I am currently in northern Michigan, and my phone switched to roam on AT&T. I use data services through the Tzones plan, using epc.tmobile.com. A couple of questions:
1. Will the AT&T towers connect me to my specified apn: epc.tmobile.com? Will there be any port restrictions?
2. Will there be any additional charges for use of the data plan while roaming?
Thanks!
I'm kinda confused about how... well.... the whole thing.
OK, sorry, let me try to simplify:
I am a T-Mobile customer. I use data services on my S620 via the Tzones data plan. I manually set my apn to epc.tmobile.com.
Now I am currently in a roaming area (no tmobile towers around), but my phone is switched over to AT&T (i.e. roaming).
I believe that there will be no fees for using the phone services, i.e. voice, but i am less sure about the data costs. Has anyone tried to use data services while roaming? Did it result in an extra cost on your bill?
Im on flex pay, and at this moment im roaming on ATT, it dosent cost me any extra to make calls or use data since its already payed for. I dont know about contracts because sometimes they can add on extra charges before the bill is due.
If you're under T-Mobile, I'm pretty sure you won't be charged unless you're roaming internationally.
At least that's what they said when I got my iPhone on TMo
Hi
I'm new to the US, and I'm not familiar with the wireless companies system here..
I have some question:
1. Which service provider is better? I'll be living in Berkeley, CA?? I keep hearing that At&T has bad reception.. which one should I go for??
2. The 30$ data plan: all companies say that this plan is unlimited, but I keep reading (at least for Verizon) it's 5 GB/month.. is this true?? and are there any companies that offer real unlimited data plan...
Because I was thinking of using my phone as a modem for my PC, I don't want to pay more 30-40$ for DSL if I already have a true unlimited data plan
3. Roll over minutes: does this apply only to AT&t, or all carriers?
Thanks in advance guys
duke911 said:
Hi
I'm new to the US, and I'm not familiar with the wireless companies system here..
I have some question:
1. Which service provider is better? I'll be living in Berkeley, CA?? I keep hearing that At&T has bad reception.. which one should I go for??
2. The 30$ data plan: all companies say that this plan is unlimited, but I keep reading (at least for Verizon) it's 5 GB/month.. is this true?? and are there any companies that offer real unlimited data plan...
Because I was thinking of using my phone as a modem for my PC, I don't want to pay more 30-40$ for DSL if I already have a true unlimited data plan
3. Roll over minutes: does this apply only to AT&t, or all carriers?
Thanks in advance guys
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I just left AT&T due to extremely poor customer service. AT&T is the only carrier that offers rollover minutes, but their 3G coverage is spotty, and when switching from 3G to Edge or vise versa, you will experience a lot of dropped calls. If you want to use your phone as a modem with AT&T you have to get a tethering plan which will run you $60/month. Verizon has a much larger 3G coverage area, and you don't have to worry about the network being burdened by iPhone users. Sprint has rolled out 4G coverage in some areas with plans to expand. Sprint has cheaper calling plans, but their subsidized phone prices are higher. All in all, do your research, and check online for reviews of coverage, network speed, and customer service.
1. reception obviously varies by location. VZW probably has the best claim to the best nationwide coverage--their business model has very much focused on network building, and up until very recently, their phone selection sucked because they didn't invest as much in securing great smartphones. Alternatively, ATT has focused investment heavily on having great phones, and haven't focused investment as much on building any of their networks.
That said, ATT has great phone reception in a lots of metropolitan areas. There might even be some areas where they have better coverage. And while their 3G data coverage isn't nearly as broad, where it exists, it has been tested as being the fastest (especially when you're not using an iPhone).
2. No, all wireless carriers have a cap of some kind. Further most will charge an extra $30ish a month on top of the $30ish a month for smartphone data for tethering (using your phone as a modem), and they'll still have a data cap.
3. I don't know VZW's plans.
ive been with ATT for YEARS and their costumer service can kiss my ass because i never use it. why? because they offer best reception where im at. why would i want to find out how good t-mobiles costumer service is? i just want a reliable network. all carriers have crappy prices and conditions here. just find the one that works for you and dont listen to what anyone else says. why would you care if verizon has 3g in montana and att doesnt if you live in LA?? its irrelevant. find the least crappy one for you and stick with it.
Do some research on the difference between CDMA and GSM networks. One may work better than another in certain situations.
T-Mobile has cheap rate plans and free tethering.
