Considering the S - Samsung Gear S

I currently have a Sony Smartwatch 3 and have had it for almost a year. I've had my eye on the Gear S for some time and feel like pulling the trigger. I have a few questions if someone has some time.
1. How do you feel like the watch we will be supported going forward? I dont want to buy something the devolper has moved on from.
2. How is the GPS on the watch? The SM3 does ok. I typically have my phone within range but there arw times when I'm away.
3. Is S Health an inferior product on this watch compaired to the S2? If my phone is on my desk but i am walking around, does it track my steps from the watch? I'm using Fit currently.
4. I do not plan on using a seperate cellular plan for this watch. Because of this i assume i can purcahse from any carrier or even with a bad esn. Are the different carrier version different at all? Likewise, can i use my watch to answer and talk through the watch while connected to my phone or will that feature only work for those watches with a separate plan?
5. I've seen some metal bands here and there. Are they homemade ones or have the metal bands evolved enough over time. I have the rubber clasp band on my SM3 and I'm always catching it on something.
Thank you.

I will try to answer to some of your questions.
1. sadly Samsung is known to stop supporting devices relatively soon, and also taking into account that the S2 has been released it's probably not long before they won't give any updates for the S
2. i didn't try the GPS from the watch (while it's connected to the phone it will use the phone's GPS, this can be useful or a nuisance, depending on what you want )
3. Don't know how SHealth works on S2, but on S while the watch is connected to the phone it will use the watch's measurement (you can change it if you want), so you can leave the phone wherever you want and SHealth will take the step count from the watch.
Btw, from what I've seen this feature works even if the phone-watch are out of the blue-tooth range, it will simply update the count when the blue-tooth is reconnected.
4. the main difference between the versions is what kind of cellular bands they support, and if i remember correctly there's an "WiFi only" version too. If you will only use the blue-tooth and WiFi connections then it doesn't matter which version you'll buy since those are the same on all the versions.
5. i didn't see any "real" metal bands for S, only some homemade ones, i don't think Samsung released any other type of bands than the one that the watch comes with.
As a note for 1., Biktor_GJ is working on porting the full android to the GearS. He also said that he will try to port the Android Wear, but it might not work since he had some trouble with the video drivers.

verszipo said:
I will try to answer to some of your questions.
1. sadly Samsung is known to stop supporting devices relatively soon, and also taking into account that the S2 has been released it's probably not long before they won't give any updates for the S
2. i didn't try the GPS from the watch (while it's connected to the phone it will use the phone's GPS, this can be useful or a nuisance, depending on what you want )
3. Don't know how SHealth works on S2, but on S while the watch is connected to the phone it will use the watch's measurement (you can change it if you want), so you can leave the phone wherever you want and SHealth will take the step count from the watch.
Btw, from what I've seen this feature works even if the phone-watch are out of the blue-tooth range, it will simply update the count when the blue-tooth is reconnected.
4. the main difference between the versions is what kind of cellular bands they support, and if i remember correctly there's an "WiFi only" version too. If you will only use the blue-tooth and WiFi connections then it doesn't matter which version you'll buy since those are the same on all the versions.
5. i didn't see any "real" metal bands for S, only some homemade ones, i don't think Samsung released any other type of bands than the one that the watch comes with.
As a note for 1., Biktor_GJ is working on porting the full android to the GearS. He also said that he will try to port the Android Wear, but it might not work since he had some trouble with the video drivers.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for your input. I'll be honest, I do enjoy AW and it seems as if Google Fit has finally got their act together. I guess I really need to put one on my wrists and go from there. If anyone else has any input feel free to add it.

Related

Is it possible to use Gear S as wifi hotspot?

