Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-08-2019, 11:34 AM   #1
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Question Update on Google Fi?

Hey folks, we are about to get on the road, potentially full-timing. We are still working, need reliable service, and are planning to spend a lot of time in Mexico, and will be in and out of the US.

We have been considering the switch to Google Fi phone service which draws on T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, and available open Wifis, using a VPN. We are especially interested in it because it is said to perform very well internationally, requiring only country codes + the number to dial freely and relatively inexpensively. We may leave the motorhome somewhere and travel more widely so this is a big benefit to us.

I saw a comment in a 2017 thread here on Google Fi phone service but haven't found anything since then.

Has anyone been using this service? What kind of coverage have you been getting in the US and abroad? Data?

Thanks!
__________________
sent from my hipflask
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2019, 12:37 PM   #2
Rivet Master
 
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor , New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
FYI "Google Fi" results for "site:Airforums.com" --

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22G...com&gws_rd=ssl


FYI/FWIW
OTRA15 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2019, 01:26 PM   #3
Half a Rivet Short
 
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle , Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
Hi

Unless it ties into AT&T or Verizon, you will have trouble out in the more remote parts of the US.

If your data usage is like a lot of people's, you ultimately will need an unlimited data plan. Both Verizon and AT&T seem to offer them one week and then stop offering them the next week.

If Mexico is a major destination, I would investigate a country specific answer there.

Bob
uncle_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 06:51 PM   #4
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Google Fi v ATT and Verizon

We plan to have an in-country cell plan for talk and data in MX, I'm mostly concerned about how easily we can continue to use our phones in multiple other countries besides the US.

I was hoping there were some folks here currently using and testing Google Fi because both T-mobile and Sprint claim they are expanding their service, but if our T-mobile service is any indication, they can barely make it out to the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay area.

So the advice to just get ATT or Verizon for better coverage sounds like it might be right.

I notice that people have a pastiche of services to cover various contingencies, so maybe that's kind of unavoidable.

I also see that some people have thrown up their hands on the wifis in campgrounds, while other people seem pretty happy to boost their wifi reception and muddle along. I'm not sure why that is. When I've had trouble with wifi in campgrounds it's not because I'm trying to stream video, it's because I just don't want to have to wait a half hour for a page to load.
__________________
sent from my hipflask
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 07:54 PM   #5
Rivet Master
 
Currently Looking...
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,167
We have our two phones and Internet service with Verizon. For the most part we're in areas that have good coverage, but the last two months we had very spotty Verizon service in the campground (we were hosting), while those with AT&T said theirs was good. We're thinking about getting a cheap, prepaid AT&T phone so that we can at least have some cell service when we're in an area that has poor Verizon service.


Don't know about Mexico. A couple of years ago we went down to Big Bend and crossed over into Mexico for a couple of hours. NO cell service anywhere there, so we just turned the phones off.
__________________
David Lininger, kb0zke
AIR 54240
Heartland mpg 181 (sold)
1993 Foretravel U300 (sold)
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS
kb0zke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 08:24 PM   #6
2 Rivet Member
 
Alreddawg19's Avatar
 
2018 33' Classic
Redmond , Washington
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 92
I travel quite a bit on Google Fi to even remote areas of the US. I havent had a coverage problem as it compares to att. Actually, most of the time that my wife cannot connect through att, I can!

Obviously you should look at specifics of where you are going but in general I am extremely happy with Google Fi. They also are a lot cheaper, customer service is 10x better and you can easily increase data cheaply via your phone.

