Wifi Calling

[mellobob]

Thinking of switching ... but there is no cell service here at home (thanks Telus!). So, I'd like to use the wifi calling feature many newer phones have. Telus, Koodo, Virgin, etc. support this. I'm sort of thinking that since PM is really Telus it should work ... but I'd like confirmation first.

thanks.

[bryclops]

With Public Mobile you should be able to forward your number to any Canadian number, so yes you can forward it to your Canadian Fongo number.

[mellobob]

I'll just subscribe for now ... worry about textnow, fongo, etc. once I can find a 12 year old to explain it all to me 🙂

Thanks.

[mellobob]

Okay, cool on forwarding the number fongo. I guess I could leave it that way all the time since I would have a lot of data. Do you think that the forward would work even if my community is not on the list on the fongo site?

[krazykiwi]

@mellobob

Textnow works perfectly fine in Northern Alberta, and I picked an area code form here.

But I see, you want to use Wifi when you are at home but for the same app to use celluar network while you are able to.

[bryclops]

Depending if you have unlimited minutes with Public Mobile, you could always forward your number to Fongo when you are at home.

[mellobob]

PM does not support WIFI Calling but you could use another app, (Whatsapp, Textnow), that works the same way and needs all rhe same stuff? Or am I missing what you are trying to do?

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Yeah, I think you might be missing my point 🙂 I would like to use one phone number so that if I'm out or at home people can call me. Cell works for lots of folk, but no cell service at home. So, the wifi calling feature looks cool.

I could give out my fongo number (I think textnow is us only), but they don't have local (for me) numbers.

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[mellobob]

PM does not support WIFI Calling but you could use another app, (Whatsapp, Textnow), that works the same way and needs all rhe same stuff? Or am I missing what you are trying to do?

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Yeah, I think you might be missing my point 🙂 I would like to use one phone number so that if I'm out or at home people can call me. Cell works for lots of folk, but no cell service at home. So, the wifi calling feature looks cool.

I could give out my fongo number (I think textnow is us only), but they don't have local (for me) numbers.

[krazykiwi]

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@mellobob wrote:

Thanks for all the info.

Just to clearify ...

 - I have a telus landline. I think I'm going to need to keep that. But, I'm not in love with it 🙂

 - I have a couple of pre-pay cell phones (one for me and one for my wife). This all works okay and cheaply. No problems ... except that they don't work around my house. And, when I need data, the pre-pays are really costly.

  - I have used google hangouts to place lots of calls. Can't get cheaper than free, and it works fine. But, the negative here is that I can't get a number.

  - Just checked the fongo page you linked. Reads great until you access the list of areas than can port numbers. Ahhh, nothing around here.

 - I can get some connection at the house, but even on the roof it is very poor. I've been advised by some fellows who install these not to waste money on a booster since it would end up having to boost junky signals. And I'd be unhappy.

So ... I figured an easy solution would be the new-fangled wifi calling option. Of course, I'd need to get new phones for that 🙂 And a carrier that supports it. All quite confusing 🙂

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PM does not support WIFI Calling but you could use another app, (Whatsapp, Textnow), that works the same way and needs all rhe same stuff? Or am I missing what you are trying to do?

[mellobob]

  >> Who is your prepaid provider?

I'm with pcmobile for now. I think I'm going to go for the advertised plan here for at least one phone ... we were on an extended trip last week and having data in car was very additive (we'd gotten a small bucket of data for the wife).

And, who knows ... the owners of this service (yeah, I know it's telus) might make me an offer I can't refuse 🙂

[wetcoaster]

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@mellobob wrote:

Thanks for all the info.

Just to clearify ...

 - I have a telus landline. I think I'm going to need to keep that. But, I'm not in love with it 🙂

 - I have a couple of pre-pay cell phones (one for me and one for my wife). This all works okay and cheaply. No problems ... except that they don't work around my house. And, when I need data, the pre-pays are really costly.

  - I have used google hangouts to place lots of calls. Can't get cheaper than free, and it works fine. But, the negative here is that I can't get a number.

  - Just checked the fongo page you linked. Reads great until you access the list of areas than can port numbers. Ahhh, nothing around here.

 - I can get some connection at the house, but even on the roof it is very poor. I've been advised by some fellows who install these not to waste money on a booster since it would end up having to boost junky signals. And I'd be unhappy.

So ... I figured an easy solution would be the new-fangled wifi calling option. Of course, I'd need to get new phones for that 🙂 And a carrier that supports it. All quite confusing 🙂

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Who is your prepaid provider?

And I agree... that fongo list is a bit funky. No rhyme or reason...

[mellobob]

Thanks for all the info.

Just to clearify ...

 - I have a telus landline. I think I'm going to need to keep that. But, I'm not in love with it 🙂

 - I have a couple of pre-pay cell phones (one for me and one for my wife). This all works okay and cheaply. No problems ... except that they don't work around my house. And, when I need data, the pre-pays are really costly.

  - I have used google hangouts to place lots of calls. Can't get cheaper than free, and it works fine. But, the negative here is that I can't get a number.

  - Just checked the fongo page you linked. Reads great until you access the list of areas than can port numbers. Ahhh, nothing around here.

 - I can get some connection at the house, but even on the roof it is very poor. I've been advised by some fellows who install these not to waste money on a booster since it would end up having to boost junky signals. And I'd be unhappy.

So ... I figured an easy solution would be the new-fangled wifi calling option. Of course, I'd need to get new phones for that 🙂 And a carrier that supports it. All quite confusing 🙂

[wetcoaster]

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@mellobob wrote:

The 4.5 gig / unlimited talk for $40 sounds pretty good to me (for a Canada plan 🙂 ).

I have thought about the 3rd party apps like fongo, etc. but none would give me a local phone number ... so, I'd have to get folks to call to use LD ... it gets so complicated 🙂

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Yes, making use of WiFi calling seems to be the best option, unfortunately it comes at the cost of using a carrier in a higher price bracket.

There would be a way to keep your local number (assuming you have one, considering that you have no service at home that might not be the case)

https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/articles/212436106-Keep-your-current-phone-number-porting-mobile-...

One other thing to throw into the mix: there have been a couple of sweet Public Mobile-to-Koodo migration offers this year, most of them offered to targeted users of plans in the $40 range and all of them now expired... There are no guaranties that there are more migration offers or that they would target the same audience, but some people feel like playing this particular lottery...

[mellobob]

The 4.5 gig / unlimited talk for $40 sounds pretty good to me (for a Canada plan 🙂 ).

I have thought about the 3rd party apps like fongo, etc. but none would give me a local phone number ... so, I'd have to get folks to call to use LD ... it gets so complicated 🙂

[wetcoaster]

You could find a work-around with a VOIP service like fongo on a data-only plan, using it over WiFi if you are not in cell phone range. However, stand-alone data is not really competetively priced here at Public Mobile, best deals are always talk, text and data combined.

[mellobob]

Aw, that's too bad.

[wetcoaster · Accepted solution]

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@mellobob wrote:

Thinking of switching ... but there is no cell service here at home (thanks Telus!). So, I'd like to use the wifi calling feature many newer phones have. Telus, Koodo, Virgin, etc. support this. I'm sort of thinking that since PM is really Telus it should work ... but I'd like confirmation first.

thanks.

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you will have to go with a first (Rogers, Bell, Telus) or second (Fido, Virgin, Koodo) tier provider if WiFi calling is essential. Public Mobile is "no-frills", so no WiFi calling or VoLTE.