[Q] Travelling to Ontario - AT&T S4 - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin

Hey all -
I'm taking a trip to Ontario coming up for a couple weeks. I've unlocked my AT&T S4 - just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on the best option for purchasing a SIM to use while I'm there. Most important will be data (1GB or less) as I'm going to be doing a lot of driving and navigation will be important.

netsyd said:
Hey all -
I'm taking a trip to Ontario coming up for a couple weeks. I've unlocked my AT&T S4 - just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on the best option for purchasing a SIM to use while I'm there. Most important will be data (1GB or less) as I'm going to be doing a lot of driving and navigation will be important.
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Click to collapse
i've always been monthly subscriber, so i can't help much with the pay as you go part. If you plan on travelling north (north of northbay/sudbury area), stick to rogers/fido so that you can get 2g coverage, neither Bell nor Telus can offer that. If you are staying in the south end, go with whichever is cheapest as most of the areas have been blanketed with HSPA coverage.

Matridom said:
i've always been monthly subscriber, so i can't help much with the pay as you go part. If you plan on travelling north (north of northbay/sudbury area), stick to rogers/fido so that you can get 2g coverage, neither Bell nor Telus can offer that. If you are staying in the south end, go with whichever is cheapest as most of the areas have been blanketed with HSPA coverage.
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I'm going to be in the "southern" part basically -- Southhampton / Sauble Beach / Toronto / Niagara

netsyd said:
I'm going to be in the "southern" part basically -- Southhampton / Sauble Beach / Toronto / Niagara
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then go with whoever is cheapest for the pay as you go.

