I bought Tmobile 4G hotspot first because they offer lower tiers of data, starting at 2 GB I think and they are prepaid, so the plan cancels automatically without having to call to cancel it.
Only received 2 bars and down was 6 and up barely 2.
Returned it and bought the ATT LTE myfi hotspot. I was resisting because it's bigger to carry around and the plan starts at 5 GB and while it's month to month, you have to call and cancel before your new billing cycle begins, else you will be charged.
This thing is fast. 8-10 down and 4-5 up.
So this will work for my needs. I will have to get used to carrying it around to use my phone, but I am only here max 2 weeks at a time.
UP next, I will experiment installing the hotspot sim into my Note. Even if this works, I notice I get a much stronger and better LTE signal on the myfi, than my galaxy note. maybe the note 2, will be better.
My wife and I are considering switching to T-Mobile when our Verizon contract runs out in June (tired of paying $100+ more a month for Verizon, especially since I have a funny feeling our grandfathered unlimited is on borrowed time). Right now I'm running an unlocked, rooted VZW Note II running CleanROM 4.5. Is there a way to permanently flash the phone over to T-Mobile (radios) if we decide? I really want the AWS bands so I'm not gimped with EDGE speeds as I am today (running the VZW radios/firmware).
So...is this possible?
Thanks!
No not really. You could try this link below. I've pmed the Dev (i pulled the Verizon qcn he needed) and he said it may work, but if not just restore the backup you make before.
Having said that I'm making the same switch and I've decide to sell my note, buy at mobile one under contract,(200 on there website right now) then pay the 200 to switch to a value plan.
So I'll pay 400 for a t mobile note and have the 50 unlimited plan. I can easily sell mine for 500 to 550 so I'll make 100 bucks
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=35933247
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
I dont know were you are at but here in chicago t mobile is horrible and you have to keep in mind you get what you pay for
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
boogief1 said:
I dont know were you are at but here in chicago t mobile is horrible and you have to keep in mind you get what you pay for
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
South Carolina and they're fine here. Obviously not as good as Verizon, but i stay in the city 90 percent and on my wife's t mobile note they're great. In NC she had better signal then I did. On a plus side they're customer service is a million times better then Verizon could dream about being. I'd switch just for that
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
kintwofan said:
No not really. You could try this link below. I've pmed the Dev (i pulled the Verizon qcn he needed) and he said it may work, but if not just restore the backup you make before.
Having said that I'm making the same switch and I've decide to sell my note, buy at mobile one under contract,(200 on there website right now) then pay the 200 to switch to a value plan.
So I'll pay 400 for a t mobile note and have the 50 unlimited plan. I can easily sell mine for 500 to 550 so I'll make 100 bucks
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=35933247
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bid on a new Verizon Note II for $470. So how does the T-Mobile purchase & ETF work? As far as I remember you will need to pay tax over full price (not discounted) plus tax for ETF as well. Please let me know how it goes (actually money you'll need to spend for your plan). Thanks.
verizon's note II will accept a t-mobile microsim and work as a phone right away. you'll have to root it to add the proper apn for edge data, and you'll get t-mobiles 3g on the farmed 1900 bands.
here in SoCal, i get 3g about 70% of the time
bravo261 said:
verizon's note II will accept a t-mobile microsim and work as a phone right away. you'll have to root it to add the proper apn for edge data, and you'll get t-mobiles 3g on the farmed 1900 bands.
here in SoCal, i get 3g about 70% of the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So aside from being locked into 2g if you aren't in a reframed 19900 band location does txt and mms work normally? Im primarily on wifi 95% of the time and switching out to TMO would save me over $100/mo for 2 lines I have with VZW. I popped in a TMO microsim but it wasnt an active one the network so all I got was the "welcome to tmobile" prompt for programming.
Using Jellybeans 13 with APN Editor hack. It picked up the GSM and correct APN from what I saw.
Yes it is possible to take your Note 2 from VZW to T-Mobile, Switched weeks ago
Yes it is possible, I've been running on a T-Mobile custom ROM now for the last 8 weeks and going back & forth between VZW and Solavei (T-Mobile).I have been running the Tweaked 1.5 and just recently it updated to Tweaked 1.6 both are for the T-Mobile Note2 sch-T889.
It has been flawless and I never pass up the opportunity to brag about this and show it off to both Verizon customers and T-Mobile customers
as well. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the best Android handset I've ever owned... It will a pretty Awesome Android handset to even come close to the Note2's abilities and excellent engineering.. So a huge Thank You to Samsung and hey "Verizon Suck It" your rule of consumer manipulation and robbery will come to an end one day.... Jerks
danielfeng said:
Bid on a new Verizon Note II for $470. So how does the T-Mobile purchase & ETF work? As far as I remember you will need to pay tax over full price (not discounted) plus tax for ETF as well. Please let me know how it goes (actually money you'll need to spend for your plan). Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops missed this. I paid 278 plus tax at Walmart then 200 fee plus tax so like 500 for a brand new phone.
