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javid618's profile

Tutor

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3 Messages

Friday, July 27th, 2012 6:52 AM

Will I use data when on wifi?

I need help, I am confused.  Att says that you use the smartphone at a wifi location you wont be charged data usage, here are my questions

 

1. can it be any wifi or does it have to be ATT provided wifi, I have charter wifi 

2. Are they saying i can use my phone for posting facebook status, watching youtube, surfing the web, and it not use any of my data plan IF connect to wifi?

3.  Do smartphones find wifi (let says you are traveling)

 

One thing i want to use it for is like mapquest, If i am lost i want to be able to look up directions (lets say I am in a wifi area) will this work.  ALSO, if I am NOT in a wifi area i can still look up directions but it will us data usage right?

 

Please break this down for me, you wont offend me if you "spell" it all out for me

 

ALSO, what is the difference really between other smartphones and iphone... Just wondering, i am looking to purchase one.  I am disabled and thought this would be a good thing to have.  thanks

Master

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4.1K Messages

10 years ago


@pronet1 wrote:
Alex, are you saying when I use my internet it counts towards my cell phone usage? I sure hope not.

What he is saying is that if you are not connected to wifi, then you are using your cellular data.  If you are connected to wifi, you are using the data limit you may (or may not) have through your ISP that is providing the wifi service.  For many of us, the wifi service is our home internet so we may have data usage limits there, or we may not.

Contributor

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1 Message

10 years ago

After reading all of that, I am still unlear what the rule is, but according to my bill, even if my employees, who are on my plan, are using my wifi at the shop when they are listening to Pandora or something because I am making d***ed sure that they are, I reach my 15GB data usage limit by the middle of my billing cylce and have had over $300 in overages sometimes. Sucks.  

Tutor

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1 Message

10 years ago

Using data while in wifi is true. Another employee of AT&T told me that the smartphones search for strongest signal even if you are in a wifi area. That is why my sons phone managed to use 30GB in 13 days. He  works and has wifi at home.

Tutor

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2 Messages

9 years ago

I have the same complaint.  I have turned the mobile data off and so has my daughter.  We are connected to our home wifi, yet AT&T is consistently charging us for data usage.  Even if we have the data usage turned on, it still reflects that we are connected to our home wifi.  AT&T customer service said we need to block updates from happening.  But I am confused as to why it matters if we are connected to our home wifi.  I have seen other users post the same problem.  It seems to be happening in particular with iphones.  My samsung s3 is not seeming to use up data like my daughter's iphone.  As a consumer it seems that there are so many settings we have to adjust within our phone to be able to not get over-charged.  One would think if when you check your wifi and it reflects we are connected to our home wifi that AT&T should not be charging us for data usage.  When I asked if AT&T would refund do to them overcharging us they would not and blamed the wifi problem on my internet service provider.  In January I will be switching over to Verizon.

Contributor

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3 Messages

9 years ago

     I'm very new to all this and I just, one week ago Monday, obtained a Microsoft Windows-based Nokia Lumia 635 Go Phone.  When I first was setting it up a week ago, I had a lot of trouble inputting the correct password from the AT&T modem or router which provides us with WI-FI and land-line phone service.  I was using the System Password enscribed on the bottom of the modem instead of the Wireless Network Key as the password into the phone for WI-FI connectivity. It didn't connect the phone to the WI-FI as a result.  However, I spent not a little time browsing and listening to music, and as a result, I used a lot of my meager supply of data (5MB) doing this.  So, my point is, if you are NOT connected to WI-FI but you think you are, or that it doesn't make much of a difference, you are going to use up a lot of data. 

     I was doubtful about getting and using a windows-based phone, but my experience with the phone and two technical assistance phone calls (using my land line) has been pretty positive.  The phone structure and Apps on the phone seem to be straightforward and well organized.  I have learned how to check my data and phone usuage on line using the smart phone and the laptop. 

      I "favorite" the website www.paygonline.com and check my usuage after spending time on the Go Phone. You just enter your wireless phone number and password and it gives you info on your plans and packages as well as amounts of $ and expiration dates.  It also reminds me when the rate plan and data plan are set to auto renew or need some extra cash in the kity from which to draw.  (I haven't set up auto refill yet until we get settled on the specific plan we are going to stay with.) 

     Sorry this has gotten to be so long.  Maybe it can be of some use to a beginner using a "smart" Go Phone.

Mike Bailey

Tutor

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9 Messages

9 years ago

SMS (text message) uses data sending a picture using SMS will use data
not sure if the frequent hoping tower to tower searching for stronger tower checking for updates and SMS and Phone messages is using data that we are billed for although we are not actually are aware of it.
As soon as the wi/fi is off it will flip to sending data.
ususaly there is a icon telling you if you are on Wi/Fi or data

Contributor

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1 Message

8 years ago

That's seems to be the plasible explanation. I run few  experiments:

1.

went to Setting =>Cellular

turned all apps off except 'Cellular Data',

'Reset Statistics' at the bottom of that screen

Went to retrieve my emails, 2 min.  

went to Setting =>Cellular

 

System Usage became ~16K

 

2. 

went to Setting =>Cellular

turned all apps including  'Cellular Data' (at the top)

'Reset Statistics' at the bottom of that screen

Went to retrieve my emails, 2 min.  

went to Setting =>Cellular

System Usage still 0.

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

8 years ago

@notall7

 

You have an iPhone.

 For everything that iPhone does well, keeping a data meter is not one of them.

 

Androids do not have a reset for statistics because they automatically keep track of data use for each billing period.   Can even change the date range on my android to look at previous billing periods

iphone is incapable of getting this right.  When you reset stats, it zeros out all use.  You should do this at the beginning of each billing period to track your data.

 

Turning off cellular for the apps as you describe, limit those apps to wifi only.  Meaning they cannot use cellular data for that app.  

 

Turning off cellular data as well turns off system apps, including location service and iMessage among others.

 

 

Tutor

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9 Messages

8 years ago

Here is what I found out in a recent phone call with Apple Support. The Apple support agent told me that as long as you are using Wifi (non-AT&T wifi that is, but your or your family's home wifi) it will not count against your LTE data plan. But .. and here comes the but. There is a setting in your iOS, that is quite hidden! This setting is enabled by default (go figure). It is called Wi-Fi Assist. Basically what it does it switches over to LTE if your Wi-Fi connection is slow or degraded for some reason to not give you a good experience. So let's say you are moving around your house and you are connected to your home wifi, but you are at a spot where you barely get bars on your wifi connection, then LTE takes over even though the wifi is connected. Example. I always wondered why my son's data usage is so high. He tells me that he always uses Wi-Fi in school to watch YouTube on break. Well, the Wi-Fi connection in school is overloaded and slow, and therefore iOS switches to LTE. Anyway, to turn Wi-Fi assist off go to:

 

Settings -> Cellular -> scroll all the way to the bottom, keep scrolling, further... ok.. found it? Then switch it to off. Done.

 

Now at least you know that when you are on your own personal, non AT&T wifi at home or abroad you shouldn't use LTE data from your package. This is of course all without guarantee, but it sure made sense to me. I will keep monitoring my son's data usage and perhaps report back next month or so. Thanks.

Contributor

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1 Message

7 years ago

I agree with you.  We've been going over our data usage lately and I just noticed overnight charges while I'm sleeping with the wifi enabled!  What?

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