Good luck and happy travels
Alreddawg19 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 10:35 PM   #7
2 Rivet Member
 
Runs_4_beer's Avatar
 
2019 25' International
Reno , NV
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 27
I've been using Fi for several years now and am very pleased. I don't travel out of the states, but I get similar or better coverage than friends on Verizon or AT&T. They have a nearly unlimited plan now and you can get a free extra Sim card to set up a hot spot. I use an old phone as a hot spot when I'm traveling. For us, the price is right. I can get four people for about $120 per month. They also have cheap phones for my kids that seem to have trouble holding on to their phones.
Runs_4_beer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 12:37 PM   #8
2 Rivet Member
 
2016 16' Sport
Tucson , Arizona
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 40
I've had the Fi for about a year.. it's worth it.. my friends on the big carriers have no signal and I do. Make sure you buy an app called Fi switch, allows you to manually flip between all the carriers on the fly, note though, if you flip to consumer Cellular you will only have phone and text, no data.. but consumer wires everywhere I've been.. it also works all over the world, no issues when I was in the middle East and visiting family in Europe a few times a year.
MarioM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 12:51 PM   #9
Moderator
 
DKB_SATX's Avatar

 
2017 26' Flying Cloud
Alamo Heights , Texas
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,500
Images: 1
Blog Entries: 7
I'm sorry I missed this when you originally asked the question. I've been using fi on one of my lines for about 4 years. It has worked very well in the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. I notice that it sometimes takes a bit longer to come online when I turn the phone on after landing in a foreign country (we're talking a couple of minutes, not a long time) but once it gets online it has no problems. My company phone is a Verizon device and my Fi phone outperforms it handily everywhere I've used them both in Europe, and doesn't suffer from VZW's onerous 500-meg daily cap for LTE speeds. Fi data used to be a bit overpriced if you're a heavy user, but now they cap the charges after 6 gb so over the course of a year most customers would spend significantly less with Fi.

You probably already know there are issues around phone selection. You will NOT get the full benefit of their service if you use a phone that's not in the "Designed for Fi" list. It can't switch between networks as cleanly, etc. I have only used it on Nexus and Pixel devices so if you're planning to use it with an iPhone or a different Android device, you may not have the same experience.
__________________
— David

Zero Gravitas — 2017 Flying Cloud 26U | WBCCI# 15566

He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. — Sir Winston Churchill
DKB_SATX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 12:55 PM   #10
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Thumbs up Google Fi and iPhone

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarioM View Post
I've had the Fi for about a year.. it's worth it.. my friends on the big carriers have no signal and I do. Make sure you buy an app called Fi switch, allows you to manually flip between all the carriers on the fly, note though, if you flip to consumer Cellular you will only have phone and text, no data.. but consumer wires everywhere I've been.. it also works all over the world, no issues when I was in the middle East and visiting family in Europe a few times a year.
Thanks MarioM,
I'm increasingly thinking this is the way to go.

I'm getting increasingly annoyed with iPhone. It's not the best phone, but it's the most expensive, and it doesn't have this capability.

Next time around, I think I'll get a Google Fi enabled phone. That's a big break for me, I've been all Apple all the time since my first one, the Apple II computer in 1984.

Things change.
__________________
sent from my hipflask
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 01:22 PM   #11
2 Rivet Member
 
1965 17' Caravel
Brunswick , Georgia
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 36
My wife and I, both long-time I Phone users, switched to Fi and both got Pixel 3XL phones a little over a year ago. It was a slight learning curve on the phones but we love them and wouldn't go back. As for Fi, We switched from Verizon, and while the plan is cheaper, service (at least locally) is a little more spotty with Fi. I do like the simplicity of Fi, and their customer service is great.
bobhaven is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 01:31 PM   #12
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobhaven View Post
My wife and I, both long-time I Phone users, switched to Fi and both got Pixel 3XL phones a little over a year ago. It was a slight learning curve on the phones but we love them and wouldn't go back. As for Fi, We switched from Verizon, and while the plan is cheaper, service (at least locally) is a little more spotty with Fi. I do like the simplicity of Fi, and their customer service is great.


Hey Bob,
Where do you use your phones? Abroad much?
__________________
sent from my hipflask
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 01:34 PM   #13
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Quote:
Originally Posted by Runs_4_beer View Post
I've been using Fi for several years now and am very pleased. I don't travel out of the states, but I get similar or better coverage than friends on Verizon or AT&T. They have a nearly unlimited plan now and you can get a free extra Sim card to set up a hot spot. I use an old phone as a hot spot when I'm traveling. For us, the price is right. I can get four people for about $120 per month. They also have cheap phones for my kids that seem to have trouble holding on to their phones.


