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I was happily using my Nexus One on AT&T without a data plan (and with data blocked) since it was released, but I made the mistake of giving AT&T the IMEI number of my Nexus today. Now they tell me that I am required to get a $30 data plan because it is a "PDA", despite the fact that it cannot use 3G on AT&T's network.
Does anyone know of a way to ditch the data plan? Is it possible that I could give AT&T the IMEI of an old phone, then switch my SIM to the Nexus?
as a user who uses the nexus one on att, heating something like this is
infuriating.how is it their business to make you buy a data plan? I can understand if they subsidized the phone but obviously in this case it was not. thanks for the heads up. i would never disclose this kind of information to att unless I absolutely had to do so.
use this as a way to break your contract and come to tmobile and enjoy the way a real provider is sposed to treat you... pretty much if you have ATT and dont have an iphone, they dont care about you
Postal76 said:
I was happily using my Nexus One on AT&T without a data plan (and with data blocked) since it was released, but I made the mistake of giving AT&T the IMEI number of my Nexus today. Now they tell me that I am required to get a $30 data plan because it is a "PDA", despite the fact that it cannot use 3G on AT&T's network.
Does anyone know of a way to ditch the data plan? Is it possible that I could give AT&T the IMEI of an old phone, then switch my SIM to the Nexus?
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Click to collapse
I am kinda surprised they are doing this... Then again, times are "tough"...
I would ask them where in the contract you signed it says you have to have a data plan? Let them know that if they start charging you for a service you didn't sign up for or agree to, they will be hearing from an attorney.
When AT&T began mandating the smartphone dataplans (September?) people that already had a smartphone on their account without a smartphone data plan were given a feature called "smartphone exclusion". If you had this and they took it off when you gave them the nexus one imei, you may be able to call customer service and get them to put it back on. That's the only way I can think of. They're implementing a system which automatically adds a smartphone data plan onto your account when you put your sim card into a smartphone and it reports a recognized smartphone imei to AT&T unless you have the smartphone exclusion feature.
http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1618214
maxh said:
When AT&T began mandating the smartphone dataplans (September?) people that already had a smartphone on their account without a smartphone data plan were given a feature called "smartphone exclusion". If you had this and they took it off when you gave them the nexus one imei, you may be able to call customer service and get them to put it back on. That's the only way I can think of. They're implementing a system which automatically adds a smartphone data plan onto your account when you put your sim card into a smartphone and it reports a recognized smartphone imei to AT&T unless you have the smartphone exclusion feature.
http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1618214
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Click to collapse
Very interesting. This make sense, since AT&T should be able to find out what kind of phone you're using even if you don't give them your IMEI. I suppose I might have had a "smartphone exclusion" put on my account back when I was using a myTouch 3G on AT&T without a data plan.
However, I doubt AT&T is going to work with me on this, given the extremely unsatisfactory customer service I received today after speaking to 3 representatives.
What happens when your using just a normal phone with att, and your buddy has a nexus one. and so you go over to his house and put your sim on it just to see how it works, cause your interested in it and all. so you borrow it for a day to test it out. and att starts charging you for data? Sounds bull**** to me that they can do that if your not using 3g data service... period
I've had these issues with ATT as well. In September they "discovered" my Touch HD on their network and zapped it from working. I was on the "pay as you go" plan. I switched the SIM to my old HTC Trinity and my service was useable again. Since the Trinity was one of the first full featured phones, they must not have had it in their "kill" database.
I dumped ATT like a hot rock, then went to T-mobile and I've never looked back. ATT has nothing over T-mobile.
Matterhorn said:
I've had these issues with ATT as well. In September they "discovered" my Touch HD on their network and zapped it from working. I was on the "pay as you go" plan. I switched the SIM to my old HTC Trinity and my service was useable again. Since the Trinity was one of the first full featured phones, they must not have had it in their "kill" database.
I dumped ATT like a hot rock, then went to T-mobile and I've never looked back. ATT has nothing over T-mobile.
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Trust me, I'd love to do the same. But A&T is much cheaper for me (it would be $120 for a 2 line family plan with data vs. $155 on T-Mobile) even when I don't include my AT&T premier discount. I was pretty sad to learn that T-Mobile's pricing isn't very competitive, at least when it comes to Nexus One plans.
i've had the N1 on ATT for about a month now and i don't have data plan and never signed up for one; i am near wifi 80-90% of the time and don't need the data plan; never got any texts from them forcing me to get data;
btw, i am on a family plan
jblazea50 said:
i've had the N1 on ATT for about a month now and i don't have data plan and never signed up for one; i am near wifi 80-90% of the time and don't need the data plan; never got any texts from them forcing me to get data;
btw, i am on a family plan
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Supposedly they are turning on their new system for automatically adding data plans market by market. Some people's areas don't have it yet, but I know for a fact they're doing it in Austin, TX because I got hit by it. I had 2 lines with smartphones and put my SIM card into a dumbphone for a few minutes then back into my smartphone. That triggered it, but I have the "smartphone exclusion" on my main line (which happens to be the phone I did the SIM switch in) so only the other line got a $30 data plan added. I ported that line out within a couple of days.
maxh said:
Supposedly they are turning on their new system for automatically adding data plans market by market. Some people's areas don't have it yet, but I know for a fact they're doing it in Austin, TX because I got hit by it. I had 2 lines with smartphones and put my SIM card into a dumbphone for a few minutes then back into my smartphone. That triggered it, but I have the "smartphone exclusion" on my main line (which happens to be the phone I did the SIM switch in) so only the other line got a $30 data plan added. I ported that line out within a couple of days.
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how do you add smartphone exclusion to your phone
It's really simple to ditch the data plans on ATT...
