Phone/Data Best of both worlds.

PeterD · Guru

Phone/Data Best of both worlds.

Plendo · Guru

There are now a number of good cheap data plans available on the Optus network through Amaysim,and these will work in most areas. BUT there are still areas where only Telstra is available, but recognise that you pay a premium for the Telstra (or bigpond) service.

Now you can go totally prepaid and use Amaysim (Optus) where you can get it, and Telstra in the other areas with a sigle device.

It is a dual SIM android phone from Alcatel called the 918D it is now being sold by Dick Smith for $88

http://dicksmith.com.au/product/EM5045/alcatel-91ne-touch-dual-sim-unlocked-mobile-phone

With this device you can load two SIMs, set up a wireless hot spot (gives you WiFi for your computer), and choose which network you use.

Jus be careful with Telstra to make sure you get the long life prepaid so it does not expire on you.

I have testd one of these phones (I was using it to compare network coverage for work), and they work well, they are not as slick as the current large screen Android 4 devices, but perfectly adequate for what most people want.

Plendo · Guru

Hi Peter, any Dual SIM phone would work the same way as long as it has the ability to implement a WiFi Hotspot, you need that to link your PC to the phone, and be able to use the internet access from your PC. The only reason I mentioned the Acatel is that I have personally tried that phone, I know it works well, and I saw that Dick Smith had it cheap.

The appeal of Dual SIMS is so you can have both the cheap service (Amaysim as an example) available on one SIM, and Telstra available on the other SIM in the same device. You can then set the cheap service as the default, and if that is not available the phone will then ask you if you want to use the other service (if it is available).

The phone will treat your voice (phone cas) and data (internet) as separate services, and will then allow you to define which SIM to use for each service. It will only ever use one SIM at a time for each function.

An example of how this would work:

Lets say you have your mobile phone with Telstra, so you put your TElstra SIM in slot 1, the phone will recognise it and refer to it as SIM1.

If you then decide to use Amaysim for data because it is cheap, you put your Amaysim SIM in slot 2, this will now be caled SIM2.

When you had only one SIM in the phone, the phone assumes you will use that SIM for everything. When you add the second SIM the phone now asks you to choose which SIM to use for outgoing voice (phone calls & text), so you would choose SIM1 (Telstra).

The phone will also prompt you to choose which SIM to use for Data (Internet), here you would choose SIM2 (Amaysim).

If as you then travel around you arrive in an area that does not have Amaysim coverage, but you want to use the internet, here you can choose to switch over and use SIM1 (Telstra) for data.

The phone will always receive incoming calls, regardless what else it is doing.

I hope this helps.

Plendo · Guru

Sorry Peter , I did not address your last point.

If you are using Next G Ultimate on a plan, and you have a modem for it then there would be little value for you. This is more aimed at people who wish to take advantage of the cheaper data service available from some of the other providers, but still want the security of having Telstra available if required.

For people who use the internet a lot, it is incredibly easy to spend a lot of money on data services. Say for example someone had a Telstra mobile and did not have an adequate data plan, they can land up spending up to $2/mb, where if they do add a data plan, say $30 for 3gb, then they will pay $0.10/mb on over run.

If however they are in an area wher ethey can use it, some of the cheaper services offer $30 for 4gb, then $0.05/mb on over run.

Yes Telstra is expensive BUT it does offer the best coverage, all I am suggesting is that a dual SIM device alows people to make use of both, as and when they need to.

Bucko · Senior Member

Plendo,

I've read your post with interest and like the idea, I would ask a stupid question, the wifi, is it set up on the computer via bluetooth from the phone, or otherwise? I have a reasonably new computer, 18mth old with bluetooth but I'm only a neanderthal with the damn thing. be kind!!!

Kevin. (Bucko)

Plendo · Guru

Hi Kevin, that is certainly not a stupid question. The answer is no, please let me explain.

