Following a
limited launch last year in its hometown of Seattle, T-Mobile's finally pulling all the stops and taking its "HotSpot @Home" hybrid GSM / WiFi calling service national. A first among the US' big four carriers, @Home relies on traditional cell airwaves out in the field but switches seamlessly to WiFi when it gets within range of a T-Mobile hotspot or any other wireless router you've configured your phone to latch onto. For the millions of us with less-than-stellar reception in our homes, the service could be a life-saver -- and even better, WiFi minutes aren't deducted from your plan. Launch handsets are the
Nokia 6086 and
Samsung t409, both of which will go out the door for $49.99 on contract and include a Linksys or D-Link router -- both specially designed for @Home service -- for free after rebate, though any 802.11b access point should work. The service itself will run $9.99 per month on individual and $19.99 on family plans for up to five handsets. Look for the equipment today in T-Mobile stores and on the carrier's website.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Spyvie @ Jun 27th 2007 12:12AM
So it switches automatically? I guess thats the only difference between this and my T-Mobile data plan that includes unlimited manually switched HotSpot access?
chuck @ Jun 27th 2007 7:55PM
no, your current t-mobile phone doesn't allow you to place unlimited voice calls over the wifi network...
Nubaeus @ Jun 27th 2007 12:25AM
What happened to the picture? It was of the Tmobile phone and Tmobile (Dlink) router and all of a sudden *POOF* its gone
Dragod @ Jun 27th 2007 12:25AM
Did the picture change, or am I just crazy?
Matt @ Jun 27th 2007 12:34AM
Spyvie, you don't get it. This service routs voice calls through your Wi-fi connection instead of through T-Mobile's towers. It's seamless voice over IP. It has nothing to do with a data plan.
Jeremy K. @ Jun 27th 2007 1:09AM
Wow! This is totally awesome. Now I can do away with my landline... if only my phone (that I JUST got.. KRZR K1) supported wifi..........
TheMayor87 @ Jun 27th 2007 1:09AM
surely they'll make an update so my dash can do this as well.
....please?
JTM @ Jun 27th 2007 2:12AM
Seconded
XAVIER @ Jun 27th 2007 2:43AM
Third.
Alex Baird @ Jun 27th 2007 9:19AM
Ditto...they gotta support other, existing, wifi phones (like my dash...)
Greg Hyer @ Jul 18th 2007 10:54AM
I spoke with T-Mobile Hotspot @ Home support and they said the Dash will not have the capibility because of the hardware requirements needed to switch between the WiFi and GSM network.
feffrey @ Jun 27th 2007 1:15AM
sweet! I currently use t-mobile pay as you go, and the only thing that is keeping me from dropping the landline phone connection is that cell signals do not work in my house. (copper siding) With this service I would not mind going to a plan.
Alex Padilla @ Jun 27th 2007 1:17AM
@ Jeremy K.
Yeah, this essentially gets rid of the need for a landline. My AT&T family plan contract ends next May, and if this thing catches on, I might just make the switch to T-Mobile. This would be absolutely huge, especially for a constant cell user with extremely limited funds (read: me).
Nexus @ Jun 27th 2007 1:31AM
do the phones support WPA and WEP?
Nexus @ Jun 27th 2007 1:34AM
Oh and does this also mean you can use the wifi for data? like with the built in browser or something like opera mini?
Arvind Ganesh @ Jun 27th 2007 2:35AM
Will this work "wherever" I have wi-fi internet? Can I take my phone to London and talk for free from a wi-fi spot there, for instance?
Josh @ Jun 27th 2007 3:22AM
It will work anywhere as long as there is no terms and conditions page. Also if someone has password producted their router you will have to have the security key for the phone to be able to conect
Jason Chang @ Jun 27th 2007 3:53AM
No it will not work internationally
Kevin @ Jun 27th 2007 2:37AM
What if i wanna use my OWN router?? I have a big house and I have a few repeaters in it. Do i HAVE to use a special t-mobile router? If not, sign me up...
HWGPRS @ Jun 30th 2007 12:38AM
No, you don't need any special T-Mobile router. Phone support both 802.11b/g with either WEP or WPA .
Any router (802.11b/g) will be able to be used as Access Point.