Hi! =)
I wonder if there is a way to use the Gear S as a wifi hotspot? I got a SIM card with monthly unlimited data traffic.
Thought it would be nice if one could mount it inside a Gear S, and share internet connection with all other devices around, just as if it was a wifi hotspot/wireless router.
So far, I have figured out a way to share the Wi-Fi. Samsung recently released an update that added the ability to modify the APNs. Which I was surprised happened...due to the rumors that the providers are working on taking over the watch/phone remote features. This is why the prices vary.... ATT wants ONLY ATT phones to work with ATT connected watches.
Right now, that's not the case. The remote notifications are handled by Samsung's servers.
Once we get root, a lot will change.
opiujn said:
Hi! =)
I wonder if there is a way to use the Gear S as a wifi hotspot? I got a SIM card with monthly unlimited data traffic.
Thought it would be nice if one could mount it inside a Gear S, and share internet connection with all other devices around, just as if it was a wifi hotspot/wireless router.
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Click to collapse
No, there is no app or built in features like that. Even it could, the tiny battery inside can't sustain more than 10-minutes.
I'm on a family shared plan. All my phones can be used as wifi hotspot so I know how it works (or not working in case of the watch).
It's not possible/practical due to current state of tech - as mentioned already the battery life wouldn't work out. I'm looking forward to a time where my sole voice and data plan could be just on the watch and I could tether that to any devices as OP is describing.
Imagine your watch is always with you so the crucial communications is always there, but when you need a more comfortable form factor to consume and create you would take the small handset/tablet/laptop with you and the watch shares it's data with those devices. For voice you could use the headset or speakerphone from the watch the way it works now.
Samsung is on the right track for this, but due to the way they've mis-handled their entire Tizen watch platform, I don't have any confidence in them succeeding. I say this as one who owns and loves his Gear 2 Neo and laments that it's potential is held back by poor support and business decisions.
rEVOLVE said:
It's not possible/practical due to current state of tech - as mentioned already the battery life wouldn't work out. I'm looking forward to a time where my sole voice and data plan could be just on the watch and I could tether that to any devices as OP is describing.
Imagine your watch is always with you so the crucial communications is always there, but when you need a more comfortable form factor to consume and create you would take the small handset/tablet/laptop with you and the watch shares it's data with those devices. For voice you could use the headset or speakerphone from the watch the way it works now.
Samsung is on the right track for this, but due to the way they've mis-handled their entire Tizen watch platform, I don't have any confidence in them succeeding. I say this as one who owns and loves his Gear 2 Neo and laments that it's potential is held back by poor support and business decisions.
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Click to collapse
Thanks all of you guys, for your replies with thoughts and info on this! =)
Perhaps someone will one day manufacture a nice looking wristband/bracelet with inbuilt battery powerpack that connects to Gear, wearing it on arm next to the Gear S, that has enough mAh to supply it's hotspot. And someone makes a root hotspot app for it... or not, haha. Maybe not a good idea, but it would for sure be nice if it could be used as a wifi hotspot.
opiujn said:
Thanks all of you guys, for your replies with thoughts and info on this! =)
Perhaps someone will one day manufacture a nice looking wristband/bracelet with inbuilt battery powerpack that connects to Gear, wearing it on arm next to the Gear S, that has enough mAh to supply it's hotspot. And someone makes a root hotspot app for it... or not, haha. Maybe not a good idea, but it would for sure be nice if it could be used as a wifi hotspot.
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Click to collapse
I remember seeing a KS campaign for wearable battery packs. One of them was a wristband.
So, the idea exists...just a matter of time before they're going to make it to the mainstream market.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Hopefully Samsung will get together with Seiko at some point & throw some kinetic tech in these watches.. Combine that with something like powerfelt to take advantage of body heat, maybe some photovoltaic paint & we'll have decent battery life. Of course the watch will be pretty ridiculous looking, but I'll prob buy one anyway. Really we just need Elon Musk to start making cell phone batteries & we'll be all good.
opiujn said:
Thanks all of you guys, for your replies with thoughts and info on this! =)
Perhaps someone will one day manufacture a nice looking wristband/bracelet with inbuilt battery powerpack that connects to Gear, wearing it on arm next to the Gear S, that has enough mAh to supply it's hotspot. And someone makes a root hotspot app for it... or not, haha. Maybe not a good idea, but it would for sure be nice if it could be used as a wifi hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sgnl Smartband is self powered with flexible batteries in the band and ability to make calls using your finger touched to your temple by your ear. Works on bone conduction using a Transducer instead of a speaker. You can use it as sort of a smartwatch with a standard watch. But the problem is that Sgnl being a sort of Skunkworks Project in Samsung's R&D Business Incubator and it seems they are so screwed up as a Kickstarter Project that they failed to launch multiple times and we're still waiting for devices to be shipped.
They are indeed using Samsung's newest flexible battery technology. Only because wiring issues it's in a hard stiff case. I tried a prototype on at a tech show and tested it as working. Now we just have to wait for them to ship. I'm not sure if they are including a wireless charger interface with the strap that could actually charge your Gear Smartwatch or not. But this is what I imagine a wrist battery would be like. No links allowed for me.... sorry!
So if they get active charging feature going and it's been requested as a feature in future models...... then you can keep it charging off the wristband batteries. They offer phone wireless charging interfaces on ebay. I would think they could be modified for use behind the back of the Gear Smartwatch with plug in to Sgnl Smartband. Running charging all the time would make capable of being a Wifi hotspot! ........but I wouldn't expect an App until Gear S3 gets rooted!

