Does unlimited everything make Wi Fi calling pointless?

[CYKBC]

Does unlimited everything make Wi Fi calling pointless?

Seems like a lot of you are not familiar with wifi calling. I worked for T-Mobile for years, and also had the service since probably 2004, until switching to AT&T back in 2011, and wifi calling was only available with Tmobile.



Wifi calling is great for a couple reasons. If you live in a house that has less than solid carrier signal, connecting to wifi allows your phone to piggyback off of your home internet connection make/receive phone calls. In most cases, if I had one bar of signal where I was, connecting to wifi provided me with almost full signal.



Now, with T-Mobile, the great thing about international calling and wifi calling, is that if I am in paris, and connect to wifi, I can make/receive phone calls as if I were back in the US with no additional charge. I don't know if that is the same for Sprints new wifi calling option, but at least it is/was for T-Mobile.



At the end of the day, rather than having to have a signal booster sent to you by your carrier, by connecting to your home wifi, you get all the benefits of the signal booster w/o it, and get solid call clarity when you are in a place with crappy signal.

To clarify if you make wifi calls to other intl numbers you're charged a per minute fee. You can call like you said as if you were in the U.S. To other U.S. Numbers which kind of defeats the purpose esp if you have friends and family you're visiting.

This is where apps like kakaotalk come in handy. T-Mobile intl data roaming allows you to use data to message people over data line iMessage and kakao which came in handy at no charge.

 

[zorinlynx]

A quality WiFi network will provide better quality calls than the cellular network in general. Lower latency and jitter means conversations will be more pleasant, even if they don't necessarily sound clearer, because of the reduced delay before you and the other person hear each other.

Also, in a given high-density area, more people using Wi-Fi calling means more cellular bandwidth available for non-Wi-Fi calling. So essentially, increased use of Wi-Fi calling improves cellular network performance for everyone.

 

[JackieInCo]

I really don't need to worry about WiFi calling because I never have trouble making calls on T-Mobile in my area.

The nice thing about WiFi calling though is that HD calls are still possible this way.

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

I have a 50$ a month unlimited plan, and it never occurred to me to use my Wi Fi at all. Am I missing clearer calls or something? I just always stay on data to make it worth it.

What you are missing is this:

Wifi calling is great when signal is low or in basements or other buildings without great coverage.

WiFi calling is useful for basements and other underground facilities or buildings where cellular signals have a hard time penetrating.

I spend a lot of time inside some buildings that do a great job of filtering cell signals. No reception. But, the building does have WiFi.

 

[Allthings-I]

Is wifi calling free for international calls?

WiFi Calling enables you to make calls to all US numbers (and international #'s if your plan includes it such as having the add-on) while on a WiFi network anywhere in the world.

Unlike Viber and other apps that limit you to only call users that have that/those apps.

While on WiFi with T-Mobile / Sprint, you can literally call any # in the US from example Australia and not worry about paying any international / roaming charges.

T-Mobile already offers Unlimited 2G Data + Unlimited Texting in 120+ Countries but calls are $0.20/minute, so if you want to avoid that $0.20/minute, hop on a WiFi network, turn on WiFi calling and make all the Unlimited calls you need to make and you can also receive calls FROM ANYONE while on WiFi at a international location as if you never left the states and it won't charge you anything.

There are great benefits to WiFi-Calling locally as well where cell signal's are weak but the most beneficial is when traveling.

T-Mobile's international Unlimited 2G + Unlimited Texting is very generous I would say as there are only few carriers in the world that offer that kind of service(s) to its customers.

 

[Mattym62]

To clarify if you make wifi calls to other intl numbers you're charged a per minute fee. You can call like you said as if you were in the U.S. To other U.S. Numbers which kind of defeats the purpose esp if you have friends and family you're visiting.

This is where apps like kakaotalk come in handy. T-Mobile intl data roaming allows you to use data to message people over data line iMessage and kakao which came in handy at no charge.

You are correct. I forgot to mention that. I used to advise customers that if they were going to be staying international for an extended period of time, it would make more sense for them to buy a cheap Nokia and local sim card which would allow for them to make as many calls as they needed (or as much as they paid for), while they were out of the US. However, if they were calling back to the US on wifi, they weren't going to be charged a per-minute rate.

 

[Paco II]

Going slightly OT, but if traveling internationally, unless you need to be reachable via your U.S. number, a local SIM is still the better option. Free/extremely cheap local calls, usually generous data caps, and at least 3G if not faster. Combine that with Google Hangouts to make calls to the U.S. for free on wifi, or even use a bit of that data you purchased, and you're set.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Going slightly OT, but if traveling internationally, unless you need to be reachable via your U.S. number, a local SIM is still the better option. Free/extremely cheap local calls, usually generous data caps, and at least 3G if not faster. Combine that with Google Hangouts to make calls to the U.S. for free on wifi, or even use a bit of that data you purchased, and you're set.

This solution is nice but running a business, I do need to be reached at my regular number.

 

[eclipse01]

I have it enabled for when I go to my parents house who lives in the boonys.... and of course I have Sprint.

 

[dukebound85]

I think that's why he said does unlimited everything

And I read it is wifi calling serves those that do not have that so wifi calling is not pointless

 

[bookwormsy]

To reiterate what everyone else says, it's useful for when you're somewhere the cellular network is weak. For example, my basement is crap, even with the T-Mobile signal booster upstairs. I look forward to the next iPhone when I can ditch my Android phone and go back to iPhone. Also, WiFi calling also gets you SMS. In many of my classroom buildings, I miss out on texts until I leave the building, which is annoying.

 

[DMaki650]

I use wifi calling when I travel a Prentice and Brantwood, Wisconsin. I'm roaming on AT&T. All my aunts and uncles there have wifi so it helps ALOT. lol

 

[garyleecn]

1. when you don't have good reception, wifi calling helps
2. when you are outside the US.

 

[burgman]

3 bubbles of LTE, though I don't know what that means.



I meant for me, obviously.



Sprint, and the plan is only for the iPhone. Otherwise it's 60 a month. So if you don't like the iPhone 6 or 6+, you're out of luck. Also, Sprint is hit or miss around the country.



I looked, and sometimes.



So for me yes?

Some would say having Sprint and never needing WiFi just means you need to get out more

 

[KdParker]

Nope....wifi is normally faster.

 

[Michael Goff]

Some would say having Sprint and never needing WiFi just means you need to get out more

They'd be right.