I have a total of 6 phones with ATT. 4 ATT PDAs, 1 ATT non-PDA and mine - which is usually UNLOCKED/UNBRANDED WinMo phone.
I wait a few months after buying any ATT branded phone and call them to let them know I've switched phones. They ask for the IMEI. I run my trusted IMEI Generator (Google it) and start spewing phoney IMEIs to them. When they don't show in their systems as an ATT phone, I can then change all their $30 unlim PDA unlim data plans to the $10 unlim data plan version.
Of course, every rep I every spoke to swears there's a difference between the $30 vs the $10 plan...but WE know better. They work exactly the same!
Come on ATT!!!
My way of stickin it to the MAN!!!
technillion said:
They ask for the IMEI. I run my trusted IMEI Generator (Google it) and start spewing phoney IMEIs to them. When they don't show in their systems as an ATT phone, I can then change all their $30 unlim PDA unlim data plans to the $10 unlim data plan version.
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Click to collapse
But won't AT&T recognize your phone as a PDA if you ever actually use it? For instance, you couldn't do the same thing with an iPhone -- if you give them a bogus IMEI then put your SIM in an iPhone, AT&T will find out and they will force you into a data plan.
In some areas of the country they've implemented the system for automatically detecting when you're using a smartphone and adding the data plan. It seems that not all areas are doing it yet, but I have no doubt they eventually will. My area already does it.
jblazea50 said:
how do you add smartphone exclusion to your phone
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It was added automatically to people's accounts back when they first started requiring data plans. If you had a smartphone but no smartphone data they simply put that exclusion feature on your account. I've heard of people that had it removed from their account calling in and arguing until they put it back on, but if you never had it on your account, you're probably out of luck. It's worth a try, though. Maybe if you get a nice rep and use the term "smartphone exclusion feature" they'll give it to you.
maxh said:
In some areas of the country they've implemented the system for automatically detecting when you're using a smartphone and adding the data plan. It seems that not all areas are doing it yet, but I have no doubt they eventually will. My area already does it.
It was added automatically to people's accounts back when they first started requiring data plans. If you had a smartphone but no smartphone data they simply put that exclusion feature on your account. I've heard of people that had it removed from their account calling in and arguing until they put it back on, but if you never had it on your account, you're probably out of luck. It's worth a try, though. Maybe if you get a nice rep and use the term "smartphone exclusion feature" they'll give it to you.
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i had the blackberry curve 8310 with ATT without data plan as i paid the 2 year upgrade price (no rebates, that required the $30 data plan) so would that mean that i have the exclusion feature?
How come you have to *tell* them your IMEI for them to figure this out? Surely they can see exactly what the IMEI of your phone is the minute it connects to their network?
In other news, I hear that Comcast are going to charge more for your internet connection if you have an XBOX connected to it. Their rationale is that with Netflix support and XBOX Live capability, you're capable of using more of their bandwidth.
OK, I'm (obviously) kidding on that last point. But that's effectively what AT&T are doing here.
Postal76 said:
Trust me, I'd love to do the same. But A&T is much cheaper for me (it would be $120 for a 2 line family plan with data vs. $155 on T-Mobile) even when I don't include my AT&T premier discount. I was pretty sad to learn that T-Mobile's pricing isn't very competitive, at least when it comes to Nexus One plans.
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How is that possible? I'm on Even More Plus with my N1, my Dad's G1, and my Bro's G1 and we're paying $145 a month for 1500 mins + unlimited web (no need for text plan since we all use Google Voice), and we aren't bound to 2-year terms. @[email protected]
jblazea50 said:
i had the blackberry curve 8310 with ATT without data plan as i paid the 2 year upgrade price (no rebates, that required the $30 data plan) so would that mean that i have the exclusion feature?
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There's probably a good chance you do have it. Supposedly you can find it listed somewhere on OLAM, but I don't know where people are looking.
Postal76 said:
Trust me, I'd love to do the same. But A&T is much cheaper for me (it would be $120 for a 2 line family plan with data vs. $155 on T-Mobile) even when I don't include my AT&T premier discount. I was pretty sad to learn that T-Mobile's pricing isn't very competitive, at least when it comes to Nexus One plans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get a discount easily with T-Mobile there are tons of discounts. My 20% discount with T-Mobile right now is because I'm in college. My previous one was for working at Wal-Mart 5 years ago [lol they never took it off].
I work for AT&T and I have T-Mobile and I don't plan on switching. Even though AT&T would give me my 20% discount it would still cost more. You can get on T-Mobile without a contract. T-Mobile is the cheapest cell company and they're advertising that a lot right now. The prices for non contract services are great. I can't wait till mine expires because I'll be saving even more money. The Non-contract services aren't "pay as you go" either, they're just monthly usage plans as normal but you're not under contract. The only reason why prices are so high is because you're paying for the phone in your monthly bill.
I love working for AT&T [best company I've ever worked for] but I don't agree with a lot of our ways of doing things. Like how we're the only ones raising prices right now in this economy. There are multiple things I disagree with but it's all business
Oh and the "if you don't have an iPhone they don't care" statement is kind of ridiculous. Sounds a little biased and senseless.
Just spent about four days with TMobile on the device getting connecting on their network (Even had a ticket). Finally found out that they had me on the wrong data plan. The device needs the Web Connect plan to connect. Being so new of a device, they had the wrong plan provisioned for me as I went straight to WiFi and did not check. I currently have my device subsidy unlocked to use my AT&T and added the Ad-Hoc supplicant which I thought was the cause. After several days, someone finally realized the plan was incorrect since a Tmo Blackberry Sim worked perfectly fine.
Moral of the story, have them check to see if you have the Even More webConnect Overage Free Plan for $39.99.
