Using US iPad in Canada

Matt Phoenix said:

I live in the US, but a couple times a year, I make a trip to Canada (usually to Toronto). The last time I was there, I used Skype to call back home. Unfortunately, the last hotel I was at did not have free Wifi, so I had to use the Wifi at a local coffee shop in order to use Skype.

Now, I want to get an iPad. Originally, I intended to get the basic 16gb one for $499. However, I was wondering: For these international trips, is it possible to use my US iPad over there and connect to the Rogers 3G network for the month? If I did this, what are the necessary steps? Would I need a different sim card? If it were rather easy to use my US iPad over there, it would totally justify the purchase of a 3G iPad. Any help on the matter is greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Yes, absolutely, You will need a Rogers Sim Card, which are easily obtainable.

You will then activate your service on the iPad, as you do with A&T. You enter your cc information and such.

If you choose Bell, you will need to contact them via the 1-800 number on the inside folio-case which the Micro-Sim card comes in. Unfortunately, there is no on-device activation.

As with Telus, I am unsure about the methods being used to activate the service, or their data plans.

Rogers and Bell offer the same plans, at the same price.

250MB - $15 (plus tax)
5GB - $35 (plus tax)

Bell does offer free service of their MobileTV App until the end of August. It's for the iPhone, so it needs to be scaled up. It gives u about 10 channels to stream to your device, but it will use your 3G bandwidth to consume the information

*** BUT THERE IS A TRICK - JB is sorta needed ***

Connect to your 3G network. Open the BellMobileTV App, so that it can identify that your a BELL customer (hence being on 3G).

Once the App passes and then shows you the LIST Of channels to watch.

Enable the App to be in the background.

Convert your connection from 3G, to WiFi, by turning off the 3G then connecting to a known WiFi network.

Then go back to BellMobileTV App, and voila, click a channel and then you'll be using your WiFi and saving your 3G.

Voila.

You would need a Canadian Micro-SIM card.

And you would need to make sure that you could get a plan for one month without a contract.

Can you activate Rogers via the iPad like AT&T? It looks like you do not need a contract, similar to AT&T. I am heading to the Rice Lake area, which is by Harwood. It looks like Rogers has the best coverage in that area.

Matt Phoenix said:

Thanks for the help everybody!

So how exactly would I obtain a sim card? I've been a Verizon customer for many years, so I know nothing about sim cards.

Click to expand...

Google to find the closest Roger's retailer.
Futureshop & Bestbuy stores will also carry them.

Cdn Apple Stores will give you a Rogers or Bell microSIM for free. Any other stores will sell them to you for $15.

GDF said:

Can you activate Rogers via the iPad like AT&T? It looks like you do not need a contract, similar to AT&T. I am heading to the Rice Lake area, which is by Harwood. It looks like Rogers has the best coverage in that area.

Click to expand...

Rogers can be activated on the iPad, Bell said they'll release the same functionality later this month - for now, have to phone them.

I wonder if any non-Cdns have activated their Rogers or Bell plans, does it require a Canadian credit card? I wouldn't know since I have a Cdn credit card.

GDF said:

Can you activate Rogers via the iPad like AT&T? It looks like you do not need a contract, similar to AT&T. I am heading to the Rice Lake area, which is by Harwood. It looks like Rogers has the best coverage in that area.

Click to expand...

Where a bouts are you going in the Rice Lake area? I'm just curious because that's where I'm from! Rogers has really good reception out there, but depending on where you are Bell also gets the job done.

That is funny! We love that area - my family has gone there for years. We go to Tam-Bir Cottages in Harwood. So, you recommend going with Rogers for that area? Thanks for the help.

Madmic23 said:

Where a bouts are you going in the Rice Lake area? I'm just curious because that's where I'm from! Rogers has really good reception out there, but depending on where you are Bell also gets the job done.

Click to expand...

My nagging question (and one I'd like to see answered at least semi-definitively) about international travel is whether you need a computer to sync to iTunes with a different brand of sim. Sounds like a "probably" right now, which sort of spoils things for me, because part of the appeal would not be toting my laptop with me.

Trying to decide on WiFi or WiFi+3G right now and really not sure...

JamSandwich said:

My nagging question (and one I'd like to see answered at least semi-definitively) about international travel is whether you need a computer to sync to iTunes with a different brand of sim. Sounds like a "probably" right now, which sort of spoils things for me, because part of the appeal would not be toting my laptop with me.

Trying to decide on WiFi or WiFi+3G right now and really not sure...

Click to expand...

For Canada (with Rogers), you DEFINITELY need your computer. I purchased my iPad without picking up a microsim. Traveled to Toronto, stopped by Apple store and got my free Rogers sim. Popped it in, and I was greeted with the message asking me to sync with my computer. This was apparently needed for the iPad to download carrier-specific files needed for the 3G data activation. It's completely non-sense to me (you need to already have access to the internet, before you can buy your access to the internet), but that's the way it is.

Really - if true, that makes no sense. In the US, on AT&T, I did not have to synch with my computer to activate 3G. Just signed up via the iPad. If that is the case, so much for bringing the iPad to Canada on vacation.

silverblack said:

For Canada (with Rogers), you DEFINITELY need your computer. I purchased my iPad without picking up a microsim. Traveled to Toronto, stopped by Apple store and got my free Rogers sim. Popped it in, and I was greeted with the message asking me to sync with my computer. This was apparently needed for the iPad to download carrier-specific files needed for the 3G data activation. It's completely non-sense to me (you need to already have access to the internet, before you can buy your access to the internet), but that's the way it is.