Gear S connect via BT to multiple devices

Hi all,
Is there a way to connect the Gear S via BT to multiple phones?
Mine is already connected to a Galaxy S4 mini (as well as remotely connected many times), but i would love it if i could also connect via BT to my iPhone 6.
I know the functionality (when connected to the iPhone) will be severely handicapped (just phone calls) but still i would like to have that.
Thank you very much in advance.
UPDATE: I have found this thread bellow:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s/general/activate-gear-s-samsung-phone-t2932869/
Member @sticmou has come up with a possible solution but is is not quite what i was seeking for.
Ideally the watch should be able to connect to both my S4 mini and my iPhone 6.
Lol Samsung and apple don't play nice, they fight on the playground....I'll hand it to you ,you are very brave to even suggest this haha. Goodluck though I don't think it's possible
TechnRom said:
Lol Samsung and apple don't play nice, they fight on the playground....I'll hand it to you ,you are very brave to even suggest this haha. Goodluck though I don't think it's possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there!
I have had progress. Unfortunately i am very busy right now, but i will get back soon with details. Maybe i will even make a video on my channel.
You may be surprised...
I am more interested in the opposite: making 2 Gear watches (Gear 1 and Gear S) work with one phone simultaneously - if it can be an iPhone, even better.

Today is the i am finally giving up with my Gear S

After messing around since christmas day trying to use my Gear S as a standalone to use for running i have finally given up and are putting up for sale . The fact that the GPS is super fast one day then no luck the next day just doesnt work for me . After the latest firmware which seemed to fix it , it now after a few days worse ? I have tested and tested everything / rebooted / turned things off that may confuse it but still no joy . I wanted to use one simple function that when working " was superb " but standing around in the cold waiting upto 40 mins for a fix is nuts . My old method of getting first fix then making sure battery never dies doesnt always work now ? Lastly i would like to thank those who have kindly offered help on this journey vis this forum . Ebay here i come
Sorry to hear that man... I recently bought Gear S hoping to have standalone device but most of all for my all day fitness/laziness tracker. I have run just once so far with it and finding GPS fix wasn't that bad... maybe a minute of stretching and I was good to go.
Have you tried (probably you did.. silly question) reset gear in settings? Like a... reflash?
Actually, now I remember, before I went run i left Gear S on the window with GPS on just to catch position - I always did it with my previous running device - 5 y/o nokia
I have mate . Re-set a hundred times . Kept watch unaltered etc and still good and appaling days . Tried a 1000 combinations and gave up . I was happy when i bought to lose functions but it is not consistent enough for running . Best of luck !
stick with it
sorry to hear that - I've struggled with mine for a couple of weeks also, wasted $200AUS buying an incompatible Samsung phone (my stupidity), re-entered my contacts and diary events 2/3 times after having to do a hard reset / re-pairing, have been underwhelmed & frustrated by the Samsung / Galaxy / Gear ecosystem (and the quality of their phones) but I still think this is the best device in it's class
have look at LPX Studios on youtube etc
I hope Samsung, the developers and the phone providers will address some of the problems (from what I've read, best not hold your breath)
I've decided to adopt a wait and see approach - this device almost satisfies my personal use case need (phone calls & texts on my wrist - plus cool extra functions like fitness essential email replies etc) decoupled from always-on temptations to check social media notifications, personal, work & junk emails etc, & to reduce the personal & financial costs of data consumption
I've not experienced "it just doesn't bloody work" - but I understand your frustrations.
I'm like "it's really great but yes it is a bit sh!te". I don't want to learn or be locked into yet another ecosystem but imho the Gear S has been worth a degree of patience / perseverance