Related

Robbers HTC DREAM now obsolete for canadians

New cell carrier in Canada, Wind Mobile, AWS band.
Their rates are WAY better than robbers/bell.
Robbers Dream will NOT under any circumstances work on AWS band, and they don't have EDGE to fall back on.
Anyone interested can use TMOBILE BRANDED or ADP1/2
So how does that make my dream obsolete if I can still use it with Bell and Rogers :|
And I don't know any information about this new company, so I'll assume they're crap!
Macmee said:
So how does that make my dream obsolete if I can still use it with Bell and Rogers :|
And I don't know any information about this new company, so I'll assume they're crap!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact that they cost less and give you WAY WAY more, and the FIRM KNOWLEDGE that robbers are a bunch of evil greedy bastards... its a no-brainer to switch, and therefore anything stuck to robbers is hopelessly obsolete.
And if you don't get it, then you're blind or retarded.
Macmee said:
So how does that make my dream obsolete if I can still use it with Bell and Rogers :|
And I don't know any information about this new company, so I'll assume they're crap!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so when you dont know information about something you automatically assume its crap...
interesting way of looking at things you got there. LOL
Even if they are crap... the choice is still between expensive crap and cheap crap. If its the same crap, its better to pay less for it.
hahahaha!!! wow i feel sorry for canada.. though the USA isnt much better anyway.
lbcoder said:
The fact that they cost less and give you WAY WAY more, and the FIRM KNOWLEDGE that robbers are a bunch of evil greedy bastards... its a no-brainer to switch, and therefore anything stuck to robbers is hopelessly obsolete.
And if you don't get it, then you're blind or retarded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're the thread starter, you should have included more information:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/16/wind-mobile-launches-in-canada-t-mobile-gets-a-spectrum-buddy/
Despite some last-minute drama with the government, Canada's WIND Mobile has launched today, bringing to the table an interesting new low-cost competitor to the nation's giant incumbents, Rogers, Bell, and Telus. Though its network -- based on last year's AWS auction -- lacks the footprint of the bigger guys, the pricing is pretty compelling: its $15 voice plan offers twice the minutes of low-cost competitors Koodo and Fido (which are really just fronts for Telus and Rogers, anyway) and CAD $35 (about $33) wins you unlimited data on your BlackBerry. Speaking of BlackBerrys, WIND is rolling out the Bold 9700 as one of its launch devices alongside the HTC Maple (known as the Dash 3G in the States), the Samsung Gravity, the Huawei U519, and the E181 USB modem. Service is only live in Toronto and Calgary at the moment, but the limited distribution doesn't seem to be holding people back -- WIND's site has been up and down all morning.
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And for all I know they are crap. I know nothing about their coverage..
" Service is only live in Toronto and Calgary at the moment"
and no HSPA? It is crap.
So, if there are any Rogers customers that want to switch to Wind Mobile, they could use a US T-Mobile G1 to use the 1700MHz frequency. In turn, if an AT&T customer bought an unlocked Rogers Dream, they could run on AT&Ts 3G network.
Who is up for the Rogers Dream / T-Mobile G1 swap?
I have a TMo G1 running on AT&Ts Edge network (which would run on Wind Mobile's 3G network). I want a Rogers Dream (which would run on the AT&T 3G network.)
Macmee said:
" Service is only live in Toronto and Calgary at the moment" and no HSPA? It is crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about....
Service EVERYWHERE that robbers is now (at $0.25/min when outside of Toronto or Calgary -- note that robbers long distance is $0.35/min), no long distance charges when calling in the same PROVINCE (i.e. call from toronto to north bay FREE, even for a 20 hour call), HSPA *ONLY* (there IS NO EDGE to fall back on).
Now think about this; if you are not in toronto, you would have to pay long distance with robbers at $0.35/min + airtime. With wind, you pay $0.25/min roaming, NO long distance, and NO airtime.
Data at $35 unlimited on wind, or $80/5GB on robbers.... still seems a no-brainer here.
The Chris said:
So, if there are any Rogers customers that want to switch to Wind Mobile, they could use a US T-Mobile G1 to use the 1700MHz frequency. In turn, if an AT&T customer bought an unlocked Rogers Dream, they could run on AT&Ts 3G network.
Who is up for the Rogers Dream / T-Mobile G1 swap?
I have a TMo G1 running on AT&Ts Edge network (which would run on Wind Mobile's 3G network). I want a Rogers Dream (which would run on the AT&T 3G network.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right!
I would swap if I had a robbers dream, but I have an adp1, so I'm set to go with wind.
I actually went into their store yesterday and had my wallet and ID out to make the switch, but they don't have the number porting set up quite yet (supposed to be within a couple of weeks). I want to keep my current number, so I'm going to wait until they have that ready.
I'm actually going to end up paying more at wind, BUT, instead of unlimited incoming (in toronto), NO data, negligible outgoing, I'm going to have unlimited incoming, unlimited outgoing, unlimited data, free long distance in ontario, better long distance rates to everywhere outside of ontario ($0.15/min instead of $0.35/min), and way better rates outside of toronto ($0.25/min instead of $0.35/min+airtime+outside_of_toronto_fee). Never signed up to robbers data since their rates should be considered ILLEGAL.
Keep in mind, that if you leave Wind's home zone, if you're using a phone that supports Wind/T-mobile 3G, you will drop to EDGE data while roaming on the Rogers network
walie said:
Keep in mind, that if you leave Wind's home zone, if you're using a phone that supports Wind/T-mobile 3G, you will drop to EDGE data while roaming on the Rogers network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So? You really want to pay robbers' data rates which you have to pay when roaming? Best thing to do is disable data roaming altogether!
lbcoder said:
So? You really want to pay robbers' data rates which you have to pay when roaming? Best thing to do is disable data roaming altogether!
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Click to collapse
I already have a good data plan, which i can use across the entire country, roaming isnt' an issue for me. plus i don't have to put up with slow EDGE speeds either
walie said:
I already have a good data plan, which i can use across the entire country, roaming isnt' an issue for me. plus i don't have to put up with slow EDGE speeds either
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Click to collapse
No, you just have to put up with LONG DISTANCE charges and INSANE data charges.
lbcoder said:
No, you just have to put up with LONG DISTANCE charges and INSANE data charges.
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Click to collapse
nope, i got a sweet Canadian long distance plan for free, and my data plan is more than enough for what i pay for it
so no long distance or data charges for me!
Wind doesn't interest me at all
lbcoder said:
How about....
Service EVERYWHERE that robbers is now (at $0.25/min when outside of Toronto or Calgary -- note that robbers long distance is $0.35/min), no long distance charges when calling in the same PROVINCE (i.e. call from toronto to north bay FREE, even for a 20 hour call), HSPA *ONLY* (there IS NO EDGE to fall back on).
Now think about this; if you are not in toronto, you would have to pay long distance with robbers at $0.35/min + airtime. With wind, you pay $0.25/min roaming, NO long distance, and NO airtime.
Data at $35 unlimited on wind, or $80/5GB on robbers.... still seems a no-brainer here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have unlimited data at $55 a month after taking advantage of a loop hole. I'd have to locate a new dream this way, hmm
Macmee said:
I have unlimited data at $55 a month after taking advantage of a loop hole. I'd have to locate a new dream this way, hmm
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Click to collapse
Dam $55 for data. Glad I'm in the good ol USA.
supremeteam256 said:
Dam $55 for data. Glad I'm in the good ol USA.
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Click to collapse
$55 for unlimited data is considered cheap, I'm not meant to have that plan they screwed up.
Data plans in Canada start at $50 a month for 500mb data.
Macmee said:
$55 for unlimited data is considered cheap, I'm not meant to have that plan they screwed up.
Data plans in Canada start at $50 a month for 500mb data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that is highway robbery. I don't even pay remotely that close for my internet at home.
Macmee said:
$55 for unlimited data is considered cheap, I'm not meant to have that plan they screwed up.
Data plans in Canada start at $50 a month for 500mb data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's not entirely true. You can get 500mb of data for $25. If you were lucky enough you could have gotten 6gigs of data for $30 from Rogers. That's what my financee and I have.