Sprint has a WiMax network rolling out, although all of the carriers are working on LTE or some other standard of 4G- Not really a concern at this point, since few phones support it.
Verizon has the best customer satisfaction ratings, but their phones are often locked down with software.
AT&T has a history of dropping calls, but has the fastest recorded data speeds.
No matter whom you may chose, you will end up disappointed over some facet or another. You will need to get DSL or some other form of land-based internet, unless you can keep yourself constrained to the 5GB data caps that ALL of the carriers have.
I guess I'm gonna go with verizon then..
I asked a Veizon representative today about the Touch Pro 2, and he said it's only CDMA ... although on their websitethey say it's GSM Quad Band!!! Is there anything that I'm missing?
Will I be able to use out side the US if travel home?
cheers
duke911 said:
I guess I'm gonna go with verizon then..
I asked a Veizon representative today about the Touch Pro 2, and he said it's only CDMA ... although on their websitethey say it's GSM Quad Band!!! Is there anything that I'm missing?
Will I be able to use out side the US if travel home?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's kind of misleading. The Verizon Touch Pro2 is actually a CDMA/GSM hybrid device, which works on Verizon's CDMA network or any GSM network. In theory, you should be able to use it on any GSM network in any country as long as you have a valid SIM card.
you cant trust advertising. it makes it appear that all options are shiney. verizon claims all of its wireless technologies as 3g no matter what they are, whether they have speeds slower than atts 2g or worse. the verizon touch pro will not actually work in the us or canada on gsm. you also need to pay for vodofone service separately to get international coverage. you can flash a radio that will let you use atts network but youll loose the cdma network verizon uses. sprints 4g network is not as promising as i hoped. its slower than atts 3g network and to use it you have to buy a $10 1-day pass that will let you use 4g in about 10 or so cities. its also not on any phones. in terms of data or unlimited plans, i would probably have to recommend t-mobile. even though i think they have the ugliest version of the touch pro 2. verizon does limit there unlimited plans to 4gb a month i think. and yes att is the only one with roll over. i never use my minutes so i up to about 10000 minutes rolled over. i will never be charged overage as long as i live.
I was with ATT when they were known as Cingular for three years. One day I got a call and they said I was using it off their network too much and I had to stop it or they would cancel me. Since I was not even living in their area, it was not going to happen.
So I signed up with Verizon, which did not even sell phones within a hundred miles of where I would be using it. That was in March of 2007. I went to Alaska for 16 months where it roamed constantly. Not a peep from Verizon about not being on their network. When going to a remote village for more than a month where no cell phone would work, I would just call them and they would suspend my phone for the time I was there. No bill at all and no charge for turning it off. So I have to say the customer support from Verizon is the best there is and ATT is the absolute worst.
texascbx said:
I was with ATT when they were known as Cingular for three years. One day I got a call and they said I was using it off their network too much and I had to stop it or they would cancel me. Since I was not even living in their area, it was not going to happen.
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they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
btw att, verizon, and sprint all have horrible customer service. youre going to always loose with any provider.
The Jack of Clubs said:
they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
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Last I checked, Tmobile's network isn't owned by ATT.
thanks a lot for your help guys, I really appreciae that.
I have one final question: Is there a way I can buy verizon touch pro 2 without a contract, and use it with verizon prepaid service (if that is possible in te first place)?
I'm new here and I don't have many people to speak with, and since I'm a student, I could use any some extra money
Cheers
duke911 said:
thanks a lot for your help guys, I really appreciae that. I have one final question: Is there a way I can buy verizon touch pro 2 without a contract, and use it with verizon prepaid service (if that is possible in te first place)? I'm new here and I don't have many people to speak with, and since I'm a student, I could use any some extra money
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I purchased my VZW off contract. Unsubsidized is probably about $500.
Different carriers have different rules for their prepaid services. With GSM carriers, TMo and ATT, it's easy to pop a prepaid sim into any phone. With CDMA (Sprint and VZW), I'm not sure. Best bet is to call and ask.
well i had sprint for ever...I switched to tmobile.. to get that tp2 free through wmdeals.com even though coverage sucks at my house im happy.. I have wifi for data when im home.. when i leave my home i have edge service everwhere.. til i start getting close to mesquite ( texas ) it goes to 3g.. but edge works great with opera mini.. and for updating certain things.. but so far tmobile rocks..
The Jack of Clubs said:
they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
btw att, verizon, and sprint all have horrible customer service. youre going to always loose with any provider.