in your use case fitness scenario (forgive me if i misread) I think the device does a half-decent job which is probably enough good enough. Why would you need GPS? Apologies if I've confused you with someone else whose UCS was to be able to send discrete messages to friends and family during meetings - but again thats the joy of a smart watch over a smartphone - one can't tap away so one won't tap away
If I can buy an apple watch with a simcard, and a macbook air with a simcard then i'm in, but I don't think thats going to happen. (I think i read some of the newer iPads in some locations have some kind of universal Sim but I don't want an iPad - I need a laptop & a phone and see the obvious use case for a watch phone - current minimal number of devices 3 .... ideal number 1 - the laptop workhorse - (I wear a wristwatch anyway) So I can check emails & notifications later at home or back at work tomorrow if I really need to - the untethered device is retro liberation from contemporary distraction
What I'd really like would be an old school Toshiba Toughbook (the one with a handle and strap), dual sim card slots, 2 massive hot-swappable hard drives & batteries and a Toshiba Smart Watch (with a sim) - I think they had something like that (without the watch) .... so your briefcase is your computer and your phone is your watch - versus say having get out your iPhone iPad & everything else at the airport or simply going for a coffee (but then I'd still have to go back to Windows and relearn that in its latest iteration)
vinceremos
Hi . I need the GPS to track and moniter my runs . I dont have a phone paired with this and as i said . When it works its spot on but usually it just doesnt pick a GPS fix unless i wait upto 30 mins . This applies to wherever i am ? Since i started this thread the bloody thing is now working ? Still selling it . Having to try again and again is madness
GPS is very handy when running. If it wouldn't work I would be &*:angel:*&
My medieval Nokia works with endomondo + gps so why newest toy which is worth x20 more (seriously) wouldn't?
Even if I wouldn't need it, for it's price it must work - I payed for it! And its also what Samsung promised.
Although, the thing is that... it works for everyone else. So maybe you have a defective one? Warranty? :good:
Its a South Korean one from Ebay . I actually believe its not technically defective . Other users reported dodgy GPS for serious runners . I did contact Samsung UK service and they are not interested in non European models . I really think for runners its simply not upto the job . However i could be wrong .......
I just got my gear s last week and I agree the gps sucks. I love everything else it does but to botch gps on a fitness tracker is a real stumble on their part.
Sorry to hear your bad experience, I've had mine with my note 4 and everything has been good for me. After the latest update I did completely uninstall and reinstall and it's been pretty awesome with good battery.
Hi . So are you saying when not paired and working standalone that your GPS works fine when running ?
Thanks
I agree the GPS takes forever on the S Health app to connect. I'm not giving mine up tho because I'm a bit of a Samsung fanboy and love all their products.
Have anyone tried to run without GPS on? It should count steps as a run + more less give you a distance.
I bought the Gear S for the same reason: I wanted something with GPS to track my runs, plus a Sim card slot so I don't have to run with my phone any more, and BT, so I can listen to audio over my LG Tone Plus.
(I actually also needed something with a camera and full Android, so I can put some apps I use for running on it., which is why I ended up buying a Galaxy Gear and flashing Null on it.)
I agree that the Gear S GPS does not always work and I am really mad standing around in the freezing snow waiting for the signal to lock.
On my last few runs, I had to run without GPS because no amount of waiting made a difference. On one run, the signal came on but only after 30 mins or so. It's really infuriating, but, as someone else said, there no competition in this space.
I have been thinking about trying my luck with an Android Chinese watch-phone from aliexpress, but who knows if the battery on any of those would last me through a run with GPS, phone, mobile data and BT on.
