Author Topic: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide  (Read 509786 times)

BearDown

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1200 on: January 21, 2014, 07:40:22 PM »
Question about switching plans. I'm currently on the T-Mobile $30 a month plan but let my plan lapse a couple of days ago (didn't refill). Can I still port my number if I go with Airvoice or does my T-Mobile plan have to have minutes on it for me to do it? Thanks.

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1201 on: January 21, 2014, 08:27:37 PM »
Question about switching plans. I'm currently on the T-Mobile $30 a month plan but let my plan lapse a couple of days ago (didn't refill). Can I still port my number if I go with Airvoice or does my T-Mobile plan have to have minutes on it for me to do it? Thanks.

The account typically has to be active and in good standing to be able to port your number out.

BearDown

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1202 on: January 21, 2014, 08:48:00 PM »
Question about switching plans. I'm currently on the T-Mobile $30 a month plan but let my plan lapse a couple of days ago (didn't refill). Can I still port my number if I go with Airvoice or does my T-Mobile plan have to have minutes on it for me to do it? Thanks.

The account typically has to be active and in good standing to be able to port your number out.

So I guess I'll switch plans to the $10 pay-as-you-go to get it active, order the sim, and as it soon as it comes start the process of porting my number from Tmobile.

I think we're going to try AirVoice first and see how the no-roaming thing is. It only costs a couple bucks for the sims so if it turns out to be an issue, we won't be out a lot of cash and we can switch over to PTel.

Thanks for the quick reply.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2014, 09:12:53 PM by BearDown »

nsarwark

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1203 on: January 22, 2014, 10:45:52 AM »
My wife and I (ok, mostly me) are looking for ways to lower our internet bill ($32 for 15 Mbps) and I was just wondering, is there any device that supports many video formats (codecs), has a usb port (NTFS support would be nice), and can hook up directly to a tv without the need of internet? I'm assuming a HTPC would fit the bill as long as it has a video card with HDMI support but I was wondering if there was anything with a smaller form factor or maybe an alternative altogether. Thanks in advance.

We got a Netgear NeoTV, which supports USB and DLNA, along with Netflix/HuluPlus/Pandora/etc.  Simple setup, HDMI output, and super small form factor. Happy with it so far.

-Nick

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1204 on: January 22, 2014, 10:51:19 AM »
Finally got my unlock processed with AT&T. Did the unlock.nz trick and data works, but not MMS. Every method I see on howard forums for activating MMS requires a third sim card (non-AT&T, non-AT&TMVNO), which I don't have. Is there no (other) workaround? iOS6, iphone 5, now on airvoice.

I was unable to get MMS working on our iPhones even with the SIM swap, so i don't think it's working anymore.  YMMV.

-Nick

engineerjourney

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1205 on: January 22, 2014, 06:07:05 PM »
I need help.  I have been trying to do a lot of research but I can't seem to find the right fit for a cell phone carrier and a lot of this is over my head because I am not interested in electronics so I don't know much about them.  My DH and I have super old (as in about 6 years old) phones that are just dying.  We are also still on our family's Verizon plans and think its time to figure out our own deal. 

The stats for service:
 - Need ATT&T or Verizon network, everything else sucks here
 - Want to set up a wifi calling system at home since almost all of our minutes are calling parents while we are at home.  Open to doing this through the cell phone or whatever is easiest.  We don't have a home phone.  Cell service, no matter the carrier, at our house is not great also. 
 - Based on the last year and a half we together use an average of 232 minutes and 404 texts per month.  Our maxes for the same time period are 317 minutes and 626 texts per month (this was when we were planning our wedding so not usual). 

The stats for phone:
 - Need new phones, want smartphones, most likely android system, not a fan of apple products, I think they are overpriced
 - Want minimal data plan for checking emails/chatting/googling when wifi is not available. 
 - Something easily compatible with gmail chat and facebook chat since that will drastically cut our text messages down (I have read that with some phones this would use data if not in wifi range, is that right?)
 - Camera is not important as it has to be disabled for me to take it to work

I thought PagePlus would be a good option but their phones seem to suck and they don't seem to want to support bringing ones in. It also looks like it could be expensive with the pay as you go and I am hoping to not have to pay $60/month as their $29.95 plan seems to provide. 
Ting looks so amazing, based on our projected usage with two lines I would only pay $33/month!  BUT they are on Sprints network so I don't know how I feel about that :-(  I want their bucket system on verizon or att&t!
I looked at a ton more but now they are all starting to run together in my mind and I am getting overwhelmed with all the choices. And thats just with the service provider, let alone the actual cell phone!

Any help would be appreciated.  Feel free to PM me.  Thank you so much. 

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1206 on: January 22, 2014, 06:48:33 PM »
Any help would be appreciated.

Go Airvoice, use their $10/month plan. There's plenty of GSM Android handsets ranging from the Moto G to Galaxy S Relay and a whole mess in and around. I've got a few decent selections over at the Shopping Hut (it is a referral program, but you don't have to buy direct, just search Ebay or Amazon directly for the make/model if you like). It's getting a little dated again in its selection and availability, but the devices listed are still pretty solid.