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That's where you are wrong. They did cancel me and one of my brothers living in another town shortly after I got the call and letter. The explanation was they had contracts with other providers to cover you when your were roaming. And roaming was fine, as long as you did not do it too much. I roamed all the time, for about three years.
I called Verizon today, and the representative said that I can't use their prepaid service on a smart phone... although I'm not really sure about, as she sounded clueless, and I had to do lots of explanation until she got the basic idea..
anyway... I like really the verizon version of the Touch Pro 2..
If I go for month-to-month and get it for full retail (490$).. can I cancel with Verizon after that, and unlock my phone, then use it with some other network like T-mobile or At&T????
I never used CDMA before, and after reading some info, I think GSM is better for me, at least for now...
duke911 said:
I called Verizon today, and the representative said that I can't use their prepaid service on a smart phone... although I'm not really sure about, as she sounded clueless, and I had to do lots of explanation until she got the basic idea..
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You never know with reps. I seem to recall that VZW's prepaid might have some unlimited data intended for dumbphones, which of course they wouldn't want you to use with a smartphone.
There are MVNOs, like Page Plus, that use VZW's network, but have prepaid plans where they probably wouldn't be concerned about smartphone usage (pay per kb instead of unlimited).
If I go for month-to-month and get it for full retail (490$).. can I cancel with Verizon after that, and unlock my phone, then use it with some other network like T-mobile or At&T????
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You can get it unlocked here and use it on ATT or TMo (minus 3g, 2g data still works), and as to whether you can cancel after the fact without penalty, it depends on exactly what you signed up for at VZW.
texascbx said:
That's where you are wrong. They did cancel me and one of my brothers living in another town shortly after I got the call and letter. The explanation was they had contracts with other providers to cover you when your were roaming. And roaming was fine, as long as you did not do it too much. I roamed all the time, for about three years.
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fortunz said:
Last I checked, Tmobile's network isn't owned by ATT.
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well then double check because att hardware can not utilize tmobile 1700 band. if you in the country you are never going to use another carriers network. and roaming only applies to out of country. even if you stand anywhere on the canadian or mexican borders, you wont be charged roaming. the system isnt that fd up.
The Jack of Clubs said:
well then double check because att hardware can not utilize tmobile 1700 band. if you in the country you are never going to use another carriers network. and roaming only applies to out of country. even if you stand anywhere on the canadian or mexican borders, you wont be charged roaming. the system isnt that fd up.
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Well, that's not entirely true. AT&T devices can use T-Mobile's network, just not HSPA (3G), and vice versa. Before I got my 8925, my main phone was an old T-Mobile Blackberry 7200 which I unlocked to use on AT&T. It could make phone calls and browse at EDGE speeds just fine. The 3G bands are f*cked up internationally since they often differ by country and carrier, but the EDGE and basic GSM bands are pretty much compatible with any GSM phone (since most GSM phones are Tri-band or Quad-band capable).
In addition, it's perfectly possible to use another network in the same country. If a company like AT&T doesn't have infrastructure in a remote area and wants to add service there, they'll often strike a deal with a local carrier who does. It's usually a seamless transition for the user, and it doesn't generally cost the user a cent. Rather, AT&T is the one paying the local cellular operator for allowing the AT&T customers use the local carrier's network as opposed to the alternative of having no coverage in that area. AT&T got mad at texascbx because he was costing AT&T money by roaming on these local carriers, which AT&T had to pay.
Lastly, I know people who live near the borders and they always are careful to see which operator they are using. One of them lives near the Mexican border, and has to make sure he's on AT&T's network before he makes a call. If he doesn't check, he might be roaming on the TelMex network and will get billed outrageous fees for a simple call, even though he's in the US.
I was at the mall today, and I talked to a T-Mobile guy, and he said I can get the T-mobile version of touch pro 2 for full retail, and I can use it with their prepaid plan without any porblems.
Then I spoke with a Verizon representative, and he said that I can't do that on their network, however I can buy the device with out a contract and without any plan...
So my Final question (and I guess fortunz answered before,but I still feel like asking coz I don't want to through 500$ away)... If I get the Verizon Touch Pro 2, and get it unlocked here
http://rhodiumw.htc-unlocks.com/
or here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=578642
will I be able to use it with any carrier?? prepaid or plan??
