Wifi reception that doesn't use AT&T data

Hi, again. Still shopping for a phone.

My friend upgraded to a smart phone, and she tells me that when she is
at home, where she has a wireless router, or anywhere that has wi-fi,
she can access the net without paying data charges to AT&T, Because,
as I'm sure you know, but for other newbie readers like me, she's
going through her own internet provider (or the Dunkin' Donuts, etc.),
and she's not using AT&T data. .

Is there a name for this feature?

More to the point, if I have a plan that doesn't include special data
rates, such as the 100 dollar year GoPhone (which does permit AT&T
internet use, but I just don't have the money to use it) but I get a
smart phone that can do internet, would I be able to use the wifi at
the Dunkin' Donutst, like she does, for free?

I don't mind spending extra for the phone, but spending an extra
monthly fee, when I probably wouldn't spend more than 60 minutes a
year on the Net is more money than I t hink I can afford. But
somehow doing it this way seems like such a good deal that they won't
let me.

Thanks a lot.

Micky

---

› See More: Wifi reception that doesn't use AT&T data

micky wrote:
>> Hi, again. Still shopping for a phone.
>>
>> My friend upgraded to a smart phone, and she tells me that when she
>> is at home, where she has a wireless router, or anywhere that has
>> wi-fi, she can access the net without paying data charges to AT&T,
>> Because, as I'm sure you know, but for other newbie readers like me,
>> she's going through her own internet provider (or the Dunkin'
>> Donuts, etc.), and she's not using AT&T data. .
>>
>> Is there a name for this feature?
>>
Yea, it's called using WiFi be it at home (where I use Verizon FiOS) or at a
public hotspot (like a library or DDs). Not a fancy name but it is quite
descriptive and gets the job done (like WiFi). :-)

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:55:39 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> micky <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> My friend upgraded to a smart phone, and she tells me that when she is
>> at home, where she has a wireless router, or anywhere that has wi-fi,
>> she can access the net without paying data charges to AT&T, Because,
>> as I'm sure you know, but for other newbie readers like me, she's
>> going through her own internet provider (or the Dunkin' Donuts, etc.),
>> and she's not using AT&T data. .
>>
>> Is there a name for this feature?
>
>ummmm...wifi access.

Yeah, I just got it when you and Drewdove replied. I was equating wifi
with AT&T internet and thinking they were two kinds of wifi.

Thanks to you both.

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:47:38 -0400, micky <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Hi, again. Still shopping for a phone.
>
>My friend upgraded to a smart phone, and she tells me that when she is
>at home, where she has a wireless router, or anywhere that has wi-fi,
>she can access the net without paying data charges to AT&T, Because,
>as I'm sure you know, but for other newbie readers like me, she's
>going through her own internet provider (or the Dunkin' Donuts, etc.),
>and she's not using AT&T data. .
>
>Is there a name for this feature?

As was pointed out, the feature is called wi-fi, duh! But for the
record, when it's not present, gsmarena.com has an entry under Data,
"WLAN no "

So far since Friday the phone I own and the ones I've looked at don't
have wi-fi, but I have to look at more recent models, or more
expensive phones. My limit was 100 dollars, with no contract (only
the $100 prepaid.

Amazon's used phones don't seem to be much cheaper than new, 20 or 30
percent cheaper. I found one phone that was 90% cheaper, 400 new
selling for 40, but even it was 2008, too old I think for wi-fi and it
got mostly 1, 2, and 3 ratings! I haven't seen any other phones, or
anything, that rated so low, but parts of it didn't work or didn't
work all the time. .

I'll keep looking.

On Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:28:35 -0600, Todd Allcock
<[email protected]> wrote:

>At 23 Jul 2012 01:15:10 -0400 micky wrote:
>
>> As was pointed out, the feature is called wi-fi, duh! But for the
>> record, when it's not present, gsmarena.com has an entry under Data,
>> "WLAN no "
>
>
>> So far since Friday the phone I own and the ones I've looked at don't
>> have wi-fi, but I have to look at more recent models, or more
>> expensive phones. My limit was 100 dollars, with no contract (only
>> the $100 prepaid.
>
>Checking at
>http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...aidphones.html
> and filtering for WiFi brought up a bunch of devices under $150.

Thanks. I"ll go look. I didn't know about this page at all. I like
it. It has new and refurbished.

Are AT&T phones really some other brand?


>> Amazon's used phones don't seem to be much cheaper than new, 20 or 30
>> percent cheaper. I found one phone that was 90% cheaper, 400 new
>> selling for 40, but even it was 2008, too old I think for wi-fi and it
>> got mostly 1, 2, and 3 ratings!
>
>
>I bought my first WiFi-enabled phone in 2005. Every phone I've used since
>has had WiFi; I wouldn't buy a phone without it.