Click to expand...

GDF said:

Really - if true, that makes no sense. In the US, on AT&T, I did not have to synch with my computer to activate 3G. Just signed up via the iPad. If that is the case, so much for bringing the iPad to Canada on vacation.

Click to expand...

this only has to be done once....and can be done on any machine with itunes.

not really a big deal.

same with AT & T in the us...i had to do the same coming from canada.

GDF said:

Really - if true, that makes no sense. In the US, on AT&T, I did not have to synch with my computer to activate 3G. Just signed up via the iPad. If that is the case, so much for bringing the iPad to Canada on vacation.

Click to expand...

That's because ATT is the only 3G provide in the US, and so the sim and the setting are already installed in ipads out of the box. In Canada, there are three 3G providers. We select one when we bought the iPad, hence the syncing depending on which sim you installed.

If the canadian city you visit has an apple store, pick up your free sim there and ask them to activate it for you, perhaps even make an appointment with the genie bar for this.

If you don't have the chance to download the latest carrier settings with iTunes you can manually enter into the iPad. It's just the updated APN.

Where would you get the latest carrier settings for Rogers at? My problem is that I will not be taking my laptop to Canada and was just going to use the iPad. So, if I can just manually add the settings. That would be great!

maestrokev said:

If you don't have the chance to download the latest carrier settings with iTunes you can manually enter into the iPad. It's just the updated APN.

Click to expand...

The apn is rogers-core-appl1.apn, no username or password needed. That's all there is to it. Enjoy.

Micro sims from Future Shop or Best Buy are $9.99. As for the carrier update, the store can do it from their computer running iTunes. I walked into a Best Buy with my iPad, they set me up with Telus and I was connecting over 3G before I walked out of the store.

Bell Canada APN

pda2.bell.ca

I, on the other hand, am traveling to the US with my Canadian iPad. Wouldn't it be ideal if we can somehow buy each other a sim...

maestrokev said:

Rogers can be activated on the iPad, Bell said they'll release the same functionality later this month - for now, have to phone them.

I wonder if any non-Cdns have activated their Rogers or Bell plans, does it require a Canadian credit card? I wouldn't know since I have a Cdn credit card.

Click to expand...

I went to Canada last month. I went to an Apple store in Vancouver BC where they were incredibly helpful. I got a free Rogers SIM card.

But I failed to get the data plan. You had to enter credit card info and it would NOT accept a non-Canadian address for the billing info. Therefore, I could not get a data plan. I went to the Rogers store in the same mall and the woman there said she knew nothing about iPads and could not help.

The Apple guy spent a LOT of time trying to call humans at Rogers to see what to do but no way around the problem was found.

So they pulled out a Bell SIM card. At that time, you signed up with Bell over the phone. They asked for a Canadian address and I gave them the address of my mothers summer house in Canada and that did it. It was NOT the billing address of my U.S. Visa card but they did not object to this. Got a month of Canadian data.

Now, Bell has gone to a sign up on line process rather than by phone. I do not know if that means that it will now not allow a non-Canadian Visa billing address. I would like to hear people's experience.

I was happy with the Bell service. As a traveller you have to be careful to "unsign" up so that they do not automatically sign you up for the next month when it rolls around. This is a nuisance. You cannot upfront sign up for JUST on month. You have to go back, once the service is activated, to say that you do NOT want the next month service.

This all took 2.3 hours in the Apple store. This guy stuck with me until it worked. The best customer service that I have ever gotten and the product was Rogers/Bell not Apple (at least directly)

The iPad is a GREAT tool for travel once you get over this hurdle.

maestrokev said:

If you don't have the chance to download the latest carrier settings with iTunes you can manually enter into the iPad. It's just the updated APN.

Click to expand...

I have both a Rogers microSIM card for use at home, and an AT&T one for travel to US. My iPad was purchased in Canada, and when I recently visited the US, I just plugged in the AT&T card and signed up for the service without changing any APN setting

I find that when I insert either sim card, the APN setting gets magically set to the appropriate one. I never manually entered either one.

U.S. Address doesn't work

I have an iPad 3G in the U.S. I am in Montreal today and I picked up a Bell Canada SIM card. All good until I tried to sign up for service and the carrier setup does not accept a U.S. State in place of a province.

I'm willing to buy duplicate data service in Canada, or prepaid or something other than a second iPad. I don't want Internet TV or straming audio or video...I just want emails and Google when I'm in Canada and that appears impossible. I have a Canada voice and texting plan for each of my iPhones but I'd like to use my iPad for things like finding restaurants and directions. My TomTom is better at finding addresses so I really need a search engine.

I'm a low bandwidth user and I'm willing to pay. The Apple Store in Montreal thought my US address would work for service, so I believed them and left wit mu SIM card. They were wrong and I am not sure where to go with this. The Bell CA and Rogers sites have been no help and all the iPad posts about Canada are mostly about people wanting MLB in HD for pennies or something absurd like that.

Rogers activation

So does Rogers require a Canadian credit card?
A Canadian billing address?