Database Users

AT&T and SGS

Is the non-American SGS recognized by AT&T's network as a smartphone?
I ask because some people have successfully tricked AT&T's network in allowing them to use the $15 unlimited data plan for non-smartphones (of course most are caught and forced to upgrade their plan, like with the nexus one).

I've had the SIM for my iPhone 3G in my Singapore version of the Galaxy S for over 48 hours now and the website at wireless.att.com for my account still shows the SIM as being inside the iPhone. When I put the SIM inside my Razr, it usually switches on the website within a few minutes.
That's a good sign, in my opinion, but I wouldn't bank on it.

INeedYourHelp said:
Is the non-American SGS recognized by AT&T's network as a smartphone?
I ask because some people have successfully tricked AT&T's network in allowing them to use the $15 unlimited data plan for non-smartphones (of course most are caught and forced to upgrade their plan, like with the nexus one).
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it doesnt recognise it in the att olam. It shows my stupid dumbphone i had to throw on since att started cracking down on the nexus one.
So right now im using it with the $15 dollar media net plan with unlimited data

I plan on buying a brand new sim from AT&T, is that okay? Or should I just buy a used sim card from one of those non-smartphones?
Thanks for your replies.

INeedYourHelp said:
I plan on buying a brand new sim from AT&T, is that okay? Or should I just buy a used sim card from one of those non-smartphones?
Thanks for your replies.
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Honestly i dont think it would be a problem. Just buy a cheap phone or even get a free one with a simcard in it. Because if they ask you for the imei and the device you are using, you would have your crappy free phone to give the info.
When that is done just pop in the simcard into the galaxy s

HD2 on T-Mobile Pre-paid

I'm really sick of Sprint's ****ty service in my area and am seriously thinking about switching to T-Mobile Pre-paid with their $50 unlimited talk, text and web plan. My only concern is the phones, they're pretty crappy. But I've heard of people using a T-Mo pre-paid sim in an unlocked phone. Can anyone confirm this to be true, especially for an HD2?
I'm also considering an unlocked Nokia E7, iPhone 4, and GSII.
Thanks!

As long as the phone has a Sim unlocked then your more then welcome to use it with T-Mobiles PrePaid but the Reps will aways remind you that if its not a T-Mobile Branded Phone some service might not work Properly if at all.
So yes you can use a prepaid sim on tmobiles $50 unlimited Talk&Text and 100MB web on an HD2 or any other phone as long as its either a T-Mobile brand or has the sim unlocked

Anyone that has the Galaxy Note also has U.S.A AT&T service ?

Currently I have the U.S.A T-mobile service so when I get the Galaxy Note, I will only have Edge speed.
I am willing to switch over the AT&T for 3G service or higher internet speed but only for month to month basis since this Galaxy Note will be an unlocked phone so I will not be require to sign up in a contract.
For those in the U.S.A that has AT&T and also has just received the Galaxy Note, do you like the internet speed of AT&T ?
I have heard bad things about AT&T such as dropped call and poor signal, etc...
so I am just a little bit worry about signing up with AT&T.
My initial intention was to get the Nexus and go with Verizon but the Nexus is not as good as the Galaxy Note.
Also, which AT&T plan should I get?. I don't talk much on the phone but I do a lot of surfing on the internet. I need internet speed that is fast and reliable.

Just get the lowest minute plan and get 2GB internet. I'd get on contract, buy the Nexus or the iPhone and sell them on ebay for $700 and use that towards your note, that's what I did. I can't comment on internet speeds because I'm always on wifi.

Buy an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note. Put it on Straight Talk Mobile prepaid for $45/month which uses AT&T's network. You would have to buy a refurbed Nokia E71 phone for $99 to do it and put the sim card in the Note with some settings changes. You get unlimited talk/text/data with no contract using AT&T's 3G network.

No Sim
adelmundo said:
Buy an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note. Put it on Straight Talk Mobile prepaid for $45/month which uses AT&T's network. You would have to buy a refurbed Nokia E71 phone for $99 to do it and put the sim card in the Note with some settings changes. You get unlimited talk/text/data with no contract using AT&T's 3G network.
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I went in to a Walmart to check this straight talk out and they said they don't carry sim cards. it's like sprint.

getmouse said:
I went in to a Walmart to check this straight talk out and they said they don't carry sim cards. it's like sprint.
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My understanding is that they employ different network types in different regions.

Get the MediaNet plan which is either $10 or $15 (depending if you have messaging or not) a month for unlimited data.