We did great for my wife. 278 plus tax, but got a50 gift card. Then 200 fee, but called them and they waived it. Something about a remorse wave. So 250 basically. I'm waiting for my bill with fee to see if theyll do it again.
By the way with my discount I pay 85 for unlimited everything! Coverage is no where near Verizon, but what do you expect. But the big issue is wifi calling. In the hospital I work no one gets service, but me!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
kintwofan said:
Oops missed this. I paid 278 plus tax at Walmart then 200 fee plus tax so like 500 for a brand new phone.
We did great for my wife. 278 plus tax, but got a50 gift card. Then 200 fee, but called them and they waived it. Something about a remorse wave. So 250 basically. I'm waiting for my bill with fee to see if theyll do it again.
By the way with my discount I pay 85 for unlimited everything! Coverage is no where near Verizon, but what do you expect. But the big issue is wifi calling. In the hospital I work no one gets service, but me!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did your wife get such a great deal? Could you please share some technique to let them waive the ETF? If that works then I'll definitely grab one or two. Thanks.
The gift card was just a promo Walmart was running. There fee there really isn't atip. When my first bill came in it had the 200 fee, and two months of service (done weird way it billed after getting my discount put on).
I just called and explained I switched from Verizon to save money and asked if they could discount some of these fees. I was hoping for activation fee waived and maybe a small percent off. Instead she said she could refund the 200
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
kintwofan said:
The gift card was just a promo Walmart was running. There fee there really isn't atip. When my first bill came in it had the 200 fee, and two months of service (done weird way it billed after getting my discount put on).
I just called and explained I switched from Verizon to save money and asked if they could discount some of these fees. I was hoping for activation fee waived and maybe a small percent off. Instead she said she could refund the 200
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So do you need to be with TMO or you can switch to others? The $200 was for ETF?
APN for T-Mobile on version galaxy notes 2
cjk2010 said:
So aside from being locked into 2g if you aren't in a reframed 19900 band location does txt and mms work normally? Im primarily on wifi 95% of the time and switching out to TMO would save me over $100/mo for 2 lines I have with VZW. I popped in a TMO microsim but it wasnt an active one the network so all I got was the "welcome to tmobile" prompt for programming.
Using Jellybeans 13 with APN Editor hack. It picked up the GSM and correct APN from what I saw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
danielfeng said:
Bid on a new Verizon Note II for $470. So how does the T-Mobile purchase & ETF work? As far as I remember you will need to pay tax over full price (not discounted) plus tax for ETF as well. Please let me know how it goes (actually money you'll need to spend for your plan). Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information.
I took my phone to one of the repair store. They didn't have to root the phone and they are still able to add the new APN.
I can surf the web now. However, the picture text message is not working. Do you how to fix it? Can you please help?
Best Regards,
kintwofan said:
No not really. You could try this link below. I've pmed the Dev (i pulled the Verizon qcn he needed) and he said it may work, but if not just restore the backup you make before.
Having said that I'm making the same switch and I've decide to sell my note, buy at mobile one under contract,(200 on there website right now) then pay the 200 to switch to a value plan.
So I'll pay 400 for a t mobile note and have the 50 unlimited plan. I can easily sell mine for 500 to 550 so I'll make 100 bucks
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=35933247
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the 50 dollar unlimited only gives you 500 mb data. Realistically unlimited talk, text, and data will be 70 a month. Or you can get 2.5 gigs of data for 60 per line. I just left t-mobile, be prepared that your service will not work indoors in a lot of places as they don't not have. Low frequency like Verizon and att. Plus you will run into a lot of dead zones if you travel. Otherwise it is a really cheap plan. I just can't stand paying for a phone and unable to use it for half a day.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy Note II
Even though this thread is like, 6 months old, I thought I would add my .02.
I recently purchased a GoPhone sim for AT&T prepaid. $60 month unlimited talk/text & 2gb data. I am getting HSPA+ speeds with my Verizon GN2. While it is NOWHERE near the LTE speeds I get on Verizon, it is also 1/2 the cost. plus, if needed, I can purchase extra data at $10 per gig. I average 2-3gb per month now, & my plan with unlimited data, 900 texts & 1000 minutes is $112.
If I sell my Verizon phone & buy a AT&T N2, I will get LTE with GoPhone.
Tried tmobile for 3 hours with a brand new note 2 and demanded refund. The service was awful... I mean horrible. Picked up a used note 2 and stayed with vzw. Worst phone experience ever. Run far away from tmobile.