Same thing happened to me and I didn't discover it til yesterday... had been using wifi all along... but in my case it was because I was on a voice plan...
effing Tmo.... just about to kiss 'em goodbye. Which makes me sad because AT&T is really not an option for me... and I don't think phone calling will be enabled on VZ or Sprint.
sp1043 said:
Just spent about four days with TMobile on the device getting connecting on their network (Even had a ticket). Finally found out that they had me on the wrong data plan. The device needs the Web Connect plan to connect. Being so new of a device, they had the wrong plan provisioned for me as I went straight to WiFi and did not check. I currently have my device subsidy unlocked to use my AT&T and added the Ad-Hoc supplicant which I thought was the cause. After several days, someone finally realized the plan was incorrect since a Tmo Blackberry Sim worked perfectly fine.
Moral of the story, have them check to see if you have the Even More webConnect Overage Free Plan for $39.99.
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Click to collapse
we all new this, this is nothing new...
I cancelled my Tmobile account today. After I got the Tab, I went to my account online and switched it to a voice/data/txt plan, which took effect today. I quickly tested it, and It was blocked, so I called up and cancelled.
The first customer service girl said "Awww!" when I told her I was cancelling.
The second one asked if I would like to be switched to the proper web connect plan. I said no thank you, your service plans are inadequate for my needs.
They just lost my $2300/year
Asshats!
Yeah... I think I'm heading down the same path... after I discovered that the voice plan was causing me to be redirected to Tmo on 2G/3G... no flashing, nothing else ... I just figure, **** 'em.
If they want to make it this difficult to use it as a phone, when AT&T didn't go to any of the efforts Tmo has gone to to block calling plus data, it's just not worth fighting them anymore.
Sadly, this is probably the death knell for the Tab for me... unless I just resign myself to carrying two devices... or perhaps I might try the ATT and see if wifi will work okay... their 3G service is terribly spotty in my area.
If it's only going to be an internet device and not a phone, might as well go for the less than half price Archos 70...
Call me stupid i guess, but im gonna try to stick it out and see what happens. Is there any prepaid plans out there that will work with att and get 3g? I dont want to have to get a contract with them if i do have to give up on tmo.
Sent from Jt's Samsung Galaxy Tab!!
Edit: just read turckboattruck thread. Omit question about a prepaid att plan.
Lol
I don't know if it's just because you guys generally do everything bigger in USA compared to over here in the UK, but why would you even want this to be the only phone you're carrying around? It's huge, and you have to use it on loudspeaker if you're not connecting the headset.
How is it that it wouldn't be a hindrance to you guys?
alias_neo said:
I don't know if it's just because you guys generally do everything bigger in USA compared to over here in the UK, but why would you even want this to be the only phone you're carrying around? It's huge, and you have to use it on loudspeaker if you're not connecting the headset.
How is it that it wouldn't be a hindrance to you guys?
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Click to collapse
It's just the fact that U.S. carriers decided to not include the phone feature that is getting us to want to do it. if it came with phone half of these discussions wouldn't even exist(obviously).
Change IMIE
Can we change IMIE on t-mobile tab to get what we want. I think we all know tmobile is blocking tab because the IMIE # is in their database.
I wanna stick to t-mobile bcoz I have 5.99 Tzones unlimited data plan. Im currently using iphone 3G.
I can use a TT Tab but then it works only on Edge. What Im looking for is a Nexus 1 like Tab which can be used for 5.99 tzones plan.
nopple123 said:
Can we change IMIE on t-mobile tab to get what we want. I think we all know tmobile is blocking tab because the IMIE # is in their database.
I wanna stick to t-mobile bcoz I have 5.99 Tzones unlimited data plan. Im currently using iphone 3G.
I can use a TT Tab but then it works only on Edge. What Im looking for is a Nexus 1 like Tab which can be used for 5.99 tzones plan.
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Click to collapse
It's IMEI and no, you can't.
dalethefarmer said:
It's just the fact that U.S. carriers decided to not include the phone feature that is getting us to want to do it. if it came with phone half of these discussions wouldn't even exist(obviously).
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Click to collapse
Clear the US carriers seem to think that if they don't include voice, you'll be forced to have two contracts - one for the phone and one for the Tab. The irony is that most people wouldn't even attempt to use the Tab as a phone except in a few limited situations (note, I said most, not all! ), so would've probably had two contracts anyway.
I find it very hard to believe that all 4 major US carriers came to this conclusion on their own, at the same time, which would lead me to believe there's a cartel here.
Regards,
Dave
I feel sorry for our American friends.
Here in the UK, We can get iPhone on any network at very competative prices and the Galaxy Tab Standalone for £469 unlocked and use any network we choose with it, including Phone, DATA, etc..
Where in the US the networks seem to take advantage of the monopoly they have and charge rediculously high prices for equipment and services.
paulrod said:
I feel sorry for our American friends.
Here in the UK, We can get iPhone on any network at very competative prices and the Galaxy Tab Standalone for £469 unlocked and use any network we choose with it, including Phone, DATA, etc..
Where in the US the networks seem to take advantage of the monopoly they have and charge rediculously high prices for equipment and services.
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Click to collapse
Sure looks that way doesn't it, not that I would buy an iPhone again. But in the case of the tab, I can't believe they actually locked down the phone capabilities.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
So I'm at a point where I am striking out on my own and dropping off my parents family plan. What I am looking at is A $100 plan from vzw for 2gb data and a $90 plan from att for 3gb data. (I use no more than 1.5gb in a month) Coverage in my area for verizon is a little bit better than att but no LTE from either side. My company has a discount for both providers at 17% so no advantage there. Verizon has the bad habit of locking up phones so I can't play with them as well.
Another option I've had is since my work doesn't allow cell phones on the premises, I have thought about switching to a dumb phone since I won't be using it 40-50 hours of the week but that is for a later time.
