Cell Phones

Tablet data only, ditch smartphones (magic jack?).

  • Last Updated:
  • Oct 26th, 2014 2:00 pm
Newbie
May 31, 2008
46 posts
Markham, Ontario

Tablet data only, ditch smartphones (magic jack?).

So as i was browsing the websites of rogers and bell, i saw how cheap their tablet plans were. Even the highest tier is only 40/month for 5 gb, which is a ton cheaper than their smartphone plans. Add a mandatory voice plan to your smartphone and it becomes even more ridiculous.

Since there aren't even any data only smartphone plans, is it possible to just run with tablet data without a phone? Magic jack offers you a callable phone number intended for home use, but have apps available for mobile devices. I already use magic jack as my home phone and it works perfectly. I've tried it on my smartphone and it has also worked pretty well so far.

If i get magic jack on my tablet and run with tablet data, won't i essentially be able to operate without a phone without much compromise? The iPad mini isn't that much bigger than my note 3 anyways lol.

update: My friend at rogers told me i can use tablet data for my smartphone. Just put in the sim card and it should work the same. So no need for tablets at all.
13 replies
Deal Addict
Sep 17, 2011
3885 posts
666 upvotes
They work well over wifi and not so well over data
Newbie
May 31, 2008
46 posts
Markham, Ontario
shushwap wrote: They work well over wifi and not so well over data
When u say not so well over data, do you mean not so well compared to wifi? Or tablet data not so well compared to smartphone data? Because we all know wifi is always better than data even if its LTE because it's not all about raw speed. Stability issues like latency, packet loss, and jitter is much more important. If u mean it's not as good as wifi, that should still be ok for voip. But if you mean it's even worse than smartphone data then there might be issues.
Deal Addict
Sep 17, 2011
3885 posts
666 upvotes
Tablet data and smart phone data are the same thing... Give it a go and see what you think... I have used MJ as well as nettalk and I didnt like either of them... If I need to use my phone I expect it to work and if that means I have to pay a little more for that service I am ok with that...
Some people are ok with voip over cell network I have tried it a few times when im away and it works well enough in a pinch to make a call I couldnt deal with it as my only means of phone service
Newbie
May 31, 2008
46 posts
Markham, Ontario
update: my friend who works at rogers told me that i can actually use tablet data in your smartphone, so i don't even need a tablet at all. Just need to put the sim card into my existing smartphone and i should be good to go. But yea ill definitely give that a try and see how it goes. I was just asking to see if i missed any obvious potential problems. It seems like it's worth a try. Ill try it out and report back in a few weeks.
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
31271 posts
17295 upvotes
I use voip.ms over whatever the N4 calls LTE (I think it's actually HSPA+) and it works just fine.
Member
User avatar
Apr 10, 2006
254 posts
1 upvote
Vancouver
Recently I've been using VoxOx and its the best I've found, great quality! Hangouts has been really good for me too for outgoing calls.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jun 12, 2007
20807 posts
6623 upvotes
London
a) Its highly dependent on network load. Anywhere lots of people gather, VoIP over cellular is going to be flaky. High load areas like a busy shopping mall, go train at rush hour, air Canada center, etc. It'll work fine under light load
b) Any time you are motion, like in a moving car, go train, etc, it going to be flakey as well
Sr. Member
Feb 27, 2007
648 posts
292 upvotes
Montreal
shellysoda wrote: Recently I've been using VoxOx and its the best I've found, great quality! Hangouts has been really good for me too for outgoing calls.
Have u tried iNum provided by Voxox? Check that out. I've been using it to call or receive collect calls from overseas. Max $1 per month free.
Member
User avatar
Apr 10, 2006
254 posts
1 upvote
Vancouver
MontrealPost wrote: Have u tried iNum provided by Voxox? Check that out. I've been using it to call or receive collect calls from overseas. Max $1 per month free.
I haven't but I've been thinking about it! If I could port my number in there, I'd be all over it. How's it for receiving calls for you? It seems to work for me about 80% of the time. I don't use my phone a lot for calls though.
Sr. Member
Feb 27, 2007
648 posts
292 upvotes
Montreal
Funny, u're the 2nd person saying Voxox good sound, friend said it's better than Textnow while visiting Banff.

I've only been using Voxox iNum for overseas call to 2 countries, landline to landline, hence I can't tell. The only 1 test I did with friend overseas, both using Voxox was terrible. My 2 threads on Voxox & iNum are:

showthread.php?t=1521013
showthread.php?t=1521009
Nice weekend!

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