Wi-Fi calling Republic vs. T-mobile
October 6, 2014 7:45 AM Subscribe
I want to get a pre-paid android phone asap (for a trip), but I also want to be able to use it at home and my house is at the bottom of a hill and has no to poor coverage. I'm thinking that wi-fi calling may be a solution.
My coverage at home is: none for T-moble or Tracphone, no bars but calls kind of possible for AT&T, one bar for Verison). I currently use an antique T-mobile pre-paid, which doesn't work till I'm 100 yards from my house. I'd like a phone that works well with wi-fi, that way I can use the phone at home. What I want to do with the phone:
1. Have GPS and camera (so I can carry less things on trips).
2. Have data to look up the location of things like gas stations that carry diesel, etc. on trips.
3. Work at my house (probably through wi-fi).
4. Make less than 10 minutes of calls per month, never text.
5. Be pre-paid and like a little bird - cheap, cheap, cheap.
I'm trying to decide between T-mobile (will supply a wi-fi optimized router) or Republic wireless whose phones are optimized for wi-fi. So my question is which carrier, and which phone.
My coverage at home is: none for T-moble or Tracphone, no bars but calls kind of possible for AT&T, one bar for Verison). I currently use an antique T-mobile pre-paid, which doesn't work till I'm 100 yards from my house. I'd like a phone that works well with wi-fi, that way I can use the phone at home. What I want to do with the phone:
1. Have GPS and camera (so I can carry less things on trips).
2. Have data to look up the location of things like gas stations that carry diesel, etc. on trips.
3. Work at my house (probably through wi-fi).
4. Make less than 10 minutes of calls per month, never text.
5. Be pre-paid and like a little bird - cheap, cheap, cheap.
I'm trying to decide between T-mobile (will supply a wi-fi optimized router) or Republic wireless whose phones are optimized for wi-fi. So my question is which carrier, and which phone.
I have a prepaid T-Mobile plan ($30/mo for unlimited data, unlimited texts, 100 voice minutes per month, through WalMart) and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and my husband has the same plan on a Galaxy S4. Wifi calling and texts work flawlessly at our house in the middle of the woods with no cell reception whatsoever. It's only the 5 miles between our house and the nearest town that we have no service.
We don't have a "wifi optimized router", we just have an old Westell that works fine, on DSL, and our calls are really clear and texts always come through. We love it.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:20 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
We don't have a "wifi optimized router", we just have an old Westell that works fine, on DSL, and our calls are really clear and texts always come through. We love it.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:20 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I am afreight that this isn't going to fit into your cheap cheap cheap budget but wanted to bring it up anyway. The new iPhone 6 is (going to) support call via wifi.
You can also use Skype to make call via the internet. Any smartphone can run the Skype app. As long as you are in wifi or good 4G LTE coverage you can make excellent calls. Not only Skype to Skype but also to other regular land or cellphone lines. You can also have a Skype phone number people can call you back on. Having that phone number allows you also to forward calls to and from your regular cellphone / landline.
posted by Mac-Expert at 8:57 AM on October 6, 2014
You can also use Skype to make call via the internet. Any smartphone can run the Skype app. As long as you are in wifi or good 4G LTE coverage you can make excellent calls. Not only Skype to Skype but also to other regular land or cellphone lines. You can also have a Skype phone number people can call you back on. Having that phone number allows you also to forward calls to and from your regular cellphone / landline.
posted by Mac-Expert at 8:57 AM on October 6, 2014
T-Mobile won't loan you that router for free if you are on a prepaid plan. They'll sell it to you for $99 though.
posted by dcjd at 9:15 AM on October 6, 2014
posted by dcjd at 9:15 AM on October 6, 2014
Adding to Willie0248's answer: my parents are on Republic Wireless and they pay $10/month for unlimited talk & text. Data is unlimited on wi-fi but not available on cellular - however, you can switch plans up to twice a month and your fees are pro-rated, so you can easily change your plan just for those days when you travel! Just wanted to highlight this difference, given how good of a deal is $10/month even if you have to shell out $150 for the phone.
posted by rada at 9:44 AM on October 6, 2014
posted by rada at 9:44 AM on October 6, 2014
I used T-Mobile for 9 years and switched to Republic Wireless in April. I couldn't be happier! Even if you factor in the cost of a pro-rated phone you get from a post-paid contract with a major carrier and the fact that you have to pay for the phone in full with RW, the savings are humongous. The Wi-Fi calling/texting is fantastic and does not rely on having towers nearby. When you're out of the home, RW's native towers are Sprint, but you can roam onto any towers for unlimited talk/text. If you pay for the unlimited data plan ($25 at 3G speeds, my plan, or $40 at 4G speeds), the data is only unlimited on Wi-Fi & Sprint's towers - you only get 25mb roaming data per month. The roaming data speeds are dismal anyway, so you're not missing much.
posted by srrh at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2014
posted by srrh at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
1. The wifi calling is seamless and clear, but it uses the Sprint network which is the worst you can get if you're looking for cell coverage outside major city centers.
2. The phones aren't the greatest. They offer the Moto X, the Moto G, and the Moto E (coming soon I think) for $300, $150, and $100 respectively. None of them has an award-winning camera. Pictures will definitely look like they were shot on a camera phone. Of course you need to purchase the phone up front, and you absolutely cannot bring your own. You can buy RW phones second-hand however.
3. If it matters to you, you can't change the rom or root your phone. It requires the RW image to function.
That said, I pay $25 a month for unlimited everything per line and am happy with the service for such a low price. GPS is fine, just like on any modern phone. Calling is fine over cell and very clear over wifi.
posted by Willie0248 at 8:08 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]