In other words, do you all think VZW "service" is worth a $150 bucks extra a year than att?
From what you've told me about your usage patterns, I'd go with ATT, or even a MNVO like Straight Talk.
I had ATT and the only reason I left was because of their throttling.. I prefer GSM phones to CDMA since they hold value better and since they are worldwide, you have more compatibility and a larger selection.
bukithd said:
So I'm at a point where I am striking out on my own and dropping off my parents family plan. What I am looking at is A $100 plan from vzw for 2gb data and a $90 plan from att for 3gb data. (I use no more than 1.5gb in a month) Coverage in my area for verizon is a little bit better than att but no LTE from either side. My company has a discount for both providers at 17% so no advantage there. Verizon has the bad habit of locking up phones so I can't play with them as well.
Another option I've had is since my work doesn't allow cell phones on the premises, I have thought about switching to a dumb phone since I won't be using it 40-50 hours of the week but that is for a later time.
In other words, do you all think VZW "service" is worth a $150 bucks extra a year than att?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Straight Talk:
$45 a month ($50 after taxes)
Unlimited Talk
Unlimited Text
Unlimited* Data (just don't go nuts with it, but 1.5 GB is more than safe)
It runs on AT&T (also T-Mobile, but it asks you to choose which SIM you want. Choose AT&T). No, there's no LTE, but there's full speed HSPA+ which should be plenty fast. I don't think Verizon is worth it unless you're in an area where they're the only viable option, or if you need insane speed for some strange reason. I switched off my family's Sprint plan to Straight Talk. I don't know how I survived on CDMA; once you go GSM, the freedom of being able to switch phones whenever you want is great. If you're already on a GSM network, it's not worth giving up. That, and the price.
Order a SIM from http://straighttalk.com and choose "AT&T compatible SIM". It works in a locked AT&T phone or unlocked phone. You could even use your Rezound; I know it works on AT&T believe it or not. They found out a while ago. But if you're looking for a new phone, best bang for your buck? Galaxy Nexus from the Play Store.
Oh and when you fill in the APN for data, leave out the "Proxy" fields except for MMS Proxy. It disallows them from throttling you or monitoring what apps you use. They've been known to call people for streaming a lot, but I've gone over 2GB of usage and haven't gotten any calls from them or anything.
I agree. Verizon is just crap compared to what they used to be. In the days of unlimited data it wasn't so bad but now they are just plain greedy. Plus striking out on your own you don't want to get stuck if you lose your job paying a $100/mo bill when you could use that money for food. Trust me, it happened to me and now I owe Verizon and can't afford to pay them. If T-Mobile has good coverage they may be an option as well.
Pageplus is a Verizon MVNO.
For $55 per month (No Taxes!), you get unlimited talk/text and 2Gb of 3g data.
You can use a Verizon phone too!
Plus, if you buy from Pageplusdirect.com, you get a 7% discount!
Product F(RED) said:
Straight Talk:
$45 a month ($50 after taxes)
Unlimited Talk
Unlimited Text
Unlimited* Data (just don't go nuts with it, but 1.5 GB is more than safe)
It runs on AT&T (also T-Mobile, but it asks you to choose which SIM you want. Choose AT&T). No, there's no LTE, but there's full speed HSPA+ which should be plenty fast. I don't think Verizon is worth it unless you're in an area where they're the only viable option, or if you need insane speed for some strange reason. I switched off my family's Sprint plan to Straight Talk. I don't know how I survived on CDMA; once you go GSM, the freedom of being able to switch phones whenever you want is great. If you're already on a GSM network, it's not worth giving up. That, and the price.
Order a SIM from http://straighttalk.com and choose "AT&T compatible SIM". It works in a locked AT&T phone or unlocked phone. You could even use your Rezound; I know it works on AT&T believe it or not. They found out a while ago. But if you're looking for a new phone, best bang for your buck? Galaxy Nexus from the Play Store.
Oh and when you fill in the APN for data, leave out the "Proxy" fields except for MMS Proxy. It disallows them from throttling you or monitoring what apps you use. They've been known to call people for streaming a lot, but I've gone over 2GB of usage and haven't gotten any calls from them or anything.
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Click to collapse
That's been one of the most complete decent answers I've got on this forum in a while. I will seriously consider it. AT&T gets good enough service for me to get the same stuff for half price. Thanks!
bukithd said:
That's been one of the most complete decent answers I've got on this forum in a while. I will seriously consider it. AT&T gets good enough service for me to get the same stuff for half price. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Product F(RED) said:
Straight Talk:
$45 a month ($50 after taxes)
Unlimited Talk
Unlimited Text
Unlimited* Data (just don't go nuts with it, but 1.5 GB is more than safe)
It runs on AT&T (also T-Mobile, but it asks you to choose which SIM you want. Choose AT&T). No, there's no LTE, but there's full speed HSPA+ which should be plenty fast. I don't think Verizon is worth it unless you're in an area where they're the only viable option, or if you need insane speed for some strange reason. I switched off my family's Sprint plan to Straight Talk. I don't know how I survived on CDMA; once you go GSM, the freedom of being able to switch phones whenever you want is great. If you're already on a GSM network, it's not worth giving up. That, and the price.
Order a SIM from http://straighttalk.com and choose "AT&T compatible SIM". It works in a locked AT&T phone or unlocked phone. You could even use your Rezound; I know it works on AT&T believe it or not. They found out a while ago. But if you're looking for a new phone, best bang for your buck? Galaxy Nexus from the Play Store.