Anyhow, Tim, if you find something better, it would be great of you could post here. It sounds like we have the same use case for it.
eclipse05x said:
Have anyone tried to run without GPS on? It should count steps as a run + more less give you a distance.
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Click to collapse
Yah it still gives you distance and time ran without the GPS.
Nike plus
Guys, have you tried to run with Nike Plus app? Is it better with GPS in this app in comparison with S? How is synchro after finish the run then right to Nike plus server- any problems? Can someone compare GPS accuracy between Garmin Fenix and Gear S? I' m on the edge of decision wheter to go with Gear S. I need it primary for running and standalone SIM activities as my private phone.
Thanks!
Dan
aeon101 said:
Guys, have you tried to run with Nike Plus app? Is it better with GPS in this app in comparison with S? How is synchro after finish the run then right to Nike plus server- any problems? Can someone compare GPS accuracy between Garmin Fenix and Gear S? I' m on the edge of decision wheter to go with Gear S. I need it primary for running and standalone SIM activities as my private phone.
Thanks!
Dan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone over on Android Central compared it with the Fenix and other trackers. Here's the post. Since I don't use Nike+ (I don't want to have to sign up for yet another service I will forget my password for), I only ever track with S Health.
Many thanks Xendula, very useful!
xendula said:
I bought the Gear S for the same reason: I wanted something with GPS to track my runs, plus a Sim card slot so I don't have to run with my phone any more, and BT, so I can listen to audio over my LG Tone Plus.
(I actually also needed something with a camera and full Android, so I can put some apps I use for running on it., which is why I ended up buying a Galaxy Gear and flashing Null on it.)
I agree that the Gear S GPS does not always work and I am really mad standing around in the freezing snow waiting for the signal to lock.
On my last few runs, I had to run without GPS because no amount of waiting made a difference. On one run, the signal came on but only after 30 mins or so. It's really infuriating, but, as someone else said, there no competition in this space.
I have been thinking about trying my luck with an Android Chinese watch-phone from aliexpress, but who knows if the battery on any of those would last me through a run with GPS, phone, mobile data and BT on.
Anyhow, Tim, if you find something better, it would be great of you could post here. It sounds like we have the same use case for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Xendula . Since yesterday i tried a few more attempts / tests and the reallity is this watch is ****e ( sorry Samsung Fans ) but i'm gutted . As of 20.00 pm UK time today it is on Ebay . Personally after messing around since Christmas day i cannot wait to see it go . Hopefully get a good price ? Nice talking to you guys . All the very best for the future
Tim
UK
i believe that children are the future
today i was accosted by a dozen eagle-eyed little kids (ages maybe 5-10) walking home from school (them not me) "hey mister is that thing a phone?"
I'm like "yes its a phone and a watch - let me show you the sad cat watch-face .... but you still need another samsung phone back at home, its a bit buggy, i'm told the charging cradle will break anytime soon, i don't understand the android / samsung / galaxy / tizen / gear S ecosystem, but I am a bit jaundiced by Apple, think this thing has potential and am persevering with it blah blah blah"
They were like "whatever dude - that thing is seriously cool!"
I related this little vignette to my work colleagues
" yeah see I've been telling you for the last two weeks but this is the proof - you can't fool kids - put your iPhone 6 on ebay and get one of these"
"Well you shouldn't go flashing it around - next thing one of them kids will be breaking into your house to steal it"
I'm like I wasn't flashing it around i was walking down the street just wearing it . Like any of my new six year old Galaxy S fanboys/fangirls are going to turn into cat burglers, break into my house and prize it from my wrist while I'm asleep?