I don't really mind about the data, as I'll be using WiFi mainly
Thanks a lot
Can anyone explain to me how roaming works? I thought if you were roaming you were using another carrier. Whenever I am roaming and I check my ip address using whatismyip I get a sprint ip.
The way Sprint defines their PRL is even if you are roaming with someone else for voice, it still tries to use Sprint for data. Even if you have 0-bar it will still use Sprint for data. Only if there is absolutely no Sprint signal will it try another carrier for data.
Unless it gets miraculously faster when roaming I dont see it happening
sent from my Galaxy S 2 from Sprint on unnamed 2.0.1
I stay roaming on this phone. Thank you Roam Control!
even using roam control,i am on sprint, when i check my usage on my sprit account it does however show data usage while roaming
tensux said:
even using roam control,i am on sprint, when i check my usage on my sprit account it does however show data usage while roaming
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Download the (free) app called Netmonitor.
It will tell you who's tower you are connected to.
Thank you!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
they do not ever charge you extra either. i recall reading an article on droidlife or talkandroid where sprint's official stance on the matter only concerns those who are consistently on roam. even with those customers there's no outlined "punishment", but attempts to reach out and deal with on a case by case basis. (albeit idk what they would actually do)
husker apollo said:
they do not ever charge you extra either. i recall reading an article on droidlife or talkandroid where sprint's official stance on the matter only concerns those who are consistently on roam. even with those customers there's no outlined "punishment", but attempts to reach out and deal with on a case by case basis. (albeit idk what they would actually do)
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If you consistently roam, and more of your use is roaming instead of Sprint, you'll get a nice letter from Sprint. In the letter Sprint will inform you that they've enjoyed your loyalty, but you gotta go. (not in so many words)
Seriously, happened to me last year. They cancelled my service due to excessive roaming. And if you do move to an area that has better service (so you don't roam), you still have to wait a year before you can get Sprint service again. So watch your roaming, and if you don't have good signal, get an Airave.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
skyline247 said:
If you consistently roam, and more of your use is roaming instead of Sprint, you'll get a nice letter from Sprint. In the letter Sprint will inform you that they've enjoyed your loyalty, but you gotta go. (not in so many words)
Seriously, happened to me last year. They cancelled my service due to excessive roaming. And if you do move to an area that has better service (so you don't roam), you still have to wait a year before you can get Sprint service again. So watch your roaming, and if you don't have good signal, get an Airave.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
ah. you are in fact correct. upon your post i was interested to look for the article i was referring to:
http://www.talkandroid.com/82385-no-sprint-wont-throttle-your-data-unless-youre-roaming/
"Sprint does have terms and conditions which prohibit certain types of data use that may impair other customers’ usage or harm or interfere with the network. At yesterday’s investor conference, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was referring to Sprint’s right to terminate service of data abusers who violate Sprint’s terms and conditions. Customers who abuse our network by violating the terms and conditions will be contacted by Sprint in an effort to have the customer change their usage to comply with their subscriber agreement. Customers who do not change their usage and remain in violation of the terms and conditions may be subject to actions reserved by Sprint, including but not limited to termination. Consistent with our advertising, engaging in such uses will not result in throttling for customers on unlimited data-included plans for phones."
weak!!
tensux said:
even using roam control,i am on sprint, when i check my usage on my sprit account it does however show data usage while roaming
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Click to collapse
In Roam Control 2.2.0, I added a "view network status" util that will show you the name of the network you are on (sprint, verizon, etc) instead of just the system ID. It seems like every other app I've tried just shows the roaming carrier as blank/unknown.
I also put this on the market as "CDMA Network Status" for fun.
tensux said:
even using roam control,i am on sprint, when i check my usage on my sprit account it does however show data usage while roaming
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to download the paid version of roam control, or look for version 1.4. Prated versions don't work.
Hi,
I want to confirm if I'm overseas can I use the wifi calling feature to call back to the states and not incur roaming charges? I believe I'll still be charge minutes but not sure if they will be consider roaming.
Currently on Tmobile FrostyJB v4.