Oh and when you fill in the APN for data, leave out the "Proxy" fields except for MMS Proxy. It disallows them from throttling you or monitoring what apps you use. They've been known to call people for streaming a lot, but I've gone over 2GB of usage and haven't gotten any calls from them or anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally am done with Verizon. The very first phone I had wouldn't charge completely (8 hours on charger, half full, 2 hours battery life) almost from the get go, they started sending me refurbs and I've been stuck in refurb hell ever since. To top it off the data speeds and connection have gotten gradually worse in my area, like they are trying to push you to upgrade to a 4G phone and go to the new shared plans (which I don't doubt a bit). I can't get a good enough connection in the parking lot at work most days make a phone call, and I'm in the 2nd largest city in my state, we have 4G, and the coverage map is blood red with both 3G and 4G coverage. At my desk I'm lucky to get any coverage (thank god we have wifi, guy next to me on his VZW iphone 4 gets full signal). I got an unlocked GNEX a couple weeks ago, got a TMO sim to try out, I have consisten 4-5 bars at my desk and full signal in the parking lot, I only got the 100mb 4G plan but TMO's 2G speeds are about as fast as what I get on average with VZW. I'm on my 12th phone with VZW and had enough even though they keep replacing them. I pay $210 a month for service that doesn't work all the time and slow data speeds.
I'm going to straight talk next, because I learned the hard way TMO doesn't include roaming with their prepaid. Otherwise I'd stick with them because where they have coverage its been great. But for $45 a month, Straight Talk is getting a try it out month from me on AT&T's network which I have great signal with here.
Anyway, point was, stay away from VZW, they're greedy and pushing a bad product IMO.
I think android made verizon that way. When I first hopped on the network I got an incredible that was about 6 months after its release, I loved everything. Since then, there have been overly modded phones, worsening signal quality jack ups in price, and and my phone is just now (in the next couple of weeks maybe) set for an ICS update. I just wish there were more prepaid providers with better service history. Verizon does have good personal customer service, at least in my experience.
bukithd said:
I think android made verizon that way. When I first hopped on the network I got an incredible that was about 6 months after its release, I loved everything. Since then, there have been overly modded phones, worsening signal quality jack ups in price, and and my phone is just now (in the next couple of weeks maybe) set for an ICS update. I just wish there were more prepaid providers with better service history. Verizon does have good personal customer service, at least in my experience.
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Yeah I think so, with the success of Android they got greedy. Signal quality, prices, just not worth it anymore. However, their customer service has been fantastic, I have no problems getting replacement phones, just tired of needing them and really the problems have never gone away. Now that I've gone to an unlocked GNEX, I'm never going back, lol.
Verizon has to be the most controlling carrier in my knowledge. I mean they are one of the only ones to put a locked boot loader on the SGS III, and FFS they striped ram out of my old HTC Touch Pro. It's not like they charge any less for the crippled phones they sell, they're just in it for the money.
icomrade said:
Verizon has to be the most controlling carrier in my knowledge. I mean they are one of the only ones to put a locked boot loader on the SGS III, and FFS they striped ram out of my old HTC Touch Pro. It's not like they charge any less for the crippled phones they sell, they're just in it for the money.
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I used to work in a third-party Verizon store and a customer we've known for a while had been through 3 BB Storm 2's, all of them crapping out differently, but in ways that made them totally unusable. He was a doctor, so he needed a reliable phone. I called up CS on behalf of him, with him sitting across from me. All he wanted was a BB Bold, even a refurbished replacement (he had insurance), and they told me to tell him to just leave Verizon. How crazy is that?
They're also against Net Neutrality, which means they want to be able to charge you more for certain services. Like how AT&T is planning on charging extra for Facetime over 3G on the iPhone. It's like saying, "Oh, you want to watch YouTube on your phone? You'll need to shell out an extra $10 a month for our YouTube package. You wanna browse Facebook? You need to add $5 a month to your bill to have access to the Facebook app."
Product F(RED) said:
I used to work in a third-party Verizon store and a customer we've known for a while had been through 3 BB Storm 2's, all of them crapping out differently, but in ways that made them totally unusable. He was a doctor, so he needed a reliable phone. I called up CS on behalf of him, with him sitting across from me. All he wanted was a BB Bold, even a refurbished replacement (he had insurance), and they told me to tell him to just leave Verizon. How crazy is that?
They're also against Net Neutrality, which means they want to be able to charge you more for certain services. Like how AT&T is planning on charging extra for Facetime over 3G on the iPhone. It's like saying, "Oh, you want to watch YouTube on your phone? You'll need to shell out an extra $10 a month for our YouTube package. You wanna browse Facebook? You need to add $5 a month to your bill to have access to the Facebook app."
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this is what scares me about cell service regardless who is providing it. I want what was free to begin with to stay free. I already pay about 1000 bucks a year for you to do what you will with me.
Verizon perk though, they just hooked up 4g in my area today and it actually works.
After looking around and staying up all night on Twitter trying to figure out why the z3tc lost data capabilities on t-mobile, i have found the culprit
Ther is a forum on t-mobiles website that you can suggest tablets to be put on a 200mb for life plan with tmobil which basically gives you 200mb of data for free every month *seems stupid to me, but apparently recently enough people requested for the SGP621 to welcomed to the tablet side. Thus separating the talk an text plan from data with means you can either pay 10 a month for X amount of data and have no calling features or u can have a normal smartphone plan but not be able to receive data *but i have been able to send and receive picture messages but that's All you can do on whatever data block they have on it. since im new i got to get creative with links but add the normal h. T. T. P stuff in front of...
support.t-mobile.com/thread/75239?start=240&tstart=0
an you can se the page that people requested the change. I don't know about everyone else but i was planning on using the z3tc as my main smartphone so im going to see how far T mobile is willing to go b4 i either have to A. Find a new device or B. Jump ships to a poor atnt data plan
Anyone think it's worth it to fight to get the z3tc able to be used to its full potential on t-mobile or am i just wasting my time?