Is that because you save a lot of money when there's wi-fi around?

Like almost every motel and hotel and loads of other places.

On 7/22/2012 10:15 PM, micky wrote:

<snip>

> So far since Friday the phone I own and the ones I've looked at don't
> have wi-fi, but I have to look at more recent models, or more
> expensive phones. My limit was 100 dollars, with no contract (only
> the $100 prepaid.

I bought an AT&T Avail, AKA ZTE-990, AKA StraightTalk Merit for $100.
It's a basic Android phone with Wi-Fi. They periodically go on sale at
Fry's Electronics for a tad under $100. AT&T charges $130 for it.

Tiger Direct has it for $100 now:
<http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2032161&CatId=5181>.


I never activated it on AT&T. I unlocked it (no cost and easy to do
yourself) and took it to China to use with a prepaid SIM card. Now I
have a T-Mobile SIM card in it, and it's essentially a $10/year GSM
phone, but I rarely use it because T-Mobile coverage is so poor.

I used the Wi-Fi on the AT&T Avail quite a bit, though unfortunately
many hotels outside the U.S. still have only wired Ethernet in the
rooms, and Wi-Fi only in the public areas. I had a travel router with me
to use in the rooms without Wi-Fi.

I also rooted the Avail and installed DroidWall. DroidWall is an
important application. If you leave 3G data turned on on an Android
phone there are many apps that will use up data in the background,
serving up advertising, doing updates, etc. With DroidWall you can
specify which applications are allowed to use 3G and which are allowed
to use Wi-Fi. Actually it wasn't really an issue for me in China since
the SIM card I bought was only for voice and text.

In the last episode of <[email protected]>,
micky <[email protected]> said:

>On Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:28:35 -0600, Todd Allcock
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Checking at
>>http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...aidphones.html
>> and filtering for WiFi brought up a bunch of devices under $150.
>
>Thanks. I"ll go look. I didn't know about this page at all. I like
>it. It has new and refurbished.
>
> Are AT&T phones really some other brand?

AT&T doesn't manufacture anything themselves, they're all made by
various other carriers, some are branded AT&T, some are branded by the
manufacturer.

>>I bought my first WiFi-enabled phone in 2005. Every phone I've used since
>>has had WiFi; I wouldn't buy a phone without it.
>
>Is that because you save a lot of money when there's wi-fi around?

Not just saving money, there's also speed and performance, plus
occasionally the ability to access local-network-only resources.

--
Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

On Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:28:35 -0600, Todd Allcock
<[email protected]> wrote:

>At 23 Jul 2012 01:15:10 -0400 micky wrote:
>
>> As was pointed out, the feature is called wi-fi, duh! But for the
>> record, when it's not present, gsmarena.com has an entry under Data,
>> "WLAN no "
>
>
>> So far since Friday the phone I own and the ones I've looked at don't
>> have wi-fi, but I have to look at more recent models, or more
>> expensive phones. My limit was 100 dollars, with no contract (only
>> the $100 prepaid.
>
>Checking at
>http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...aidphones.html
> and filtering for WiFi brought up a bunch of devices under $150.

Thanks again.

No final edits for this answer, because I have to be somewhere in 10
minutes.

Well, after hours of looking around over 3 weeks, I actually found
one on this web page, and in only an hour or so decided I wanted it,
but when I went to buy it, I couldn't get past the screen that wanted
me to pick a plan.

And no plan I would pick was offered. Either a 50 dollar a month plan
or a 25 dollar a month plan. Right now I'm on the 100 dollar every 51
weeks plan. And in the past year, I only used about 50 dollars.
I'm usually near a real phone, plus I 'm short of money***. Plus I
just spent 100 and have 150 in my account. ***But having wi-fi
sounds like a bigggg plus.

So I decided to chat, and I found my microphone, and looked for the
USB cable, and could only find the 6" one, so I looked for the
extension cable I got yesterday, and plugged everything in, and
clicked on chat, and it was a text chat, not a oral chat. I think
they should say that!!!! It said "Need help ordering. Live chat".

The page you gave me, above, lists adding a plan, and accessories, but
I don't think it makes clear that one must do that.


Vera: GoPhones sold online are for new activations only. If you
purchase online, you will not be able to transfer your number, plan
and balance from your existing account.

She seemed to cover every point. It must be a form paragraph, for all
the people who ask the same question.
.........


The one online was 125 marked down to 70 because it was refurbrished,.

Walmart has it new, for 109, plus tax but no shipping.

