Question about Wi-Fi phones

[TheAdvocate]

Worried this has been asked & answered, but I didn't see it on a quick scan.

Wife and I have a grandfathered Sprint "plan" (no contract) that doesn't exist anymore. It's so old that it's based on 500 anytime talk minutes, etc. There's no data/texting included. This is okay. I am that rare holdout that dislikes what phones have become. Just FYI, we pay something like $40.35/month, total, taxes and fees, for two phones under that plan.

Our phones are about 3 years old now, and mine is starting to show signs of going.

What I am thinking/wondering about, is whether we could get a phone that would work, for free, on our wifi networks at home and work, without buying a data plan, etc. Basically, keep our existing plan but gain a wifi accessible device. I looked at some on Amazon but quickly got confused/overwhelmed.

Phone would have to be usable on the sprint network, without a plan. Bluetooth is also a want (current phones are Bluetooth enabled - use them in our cars for hands free).

Keep in mind that I am purposefully not up on the lingo and hardware, so I probably said something that is horribly wrong in my post. I apologize.

And if it isn't possible, will make do with what we have. Thanks.

 

[lopri]

Unfortunately you won't find satisfactory services at the moment. Carriers do not sell smart phone plans without data. So if what you currently have is a voice plan, you will lose the plan as you upgrade to phones that use data.

So you must get all 3 with a smart phone: voice + text + data

Wi-Fi phones that fits your description would be something like Vonage..? With VOIP modem. I am guessing here but since Wi-Fi presumes limited static spaces, you likewise don't need any mobile broadband services with those.

I am not sure whether there are cell phones that support voice, text, and Wi-Fi (but not mobile data).

 

[TheAdvocate]

I can buy a phone off of Amazon that does not have a plan attached. So I am a little confused by your answer. To me, it should work at home the same way my kindle fire does - automatically linking to my wif network.

I have "upgraded" phones four times on this plan without getting a new plan. They simply just enable the new phone and disable the old one. Are you saying they won't enable voice only?

 

[Fardringle]

Most mobile carriers won't activate a smart phone (even one you buy on your own) unless you pay for a data plan to go with it. I strongly disagree with this policy since I'd like to have a smart phone without a mandatory data plan as well, but I haven't yet found a carrier willing to do it.

 

[lopri]

If you are getting a voice-only phone (e.g. clamshell flip phone) then yes you should be able to keep your current plan. What I am not sure about is if there is such a phone with a Wi-Fi modem. Kindle works with Wi-Fi but it lacks telephony (voice). They are different network protocols, and carriers do not let you buy voice plans only for, say, an iPhone. Even if you tell them you do not need mobile data, they will not let you use smart phones without a data plan.

It's a sort of complicated (read: political) matter but it is not easy to set up a voice calls using Wi-Fi, either, for what you are trying to do is to put together your own network (Wi-Fi) with the carriers' (phone #). There are workarounds using Google Voice and SIP protocols but still they are not as satisfactory as using native voice networks.

 

[Trombe]

You'll have to discuss with Sprint whether they'll let you activate a smartphone without data. Chances are they won't and your next best options are to carry both a feature phone and WiFi only tablet or defect to prepaid. Ting is actually be cheaper per month for you since you're on minutes only, if Sprint coverage is a must for you. You can activate most phones with them and since usage is paid as you use you can just keep cellular data disabled on the phone.

 

[TheAdvocate]

Thanks for the answers folks. Will discuss with Sprint, a little better informed.

 

[zaydq]

Does sprint use Sim cards? If so, he could just buy whatever phone he wants and place the Sim in it.

I'm in Canada so I don't know the US carriers all that well.

 

[Bateluer]

Most mobile carriers won't activate a smart phone (even one you buy on your own) unless you pay for a data plan to go with it. I strongly disagree with this policy since I'd like to have a smart phone without a mandatory data plan as well, but I haven't yet found a carrier willing to do it.

Because its kinda dumb to have a smartphone without mobile data. These are devices designed from 24/7 access to data services in mind. Without that, you're losing some 90% of the strengths of the device. You can get a full service plan for a single line for 30-50 bucks a month easily.

I'll never understand why people go through so much trouble to save a few dollars on a cell plan and take the massive degradation in service it always comes with.

Does sprint use Sim cards? If so, he could just buy whatever phone he wants and place the Sim in it.

On a CDMA only device, no SIM.
On a CDMA/WIMX device, no SIM. Not 100% on this, but I don't think WiMAX had SIMs
On a CDMA/LTE device, yes SIM.

 

[AstroManLuca]

There is no way to bring a smartphone or smartphone-esque phone to Sprint without adding a data plan.

However, there are options. There are many prepaid carriers now that allow you to bring a smartphone (or buy one from them) and activate it with only voice/text and either limited or no data. If you're happy with the Sprint network, you could get Ting, which allows you to bring a Sprint phone and you only pay for what you use. If you are a low data user, it'll be very cheap. And there are plenty of inexpensive used Sprint smartphones available.

Other options are Page Plus (works with Verizon Android phones without LTE), Platinumtel, or T-Mobile. You can bring a smartphone to any of them and use them without paying for data. It might not be quite as cheap as your current grandfathered plan, but it'll be close.

 

[vshah]

you can use a smartphone on tmobile without data, no issue.

 

[Fardringle]

I'll never understand why people go through so much trouble to save a few dollars on a cell plan and take the massive degradation in service it always comes with.

Read again what TheAdvocate said. He's not looking to "save a few dollars". He wants to keep a plan that he likes but also have the features of a smart phone while in range of WiFi Internet access.

 

[Yuriman]

If you're looking to stay super cheap, you could look into Republic Wireless. It might fit your needs ($19/month with unlimited everything, and I think they even use Sprint's network), though you have to buy one of their phones.

 

[TheAdvocate]

Read again what TheAdvocate said. He's not looking to "save a few dollars". He wants to keep a plan that he likes but also have the features of a smart phone while in range of WiFi Internet access.

Yes. I must not be explaining myself well because the local sprint ( independently owned) store was confused as well. I guess it is a very unusual request. Thing is both my wife and I have wifi at home and at work ( free non work network). Thats honestly 90% of our days that we have access to wifi.

FWIW the cheapest plan he had was$80/mo plus taxes and fees. That is more than double what I pay now, so it isnt saving a few dollars. Its saving about $500 a year for service I dont want.

And this is the phone we both have. It does have a keyboard text capability and internet capability - it comes with preinstalled facebook and google apps/ interfaces... so it does have some smartphone like features.

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/samsung-reclaim-sph-m560/4505-6454_7-33743841.html


Staying with Sprint is about staying on our plan. I have been told that if we cancel we'll never bea le to get it back (per sprint).

 

[AstroManLuca]

If you had a grandfathered SERO plan, that was something like $30/mo per line for 500 minutes and unlimited data, and for an extra $10/mo you can activate any smartphone on it.

But yeah, it looks like you are stuck with non-smartphones if you want to replace what you have while keeping your plan. They won't let you have a smartphone on their plan without data. The same applies to Verizon and AT&T. One of the advantages of prepaid carriers.

Definitely check out other carriers. I'm not sure how much extra you are willing to pay in order to get smartphones, but it doesn't have to be as expensive as it would be on one of Sprint's current plans.

What is your typical use? How many minutes do you use TOTAL, including nights and weekends and M2M? Prepaid plans deduct minutes regardless of when you make calls. Also, what kind of coverage do you get in your area?

Those two things will help us narrow down your choices.