I created a thread hopping on getting a solution to this problem but it got close because I was suggesting some thing illegal like changing the IMEI to disguise the tablet as something else. i'm ok with that being that is illegal but the problem still here and we need a solution
XXXXROCKETXXXXX said:
After looking around and staying up all night on Twitter trying to figure out why the z3tc lost data capabilities on t-mobile, i have found the culprit
Ther is a forum on t-mobiles website that you can suggest tablets to be put on a 200mb for life plan with tmobil which basically gives you 200mb of data for free every month *seems stupid to me, but apparently recently enough people requested for the SGP621 to welcomed to the tablet side. Thus separating the talk an text plan from data with means you can either pay 10 a month for X amount of data and have no calling features or u can have a normal smartphone plan but not be able to receive data *but i have been able to send and receive picture messages but that's All you can do on whatever data block they have on it. since im new i got to get creative with links but add the normal h. T. T. P stuff in front of...
support.t-mobile.com/thread/75239?start=240&tstart=0
an you can se the page that people requested the change. I don't know about everyone else but i was planning on using the z3tc as my main smartphone so im going to see how far T mobile is willing to go b4 i either have to A. Find a new device or B. Jump ships to a poor atnt data plan
Anyone think it's worth it to fight to get the z3tc able to be used to its full potential on t-mobile or am i just wasting my time?
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If you switch to AT&T you can always switch back. I think T-Mo will get this taken care of in time, but I am not holding my breath. As coincidence would have it, AT&T improved their Gophone plans a week or two ago. If you buy @ Callingmart with a promo code or via autorefill, $54 (i.e. $60) gets you talk, text, 4GBs of tetherable LTE (Cricket gives you 20GBs of LTE but capped at 8 Mbps). Plus I am pretty sure AT&T has at least slightly better voice/signal coverage everywhere, and their speeds aren't so bad. Around the Phoenix, area, in a few spots speeds are a bit lower than T-Mo, in one spot I pulled 53 Mbps at 9:30 am on a weekday.
As I mentioned in a thread that was either locked or deleted, I am curious whether someone wants to test out behavior on MetroPCS (which is T-Mo but does not offer free data for life), and/or Harbor Mobile (rididiculous plans that use T-Mo's network but feels sketchy).
Sort of a getto idea
I have a phone company called ptel mobile a pre paid company that i payed 65 for unlimited talk n text and 4 gigs of data they do use t-mobiles towers so it might be worth checking them out again its just i joined tmobil ov vanities day when they had a great deal which was unlimited talk text and data for 100 for two phones! It was a one day deal so i didn't want to loose something rare like that. I did however have an idea that consists of using a dual sim adapter... Granted i will have to find a way to hide the xtra flex cable and sim card coming out the side of the phone but if i can get it to work with the tablet 10$ a month for 5gigs plan that might be worth It for now till everything is sorted??
A dual-sim setup would make things interesting. Airvoice Wireless offers 250minutes & 500 txts on AT&T for $10/mo. Then you would just need to find a data plan to add to it.
thref23 said:
A dual-sim setup would make things interesting. Airvoice Wireless offers 250minutes & 500 txts on AT&T for $10/mo. Then you would just need to find a data plan to add to it.
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Hmm i think ima wait a week or so for the adapter to get shiped from Hong Kong an ill see how it goes. I wonder what would happen to the other line i have in the account if i were to leave n go back to ptel.... Welp looks like ima drive down to tmobil rn. An the only reason im tryna stray away from at n t is because i go to tucson a lot and the service between and in Tucson is really spotty. But thanks for letting me know whats out there
http://goo.gl/pWqGup
Hold up, I'm confused.
I was thinking of getting this tablet. I'm on T-Mobile with my phone (note 4) and figured I'd use the tablet in my car by giving it the $10/month data plan that T-Mobile offers.
Are you guy saying that I cannot do that now?
You can setup your 621 as tablet and use tablet data plan from T-mobile. But you will lose voice call send/receive and sms feature. If you only need data plan then you can stay with T-mobile.
But if you want to get both Voice/Data plan on you 621. Then you have to switch to other company like AT&T or PTEL.
CZ Eddie said:
Hold up, I'm confused.
I was thinking of getting this tablet. I'm on T-Mobile with my phone (note 4) and figured I'd use the tablet in my car by giving it the $10/month data plan that T-Mobile offers.
Are you guy saying that I cannot do that now?
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hagalah said:
You can setup your 621 as tablet and use tablet data plan from T-mobile. But you will lose voice call send/receive and sms feature.
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I see, thank you.
I found an app called Tablet Talk on the play store that lets you send/receive calls from the tablet. Hopefully it works well for that and text messaging.
The tablet will be permanently mounted in my car dashboard so I don't plan to use it as a primary telephone.
yes, you can use tablet talk for your tablet. As long as you got the other phone to sync with it. Enjoy!
CZ Eddie said:
I see, thank you.
I found an app called Tablet Talk on the play store that lets you send/receive calls from the tablet. Hopefully it works well for that and text messaging.
The tablet will be permanently mounted in my car dashboard so I don't plan to use it as a primary telephone.
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I would recommend a data plan (2 GB of data) on T-Mobile and Hangouts/Dialer for all talk and text needs. This is a setup I have been using since October last year and my partner is setup on this as well (we have a T-Mobile SIM that we switch between our devices) and it works great. All calls are going to the Google Voice number and the call quality is excellent.
Rather than opting for a traditional talk/text/data plan, I would rather go down the Hangouts route with a Z3 TC SGP621. The service is reliable and the only drawback I feel is that the Dialer app isn't yet fully "dialer aware" to the system, which means that the "phone dialer" still want to spring into action in some particular cases.