Vera said " Yes, your Sim card will work with the phone you purchase
at Walmart. However, you will want to contact Customer Service to
assist you with that.at 1-800-901-9878."

Do you think I need to call them before I buy it? Last time I just
changed the Sim card to another phone and it worked.

It has almost every feature I wanted:
Bluetooth
Stereo radio***,
Camera
Speakerphone (My current phone doesn't even have that. I mislaid that
second phone and had to go back to the one I got at first.) )
Wi-fi, if possible

***My friend liked the radio in her Sony Ericson, which broke. She
doesn't like the reception in her new Samsung. We listen to the same
station. So I wanted a Sony, and this Korean phone will be a shot in
the dark.



Here's the walmart ad.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/AT-T-U8652...-Blue/17812999
It only came out in March and has very good reviews and only a few bad
ones.
Heres gsmarena
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_fusion_u8652-4656.php

On 7/23/2012 10:37 AM, DevilsPGD wrote:

> Not just saving money, there's also speed and performance, plus
> occasionally the ability to access local-network-only resources.

I was somewhere two weeks ago where there was no cellular coverage, but
there was Wi-Fi. I was making a VOIP call and another guy who was trying
in vain to use his phone asked if I had some sort of special phone.

At to the original poster's question, there are two low cost AT&T
Android GoPhones, the Fusion (HUAWEI U8652) and the Avail (ZTE-990). The
Avail does not have an FM Radio. However it does have some advantages
over the Fusion, the biggest being more RAM, and a better camera.

On Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:39:59 -0700, sms88 <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 7/23/2012 10:37 AM, DevilsPGD wrote:
>
>> Not just saving money, there's also speed and performance, plus
>> occasionally the ability to access local-network-only resources.
>
>I was somewhere two weeks ago where there was no cellular coverage, but
>there was Wi-Fi. I was making a VOIP call and another guy who was trying
>in vain to use his phone asked if I had some sort of special phone.
>
>At to the original poster's question, there are two low cost AT&T
>Android GoPhones, the Fusion (HUAWEI U8652) and the Avail (ZTE-990). The
>Avail does not have an FM Radio. However it does have some advantages
>over the Fusion, the biggest being more RAM, and a better camera.

Thanks, SMS and Devils.

I was rarin' to go yesterday, and a little while ago I found out from
their webpage that Wal-Mart has the Fusion you mention in stock at 2
stores near me. So now it's 3 in t he morning and I was going to go
tomorrow, until I noticed this:

"Smartphone users can use any of these GoPhone plans, however, a
smartphone require a data/web package to use data/web services.
Pay-per-use data/web is not available on smartphone devices."

I'm not sure what this means to me. If I"m using wi-fi only for
web-access, it's not pay-per-use because I don't have to pay, but
maybe it's still data/web services and I can't use it without a
data/web package. Do you know? Does anyone know? :-)

I found webforum questions on this exact subject (except not about
prepaid) but posters disagree. Some webforum posts agree that "AT&T
does not permit a smartphone on its network without a data plan. They
will identify the model by IMEI and add it to your plan. " but a
couple others say if you turn off the data part before putting in the
Sim, ATT won't add a data plan, and one can still use the wi-fi, for
web-browsing I assume.

And I'm not even on a plan where they bill me. Every year I buy $100
worth of minutes, etc.

Do you think they will still make me get a data plan?

On Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:07:22 -0700, SMS <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 7/22/2012 10:15 PM, micky wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>> So far since Friday the phone I own and the ones I've looked at don't
>> have wi-fi, but I have to look at more recent models, or more
>> expensive phones. My limit was 100 dollars, with no contract (only
>> the $100 prepaid.
>
>I bought an AT&T Avail, AKA ZTE-990, AKA StraightTalk Merit for $100.
>It's a basic Android phone with Wi-Fi. They periodically go on sale at
>Fry's Electronics for a tad under $100. AT&T charges $130 for it.
>
>Tiger Direct has it for $100 now:
><http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2032161&CatId=5181>.

Wow, thank you.
>
>>I never activated it on AT&T. I unlocked it (no cost and easy to do
>yourself)

Only some phones are free and easy to do, right?. Some brands?

>and took it to China to use with a prepaid SIM card. Now I

I would love to go to China.

>have a T-Mobile SIM card in it, and it's essentially a $10/year GSM
>phone, but I rarely use it because T-Mobile coverage is so poor.
>
>I used the Wi-Fi on the AT&T Avail quite a bit, though unfortunately
>many hotels outside the U.S. still have only wired Ethernet in the
>rooms, and Wi-Fi only in the public areas. I had a travel router with me
>to use in the rooms without Wi-Fi.

Aha!