That’s great! We learned recently that we can’t use our Verizon hotspot in Mexico on Telcel. Telcel forces you to buy a device for the SIM card. We don’t have old phones that work well enough to be hotspots.
__________________
sent from my hipflask
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 03:53 PM   #14
2 Rivet Member
 
1965 17' Caravel
Brunswick , Georgia
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 36
we haven't gone abroad with them-
bobhaven is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 09:07 PM   #15
2 Rivet Member
 
2023 30' Globetrotter
Currently Looking...
College Station , Texas
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 30
We had Google Fi in 2015'ish time frame. Found the service to be excellent but only in metro areas. Now my wife's phone is AT&T and mine is Verizon. If there's any cell service at all where we travel one of us usually has service.

Mark
DotsDad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2019, 10:17 PM   #16
Rivet Master
 
turk123's Avatar
 
2019 30' Classic
Canfield , Ohio
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,559
Images: 1
My wife and I have different carriers. I have ATT, she has Google Fi. She tends to have better coverage than me. We have traveled all over the us and having two plans is better than one.

We have never been without some coverage.
__________________
"At some point, throwing money at the problem *is* the right answer", Uncle Bob

x\x/x\x/x\x/x\x/x\101970\x/x\x/x\x/x\x/x\x/x\/x\x/x\x/x
Tom & Doty
2019 Airstream Classic 30 Twin
turk123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2020, 02:12 PM   #17
2 Rivet Member
 
2021 27' Flying Cloud
Salado , Texas
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 76
I've been running Fi on a Pixel 3XL for almost 2 years. I work all over the country and have used it in multiple job trips inside the Dominican Republic. I've never had network connectivity problems unless I'm out in remote places that simply have no coverage at all. I've enjoyed mine and it had saved me quite a bit of money!
Gtx Eng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2020, 02:21 PM   #18
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Google Fi with Pixel

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gtx Eng View Post
I've been running Fi on a Pixel 3XL for almost 2 years. I work all over the country and have used it in multiple job trips inside the Dominican Republic. I've never had network connectivity problems unless I'm out in remote places that simply have no coverage at all. I've enjoyed mine and it had saved me quite a bit of money!
Thanks for adding that!
We’re still on iPhones. I thought I’d heard they would expand to iPhones. Do you know if they have?
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2020, 02:31 PM   #19
Moderator
 
DKB_SATX's Avatar

 
2017 26' Flying Cloud
Alamo Heights , Texas
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,500
Images: 1
Blog Entries: 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jenniflow View Post
Thanks for adding that!
We’re still on iPhones. I thought I’d heard they would expand to iPhones. Do you know if they have?
You CAN use Google Fi on an iPhone now, but you won't get full functionality. You'll be limited only to T-Mobile's network, I believe, without access to Sprint and US Cellular towers. As time moves forward this will matter less, because T-Mo owns Sprint now and will convert all that spectrum over to T-Mo service.
__________________
— David

Zero Gravitas — 2017 Flying Cloud 26U | WBCCI# 15566

He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. — Sir Winston Churchill
DKB_SATX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2020, 02:37 PM   #20
Rivet Master
 
Jenniflow's Avatar
 
1982 34' Limited
1986 34.5' Airstream 345
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 558
Send a message via Skype™ to Jenniflow
Quote:
Originally Posted by DKB_SATX View Post
You CAN use Google Fi on an iPhone now, but you won't get full functionality. You'll be limited only to T-Mobile's network, I believe, without access to Sprint and US Cellular towers. As time moves forward this will matter less, because T-Mo owns Sprint now and will convert all that spectrum over to T-Mo service.
Hunh. Right I forgot about the merger.

WE’re in Mexico a lot of the time now tho. Not sure if it would make sense for us. Is it an international service? Sorry, I’ve forgotten.
__________________
sent from my hipflask
Jenniflow is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
To Update or Not to Update....... Wppcdlh4 Vintage Kin 16 08-29-2017 11:10 PM
What's a Google Spider? Rog0525 Our Community 4 06-08-2004 08:15 AM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:02 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.