Another benefit with Hangouts/Dialer is that free unlimited talk and text in US and Canada is included and that the phone number as an asset is moved beyond the control of the carrier. It also eliminates roaming charges altogether since it is easy to just put a local data SIM in when the need arise with a phone number that works all over the world. I.e. people can call to the GV number outside of the US and it works perfectly. I can make and receive calls to my GV number with a 716 area code perfectly well in Europe or Canada.
I actually got GV numbers for friends over in Europe in order for them to make free calls to my own number and it works great too.
I am on cricket in Arkansas. And it works great. I am sorry to hear t-mobile is not working good.
After doing extensive research and comparison....I don' t see how Project Fi is a better deal price wise.
I have not tried Google Fi....I just ordered a Pixel XL....but unless their plan prices lower to be more competitive....no thanks.
In-fact, I find Republic Wireless or MetroPCS to be a better deal if you are looking for a cheap NVMO.
I was gonna switch to a cheaper carrier, but then Tmobile is now offering 10gb pre-pay plan for $50. (vs the $40 3gb plan I was on).
Since I am directly with the network carrier, and not a NVMO like Fi, faster speeds and higher priority.
( Tested out Republic Wireless and MetroPCS in my area to compare, both are Tmobile NVMO's....and download speed is capped at around 25megs. On my Tmobile prepay sim, I get full speeds of 100+megs.) (ATT/Sprint NVMOS are capped at 8megs)
If Fi lowered their base plan to $10 or made it $5 per GB...then it would be far more competitive. Sure, they do the refund thing, but 10gb base would be $120 on Fi....i would have to only use up to 3GB on Fi to get a refund to make it $50 to match Tmobile 10gb price.
The only real advantage i can see with Fi is for low data users and those who needs the carrier switching ability in there area. Tmobile is far better in my area...and the 3rd carrier Fi uses isnt even anywhere near me. So, travel wise, I suppose Fi would also be a low cost option to VZW(which seems to be the most preferred for travel)
The only reason I'm on Fi is because data for tablets, etc. is free.
Well, it gets rolled into your plan's existing data usage.
But they don't charge you like $10/month for having a tablet or something.
Between that and the fact that I'm locked in, I'd already be back with AT&T which has the best overall coverage here in Texas.
Fi is good. But it's not GREAT.
Fi user here.
When Fi first came out it was a lot more competitive. Now that the other major carriers are offering unlimited data, unlimited streaming, etc. for ~$50-60 a month, it's hard to make an argument for Project Fi. I don't use a whole lot of data while on the go; I average about 2 GB a month, so Fi makes sense for me (a $45 phone bill is awesome) but this is not the case with most others. I also like the networking switching because T-Mobile is a bit weak where I work, while Sprint is somehow very strong (Sprint sucks pretty much every where else in my area). The data only SIMs are cool, the idea is cool, the speed is great, WiFi calling is stellar, network switching is neat and works relatively well, and if you don't use a whole lot of data, you can save a lot of money on your phone bill every month. If you're a person who likes to stream video and snapchat every aspect of their life while on the go, I'd say look elsewhere lol.
I used to be a T-Mobile customer. I switched to Project Fi when I got a Nexus 5X. My phone bill was substantially lower. Things have changed, however, and pricing among competitors has gotten a lot more... competitive. I find myself considering going back to T-Mobile from time to time, but it's not worth the hassle. Perhaps when I move to a new area / get a new job.
The main reason I'm still on Fi is because I travel overseas yearly and international data is considered part of your normal data pool. I came from T-Mobile who I wouldn't mind going back to if it wasn't for a bad experience with John Legere. Only other carrier I've considered is Verizon who have a terrible international data plan so thats not going to happen anytime soon.
FI User since i got my Pixel XL in 2016
Silenthillnight said:
The main reason I'm still on Fi is because I travel overseas yearly and international data is considered part of your normal data pool. I came from T-Mobile who I wouldn't mind going back to if it wasn't for a bad experience with John Legere. Only other carrier I've considered is Verizon who have a terrible international data plan so thats not going to happen anytime soon.
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I agree.
No Roaming.
Variety in carrier when traveling is a huge plus.
Low fees.
Hangouts works really well for ProjectFI users, still texting and making calls.
Even when i do have a month where i use 10gb it is still cheaper than the group plan i was supporting with ATT before.
And the peak is only that month.
Otherwise I am in the 65-95 per month range. Which was still half of my monthly with ATT.
If Verizon would take corporate discounts on the Unlimited plan I would switch but they dont so i wont.
I have been with Fi since the beginning. I travel quite a bit and has come in handy out of the US.
I was with AT&T before and they had great service everywhere I went here in the states. That said with my 2 phones I was spending 150ish a month for service.
With Project Fi my bills are around 70 a month. Very worth it for me.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
If you don't like the idea of Fi, you're wanting to use it for the way wrong reasons. Fi isn't for people who want cheap data. It's for people who want reliable service and not having to worry too much about dropped calls and just want to have phone service. Yes you can get cheap plans from other carriers but you're stuck to their towers and where they have service. With Fi you have 4 options. T, S, US and WiFi.
Fi for the win! ??
Jammol said:
If you don't like the idea of Fi, you're wanting to use it for the way wrong reasons. Fi isn't for people who want cheap data. It's for people who want reliable service and not having to worry too much about dropped calls and just want to have phone service. Yes you can get cheap plans from other carriers but you're stuck to their towers and where they have service. With Fi you have 4 options. T, S, US and WiFi.
Fi for the win! ??