I know you don't have a home phone, but bring one into the mix instead of trying to do the VoIP on Android thing, it'll actually be a bit simpler and more reliable. That'll help reduce minute usage, provide reliable home phone service, and take care of anything else. You don't seem to need too many minutes at home from what you posted, so VOIP.ms might be the cheaper solution, but you'll need to buy your own ATA and use their Wiki to configure it. Here's a crash course on how to do that. Theoretically, between the three lines, you should be able to squeak in under $25 a month.

If you really want to save on data, also consider alternate chat clients like XMS and Kik, which should use a fair bit less data than Google or Facebook's protocols.

I reckon that should get you sorted.

engineerjourney

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1207 on: January 22, 2014, 07:34:11 PM »
Any help would be appreciated.

Go Airvoice, use their $10/month plan. There's plenty of GSM Android handsets ranging from the Moto G to Galaxy S Relay and a whole mess in and around. I've got a few decent selections over at the Shopping Hut (it is a referral program, but you don't have to buy direct, just search Ebay or Amazon directly for the make/model if you like). It's getting a little dated again in its selection and availability, but the devices listed are still pretty solid.

I know you don't have a home phone, but bring one into the mix instead of trying to do the VoIP on Android thing, it'll actually be a bit simpler and more reliable. That'll help reduce minute usage, provide reliable home phone service, and take care of anything else. You don't seem to need too many minutes at home from what you posted, so VOIP.ms might be the cheaper solution, but you'll need to buy your own ATA and use their Wiki to configure it. Here's a crash course on how to do that. Theoretically, between the three lines, you should be able to squeak in under $25 a month.

If you really want to save on data, also consider alternate chat clients like XMS and Kik, which should use a fair bit less data than Google or Facebook's protocols.

I reckon that should get you sorted.

THANK YOU!!!  That helps a lot!  I really appreciate it!

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1208 on: January 22, 2014, 07:49:08 PM »
THANK YOU!!!  That helps a lot!  I really appreciate it!

De nada. :)

Don't be afraid to dig around on my website, Technical Meshugana, either. Lots of other useful bits and pieces available there.

CBnCO

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1209 on: January 23, 2014, 03:17:31 PM »
I'm on a VZ plan that is no longer on contract and have a iPhone 5.  I'm contemplating "cutting the cord" and going without cell service (yes, I remember the days before cell phones and I don't remember things being that bad!) and instead setting up PC at home and wifi calling on my iPhone.  I was all set to use the Talkatone/GV combo for free and then just learned that this option is coming to an end in May and I'm open to suggestions for a new plan.

I was thinking about using and paying Skype, I'm calculating about $8 per month for an inbound number and unlimited outbound & texting...I'd also like to keep using my iPhone if possible as I do like some of the apps and browsing capabilities.   I've also considered that if I want to keep my own number and use the VoIP route, I'd need to port it to GV and then forward.  Not sure getting a new number is that big of a deal.   That said, has anyone here gone VoIP only and how does it work for you not having a true mobile phone? If VoIP only, any suggestions other than Skype (I did like the Talkatone interface and they claim to be working on an ios version for Q1 2014 that would charge only for outbound calls..something like $.015 per minute).  Or, should I look at the MVNO's and is there a good option for using a VZ Iphone 5? 

Looking for ideas..thanks in advance!

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1210 on: January 23, 2014, 05:45:45 PM »
Looking for ideas..thanks in advance!

A Verizon iPhone5 should have a carrier unlocked SIM card slot, so you can go to any AT&T or T-Mobile based MVNO.

As to VoIP services, I would recommend giving the VoIP section (in the beginning) of the Superguide a read. There's better options than Skype for the money. The important thing is to pay for what you use with any of this. Also, no Talkatone support, but Google Hangouts will still let you text and call via Google Voice.

CBnCO

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1211 on: January 23, 2014, 07:01:17 PM »
Looking for ideas..thanks in advance!

A Verizon iPhone5 should have a carrier unlocked SIM card slot, so you can go to any AT&T or T-Mobile based MVNO.

As to VoIP services, I would recommend giving the VoIP section (in the beginning) of the Superguide a read. There's better options than Skype for the money. The important thing is to pay for what you use with any of this. Also, no Talkatone support, but Google Hangouts will still let you text and call via Google Voice.

I just downloaded the Google Voice and Hangouts apps to my iPhone..can use Hangouts to make and receive calls and the Google Voice app to do text messages (I couldn't figure out a good push or notification mechanism so enabled notification on that email account and selected to notify via email for inbound texts).  In essence, a workable wifi solution for the iPhone using just the google apps.  But, I'm thinking having cell ability may be worth the $10-$15 plans the MVNOs offer.  So, ultimately, I can port my existing number to GV ($20 one time charge) then forward that to whatever number I get on the MVNO cell service..then use the Google calling from either iPhone or laptop when at home and anywhere else that has wifi..am I missing anything?

Sohcrates

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1212 on: January 23, 2014, 08:00:42 PM »
This is probably a stupid question, but can we still use our iphones if we terminate service with att?