>I also rooted the Avail and installed DroidWall. DroidWall is an
>important application. If you leave 3G data turned on on an Android
>phone there are many apps that will use up data in the background,

I knew about this problem. Can you turn the 3G data off from your
phone, and still receive voice calls?

>serving up advertising, doing updates, etc. With DroidWall you can
>specify which applications are allowed to use 3G and which are allowed
>to use Wi-Fi.

But I didn't know about this. If I end up with a data plan, now or
ever, this will be very important.

> Actually it wasn't really an issue for me in China since
>the SIM card I bought was only for voice and text.

On 7/24/2012 1:32 AM, micky wrote:

> I was rarin' to go yesterday, and a little while ago I found out from
> their webpage that Wal-Mart has the Fusion you mention in stock at 2
> stores near me. So now it's 3 in t he morning and I was going to go
> tomorrow, until I noticed this:
>
> "Smartphone users can use any of these GoPhone plans, however, a
> smartphone require a data/web package to use data/web services.
> Pay-per-use data/web is not available on smartphone devices."
>
> I'm not sure what this means to me. If I"m using wi-fi only for
> web-access, it's not pay-per-use because I don't have to pay, but
> maybe it's still data/web services and I can't use it without a
> data/web package. Do you know? Does anyone know? :-)

"Smartphone users must purchase a data package to use data services with
any plan. Pay-per-use is not available with smartphones."

You can have a smart phone on AT&T prepaid without a data package. But
that means you get no 3G/4G data service. You can only use Wi-Fi, which
has nothing to do with AT&T at all*. You can't pay by the MB for data as
in the past. Wi-Fi data has nothing to do with 3G/4G data provided by
AT&T. Non-smartphone users can still purchase pay-per-use data, but of
course non-smartphone users are unlikely to use much data, if any at all.

* There are still some AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots that are not free. AT&T
customers will sometimes get free access to these hotspots, depending on
the services they purchase (some AT&T DSL and AT&T Uverse customers get
free access as well as AT&T Wireless customers with a data plan). If you
don't buy a GoPhone data plan then you don't get free access to paid
AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots. But these are no longer very common, i.e. Starbucks
no longer charges for their AT&T hotspots. And of course most Wi-Fi
hotspots are not provided by AT&T anyway.

Furthermore, as of April 18th, 2012, you can't buy data packages on
GoPhone accounts unless you buy a monthly voice/text plan. Existing
owners are NOT grandfathered. It had become popular for those that used
very few voice minutes to buy a data package on their GoPhone and just
do pay-as-you-go for voice and text, or use VOIP for voice. AT&T didn't
like this of course because it was hurting their postpaid business to
have reasonably priced data available on GoPhone without the need for a
voice/text plan. This change really upset a lot of people who had put a
lot of money into their GoPhone account to pay for data packages. They
could no longer buy the data packages without also buying a voice/text
package that they didn't want.

> And I'm not even on a plan where they bill me. Every year I buy $100
> worth of minutes, etc.
>
> Do you think they will still make me get a data plan?

No. There is no requirement for a data plan on prepaid, even with a
smart phone. However they will not sell data to GoPhone customers any
other way. As of April 18, 2012 there is no more "Pay as You Go" data on
smart phones on AT&T. If GoPhone customers are okay with _never_ being
able to use anything other than Wi-Fi data on their smart phones then
they can opt to not purchase a data plan (and remember, GoPhone
customers not on a monthly GoPhone voice/text plan can't purchase a data
plan).

It sounds like you, personally, can't purchase a data plan on GoPhone.
If you're spending $100 a year on minutes then you're obviously not
signed up for a voice/text plan.

Since you're committed to AT&T, you have to resign yourself to the fact
that they will do everything in their power to increase their revenue by
making it more difficult to purchase only the services you want. They do
NOT want people that buy $100 worth of minutes a year to have access to
their data network. Too many GoPhone customers would be happy to
pay-per-use for data on the rare occasions that Wi-Fi is not available
and they have an urgent need for data. Similarly, too many GoPhone
customers want to buy only a data package and then pay-per-use for voice
and texts. AT&T has put a stop to this.

My whole family is on Verizon's MVNO Pageplus. We all have Android smart
phones (only Verizon-compatible phones can be used). I add an $80 card,
to each account, every 10-12 months. Calls are 4˘/minute. Texts are 5˘
each. Data is 99˘/MB. They have a 50˘/month fee. Pageplus also has a
variety of monthly plans for customers that use a lot of minutes, texts,
and data, but I found them to not be worthwhile for me because it's
pretty rare to need data and not have Wi-Fi available. On those
occasions I'll just pay per MB. It's a far better deal than GoPhone.