The WiFi I refer to is the same as we have in offices, many people have at home, airports, and cafes (even Macdonalds). It is there to allow computers to connect wirelessly to a network, in most cases this now provides Internet access. The communications industry has adopted a standard for this called 802.11 this keeps improving, and is now up to version "N". 802.11 operates on 2.4ghz.

Since you bought your laptop recently it definately has WiFi.

Blue tooth uses the same frequency group 2.4ghz, but not the same frequencies, it is designed as a tool to connect "personal" devices, and there are multiple sub standards for audio, control etc. Your blue tooth in your car is a perfect example.

When you have a smart phone, and you enable the WiFi hotspot (that is Android terminology, and I can not remember the iPhone term), you are effectivly creating a small WiFi site, with most phones able too support up to five connected devices.

When you first enable your WiFi hot spot, it will either prompt you for an SSID (just a name for your network), and a pass key (password).

When you then turn on the WiFi on your PC, it will auto detect all available networks, you select yours, and if there is a tick box to auto connect tick it. It will then prompt you for your passkey.

From that point on, every time you enable your WiFi, your PC will auto connect.

BTW, a little bit of trivia. WiFi was actually invented by the CSIRO who initially gave it to the scientific community. It was then adopted globally by the communications industry. Quite recently the CSIRO realised that it was probably due some royalties, and have been pursuing these royalties in the courts with some degree of success.

I hope this helps your understanding, if you would like more information please do not hesitate to PM me.

Bucko · Senior Member

Hi David,

Thanks for all that, it certainly sound doable for me, as soon as I get back on the road I'll look into it, I very much appreciate you taking the time to lend a hand, the new technologies sometimes overwhelm me with what they can do, gets into the "too hard" area and I leave it.

Thanks again,

Kevin.

allinone · Senior Member

Plendo wrote:
It is a dual SIM android phone from Alcatel called the 918D it is now being sold by Dick Smith for $88
http://dicksmith.com.au/product/EM5045/alcatel-91ne-touch-dual-sim-unlocked-mobile-phone
With this device you can load two SIMs, set up a wireless hot spot (gives you WiFi for your computer), and choose which network you use.
Jus be careful with Telstra to make sure you get the long life prepaid so it does not expire on you.
I have testd one of these phones (I was using it to compare network coverage for work), and they work well, they are not as slick as the current large screen Android 4 devices, but perfectly adequate for what most people want.

According to the specs on the gsmafena site this phone would only work on Optus|vodafone in city areas and not in county areas and would work on Telstra.

Yet on the DSE page it states not recommended on Telstra.

So I would be reluctant to purchase this phone at all for dual SIM usage or after reading the customer reviews....

Plendo · Guru

Please check it out on the Alcatel (manufacturer site), it shows there as being Quadband GSM, and Quadband UMTS (one of very few phones that are quadband on both), if you go into the description on GSM Arena it shows the same thing.

I have had one of these phones for testing purposes for about six months, I have had a Telstra sime in slot 1, and an Optus Sim in slot two. I have compared them across many situations urban, rural, and network fringe. I know and understand this phone, and I certainly would not have suggested it if I was not satisfied with its performance.

BTW, the very limited specs they have on the Dick Smith site appear to relate to the wrong phone. Not sure how they can say a phone that has GSM Quad band 1900/850/1800/900; UMTS 2100/900; UMTS 1900/850; UMTS 850/2100; is not Telstra 3G compatible, when Telstra use 1900 and 2100 in the Urban area, and 850 on the rural network (one of only a few globally to use 850).

Bucko · Senior Member

David,

You having used one would sway me, it's not as if DS is beyond making a mistake, as soon as I get one I'll let you know how it went, won't happen right away, I'm in stasis at the moment on my property, saving money for the my next trip in Feb 2013, I won't hold you to it either, it's all beyond my understanding, you have to trust someone, better someone who has used one than a sales assistant who just uses the speil they;re given rather than practicle experience.

Quietguy · Member

I note and have been testing the Kogan plans. They run on the Telstra 3G network, and offer unlimited phone and text, plus (IIRC) 6gig of data per month for $299 a year, or $30 a month. Looks like a winner David