Earthbrain said:
Currently I have the U.S.A T-mobile service so when I get the Galaxy Note, I will only have Edge speed.
I am willing to switch over the AT&T for 3G service or higher internet speed but only for month to month basis since this Galaxy Note will be an unlocked phone so I will not be require to sign up in a contract.
For those in the U.S.A that has AT&T and also has just received the Galaxy Note, do you like the internet speed of AT&T ?
I have heard bad things about AT&T such as dropped call and poor signal, etc...
so I am just a little bit worry about signing up with AT&T.
My initial intention was to get the Nexus and go with Verizon but the Nexus is not as good as the Galaxy Note.
Also, which AT&T plan should I get?. I don't talk much on the phone but I do a lot of surfing on the internet. I need internet speed that is fast and reliable.
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even I was thinking of doing the same thing, after a lot of discussion here on forum I have learnt that you go for att pay as you go prepaid plan which is $50/month, you get unlimited call/sms/data even sms to some 100 countries! the only thing you have to follow is activate the card using a dumbphone like razr or similar and then put your card in unlocked phone with correct APN and profit!
Only care you have to take is never put that sim in att smartphone or network will detect and you will be charged for smartphone plan..
if anyone else knows a better way, please post here..

So is there any other suggestions on the best AT&T plan?
I am currently using the Note for the last 4 days.
I am still using T-mobile plan since my contract won't be up until next month in December.
However, I am only getting EDGE speed for my $10/month for 200 MB and it is so slow.
I really need to take advantage of Note since it is an expensive phone and I want to get at least 3G speed at AT&T. I have never signed up with AT&T so I am not familiar with its plans or any good tricks to get the best data plan.

waghoba said:
even I was thinking of doing the same thing, after a lot of discussion here on forum I have learnt that you go for att pay as you go prepaid plan which is $50/month, you get unlimited call/sms/data even sms to some 100 countries! the only thing you have to follow is activate the card using a dumbphone like razr or similar and then put your card in unlocked phone with correct APN and profit!
Only care you have to take is never put that sim in att smartphone or network will detect and you will be charged for smartphone plan..
if anyone else knows a better way, please post here..
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Click to collapse
I just went to an AT&T store about 2 hours ago (in San Diego) and spoke with a sale rep and he told me that using a smart phone with the prepaid plan for non-smart phone will not work.
I don't know if he is just want to prevent me from getting a good deal or he just doesn't know any loophole.

Earthbrain said:
I just went to an AT&T store about 2 hours ago (in San Diego) and spoke with a sale rep and he told me that using a smart phone with the prepaid plan for non-smart phone will not work.
I don't know if he is just want to prevent me from getting a good deal or he just doesn't know any loophole.
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that is correct, its a loophole, you should never tell them that you are using a smartphone!
that is why I said 'activate using a dumbphone and then put the card and APN in your note, att can only detect their own subsidized smart phones and not the unlocked ones, so you are safe...
EDIT: and I dont think att representative will tell you this method even if he is using it! as he wants his job, right?

I've heard using prepaid services (gophone, straight talk) with a smart phone only give you around 500Kbps speeds. So even if its unlimited (I've heard straight talk caps you at 70MB per day) its hardly worth it considering how slow the internet is. And yes. Those speeds were with HSPA+ compatible phones on AT&T.
Can anyone confirm/deny/elaborate? At 500kbps I should just stay on Tmo since Edge speeds are not much slower.

There is a whole thread here of people's speeds on Straight Talk. Seems like it is not capped at 500kbps.
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1737642-Post-Your-Straight-Talk-Speedtests

Earthbrain said:
I just went to an AT&T store about 2 hours ago (in San Diego) and spoke with a sale rep and he told me that using a smart phone with the prepaid plan for non-smart phone will not work.
I don't know if he is just want to prevent me from getting a good deal or he just doesn't know any loophole.
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Click to collapse
I experienced this last month while on hols in New York. Im a Brit and took along my Galaxy Tab 7". Dropped by an AT&T shop and said I wanted to buy a pre-paid SIM to use in it. He refused to sell me one. No technical reasons why it wouldn't work. Just seemed like a policy decision. I was shocked!
Tried a T-Mobile shop nearby and picked up a PAYG SIM for around $30, which did the job, but it was slooow. Think I was on Edge network at best. Good enough for Places and navigation, but a bit crap for browsing. Lesson learned - don't tell them the device is a smartphone/tablet .

