Wifi instead of dataplan, is it worth it (Canada)?

[CaptainInsano]

Hey,

Videotron sells the Nexus One for ~$480 unlocked. But it's on their 1700 MHz AWS band for 3G speed which I don't have where I am (Ottawa region)... except with Wind Mobile but they're bizarre in terms of coverage (have to be downtown otherwise you start paying roaming fees).

I'm thinking of getting the phone but only with a voice plan until Videotron serves its network in my region (they say next year). And use wifi to access Internet.

Any of you tried this before? Do you think it's a good idea?

Thanks in advance

 

[Martimus]

Android phones typically revolve around the cloud. Without Internet access I'm not sure how responsive the phone will be. So if you're always around WiFi then it might be a viable option. If, on the other hand, you're only around WiFi for a few hours every day then your phone may not be happy...

 

[allbutlost]

I had an iPod Touch 4 for a very short while, and I gave it up for this exact reason: I couldn't connect the damn thing to ANY wifi networks outside of my own home. I had originally gotten it so that I could do a little mobile browsing on-the-go, and it would. not. connect. to. ANYTHING

So I returned it, and moved into the world of smartphones so I could pick up a data-plan.

I do have wifi on the phone, but I don't turn it on much due to battery drain (my wifi eats battery life for breakfast, unlike my 3g connectivity). However, despite being able to connect just fine via wifi at home, I still have similar problems on-the-go that I had with the iPod Touch 4 -- no connection.

I did a little test with my netbook the other day to see if I -could- connect to the same networks my phone was unable to connect... and it worked. My netbook has full functionality on these networks. I know what you're thinking, "You didn't open the browser window to check for a connection page with the phone, you didn't do this with the phone, you didn't do that with the phone" but trust me -- I did.

After a little research, I turned up information that suggests many wifi networks out there just aren't optimized or compatible with smartphones for a number of reasons, and this may be why phones have issues connecting to the routers. This may improve over time I suppose as technology marches onward, but I think what networks you will or will not be able to connect with will depend on what is available in your area and how it reacts with the phone..

If you want the phone for wifi at home, you'll probably be golden, but... if you want it for wifi out and about, you may be in for a hit-or-miss experience.

The only way to find out is to try -- just make sure you intricately know the terms of returning the phone, then buy it and take it for a test run I suppose.

 

[CaptainInsano]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't want the frustration of not getting a good connection and starting to search for "spots" around town. Especially if most functionalities on the phone relies on Internet.

 

[allbutlost]

I find whenever wifi hotspots are involved, it can really be a dicey experience no matter what the device.

The netbook I mentioned above that I own connects really well to basically anything, except recently I had horrible trouble connecting to the previously-good wifi at the local rink (where I spend a lot of time watching my husband's hockey games). This is very FRUSTRATING as I have zero control over WHY the hotspot is no longer working correctly. The "beyond your control" factor is just one of many frustrating things about public wifi.

I also found out it depends what side of the rink I"m on (and what side I'm on is determined by what rink they're playing in) whether or not I ever got decent signal strength to begin with. Frustration x2.

Things like this frustrate me far, far away from wifi-only. Maybe starbucks could be potentially semi-reliable as they are a small store and what not, but really if you can only connect at your local starbucks or at home, a huge chunk of functionality is just gone.

It really is bizarre that your provider seems to want you to pay roaming fees like that.. if mine were like that, I'd buy out my contract and switch to another carrier asap.

 

[BingoRingo]

Videotron is still not offering 3G service in Ottawa/Gatineau anyways, so you'll have some time to think about it!

 

[ElasticNinja]

If you are rooted you can use Droid Wall app to block 3G connections for selected apps