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I agree I came from at&t and never looking back, I love that fi has around the clock live customer service
In my country, unlimited LTE data is only about 25USD. and I'm not a frequent flyer.
so it's really too expensive for me.
but if it can lower it's base price, I'm willing to try it.
sakumaxp said:
I agree I came from at&t and never looking back, I love that fi has around the clock live customer service
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We were trying to same some money when we switched from T-Mobile so Fi works great for my wife and I. We are thinking of Xfinity Mobile but they are stuck on Verizon. Plus they got that whole net neutrality thing going on. The deal is attractive as fudge though. If you're an Xfinity customer that has home internet, you'll only have to pay for the data you use. So for my wife and I, or Mobile bill will be $24 total. But... Verizon! ?
stone0504 said:
In my country, unlimited LTE data is only about 25USD. and I'm not a frequent flyer.
so it's really too expensive for me.
but if it can lower it's base price, I'm willing to try it.
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If you need unlimited data I suggest sticking to your current service. I used to be one of those people that T-Mobile would cut off completely each month. Yeah, 200+GB most months. One month we are on Project Fi, and boy that was a total slap in my internet habits face. Turns out though, I actually only need to use 600mb of data a month because I'm always on WiFi at work, lol.
Still...Fi is a NVMO...so its gonna have multiple backend phone numbers (1 on each network) so more spam calls. (this is an issue with several people I know that use NVMOs)
.and the phone always searching and comparing multiple networks, so that would cause a bit more battery drain as the radios are more active than just locked to one band.
They need to catch up to the modern day times tough in price...to stay competitive. I read they are gonna offer a mid range price device compatible with Fi...so..they are doing...something.
speedingcheetah said:
Still...Fi is a NVMO...so its gonna have multiple backend phone numbers (1 on each network) so more spam calls. (this is an issue with several people I know that use NVMOs)
.and the phone always searching and comparing multiple networks, so that would cause a bit more battery drain as the radios are more active than just locked to one band.
They need to catch up to the modern day times tough in price...to stay competitive. I read they are gonna offer a mid range price device compatible with Fi...so..they are doing...something.
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Yeah but my Pixel tells me when its a spam caller so its no big deal. Same amount as when i was on ATT really.
You can also anchor it on one carrier or another so it isnt switching constantly which is what I do only because of preference for Tmob coverage over Sprint in my area.
parakleet said:
Yeah but my Pixel tells me when its a spam caller so its no big deal. Same amount as when i was on ATT really.
You can also anchor it on one carrier or another so it isnt switching constantly which is what I do only because of preference for Tmob coverage over Sprint in my area.
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How do u set it to use only one carrier?
As someone that has looked at most MVNOs, I'd say some possible selling points of FI might be for someone that:
1) Uses enough talk and text to justify unlimited talk and text, since some users don't actually need unlimited
2) Wants to limit their phone bill by not using a lot of data, since limiting data usage generally results in a lower bill at FI
3) Wants better coverage than just Sprint or T-Mobile native service, since there are probably cheaper options with Sprint or T-Mobile MVNOs that lack roaming
With that sort of criteria, the main competitors are probably going to be Verizon or AT&T MVNOs, although there may be a few other options like Twigby (Sprint MVNO with voice roaming). $20 is about where Verizon and AT&T MVNOs start with unlimited talk and text, and customers might get a bit of data. For example Boom Mobile begins at $20 for Verizon service and includes 250 MB with the option to add data that lasts 90 days. Like any service provider that only offers one plan, FI probably just doesn't fit your interests, since either #2 & #3 don't seem to be major considerations in your comments. It doesn't fit my usage either, simply because I don't use enough voice service that I need to pay $20 each and every month (#1).
Note: Currently there's probably no actual reason to use Twigby, since Sprint postpaid is offering a year of service for nearly free. The Pixel is one of the phones in the offer, so many users here could probably port to Sprint postpaid for nearly free service. Personally my main reason for passing on the free unlimited service from Sprint offer is that their limits for data roaming are rather low, and Verizon or AT&T have far more data coverage.
alluringreality said:
As someone that has looked at most MVNOs, I'd say some possible selling points of FI might be for someone that:
1) Uses enough talk and text to justify unlimited talk and text, since some users don't actually need unlimited
2) Wants to limit their phone bill by not using a lot of data, since limiting data usage generally results in a lower bill at FI
3) Wants better coverage than just Sprint or T-Mobile native service, since there are probably cheaper options with Sprint or T-Mobile MVNOs that lack roaming
With that sort of criteria, the main competitors are probably going to be Verizon or AT&T MVNOs, although there may be a few other options like Twigby (Sprint MVNO with voice roaming). $20 is about where Verizon and AT&T MVNOs start with unlimited talk and text, and customers might get a bit of data. For example Boom Mobile begins at $20 for Verizon service and includes 250 MB with the option to add data that lasts 90 days. Like any service provider that only offers one plan, FI probably just doesn't fit your interests, since either #2 & #3 don't seem to be major considerations in your comments. It doesn't fit my usage either, simply because I don't use enough voice service that I need to pay $20 each and every month (#1).
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My mother uses Republic Wireless $10 unlimted talk/txt plan. No data. Great for her. U can get some data for $5 more. (discontinued 2.0 refund plans though)
Fi $20 off code: NV503E Now should be worth it
kolyan said:
Fi $20 off code: NV503E Now should be worth it
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lol...not like a quick Google search wont find more than 100 Fi referral codes.
A one time $20 credit....
I would like to know how much the "real cost" is of Fi....that is...how much they charge for taxes and fees etc.
On my Tmobile Prepay...only thing is state sales tax...so $40 plan is $43.91
Duplicate post...wtf?
speedingcheetah said:
How do u set it to use only one carrier?
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FiSwitch
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cheekydevs.fiswitch&hl=en
Root makes it easier but is not required.