Anyone use T-Mobile (USA) in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)?

Considering trying T-Mobile out. I live in the East Bay, specifically San Ramon, and was wondering what were people's experience with T-Mo in the East Bay. How are data speeds and call quality? I can see that some have reported 1900 Mhz 3G access in San Ramon as well, so that is of interest to me (I currently have an International Galaxy Note 1 on Straight Talk using an AT&T SIM). I don't use a lot of voice on my Note since I already have another phone on Sprint which my company pays the service on, so having speedy data is more important to me (but still having 100 minutes of voice is good for emergency situations or when there is no service with Sprint).
Also, I don't leave the Bay Area too often, and I do have my other phone on Sprint for data and voice is need be when I do leave the area on trips.
adelmundo said:
Considering trying T-Mobile out. I live in the East Bay, specifically San Ramon, and was wondering what were people's experience with T-Mo in the East Bay. How are data speeds and call quality? I can see that some have reported 1900 Mhz 3G access in San Ramon as well, so that is of interest to me (I currently have an International Galaxy Note 1 on Straight Talk using an AT&T SIM). I don't use a lot of voice on my Note since I already have another phone on Sprint which my company pays the service on, so having speedy data is more important to me (but still having 100 minutes of voice is good for emergency situations or when there is no service with Sprint).
Also, I don't leave the Bay Area too often, and I do have my other phone on Sprint for data and voice is need be when I do leave the area on trips.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
anyone
Try www.airportal.de for coverage maps and you can go-to HoFo (Howard forums, Google it) to get more info from people in your area. They have already established threads that people are constantly updating with reports of HSPA+ on the 1900MHz band.
Hickory, Dickory, Dox...Snowflake approves of my HOX....

[Q] Anyone in San Luis Obispo county, Ca?

I'm planning on ditching verizon and going prepaid with the nexus 4. My question is regarding att and tmobile coverage in this area. Anyone have experience on either of those networks here? Thanks.
blackrabbitklan said:
I'm planning on ditching verizon and going prepaid with the nexus 4. My question is regarding att and tmobile coverage in this area. Anyone have experience on either of those networks here? Thanks.
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Click to collapse
I'm not familiar with your area but T-Mobile's coverage map is more detailed than those provided by other carriers. You should at least be able to tell whether you'll get HSPA+ or EDGE speeds in your location.
jasonwc said:
I'm not familiar with your area but T-Mobile's coverage map is more detailed than those provided by other carriers. You should at least be able to tell whether you'll get HSPA+ or EDGE speeds in your location.
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Thanks, that's good to know. Verizon's isn't nearly as accurate as it says.
blackrabbitklan said:
I'm planning on ditching verizon and going prepaid with the nexus 4. My question is regarding att and tmobile coverage in this area. Anyone have experience on either of those networks here? Thanks.
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Click to collapse
I live in SLO county and switched from Verizon to AT&T about a year ago. I live in Cayucos and the Verizon coverage was not good. A couple of years ago, AT&T bought the local Cell One provider. Cell One used to have the best local coverage...and now AT&T has their towers. I find the AT&T coverage to be very good around the county. I will say that when I travel to bigger cities (Orange County, Vegas, etc) the AT&T data network seems slower. But, on a day to day basis around here, I've been very happy with the switch. Most people are like "What? You left Verizon for AT&T?!" But as many people will tell you - coverage varies a lot carrier to carrier, location to location. For me, AT&T is working very well in SLO County. As for T-Mobile, the only experience I have with it is that a friend of mine who visits periodically has T-Mobile. Her coverage is not as good as the AT&T coverage, at least in my house in Cayucos.