You were on EDGE on T-Mobile because ATT and T-Mobile use different freqs for 3g in US. The GTab probably doesn't support T-Mobile s 3g freqs.
Next time go to a Walmart and get a Straight Talk prepaid package. You have to buy a 99 dollar dumbphone to activate the SIM then you should get 3g data once you move that SIM to the GTab and set the APN.
The howardforum link in earlier post is good info.

I am running my Note on AT&T with a $10/mo unlimited data for non-smartphones plan (family plan) and I get 4.5mbps down and 1.06mbps up in H+ areas. Freakin sweet.

Earthbrain said:
I just went to an AT&T store about 2 hours ago (in San Diego) and spoke with a sale rep and he told me that using a smart phone with the prepaid plan for non-smart phone will not work.
I don't know if he is just want to prevent me from getting a good deal or he just doesn't know any loophole.
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Click to collapse
Ya that was a wrong move to go in and talk to an ATT rep about it. There are many that have this plan who use the international SGS2. Check in their XDA forum. It works.

waghoba said:
Only care you have to take is never put that sim in att smartphone or network will detect and you will be charged for smartphone plan..
if anyone else knows a better way, please post here..
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Click to collapse
I think i f'd this up just now. Got my note today and ordered the sim from at&t after porting number over from verizon. I originally signed up online for the $40 450 mins + $30 dumbphone unlimited sms/data. But when calling to activate the phone i used the galaxy note's imei to activate the sim and they were able to detect that it was a smartphone (i thought they weren't able to do that with an international unlocked phone??); so the rep signed me up for $20 sms and $25 2gb plan. so now is there any way to go back to the dumbphone unlimited plan or will my Note's imei always be detected as a smartphone now??

leaverus said:
I think i f'd this up just now. Got my note today and ordered the sim from at&t after porting number over from verizon. I originally signed up online for the $40 450 mins + $30 dumbphone unlimited sms/data. But when calling to activate the phone i used the galaxy note's imei to activate the sim and they were able to detect that it was a smartphone (i thought they weren't able to do that with an international unlocked phone??); so the rep signed me up for $20 sms and $25 2gb plan. so now is there any way to go back to the dumbphone unlimited plan or will my Note's imei always be detected as a smartphone now??
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you're screwed, you needed to give the imei of a dumbphone or just put the sim into a dumbphone first. maybe have a friend do it for you as you are likely flagged forever.

I'm currently still on contract with 2 GB data and a captivate. If I get the international note can I bump it down to the medianet plan?

I've got a note on ATT in the US. I have a 4g plan (used the note's imei) and the best speeds I've seen with speedtest are in the 5m down 1m up range. Some places it's been 1m/1m or worse, and the phone's bounced between 3g and H+.
I found some link the other day that showed ATT H+ coverage area, and I guess it shouldn't come as a big surprise.

Unlimited Data @ ATT for only $15

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW4h1tOAsg4
Wasn't sure if this worked, and if you actually order the phone, wouldn't you have to pay for the plan?

I believe att can detect your phone and will automatically put you on a corresponding iPhone (bull****) plan, not 100% sure though, I do know that international phones can be used on the Medianet dumbphone data plan though.

This is very interesting and I am really thinking about trying it out. The only bummer is you ahve to by a phone just to get the sim card. If anyone tries this out let us know how it goes and if I try it out first I will let you know.

OK I Activate AT&T Phones Daily and of my best friends works at a AT&T Call Center, so here's some FAQ
Is it really unlimited data for $15?
Yes it is Unlimited Data for any Basic AT&T Phone, but if your trying to use it with a smart phone and use like 8GB of Data in a month they will be suspect
Will it work with a Smartphone?
Yes and no, If your using a AT&T Model Phone AT&T Will either block data or in most cases add the data package
If you have a T-Mobile Unlocked Phone or a Unlocked International GSM Phone it will not be in AT&T's System so you won't be flagged
Do you have to do anything to make it work?
Well Yes APN, you have to use the MediaNet APN, The normal 4G and LTE APNS will not work
Also to note Many New Go Phone Sim Cards are now Married to the phones IMEI they ship with and will not work in another phone unless you get a sim unlock code, I have verified this with the $19 Samsung Flip phone ZTE Z431, ZTEAvail, and the AT&T Fusion, I tried the sim card that came with the phones in my Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Samsung Vibrant and Samsung Propel

Thank you for your investigation, saved me the time I would've spent asking questions and searching for answers.

