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Don't take our word for it - hear what our members have to say. Cell service is weak in the part of the building where I work, so I'm screwed either way. Data, texts and most outbound calls work fine in all this, though. I have had this problem while working in a large hospital and I've had the problem in a employee ad agency. So here's the part I am confused about. Your review mentions that it only connects to wi-fi if it is a password free network, or if you know the password.
It won't connect to networks with a splash page log in. Almost ALL wi-fi requires a password, and those that don't like Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, all have a splash page that you have to log into for the free wi-fi. How does the phone handle getting onto the wi-fi? The other puzzling part is that why would they be charging for data on wi-fi since in essence, its using your wi-fi at home on your network which you already pay for from your internet provider and when at free wi-fi spots, its free for the customers to use I can use my tablet for free at such places.
Unless you are saying that you can use data from their cell phone service? That I can understand charging data for, because they are providing you with the ability to download or surf using Sprint or Tbombile network.
But if you can't surf the internet over the cellular and must have wi-fi Please help me understand better. Sorry for any confusion. Your phone will obviously connect to WiFi if you enter the password to enter a password protected network or if you accept the terms on the splash page of a public WiFi system.
Just like any other phone, once you enter a WiFi password, it will remember it and log you on the network with no problems unless the WiFi password changes or you tell your phone to forget the WiFi network. Basically, it works like any other phone. That said, they don't charge you for data over WiFi.
The data comes from Sprint or T-Mobile towers depending on which device and sim card you have. Does that help? They don't charge you for data for anything that goes over WiFi, only over cell towers. I've written a review on Mint and it's been a worthy competitor to Republic Wireless to be honest. Of course it does depend on the kind of phone you have as well. Thanks for the question. My wife and I have happily used Republic Wireless for years.
I use this feature often when we're on cruises to contact family members back home without the cost of an international plan. It's also helpful to get service in my house where I don't get the best cell signal no matter what carrier I choose. This allows me to keep my standard cell bill lower but have the ability to add more data inexpensively when I need it. I do believe MintSim is another option that could work for some people based on their rates, but I haven't personally used their service so I haven't written a review of them yet.
Republic Wireless Varies. Price Phone selection 7. Innovative phone service 9. Pros Cheap monthly bills Annual plan offers lower price Great for light data users Good Android phone selection.
Cons iPhone not yet available Not all Android phones available Heavy data users will have high bills No family plans. Check Out Republic Wireless. Lance Cothern, CPA. Click here to cancel reply. FraidyCat Finance Friday 18th of December Beau W. Friday 15th of May Gary Bridgman Thursday 30th of August Christine Friday 17th of August Lance Cothern Friday 17th of August Todd Weitzman Friday 3rd of August And many people experience dropped calls from even the most traditional and robust wireless networks.
Because Republic Wireless uses Wi-Fi whenever possible instead of leasing capacity from Sprint, it's able to keep the overall cost of its service very low. Here's the catch But it doesn't come without drawbacks. As I mentioned earlier, there can be issues with the hand-off between cellular and Wi-Fi.
That said, I have heard from customers that this experience is getting better as Republic Wireless improves its technology. Another drawback is that because this technology that hands off between Wi-Fi and cellular is tricky to engineer, it requires customers to use specialized handsets.
One of the first of these specialized devices was the Motorola Defy XT, which in all honesty was a mediocre Google Android smartphone that was using a 2-year-old version of the Android software. The voice quality on this phone was rather poor and lots of customers complained. In November, the company introduced a new phone to the mix: the Motorola Moto X. This phone, which is also available on major carrier networks, is a newer, popular high-end Google Android phone.
Customers who have used both devices say there is a huge improvement in terms of call quality with the Moto X over the Defy XT. It's small and light without sacrificing too much valuable screen space. And I really like the voice activation features, which allow you to activate many features like search by speaking the phrase "OK Google. There has been talk that the carrier may also add the lower cost Moto G to the device lineup.
Because the devices must be significantly modified to access seamless voice service on both Wi-fi and cellular networks, they will only work on Republic Wireless' network. This means that if you want to take your Moto X, or in the future a Moto G, to another service provider, you can't.
In fact, the reverse is true as well. You also can't bring an existing smartphone to the Republic Wireless network. Another big downside is the customer support.
This has been a complaint of customers using this service from the early days, and it's still an issue. All of the customer support for the service and the devices is handled online. This helps keep Republic Wireless's costs very low, but it also means that customers who are having problems with the service never actually get to speak to a real human when there is a problem, which can be very frustrating.
The bottom line Now to answer your real question. With all these drawbacks, is the service worth it? Unfortunately, there's no easy answer to this. I'd say it depends. Republic Wireless is great if keeping costs as low as possible is your main objective. But it's not for everyone. If you need ubiquitous cell phone coverage and you don't live in an area where Sprint service is available, or if customer service is important to you and you want a greater variety of devices, then this is not the service for you.
So what should you do? Like I said, this could be a great service for you and your family depending on your needs and priorities. But there are other low-cost options to consider. But you do have options. So if you are already a customer on one of these networks, you may want to simply check out the new pricing options to see if it will save you any money.
These carriers have unbundled the cost of cell phone service from device subsidies to give customers who already own devices or can get one very cheap a good deal on service. These carriers also offer some very good deals on their prepaid services. If you don't need unlimited voice and text messaging, and you're willing to live with some data limitations, you can find very affordable prepaid plans.
For example, T-Mobile offers a prepaid plan through its own service and also the WalMart Straight Talk brand that gives customers minutes of voice time, unlimited text messaging, and so-called unlimited data, which really amounts to up to 5GB of data per month at top 4G speeds.
After that threshold has been met, speeds slow to 3G speeds. There are other prepaid plans that also offer lower-cost deals, such as Tracfone and the Sprint branded offerings, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile.
Of course, there are positives and negatives to each of these services, depending on your needs and where you live.
So I suggest that you first figure out which services are available where you live and work. And then really ask yourself what's most important to you, whether it's the cost of the service, a breadth of devices to choose from, customer support, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Then check as many of these services as you can to see which one best fits your needs for the most value. If you do decide to go with Republic Wireless keep in mind the limitations and the potential hiccups in service.
If you're willing to live with these foibles for the low cost of the service, then go for it.
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