[Q] Rogers Note3 in US

Hey all,
I tried searching, and read through countless pages, but could only really find info about moving from US to Canada.
I have a Roger's GN3. Hoping to use it occasionally while travelling in the US.
Can you let me know what unlocking or other work I'll need to do to the phone.
And what carrier in the US is best supported for 4G, 3G, etc.
Thanks,
-Peter
peteremcc said:
Hey all,
I tried searching, and read through countless pages, but could only really find info about moving from US to Canada.
I have a Roger's GN3. Hoping to use it occasionally while travelling in the US.
Can you let me know what unlocking or other work I'll need to do to the phone.
And what carrier in the US is best supported for 4G, 3G, etc.
Thanks,
-Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the best overall provider for Canadians residents for short trips down south is probably Roam Mobility (http://www.roammobility.com/talk-text-data).
for 3.95 per day (the smallest plan for 1 day), you are getting unlimited calls and text to US and Canadian numbers when in the USA and 300MB of data.
With this provider, you have access to 2G/3G T-Mobile's network... probably LTE at some time in the future.
So you only need your device to be sim unlocked and that's it...
I Often travel to the USA and unlike here, you can go to a 7-11 and buy a prepaid sim card with data and minutes. If not, roam mobility is also a good alternative as long as you're in metropolitan areas because their coverage sucks. I drive from Montreal to Florida about twice a year and don't have coverage 80% of the way down except when i come close to big cities. It also becomes quite expensive if you're looking for any service for a trip of over 1 week, easily costing you 50$ - 100$
But, my current alternative of choice is to stick with Rogers. They have a rewards program which basically gives you points for every dollar you spend on your bill and you can then redeem travel packs. I have about 9000 points and for about 6500pts you can have 40 minutes of call time and unlimited texts for 1 month and because its redeemed on points its free. (thats if you're looking for something with no data). You first have to subscribe for the reward program, the good thing is you can use your points for what you want like upgrades, extra data, extra minutes or other perks www.rogersfirstrewards.rogers.com
Roam Mobility is 27,95 for a week... Unlimited talk and text +2GB of data. You have 2G coverage nearly everywhere (at least on the highway between Montreal and Miami... And 3G in big cities.
It beats anything that Rogers can offer for the price.
Roam Mobility is easy to refill on the web, in Canadian dollars before leaving Canada. Something not always possible with a US prepaid service.
You can even easily buy your sim card online...
Sent from my SM-N900 with Tapatalk
zadigre said:
Roam Mobility is 27,95 for a week... Unlimited talk and text +2GB of data. You have 2G coverage nearly everywhere (at least on the highway between Montreal and Miami... And 3G in big cities.
It beats anything that Rogers can offer for the price.
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Click to collapse
It certainly doesn't beat free! And no, it's not true, roam doesn't have coverage nearly anywhere, i used it last year and it cut out in the long stretches between cities.
polish_pat said:
It certainly doesn't beat free! And no, it's not true, roam doesn't have coverage nearly anywhere, i used it last year and it cut out in the long stretches between cities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have data or inexpensive data with what Rogers is offering... And 40 minutes might be enough for you... But it's not comparable with unlimited.
Also I'm curious... Where did you lost coverage with Roam Mobility on the highway? I've went once to Miami and I regularly go to New York and Boston... And I always have coverage... 3G in the cities and 2G outside.
Sent from my SM-N900 with Tapatalk
zadigre said:
You don't have data or inexpensive data with what T gets is offering... And 40 minutes might be enough for you... But it's not comparable with unlimited.
Also I'm curious... Where did you lost coverage with Roam Mobility on the highway? I've went once to Miami and I regularly go to New York and Boston... And I always have coverage... 3G in the cities and 2G outside.
Sent from my SM-N900 with Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont assume anything. You have no idea what OP needs. Maybe 40 minutes and unlimited text is more than enough.
As for coverage, i mentionned where it cuts off, i cant be more specific as i have not mapped where my phone lost connection but all i can say is that ive been using it for 2 years twice a year and it happends that i stop at truck stops or hotels in small cities or between cities and i couldn't text my family to give them an update when i needed to, had to pop my rogers sim back in and connect to ATT. It was along 95, thats all i can say. I do remember loosing full connection somewhere in NY about 2 hours before border until about 30 minutes from border, it was in the mountainous part of the state.
I don't personally need data and also the big problem with roam is you lose your phone number. It's great if you have no business calls or are expecting phone calls but it's not an option for me anymore to lose my phone number. I rather pay 50$ for a travel plan and keep my line connected
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[FYI][OT] Sprint Unlimited Roaming in Japan