I already told them "it can check how much exercise I've done, and I can wear it in bed to make sure I'm getting enough sleep - yeah like a fitbit but a phone & a watch too "
until Apple or Motorola or Sony or whoever put a sim in their smart watch I'm keeping mine
ideally i think more laptops should come with a sim card slot too
I''m disappointed i still need a proper phone to make the Gear S work, but would in practice still need one anyway for tethering the laptop when not at home. I'm no expert but would not a simcard in the laptop offer big battery and big ariel advantages compared to phone tethering ? (no i don't want to carry round or have a dongle sticking out - that's the point)
Several astute reviewers have commented positively on the back-to-the-future retro simplicity of the smartwatch concept as implemented by the Samsung Gear S (whilst highlighting problems in the current execution of that - as also clearly highlighted on these forums & elsewhere) Whatever
"after a few days I was really liking the freedom of not checking my emails & notifications every 5 minutes"
Imagine the freedom of a smartwatch connected (if necessary) to your laptop or whatever other larger device - phablet, iPad or whatever you use for work or pleasure. That's like two devices not 3 or more (smartphone, work phone, tablet, kindle, laptop etc) - in fact actually only one extra thing to carry if / when you need to because the phone is like already on your wrist.
Advantages
• Less economically zero-sum consumer consumption
The guy on the production line gets nothing. I pay several hundred dollars for the device, it jumps out of my pocket and i pay another guy in a mall $150 to fix the screen. Am i contributing to some kind of trickle-down / trickle-up dissipation or redistribution of wealth?
maybe locally to the screen-fixer and his family.
There is (but wasn't always) built in obsolescence in technology but designed to break technology is a really big con that is not (like indeed BIO) an inevitable or essential feature of capitalism & global trade.
To use an obvious example & pertinent example
I think I can understand Mr Steve Jobs drive & achievement in coming back (I'll show them [email protected]) and making Apple the biggest company in the world - but at what price?
Wage slaves in Asia committing suicide in Hi-tech sweat shops.
Drive down margins like everyone else, create the most expensive have-to-have consumer devices ever, choose form over function, lock people into an ecosystem originally justified by quality and consistency considerations now simply a lock-in. Make things designed to break.
Ok he was an ex-hippy not a socialist - he couldn't change the world but might have eventually leveraged his personal power and that of his company maybe a little more e.g.
"I believe our products are great and worth the money - they are not produced in sweatshops in Asia. The suicide rate amongst our subcontracted workers is no higher than the local average and we insist the wages are substantially better. We are not Nike (or whoever) we are Apple."
Sorry the iPhone and iPad screens shatter so easily - that wasn't the case with my first iPhone iteration.
I've spoken to my good friends Sir Bob Geldof, Bill Gates , Sir Elton John, Sir Bruce Springsteen and Bonio from U2 and have decided to create a legacy of value and enduring social change not shiny expensive useless f*cking toys
From Bill Nelson's Red Noise
The posters on your wall mark every fashion's rise and fall
Why try to keep the past alive
And though I know the time is almost 1984
It feels like 1965
from Michael Wincott playing Rene in the the 1996 film Basquiat
when you first see a new picture, you don't want to miss the boat. You have to be very careful because you may be staring at Van Gogh's ear.
• er less confusion
• less drowning in a sea of devices, chargers, wires, peripherals etc
Do samsung make laptops?
Alan
Remote Western Australia
all of the above did really happen today
Hey, I run with this nearly every morning. It's perfect.
I pull the sim card out of my Galaxy S5 and pop it in my gear S.
The NIKE ap does a good job tracking the gps.
And if something bad happens on my run I can call someone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app