The benefit of using T-Mobile router is the T-Mobile has special software to save phone's battery lifetime.
XAVIER @ Jun 27th 2007 2:38AM
Third that.
XAVIER @ Jun 27th 2007 2:39AM
Since it's all UMA and GSM i'm going to guess you probably will.
XAVIER @ Jun 27th 2007 2:42AM
Third that.
Sasquatch @ Jun 27th 2007 2:55AM
Ok guys, here's the deal. The T-Mobile router allows you to have flawless reception and prioritizes phone calls over other connections. If you use your own router, it really won't work very well. However, the router is $50 with a $50 rebate. It works exactly the same as any other wireless router but also allows the added phone benefits. And really, are you going to argue with a free router?
As for data, this has absolutely nothing to do with it. Sure, you can access your internet wirelessly from your house, but this won't get you the hotspots access (that is still $19.99 monthly).
And this will work at any of the T-Mobile hot spot locations and anywhere with the hot spot router. That translates to Starbucks yes, Coffee Bean no. This also only works domestically and not abroad. At some point, T-Mobile UK and other European affiliates will launch something like this where we can potentially use the benefits, but for right now this is only for US calling.
And as for the Dash, I seriously doubt they will update it. It's going to be like MyFaves where they started off with just a few handsets and slowly integrated it into all the handsets. Rumors are that T-Mobile Curve and Pearl 2 will both be compatible with the UMA calling.
XAVIER @ Jun 27th 2007 3:08AM
You best be wrong wit the dash , or it's an iPhone with no stereo for mwa :)
Josh @ Jun 27th 2007 3:17AM
This feature isn’t all it's cracked up to be. I work for Cincinnati Bell and we rolled this product out June 1st with just the nokia 6086. The biggest draw back with the uma feature is that the phones cannot accept terms and conditions. So anywhere the wifi requires you to accept terms and conditions your phone won’t connect to the wifi network.
Also all the uma phones have three antennas (regular gsm, Bluetooth, and uma) and if you try to use Bluetooth with the uma turned on your battery will last about two hours.
Thirdly it's not as seamless of a transition as they claim when switching from wifi to gsm your drop the call about 25% of the time
Sasquatch @ Jun 27th 2007 4:16AM
I disagree about the battery. The way it is enabled, it will actually save battery life and allow the phone to have a much longer battery life than regular gsm. And the security key on the routers of course won't allow you to hop on to just any wifi network. This is mainly used for homes and small businesses that wants perfect reception and free calling.
Josh @ Jun 27th 2007 5:32AM
I've personally used a 6086 while using the uma feature and it does drain the battery alot quicker than normal, just like using bluetooth drains the battery quicker, and if you use both at the same time the battery doesnt have a chance.
Sean P. Aune @ Jun 27th 2007 3:18PM
And if you're in your house, using Bluetooth, you could do something wacky like plug it in to the charger and still walk away as you are, after all, on a Bluetooth headset...
Josh @ Jun 27th 2007 10:03PM
One potential problem with the uma phones is their 911 incapable when connected to wifi(while on uma you would be connected to the wrong 911 call center). When you dial 911 while on uma it will automatically switchback to GSM to make the call. The biggest problem i see with this is that their will be people who do not have GSM coverage in their homes and if they disconnect their landline and have an emergency they wont be able to use 911. (I work for Cincinnati Bell and thats how our uma feature works, so I assume T-Mobile's UMA will have the same problems)
Josh @ Jun 27th 2007 3:27AM
You can’t just do a firmware update to make a phone uma enabled. The uma feature requires a separate antenna, so I doubt the dash will be uma enabled anytime soon since they would have to increase the phones size to get the third antenna to fit
Phil @ Jun 27th 2007 4:20AM
The Dash already has a WiFi antenna built-in. It would work fine with a software upgrade.
Scott C. @ Jun 27th 2007 4:13AM
Killer. Congrats TMO. Long time coming.
Atanas Boev @ Jun 27th 2007 5:58AM
Can I have extra minutes if I share my router for another customer to use? Just think of carrier built in that principle - they will not have to pay anything for building the network, just for the outgoing calls ;)
darkstar @ Jun 27th 2007 8:20AM
oh man,
this technology is amazing!!!! i cant believe it will do a handover from tower to wifi back to tower seamlessly. i think sprint n verizon n att better come up with something quick!