I'm going to drop this here since I know it applies for the S5.
Should apply for any Sprint phone with the GSM support though as well.
----------------------------------------------
I've been a big advocate for Sprint's purchase by Softbank, it's why I stayed with them.
I also expected a roaming deal on Softbank's networks to eventually surface. It finally has.
$5/month will get you unlimited roaming (voice,text and data) in Japan now on Softbank's network.
You have to switch to GSM/UMTS after land in Japan though for it to use Softbank, or you'll end up on KDDI and get charged.
No word on if B41 (Derp on 46) LTE is supported, guess I'll have to try it out and see. Hoping that's good to go as well.
This is great news for those who visit Japan often. Wouldn't try it though for a longer period.
garwynn said:
I'm going to drop this here since I know it applies for the S5.
Should apply for any Sprint phone with the GSM support though as well.
----------------------------------------------
I've been a big advocate for Sprint's purchase by Softbank, it's why I stayed with them.
I also expected a roaming deal on Softbank's networks to eventually surface. It finally has.
$5/month will get you unlimited roaming (voice,text and data) in Japan now on Softbank's network.
You have to switch to GSM/UMTS after land in Japan though for it to use Softbank, or you'll end up on KDDI and get charged.
No word on if B41 (Derp on 46) LTE is supported, guess I'll have to try it out and see. Hoping that's good to go as well.
This is great news for those who visit Japan often. Wouldn't try it though for a longer period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great news, I'll be heading to Japan at the end of next month and I was wondering what my options were while there. Thank you for sharing!
I should have more info on this soon.
I know it's running on the 2100 band GSM/UMTS. Just hoping they give access to the LTE bandwidth.
I called Sprint in March to activate the international roaming provision for my S5 and was surprised to hear $5/month unlimited talk/text/data plan in Japan. I traveled to Tokyo in mid-April and enjoyed a solid 3G signal the entire trip. Just a heads up that after landing and switching over to GSM/UMTS at first I wasn't getting any data. I had to update my PRL & profile and after that everything worked great for the entire trip. Meanwhile, my buddy with AT&T ended up renting a mobile hotspot which cost him around $60 for the week.
Guzmantis said:
I called Sprint in March to activate the international roaming provision for my S5 and was surprised to hear $5/month unlimited talk/text/data plan in Japan. I traveled to Tokyo in mid-April and enjoyed a solid 3G signal the entire trip. Just a heads up that after landing and switching over to GSM/UMTS at first I wasn't getting any data. I had to update my PRL & profile and after that everything worked great for the entire trip. Meanwhile, my buddy with AT&T ended up renting a mobile hotspot which cost him around $60 for the week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of speeds were you getting on 3G? Did you disable LTE or was it not picking up LTE?
Isn't the roaming plan 2G? Did you buy a pack of 3G data? Or is Japan special since it's our parent company's homeland?
sent from an underwater dust storm from my Sprint S5
mmark27 said:
What kind of speeds were you getting on 3G? Did you disable LTE or was it not picking up LTE?
Isn't the roaming plan 2G? Did you buy a pack of 3G data? Or is Japan special since it's our parent company's homeland?
sent from an underwater dust storm from my Sprint S5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't test extensively because I was on vacation and quite frankly just happy to have a solid signal. From outside my hotel in Shibuya I was getting 1.1 Mbps down consistently when I tested mid-day. I never had trouble with my signal wherever I was in Tokyo, or at Narita airport. I didn't disable LTE, but I only ever received 3G the entire trip. I didn't buy any extra 3G data, just the $5 monthly charge from Sprint.
Weird (maybe stupid) question about this: does the unlimited voice and text include calls to numbers based in Japan and the US? So in Japan, calling home to the US would be free, but also calling a friend in Japan on his/her cell would be free?
I'm sure you guys have seen this, but
http://newsroom.sprint.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=11970
http://www.sprint.com/landings/openworld/index.html?ECID=vanity:openworld
This is taking the place of the value international roaming as far as I'm gathering across the interwebs. Seems like a pretty solid deal and still includes Japan on there, but I think that data is now charged out $30 for 1gig in Japan and other non-latin american countries.

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