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WI FI callng and tracfone


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I love my tracfone service. It works pretty much everywhere.   However when I was in Crater Lake which has no cell service, some of the young folks were able to use their phones using WIFI calling.   They checked my tracfone and it was not able to do this.   Best Buy has indicated that most Samsung phones will do WIFI calling but when I asked Tracfone they said there is no list of phones that do this and said something about T mobile.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me.

If I could get a laptop or less than $400 notebook that would allow me to do WIFI calling that would be OK too.   I want to be able to have storage on the computer and not just in the cloud which I believe is what the inexpensive Chrome books do.   

My tracfone is connected to my ATT Mobley connected car service so I use that for my unlimited data on my smartphone as well as my computer.

 

Edited by trostberg
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Have you downloaded any apps, like "Duo"? Android isn't set up to do WiFi calling, out of the box, like Apple phones can with "FaceTime".

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


Please e-mail us here.

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Smartphone and APs are fairly new to me.  I do have Android. From reading on the web reviews  It appears that the people you are calling also have to have this AP.   I will be using it for business so that will not work for me.

   Best buy said they do not carry anything for WIFI calling.   So I guess on a computer I would need special hardware and software.

Edited by trostberg
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BestBuy is "helpful", at best. At worst, they're useless. There's several new laptops well under $400, but check out the Google Play store. "Duo" is a Google product, "Zoom" is the new kid on the block, and "Skype" has been around for ever. As usual, the app needs to be on all machines in the conversation, and the above apps are available both for Android and Apple.

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


Please e-mail us here.

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Any APs that don't require the people you are calling to also have the AP.   I see there is something called Talkatone that you can even use from a landline?  

Just looking for phone.  No text or video.  

I may check into the AT&T plan that allows you to pay only $2 a day for unlimited calling.  Just need to find out how much a phone would be to purchase for this type of plan from AT&t

 

Edited by trostberg
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If you have no internet service could you please explain how wifi calling would work?  I've not heard of this but then, I'm not into technology.  😄  My TracFone works just fine where we are.  Nowadays there hare so many towers that we always seem to get phone service - even in the boonies.  I have a Samsung.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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There was internet services but no cell service where I was at Crater Lake.

This has pretty much been the only place my tracfone did not work...or anyones cell phone unless you went up to the top of the crater in one overlook

Edited by trostberg
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Ah.... thanks for clarifying.  So if this is the only time your phone didn't work, why would you buy a computer just for this purpose - unless you want the computer for other things?

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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1 hour ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Android isn't set up to do WiFi calling, out of the box

Most android phones are. 

Although there are many apps which can make calls on wifi (example: Skype, Facetime, etc), the other person has to be using the same app.

Wifi calling, per se, is a native feature of the phone.  Both Apple and Android phones support this feature.  Both phones do not have to be using wifi calling to connect and have a conversation.  It's just a feature that you can use on your phone when wifi is available and your cellular network is not.  It connects your phone to your carrier through the internet.

Note:  All phones wifi feature is not supported on all carriers.  Specifically, some MVNO's do not support native wifi calling, regardless of what phone you're using.  That's one of the reasons that an MVNO is less expensive.  The major carriers generally support wifi calling on most phones which offer it.

https://www.howtogeek.com/234608/how-to-enable-wi-fi-calling-on-an-android-phone/

Edited by durangodon
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1 hour ago, durangodon said:

Most android phones are. 

Although there are many apps which can make calls on wifi (example: Skype, Facetime, etc), the other person has to be using the same app.

Wifi calling, per se, is a native feature of the phone.  Both Apple and Android phones support this feature.  Both phones do not have to be using wifi calling to connect and have a conversation.  It's just a feature that you can use on your phone when wifi is available and your cellular network is not.  It connects your phone to your carrier through the internet.

Note:  All phones wifi feature is not supported on all carriers.  Specifically, some MVNO's do not support native wifi calling, regardless of what phone you're using.  That's one of the reasons that an MVNO is less expensive.  The major carriers generally support wifi calling on most phones which offer it.

https://www.howtogeek.com/234608/how-to-enable-wi-fi-calling-on-an-android-phone/

Correct. I was hung up on video calling, after setting up a bunch of family phones. Doh!

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


Please e-mail us here.

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1 hour ago, 2gypsies said:

Ah.... thanks for clarifying.  So if this is the only time your phone didn't work, why would you buy a computer just for this purpose - unless you want the computer for other things?

I am looking for a newer computer.  Mine is over 10 years old and cracking in places.  Used it for a remote job and my employer didn't want it since it was too old.

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We have a Google Voice app installed on our Tracfone Android smartphones so we can make calls from an alternate WiFi service when necessary. Our phones are on Verizon, but we also have an AT&T hotspot we use for WiFi calling when that's the better service. We can also use a campground WiFi service of course. One advantage of making WiFi calls with a Tracfone is there's no minutes cost.

Google Voice requires signing up for it on Google and selecting a phone number. There's no cost for calls within the US and Canada. We also use a VOIP service at our NY cottage, and have an app for that on our phones too. We pay $35/year for that service.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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