We are going back to dumb phones and are trying to figure out the best option but it would be cool if we could still take photos, listen to music and even surf the web from them on wifi

Thanks for any help!

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1213 on: January 23, 2014, 09:15:20 PM »
am I missing anything?

Nope.



This is probably a stupid question, but can we still use our iphones if we terminate service with att?

http://www.techmeshugana.com/2013/05/how-to-save-money-with-an-iphone/

Sohcrates

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1214 on: January 23, 2014, 09:49:50 PM »
am I missing anything?

Nope.



This is probably a stupid question, but can we still use our iphones if we terminate service with att?

http://www.techmeshugana.com/2013/05/how-to-save-money-with-an-iphone/

Thanks! While generally pretty thoughtful about most everything, I admit that when it came to phones, I just bought what everyone else was buying and seemed to endorse. Thanks for the informative link!

CBnCO

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1215 on: January 24, 2014, 05:30:31 AM »
FYI.. In the course of my research I stumbled across the new Sprint "family" group plan for smartphones...unlimited talk and text and 1Gb per line of data for as low as $25 per month if you can co-op 7 or more lines into your group and they claim to offer individual billing by line so no single person has to manage billing..this is getting close to rendering the mvno plans less useful..what do you think?

https://now.sprint.com/framily/?ECID=SEM:Yahoo:P:2014_Q1_Brand:Brand_Framily_Plan_Tablet:Core_Family_Exact:sprintfamily:Exact

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1216 on: January 24, 2014, 07:48:11 AM »
FYI.. In the course of my research I stumbled across the new Sprint "family" group plan for smartphones...unlimited talk and text and 1Gb per line of data for as low as $25 per month if you can co-op 7 or more lines into your group and they claim to offer individual billing by line so no single person has to manage billing..this is getting close to rendering the mvno plans less useful..what do you think?

I'm familiar with this offer. All I can say is, "Meh."

Do the real math. Read the terms and conditions. Savings through family plans are no big shocker, but there's other family plans from other MNOs that get the cost down to that point sooner. It's still a pretty raw deal, and you have to remember that they're going to want to do everything they can to get each and every handset under contract.

Nobody needs unlimited anything. Nobody actually needs that much data if they're smart about their usage and utilizing the storage on their smartphones. Thanks, but no thanks.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2014, 07:50:08 AM by I.P. Daley »

Rural

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1217 on: January 24, 2014, 11:27:44 AM »
Can someone tell me if the Airvoice $10 plan and the $30 unlimited plan have voicemail available? I see lots of detail on the website but I don't see that. I'm thinking we might be able to do those two things and get everything we need. I only need the ability to make two to three calls per month, and he probably "needs" unlimited voice, but neither of us uses any data or text messaging whatsoever on our dumb phones. I need AT&T to have any coverage at all on my commute, and he seems to be doing fine with AT&T as well now that he has a "new" flip phone from eBay.

Also, I'm ignorant on the subject of SIM cards. Our phones are from circa 2003 and have the original SIMS. I understand there are now other sizes, but I don't know what the various sizes of SIM cards are called, so I'm not sure if the cards sold by AIrvoice will fit our very old phones. Without knowing the terminology, I don't know how to find out. Can someone point me to an idiot's guide, or just tell me what the early SIM cards are called now?

geekette

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1218 on: January 24, 2014, 12:09:13 PM »
They do have voicemail.  Some phones (like my iPhone) don't get notification of a new voicemail message, but I do get a missed call notice.

Sim sizes

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1219 on: January 24, 2014, 12:21:35 PM »
They do have voicemail.  Some phones (like my iPhone) don't get notification of a new voicemail message, but I do get a missed call notice.

Sim sizes

Thanks very much! I guess we don't really need voicemail notification as long as we're notified of missed calls. We can figure it out from that.

We seem to have standards SIM cards, which is what I would've expected. I just wasn't sure if ones we have had been phased out completely -- looks like not.

tracipam

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1220 on: January 25, 2014, 09:49:09 AM »

Hi all!

I've been meditating on changing cell phone service providers and new phones and was wondering if any of you had some input.  For about 7 years now I've been on sprint's plan; 29.99 per month (~36 after tax), calls only, 250 minutes during the day (and $5/50min bins if I go over) and unlimited at night after 7 and weekends.  That works for me, since I don't have a home phone and use the phone primarily to talk to family/friends in evenings/weekends.  My phone's a 3.5 year old 'dumb phone' and I don't have a texting plan, which is fine.  Right now the contract's been expired for about a year and a half, but since my phone works and has a good battery life--I tend to go out walking and talk to people as I meander, so that's important--I've kept it.  That said, I'm thinking it's about time to change things up a little bit.  I can re-sign with Sprint, but was hoping people could point me towards better options. 

I just went through and averaged my phone usage for the past year--I average roughly 900-1000 minutes a month of talk time per month.  Yes, yes, I know.  I do have a couple friends that I talk to via skype, but my immediate family is not very technology savvy.  And honestly, I like to be able to walk-and-talk.  :-) 

I've got wireless in my house and at work, so I've been considering Republic's $10 plan, since it would be nice to have at least some limited accesibility to e-mail by phone if needed (and work locks me out of all personal emails on the desktop work computers).  I've been kind of ambivalent about switching to Republic, though--can anyone give input on how the new phone's actually been working out for them?  Do calls switch over well from wireless to cell?  Is the phone fairly hardy?  (I am a bit of a butterfingers...)  Does the battery last decently long?  I do like the option to switch to wifi only (as I'm also planning trips overseas for this year). 