Well what I want to know is, if you buy one of those messaging phones for $0.01 on the 2 year contract like the video says, so that you get the sim, won't you have to pay for the 2 yr contract regardless? Or do they not charge you unless you activate it?

jeffreygtab said:
Well what I want to know is, if you buy one of those messaging phones for $0.01 on the 2 year contract like the video says, so that you get the sim, won't you have to pay for the 2 yr contract regardless? Or do they not charge you unless you activate it?
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Yes you would, You would be required to commit to a 2 year contract and would have to at Minimum have the 450 Min for $39.99 and the $20 Unlimited Texting or $0.20 Per Text Message and the $15 Basic Phone Data Package so that video isn't really correct..
If you want "Unlimited Smartphone on AT&T then the Straight Talk Sim Cards are a much better way to go, For $45 a month you have Unlimited Talk, Text, Web, Data, I setup a Friend with a Galaxy S Captivate on it and he has the Full 3G Speeds and has had months he's hit 6GB and never had a Issue, The only thing you have to watch for is if you want to do the Wireless Hotspot, It is against the TOS to do Hotspot but you can Use Wifi Tether For Root Users and it will show as Mobile Web Usage so they won't bug you.
You can get the Straight Talk Sims in Both Full Size and Micro Sim Versions for Both AT&T and T-Mobile, and if you put the AT&T Sim in a AT&T Phone you don't even have to unlock it to work, I've setup Go Phones, iPhones, HTC Sensation 4G, HTC Mytouch 4G, Samsung Captivate, AT&T Avail http://straighttalksim.com/shop.php

forrest89sei said:
Yes you would, You would be required to commit to a 2 year contract and would have to at Minimum have the 450 Min for $39.99 and the $20 Unlimited Texting or $0.20 Per Text Message and the $15 Basic Phone Data Package so that video isn't really correct..
If you want "Unlimited Smartphone on AT&T then the Straight Talk Sim Cards are a much better way to go, For $45 a month you have Unlimited Talk, Text, Web, Data, I setup a Friend with a Galaxy S Captivate on it and he has the Full 3G Speeds and has had months he's hit 6GB and never had a Issue, The only thing you have to watch for is if you want to do the Wireless Hotspot, It is against the TOS to do Hotspot but you can Use Wifi Tether For Root Users and it will show as Mobile Web Usage so they won't bug you.
You can get the Straight Talk Sims in Both Full Size and Micro Sim Versions for Both AT&T and T-Mobile, and if you put the AT&T Sim in a AT&T Phone you don't even have to unlock it to work, I've setup Go Phones, iPhones, HTC Sensation 4G, HTC Mytouch 4G, Samsung Captivate, AT&T Avail http://straighttalksim.com/shop.php
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So you have to pay $55 a month? That video is completely pointless...

jeffreygtab said:
So you have to pay $55 a month? That video is completely pointless...
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Ok guys so I found an about 8 month old ATT sim that's never been activated, and I just got an ATT manager to give me an unnactivated sim. Is there anyway I can use either of these on the plan?

Sprint prepaid

I'm buying a used Essential Sprint phone can I use it on prepaid byod? What is postpaid plan? Anyone know the cheapest single prepaid plan on Sprint?

I bought the same thing on eBay and currently use it on cricket's unlimited 2 plan for 80/month and it works on that.

JOEzone said:
I bought the same thing on eBay and currently use it on cricket's unlimited 2 plan for 80/month and it works on that.
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Your phone must be unlocked then because Cricket uses the AT&T network, not Sprint. If the Sprint phone is locked it will only work with Sprint. It won't even work with carriers like Virgin Mobile that use the Sprint network .

Right, I did unlock the bootloader and flashed 8.1 but when I first turned it on the Sprint stuff was on it and was advertised as Sprint essential phone. I put a Sprint mnvo card in and it wouldn't work so I ended up unlocking it when I flashed it?? IDK it works for me so maybe it'll work for you?

You can use it on the Sprint free BYOD plan. It is postpaid and you will need to pass a credit check but it'll end up running you ~$5/mo for a year.
You'll need to buy a compatible sim if your phone didn't come with one. The $10 boost Mobile SIM starter pack has two cards that are compatible.
https://www.sprint.com/en/landings/bring-your-own-phone.html
Be prepared to spend a few hours on the phone across multiple calls and perhaps a trip to the store to complete the credit check. Sprint is the worst to deal with.
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