Need help Connecting to a WEP WiFi.

Hey all. So I bought a couple of cheap knock off go pros to use for recording various things and the problem I'm having is that I cannot connect to the wifi signal it broadcasts.
The camera puts out a WEP encrypted wifi network which I can only even pick up by putting my device into airplane mode and turning on the wifi radio only. Even when I can find the SSID, it won't stay connected long enough to work. It basically drops the signal immediately.
I have tuned off all the auto connect and disconnect options in advanced wifi and yet it still won't hold the connection.
Anyone have any thoughts on how I can get this to work?
Side note: I have successfully connected to it from a Samsung S7. So I know it can work, just not from my V30
Anyone??
Disable encryption and run it wide open... WEP is a dead protocol and has many problems. It's ridiculously easy to crack, so you might as well just leave it open.
I'm guessing the device can't run simultaneous connections anyway, so if you can connect, you're probably the only device in there anyway. If you're using it as a remote camera, your client will probably always be connected anyway, so you've occupied that one connect port as well.
@schwinn8 Thank you for trying to help me out with this here, however I'm not able to do what your suggesting.
This camera won't let me ditch the password and run it open (why?, I have no idea) I'm really at a loss for why it's not connecting/will stay connected. I have now tried an iPhone, a Samsung, and my older LG G5 and all of these could connect to it with no issue.
I'm due for a full reset on my device, so I'm going to try and see if maybe a clean install allows it to work. (Maybe a module is making it act screwy). I've also lost my Hotpsot capabilities no matter what apns I run and no matter what tether settings I change in the global settings tables. (I actually have hotspot on my plan but it's never worked without me modding settings / apns)
Side note, if anyone is looking for cheap gopro alternative, the one I got is similar to this one, and it was on sale for 17.99 Great features for the price (car mode, wifi control, motion detector,etc) and uses all of the same accessories as a regular gopro. I actually bought 3 so when i lose one or break one I have a back up.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/iPM-HD-1080P-Waterproof-Sports-Action-Camera-IPMY6L/301028085
(If this link is against one of the forum rules, I apologise and please feel free to deleted my link or let me know and I'll delete it)
Like I said, WEP is a dead protocol, so it makes sense that older phones would work better, since these protocols are not focused on for modern devices. It's like how a Windows 95 program would probably run great on an old Wiin95 computer, but it may not work at all on Win10.
Sure, the device SHOULD be backwards compatible, but no one is going to bother fixing them.

Taking out of the drawer: Motorola Spice XT300

Hi! I found in a drawer a very old Motorola Spice XT300, Android 2.1-Update 1. It's possible to use it like a webcam or GPS tracker? I want to install a new ROM, updating the OS, and install Play Store. How can I do it? Someone may tell me the step-by-step, please? Thank you.
GPS tracker? As in being able to track its position? That's only useful if it can connect to a network to communicate its position back to you. That phone had a 3G antenna, meaning it needs a 3G network, and 3G networks are all being shut down within a year or so. Without Wi-Fi, that phone won't have any internet connection, no matter what rom you put in.
As for a camera, you could probably dig up some old app that would connect it through wifi to your computer as a camera, but I can't imagine it would work that well. More importantly, I'm not sure how secure that would be. That phone's a decade old with no security updates, I'm fairly certain the browser even had flash built in. I'm sure breaking into it would be a breeze.
Realistically, that phone is a paper weight by now in terms of usefulness. If you want to turn an old phone into a camera or something, look on ebay, you can grab something for dirt cheap that would work much better. At the very least the picture will look better.
OK, forget the GPS and webcam. Let's simplify: how can I install a new ROM and the Play Store in this device? Thank you.
kelue said:
GPS tracker? As in being able to track its position? That's only useful if it can connect to a network to communicate its position back to you. That phone had a 3G antenna, meaning it needs a 3G network, and 3G networks are all being shut down within a year or so. Without Wi-Fi, that phone won't have any internet connection, no matter what rom you put in.
As for a camera, you could probably dig up some old app that would connect it through wifi to your computer as a camera, but I can't imagine it would work that well. More importantly, I'm not sure how secure that would be. That phone's a decade old with no security updates, I'm fairly certain the browser even had flash built in. I'm sure breaking into it would be a breeze.
Realistically, that phone is a paper weight by now in terms of usefulness. If you want to turn an old phone into a camera or something, look on ebay, you can grab something for dirt cheap that would work much better. At the very least the picture will look bette
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Dear, thank you for the answer, but I can't buy anything. I live in Brazil: my monthly income is less than US$ 200, and there's a "deposit fee", shipping and import tax for foreigner boughts. For example: an old S8 Galaxy is about US$ 130 in Ebay. To receive in my home, I must to pay US$ 300, 50% more than my salary.

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