I noticed that Freedom Pop is expanding its options to cell coverage, although my concern is that they're currently extremely limited to metro areas--handy for my neck of the woods, but not if I travel at all (and I spend several weeks a year back with my family in extreme rural-land). 

It looks to me like Ting is probably going to cost similar to Sprint; a scan of a bunch of the other options on the first page--Airvoice,gosmart, platinumtel--also seem to be pointing toward the $30-35 range for the 1000min-unlimited call bucket range.  Which is fine if that's what it needs to be, just thought I'd poke all of you expert people and see if you have any wonderful ideas that I've missed.  If you've got any input, I appreciate it!

Thanks!

Tracy

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1221 on: January 25, 2014, 09:21:32 PM »
If you've got any input, I appreciate it!

The problem with your requirements are that you're demanding that the bulk of your phone time is to be mobile, even though you don't need to be. Mobile telephony will always cost more than stationary, unless you try and shoehorn in mVoIP, then the quality just suffers that much more... and let's face it, mobile calling quality is already bad enough as is.

This means you need to make a judgment call. Which is more important to you: staying mobile during your calls, or saving money?

Just remember the iron triangle - Easy, Good, Cheap: Pick Two.

If you're talking for over 15 hours a month on the phone, I'm pretty sure call quality is going to be important.

If you choose mobility, you already know the price for that mobility, and you're already paying that ballpark. You could always switch to slightly nicer phones and GSM MVNOs to expand your communications options a bit with a smartphone, so you can get email if need be as you seem to be wanting to push towards that creature comfort for around the same amount per month. It'd also save you the hideous cash outlay that a hardware switch would require going to Republic, too...

If you'd rather save the money, first understand that at the usage levels you're looking at, you'll be shelling out around $15 a month between a VoIP home phone and a mobile (and that even goes for Republic after the taxes, by the way, only it's a $300 buy-in, zero customer support, and mVoIP calls off WiFi dependent upon the Sprint data network, which is worse than their voice coverage).

Point being, if you can stay with the plan you have and avoid any lifestyle inflation, you're not doing terribly... but you're also not far off from the best mobile rates you'll ever see for your usage patterns.

I noticed that Freedom Pop is expanding its options to cell coverage, although my concern is that they're currently extremely limited to metro areas--handy for my neck of the woods, but not if I travel at all (and I spend several weeks a year back with my family in extreme rural-land).

This is going to be a problem for any mVoIP solution, be it FreedomPop, Republic or TextNow. This is why I keep saying mVoIP is not mobile phone service... the call quality is worse, the functional reception coverage shrinks down to only the areas with high enough speed data and low enough latency to actually work, and they're all dependent primarily on the Sprint data network which has the smallest data footprint on the smallest mobile network in the nation with the highest congestion issues.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2014, 09:28:10 PM by I.P. Daley »

tracipam

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1222 on: January 26, 2014, 07:42:25 AM »

Just remember the iron triangle - Easy, Good, Cheap: Pick Two.


Thanks!  I really appreciate your feedback.  I'll look into the home phone VoIP option--I'm comfortable using straight-up over-internet skype  but haven't considered it for phoning otherwise.  Otherwise the GSM mvnos look interesting.  I appreciate your help!

Tracy

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1223 on: January 27, 2014, 05:33:45 AM »

Just remember the iron triangle - Easy, Good, Cheap: Pick Two.


Thanks!  I really appreciate your feedback.  I'll look into the home phone VoIP option--I'm comfortable using straight-up over-internet skype  but haven't considered it for phoning otherwise.  Otherwise the GSM mvnos look interesting.  I appreciate your help!

Tracy

I don't think IP approves, but I've been happy making straight-up calls to telephones from Skype. I believe it's $30 a year for this (US only).

The concern, if I recall correctly, is privacy, but I don't trust the cellular networks in that regard either, so for me personally, that's a wash. YMMV.

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1224 on: January 27, 2014, 07:58:46 AM »
I don't think IP approves, but I've been happy making straight-up calls to telephones from Skype. I believe it's $30 a year for this (US only).

The concern, if I recall correctly, is privacy, but I don't trust the cellular networks in that regard either, so for me personally, that's a wash. YMMV.

It's not privacy quite so much as security issues with the protocol and service in general, a general disdain for the quality of the Skype software and their poor to mediocre support for any platform that isn't Windows, the fact that it's a closed protocol locking you into using said terrible software, and the piecemeal way they nickel and dime you to where it's actually more expensive to use Skype versus a more traditional SIP based VoIP provider for the same features combined (especially incoming). Also, Microsoft.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1225 on: January 27, 2014, 02:03:32 PM »
DH is required to have high-speed internet access at home so his company pays for our internet connection. We use Ooma for around $3 per month, which we pay. My cell phone is pre-paid. H2O, $100 for one year of 1000 minutes. No data plan but WiFi is a lot of places and things can wait if they have to. DH's cell phone is covered by work. No cable TV, of course, we just get TV over an antenna and use a converter box. Still using an old VCR that works fine.  My cell phone, including Otterbox case, was $80 on craigslist. It's an iphone 2gs, which is such an upgrade from my old flip phone that I'm thrilled with it and have no idea what the newer models do. I don't care! Mine works great for me!