Scott @ Jun 27th 2007 9:24AM
Sprint is for the "stupid guy" that hasn't done his research to realize that Sprint is (and has been for a long time) the bottom of the barrel in both coverage and customer support.
04e46conv @ Jun 27th 2007 9:39AM
This is going to be sick with my E61i!!!!!!!
I dont see any thing about this on the T-Mobile site anyone have a link I want it ASAP!!!
Thanks!!
Curtis @ Jun 27th 2007 10:52AM
T-Mobile site for @Home http://www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com/
LeeV @ Jun 27th 2007 5:49PM
So if I have this right, I have to pay T-mobile another 10 bucks a month to get better reception in my home because they can't build a network that covers all the areas effectively?
Alex Padilla @ Jun 27th 2007 12:57AM
LeeV, stop being pessimistic. You get unlimited WiFi minutes with the plan, WHEREVER you are.
This is actually a really big deal, and aimed at taking chomp at the iPhone, no less.
Mr. Picklesworth @ Jun 27th 2007 1:03AM
To get that, you need a VOIP service, which is being provided here.
Darn good deal, too.
*Cough*iPhone should have done this*cough*
az1324 @ Jun 27th 2007 1:10AM
The additional fee includes unlimited WiFi minutes so it's not a bad deal if you can use WiFi during peak hours. You can drop your VOIP line.
Pat @ Jun 27th 2007 6:05PM
From a technical perspective, this seems really cool, but from a practical perspective, not so much. With free nights/weekends, rollover and free cingular to cingular, I have been physically incapable of exceeding my monthly minute allowance. Unless you talked constantly, the free usage doesn't seem like a huge benefit.
If it worked internationally that would be great. I currently use Skype or my corporate VoIP when I travel, but being able to fire up your regular old mobile and make/accept free calls while abroad would be amazing. I can't imagine why it's not technically possible; T-Mob's parent must not want to give up those $1.00+/min roaming fees.
tim @ Jun 27th 2007 6:40PM
Mine is in the mail. I should get it friday.
chuck @ Jun 27th 2007 8:00PM
where would you prefer to enjoy your coffee? home? wifi there. work? wifi there, too. a bookstore? oh, wait, there's a t-mobile hotspot at all borders bookstores. what about a hotel? wifi there. the park? well, first of all, i wouldn't want to have coffee in the park while using my laptop, because the screen glare would probably be horrendous and, at least in the summer, it'd be uncomfortably hot. but if that's your thing, many cities now offer free wifi in some of their parks. and if your city doesn't offer this, you can probably hop on a nearby open wifi network.
wifi is NOT for stupid people.
Chris @ Jun 27th 2007 8:40PM
wow cincinnati bell has had this for like 2 months now. works with ANY wireless network in cincinnati. plus it doesnt go against your minutes. great stuff. www.cincinnatibell.com
PeterFromSFW @ Jul 17th 2007 12:39PM
I just got the Hotspot@Home service and it works fine with the T-Mobile router, BUT wheever I try to connect to my wireless router at the office it gives me all kinds of dufferent errors. Am I missing something?
SecondHand @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:10AM
That is why T-Mobile adds in your current address and information and you will be routed to the closest 911 center to that information.
So, problem solved. No need for the landline.
Loyal to TMO @ Jun 30th 2007 8:31AM
It would be scary if half of you actually knew what you were talking about. As far as working Internationally,,, if you can get on an AP via WiFi with the phone you can make any call you wish back to the states FREE. It is the WWW fool. As for DT T-Mobile's parent company wanting to charge for Int'l roaming, that is a silly comment. Most International roaming partners I.E. Orange, Vodafone DoKoMo, China Mobile, TIM and hundreds of others have no affiliation with DT.
tim @ Jul 10th 2007 8:54AM
Yes, it absolutely works! I'm in a service apartment in Shanghai at this moment. I just finshed 2 calls, flawless. The people on the other end said it sounded great. There was no lag which is pretty good. The connection here isn't great.