Thanks
According to the T-Mobile website:
support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680
Billing
There is no additional monthly charge to use the Wi-Fi Calling feature on your handset. Wi-Fi Calling uses monthly plan minutes for the following:
Calls made from the US to US numbers
Calls made from the US to international numbers (subject to international rates)
Calls made from outside the US to US numbers (not charged roaming)
Calls made from outside the US to international numbers (subject to international rates, but not charged roaming)
Note: You must disable Data Roaming when traveling internationally to avoid incurring data roaming charges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should take from your bucket of minutes. To play it safe when abroad, I would go into the band menu and change it to a band that the country you're in doesn't use. To do this, just go to your Phone app, type *#197328640# and a secret menu will pop up, then hit [1]UTMS > [1]DEBUG SCREEN > [8]PHONE CONTROL > [7]NETWORK CONTROL > [2]BAND SELECTION. You should be able to select a band right there.
When coming back to the states, don't forget to go back to [2]BAND SELECTION and hit [1]Automatic to resume normal operation.
Another option would be to pop in a local SIM and call the States. It should be, depending on country, ridiculously cheaper.
What country are you going to?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
You should be safe with wifi calling
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Just use the wifi calling feature. You don't need to buy a local SIM to call the States. Why not use the included minutes that you've already paid for? The thing is, you can't turn on wifi calling when you have Airplane mode on. So naturally it'll find a local network so the potential concern is your phone using the cell tower rather than wifi, which could happen on accident. That's why I provided steps on how to restrict the phone's modem to a band that isn't used overseas to remove that possibility. Better safe than sorry, or broke with overages.
Don_Perrignon said:
Another option would be to pop in a local SIM and call the States. It should be, depending on country, ridiculously cheaper.
What country are you going to?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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hong kong
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
You should be able to make WiFi calls to US as long as you make sure that your T-mobile Sim card is inserted and connected to a high speed internet service through wifi that is and WiFi calling is active. I have made call from Singapore, U.A.E and India back to US with no extra charges. Now that T-mobile offers unlimited UMA calls, I would add that to your account through customer service (ask them to add unlimited wifi calling). This way WiFi calls doesn't get counted towards your minutes. Have a safe trip.
Just buy a data-only sim card for your trip and make anything you want using internet!
There are some options I tried: local sim cards, MXTConnect sim card (for Europe).
I'm sorry if this was covered somewhere else but I've been unable to verify which (if any) ROM allows you to force roaming. I'm on Sprint and go to the San Bernardino (CA) mountains every weekend where there's almost no coverage. My sons on Verizon and his phone not only works but also has data coverage up there. I have another 1.5 years left on contract (5 lines) so don't suggest I change to Verizon. That will come at the end of my contract.
I purchased Roam Control but the developer is not supporting the app and the program won't register to allow me to use it. I'm not the only one with this problem.
Does any of the ROMS developed for the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint have the ability to force roaming on Verizons network? My phone is stock but rooted. I have flashed different business PRl's to see if any of them would enable the phone to roam with no luck. Tried going where there's no signal, turn off phone then turn on to see if the phone would automatically connect to the Verizon signal once it see's that there's no Sprint signal but no luck.
We have no internet or phone service so wifi's not an option. I can walk around and eventually get a signal to make a call but have no data at all.
Walking around to find a signal is not always an option.
I've been a lurker on here for years and figured if you guy's don't know, then nobody will know.
antilamr said:
I'm sorry if this was covered somewhere else but I've been unable to verify which (if any) ROM allows you to force roaming. I'm on Sprint and go to the San Bernardino (CA) mountains every weekend where there's almost no coverage. My sons on Verizon and his phone not only works but also has data coverage up there. I have another 1.5 years left on contract (5 lines) so don't suggest I change to Verizon. That will come at the end of my contract.
I purchased Roam Control but the developer is not supporting the app and the program won't register to allow me to use it. I'm not the only one with this problem.
Does any of the ROMS developed for the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint have the ability to force roaming on Verizons network? My phone is stock but rooted. I have flashed different business PRl's to see if any of them would enable the phone to roam with no luck. Tried going where there's no signal, turn off phone then turn on to see if the phone would automatically connect to the Verizon signal once it see's that there's no Sprint signal but no luck.
We have no internet or phone service so wifi's not an option. I can walk around and eventually get a signal to make a call but have no data at all.
Walking around to find a signal is not always an option.
I've been a lurker on here for years and figured if you guy's don't know, then nobody will know.
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I sent you an email at your hotmail account...let me know if Roam Control version 2.10.0 is working for you. Thanks
Months agdopen
MrGreg said:
I sent you an email at your hotmail account...let me know if Roam Control version 2.10.0 is working for you. Thanks
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Thank you. Roam Control now works. I'll try it out next weekend and report back so anyone who is following will know the results. Thanks again.