I had no idea these were MMM principles, just the way we do things. It's nice to find other people who don't think I'm weird or cheap for finding the best fit for our use at the absolute lowest cost.

Daley

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1226 on: January 27, 2014, 02:36:42 PM »
I had no idea these were MMM principles, just the way we do things. It's nice to find other people who don't think I'm weird or cheap for finding the best fit for our use at the absolute lowest cost.

Isn't it?

Anyway, when the time comes that the Ooma equipment dies on you, give the beginning of the Superguide a read on VoIP options. When you factor hardware costs and features provided, Ooma's math doesn't add up, and winds up being more expensive for the same service than outfits like VOIPo and PhonePower. Just letting you know that there's better out there when the time comes that you'll need to replace hardware. :)

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1227 on: January 27, 2014, 04:38:02 PM »
Airvoice now has two more subscribers on the $10 plan... my parents! They were paying about $110/month to AT&T, and one of their phones had almost no usage.

I also pointed my in-laws to IP's blog, they seem interested in switching away from Verizon for the cell phones but it's the only network that's reliable where they live. I told them about Page Plus and also found out here that they're getting bought out, warned them about it.

Thanks IP Daley for all you do!

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1228 on: January 27, 2014, 05:43:27 PM »
I've been playing around with Airvoice service using an Airvoice SIMM on my current Verizon iphone5 iOS 7. Everything works except attaching an image to texts. I get a Not Delivered response. Using the SIM swap trick I've configured the proper settings for Airvoice MMS (below) but it still isn't working.

Am I missing something. It's the last thing I need to get working before I can Verizon and cancel!

1. In the MMS section, enter att.mvno as the APN.
2. Enter the Username and Password shown below. If no value is given, leave the field blank.
o Username:
o Password:
3. Enter http://mmsc.cingular.com as the MMSC.
4. Enter 66.209.11.33:80 as the MMS Proxy.
5. Leave the MMS Max Message Size set at the default value and the MMS UA Prof URL field left blank.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1229 on: January 27, 2014, 07:10:47 PM »
Am I missing something. It's the last thing I need to get working before I can Verizon and cancel!

You've got the right settings for Airvoice, but are you using these directions when you make the changes? It's hideously convoluted trying to get iOS7 to take the changes, unfortunately. If you don't cut the chicken's head off right at 3am during the full moon, the ghost of Steve Jobs won't let you do it. :p



Thanks IP Daley for all you do!

Glad to be of help!

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1230 on: January 27, 2014, 08:16:34 PM »
Am I missing something. It's the last thing I need to get working before I can Verizon and cancel!

You've got the right settings for Airvoice, but are you using these directions when you make the changes? It's hideously convoluted trying to get iOS7 to take the changes, unfortunately. If you don't cut the chicken's head off right at 3am during the full moon, the ghost of Steve Jobs won't let you do it. :p

So that's my problem - I didn't wait for the full moon!  Seriously, I haven't gotten MMS to work, but only one person ever sends me a text (vs. iMessage) and really?  I don't personally need it. 

Now if it would make tethering work, I'd try again...

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1231 on: January 28, 2014, 01:27:40 PM »
Just jumped on Freedompop using a Evo 4g and their Bring Your Own Device.  The monthly service is zero dollars if you decline all the options.  200 minutes talk, 500 texts and 500 MB data.  All of which are less than I use each month typically.  Overages are a cent per minute talk and 2 cents per MB data (I think) but I turned off the "auto-replenish" so I won't get charged by accident. 

Quality so far during 4 minutes of talking (over 3g and over my home wifi) has been average to slightly below average. A little delay, very minor "static" and some minor "you're breaking up".  Pretty typical cell phone experience I'd say. 

Given my rather infrequent use of voice, it suits me fine.  The phone was $53 from ebay and it looks brand new.  I should have bought the Galaxy S2 (Sprint Epic) instead since it is apparently better in almost all respects and wasn't much more expensive (I just totally screwed up the research on these 2 Freedompop Bring your Own Device competing phones).  Installing/configuring freedompop was very easy. 

I'll give it a few more days before I cancel my $25/mo virgin mobile plan. 

Next up is weaning off of google voice through my obihai for home phone service.


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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1232 on: January 29, 2014, 09:01:07 AM »
My dlink DIR-615 is on the blink...seems like power - as when it is moved or randomly over time - all the power lights go out.  When I squeeze it - they come on and off...eventually by moving it around it stays on...until the next time I come home and have no modem power.

So, I'm also thinking that an upgrade is in order?  I have the wireless router in my basement attached to the floor joist.  This is where my POA is for my cable into the house.  I don't get great wireless coverage to my cellphone within the house.  I don't know much about these things - is the signal power output from the DIR-615 low relative to other routers?  If I go the upgrade route is there something recommended that has a higher power rating?

Thanks!

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1233 on: January 29, 2014, 10:57:04 AM »
So, I'm also thinking that an upgrade is in order?  I have the wireless router in my basement attached to the floor joist.  This is where my POA is for my cable into the house.  I don't get great wireless coverage to my cellphone within the house.  I don't know much about these things - is the signal power output from the DIR-615 low relative to other routers?  If I go the upgrade route is there something recommended that has a higher power rating?

I can't find the specs on the DIR-615's broadcast wattage strength, but I can pretty much guarantee that as the device is a consumer grade router, its maximum wattage falls well short of the FCC and CRTC's maximum cap of 1W (1000mW) on the 2.4GHz bands (which is actually crazy powerful). Most consumer grade WiFi APs are only set up to do somewhere around 50-75mW, which is plenty powerful for most usage situations. Third party firmware like DD-WRT will let you set the wattage higher, but not substantially, and not without overheating the WiFi chipset thus shortening the lifespan further. There's also the additional issue of the broadcast strength of your devices. A 1W broadcaster is pretty worthless if the responding device can't communicate back. An easy alternative hack to improve WiFi reception is to use higher gain and directional antennas, but that requires a router that has detachable antennas.

Anyway, it sounds like it has a power short either in the adapter cable or the power jack. If you're handy, it might be worth trying to repair. Otherwise, it might be best to buy a new router. Something from Asus or Buffalo might fit the bill (the Buffalo units come with DD-WRT installed from the manufacturer, and you can monkey with broadcast strength - a feature typically missing from most standard firmwares) so long as you can potentially replace the antennas with a higher dB gain (5dB would probably be a good balance over the standard 2dB antennas), and you can also try something like the Windsurfer parabolic antenna hack before trying to buy bigger antennas. Remember antenna placement/direction can impact reception as well. The strongest signal strength off a standard WiFi duckie antenna is going to be best described as a giant donut with the antenna itself poking through the center hole. If your AP is in the basement, you'd want your antennas flat/parallel to the ground as opposed to being at a 90° angle.

The last thing to check for is band congestion as that can impact reception as well. The core channels with no spectrum overlap are channels 1, 6 and 11. Do a site survey of other wireless networks in your area and see what channels they're running on, and select the least congested band of the lot. Fortunately, most routers default to 6, and most ISP routers will default to 6 or 11, so most areas 1 is typically the least congested WiFi channel.

Sorry for the crash course on radio tech, but the info should help you decide quickly if it's worth repairing or replacing, and as you replace, what to look for in a replacement router and how you might improve overall reception in your house.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1234 on: January 29, 2014, 11:24:19 AM »
So, I'm also thinking that an upgrade is in order?  I have the wireless router in my basement attached to the floor joist.  This is where my POA is for my cable into the house.  I don't get great wireless coverage to my cellphone within the house.  I don't know much about these things - is the signal power output from the DIR-615 low relative to other routers?  If I go the upgrade route is there something recommended that has a higher power rating?

I can't find the specs on the DIR-615's broadcast wattage strength, but I can pretty much guarantee that as the device is a consumer grade router, its maximum wattage falls well short of the FCC and CRTC's maximum cap of 1W (1000mW) on the 2.4GHz bands (which is actually crazy powerful). Most consumer grade WiFi APs are only set up to do somewhere around 50-75mW, which is plenty powerful for most usage situations. Third party firmware like DD-WRT will let you set the wattage higher, but not substantially, and not without overheating the WiFi chipset thus shortening the lifespan further. There's also the additional issue of the broadcast strength of your devices. A 1W broadcaster is pretty worthless if the responding device can't communicate back. An easy alternative hack to improve WiFi reception is to use higher gain and directional antennas, but that requires a router that has detachable antennas.

Anyway, it sounds like it has a power short either in the adapter cable or the power jack. If you're handy, it might be worth trying to repair. Otherwise, it might be best to buy a new router. Something from Asus or Buffalo might fit the bill (the Buffalo units come with DD-WRT installed from the manufacturer, and you can monkey with broadcast strength - a feature typically missing from most standard firmwares) so long as you can potentially replace the antennas with a higher dB gain (5dB would probably be a good balance over the standard 2dB antennas), and you can also try something like the Windsurfer parabolic antenna hack before trying to buy bigger antennas. Remember antenna placement/direction can impact reception as well. The strongest signal strength off a standard WiFi duckie antenna is going to be best described as a giant donut with the antenna itself poking through the center hole. If your AP is in the basement, you'd want your antennas flat/parallel to the ground as opposed to being at a 90° angle.

The last thing to check for is band congestion as that can impact reception as well. The core channels with no spectrum overlap are channels 1, 6 and 11. Do a site survey of other wireless networks in your area and see what channels they're running on, and select the least congested band of the lot. Fortunately, most routers default to 6, and most ISP routers will default to 6 or 11, so most areas 1 is typically the least congested WiFi channel.

Sorry for the crash course on radio tech, but the info should help you decide quickly if it's worth repairing or replacing, and as you replace, what to look for in a replacement router and how you might improve overall reception in your house.

Thanks I.P. Daley!!  Tonight I'll get out the multimeter and see if the power cord is good.  I also may try flashing with DD-WRT..I see the suggestions here: http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/d-link-dir-615/4864-3319_7-32435592.html that this will help (with some of the other issues I've had).  There are some nice instructions here: http://www.dd-wrt.ca/wiki/index.php/D-Link_DIR-615_rev_E3

I will also give consideration to the antenna position.  I do not have them as you suggest.  If this doesn't improve the situation...I could get some longer LAN cable to reposition the router to the 'mid level' of the house. 
Thanks again...I will update in the next couple of days

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1235 on: January 30, 2014, 08:40:44 AM »
Thanks I.P. Daley!!  Tonight I'll get out the multimeter and see if the power cord is good.  I also may try flashing with DD-WRT..I see the suggestions here: http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/d-link-dir-615/4864-3319_7-32435592.html that this will help (with some of the other issues I've had).  There are some nice instructions here: http://www.dd-wrt.ca/wiki/index.php/D-Link_DIR-615_rev_E3

I will also give consideration to the antenna position.  I do not have them as you suggest.  If this doesn't improve the situation...I could get some longer LAN cable to reposition the router to the 'mid level' of the house. 
Thanks again...I will update in the next couple of days

Found no issue with the power cable. 
Repositioned the router flat with the antennae parallel to the ground - didn't seem to change the reception much.
Cannot flash with dd-wrt...my dir-615 version is the B2...which is about the only one that can't be flashed :-(
Confirmed that I am on channel 1.

SO, I will continue to use until it fails or becomes too unreliable.  Until then...will do a bit of research on the suggested brands...

Thanks again!

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1236 on: January 30, 2014, 08:46:41 AM »
Thanks again!

Not a problem, and good luck!

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1237 on: January 31, 2014, 03:57:47 PM »
Has anyone switched over to Ting with a Sprint iPhone 4S?

I'm considering making the move as I'm currently paying ($50/month on a family plan).  I'm also open to other recommendations.  I talk on my phone about 500 min/month, text lightly (<100/month), and use data for e-mail and GPS. 

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1238 on: January 31, 2014, 04:11:20 PM »
Has anyone switched over to Ting with a Sprint iPhone 4S?

I'm considering making the move as I'm currently paying ($50/month on a family plan).  I'm also open to other recommendations.  I talk on my phone about 500 min/month, text lightly (<100/month), and use data for e-mail and GPS. 

I'll tell you the same thing here as I told you in response to your question on my website a half hour ago (patience is a virtue, grasshopper):

If you’re wanting to keep your Sprint iPhone and switch to Ting, the first thing you need to do is stop wasting your data on GPS services by using Sygic’s offline GPS navigation software instead. Perhaps you should also read this post to help you get a better grasp on data usage: What is mobile media costing you?

If you get your data under 100MB and your messages under 100, you should theoretically be able to get your bill down with Ting to $21 a month plus tax.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1239 on: January 31, 2014, 07:45:43 PM »
Well, Airvoice is no longer an option. Four days after attempting to port my number with nary an email from them, I finally decided to call them and ask what, if anything, was happening. Their response? They are unable to port Chicago area code numbers so there was no way I could keep mine.

Got to say I'm a little pissed. You'd think they'd mention that on their website or, I don't know . . . not allow you to enter numbers with those area codes into the port form in the first place! Now I'm out $2 for the sims and $10 for the prepaid card they make you buy in order to activate their plan. What a frickin waste.

PlatinumTel, here I come.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1240 on: January 31, 2014, 08:08:18 PM »
I had same problem Beardown. Airvoice didnt let me know until I purchased sim and plan, but they did give me refund on my purchase. You can still have airvoice....but you have to get a new number from them, which I was not interested in doing.

I went with Ptel instead and coverage has been great in Chicagoland area. You might like Ptels plan better as the Pay-as-you-go for $10 is good for 60 days if I recall.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1241 on: February 01, 2014, 04:36:14 PM »
Has anyone switched over to Ting with a Sprint iPhone 4S?

I'm considering making the move as I'm currently paying ($50/month on a family plan).  I'm also open to other recommendations.  I talk on my phone about 500 min/month, text lightly (<100/month), and use data for e-mail and GPS. 

I'll tell you the same thing here as I told you in response to your question on my website a half hour ago (patience is a virtue, grasshopper):

If you’re wanting to keep your Sprint iPhone and switch to Ting, the first thing you need to do is stop wasting your data on GPS services by using Sygic’s offline GPS navigation software instead. Perhaps you should also read this post to help you get a better grasp on data usage: What is mobile media costing you?

If you get your data under 100MB and your messages under 100, you should theoretically be able to get your bill down with Ting to $21 a month plus tax.

Thanks!  I'm sure it will be a process to get my texting and media habits down, but I'm feeling much better about the entire process.

Also, I really enjoyed your blog.  Next up on the chopping is the cable bill. This is my husband's vice, so I need patience (and college sports options).

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1242 on: February 02, 2014, 10:35:37 AM »
Just wanted to throw my two cents in on this topic. I am a fairly heavy cell user and and talk/text/use data pretty much everyday. I finally cut off my at&t cell phone plan this last month and made the shift to airvoice wireless. I signed up for the $30/month plan which provides Unlimited talk/text + 500mb data. Both my wife and I switched using locked galaxy s3 and s4 phones. Everything works, with the exception of receiving iphone pictures.

We have pretty good at&t coverage in my area, so I have yet to notice any reductions in service quality.


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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1243 on: February 03, 2014, 09:29:22 AM »
Our VZ contract is up in August, so I'm beginning to investigate our next steps. I'd planned on spinning my grandmother off our plan now (she's not under contract, and we only pay $10/month for her basic phone) and tried to set her up on Verizon's pay as you go plan for $.25/minute last week (she carries her phone but uses it minimally, obviously).

Unfortunately, when I tried to activate her new plan, I was told that the airtime I buy for her (you can only buy in $15 increments) expire within 30 days, which, through the clever use of math, I realized is more than the $10 I'm paying now. Is this expiration thing typical of pay as you go plans? Is there a plan out there you can recommend that could be a better fit for her?

My other option is to activate the $15 plan, which will then enable us to get the Secret Loyalty Plan playtah mentioned recently here (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/secret-verizon-discount!/), which would save us $20/month. So $5 more on her plan, but $20 less on ours. Since the savings is relatively small for now, I'd rather not have to buy her a new phone, which complicates this further...

ETA: Aha! Page Plus has a $10 and the minutes don't expire for 120 days. That's much more reasonable. Now I just have to get the identifying numbers from my grandmother's phone (via my brother, who lives closer to her) and see if I can just port the number over to them. Think this might solve my issue. Hooray!
« Last Edit: February 03, 2014, 10:29:47 AM by Random Hangers »

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1244 on: February 03, 2014, 06:46:34 PM »
I have a question about webmail service providers. I hope this is the right place to post this - if not, moderators are welcome to move it! I have a free hotmail email account, which is now Outlook. I get a ton of spam and I'm thinking of switching to a webmail provider that has better spam filters. I've seen I.P. Daley mention (I think on this thread or on his blog) that if you're not paying for it, you're the product. Any reason to worry about free webmail accounts? Should I switch to another free webmail provider (most of my friends use gmail) or is there a low price provider that does a fantastic job?  I need my email to look professional for occasional work-related stuff, but mostly it is for communication with friends and family and organizations I participate in, and I rarely send large files.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1245 on: February 03, 2014, 07:41:28 PM »
Much as I am loathe to admit it, I use gmail and it does a fantastic job filtering spam. I switched from fastmail, which I otherwise loved, when I got sick of attempting to keep the spam to manageable levels and failing miserably.

You can try any provider out risk-free by setting your Outlook account to forward to your new, perhaps temporary address.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1246 on: February 03, 2014, 08:22:45 PM »
Any reason to worry about free webmail accounts? Should I switch to another free webmail provider (most of my friends use gmail) or is there a low price provider that does a fantastic job?

Account hijacking with a potential of zero recovery is the biggest concern with free webmail, followed closely by datamining and privacy concerns. Two-factor authentication can be of use to help minimize the risk, but not guarantee it. Security is only as tight with these companies as the minimum wage jockeys helping to do lost password resets.

As for a couple paid hosted mail server providers, there's PolarisMail and Pobox. Spam filtration is good, as are the privacy policies.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1247 on: February 03, 2014, 08:32:18 PM »
Any reason to worry about free webmail accounts? Should I switch to another free webmail provider (most of my friends use gmail) or is there a low price provider that does a fantastic job?

Account hijacking with a potential of zero recovery is the biggest concern with free webmail, followed closely by datamining and privacy concerns. Two-factor authentication can be of use to help minimize the risk, but not guarantee it. Security is only as tight with these companies as the minimum wage jockeys helping to do lost password resets.

As for a couple paid hosted mail server providers, there's PolarisMail and Pobox. Spam filtration is good, as are the privacy policies.

It all goes back to who is the customer.  If you are getting it for free -- you are not.

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1248 on: February 04, 2014, 09:15:39 AM »

As for a couple paid hosted mail server providers, there's PolarisMail and Pobox. Spam filtration is good, as are the privacy policies.

I can wholeheartedly recommend pobox.  I don't use them now, but used them for-freaking-ever in the past.  If  you use them as a forwarder, you can pick-and-choose your back end.  Want to use gmail?  Go ahead.  Get tired of them and want to move to your ISP's email server?  Go ahead.  NOBODY NEEDS TO KNOW.  Your address won't change.  (They offer hosted mail as well if you absolutely don't want to deal with anyone else.)

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Re: Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide
« Reply #1249 on: February 04, 2014, 07:04:39 PM »
Thanks for the replies about webmail providers. Data mining skeeves me out but I don't know how much I can do to avoid it. It's fascinating to me how the internet has brought such change to ethics and personal privacy, and how an individual really isn't anonymous anymore. I guess that's a topic for another thread...

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!