5X and Project Fi

[raqball]

Anyone running Fi on their Nexus 5X?

I have a SIM card on the way and I fully understand how Fi works so that's not really my question.

I am more wondering how the Nexus 5X behaves on Fi.

1. Is the transfer between WiFi and Cellular noticed?
2. Signal strength based on and compared to previous cellular service
3. Speed of Sprint and T-Mobile data on the N5X (compare to previous service if possible)
4. Battery life effected since it's looking for WiFi, Sprint and T-Mobile all the time

I am thinking about porting my number so I'd like some opinions before my Fi SIM card arrives.

Right now I am on AT&T and use less than 1GB per month as I am almost always on WiFi..

Thanks!

 

[eaccentsac]

Anyone running Fi on their Nexus 5X?

I have a SIM card on the way and I fully understand how Fi works so that's not really my question.

I am more wondering how the Nexus 5X behaves on Fi.

1. Is the transfer between WiFi and Cellular noticed?
2. Signal strength based on and compared to previous cellular service
3. Speed of Sprint and T-Mobile data on the N5X (compare to previous service is possible)
4. Battery life effected since it's looking for WiFi, Sprint and T-Mobile all the time

I am thinking about porting my number so I'd like some opinions before my Fi SIM card arrives.

Right now I am on AT&T and use less than 1GB per month as I am almost always on WiFi..

Thanks!

Also curious....am currently on Tmo and rest of family has Sprint. I don't foresee any issues with signal in our area or the places that we are likely to visit.

My one concern is international usage as we travel out of the country at least once a year. Went to Asia last summer for almost 3 weeks--the freebie service from Tmo on the Simple Choice plan worked fabulously with no extra charges!!!

 

[jonebk12]

I'm in the same boat. Fi SIM on the way, except I'm switching from Verizon. It's not really a money thing for me (my work pays my cell bill). Verizon coverage just isn't great where I currently live for some reason and I'm hoping that Tmo plus Sprint plus WiFi will be better. From reading posts on here, it also sounds like Verizon may be somehow blocking or preventing updates. My 5X is still stuck on the October security patch. I guess I'll find out if that's true when I try the Fi SIM later this week.

 

[eaccentsac]

I'm in the same boat. Fi SIM on the way, except I'm switching from Verizon. It's not really a money thing for me (my work pays my cell bill). Verizon coverage just isn't great where I currently live for some reason and I'm hoping that Tmo plus Sprint plus WiFi will be better. From reading posts on here, it also sounds like Verizon may be somehow blocking or preventing updates. My 5X is still stuck on the October security patch. I guess I'll find out if that's true when I try the Fi SIM later this week.

Have you tried pulling the update?

 

[raqball]

I'm in the same boat. Fi SIM on the way, except I'm switching from Verizon. It's not really a money thing for me (my work pays my cell bill). Verizon coverage just isn't great where I currently live for some reason and I'm hoping that Tmo plus Sprint plus WiFi will be better. From reading posts on here, it also sounds like Verizon may be somehow blocking or preventing updates. My 5X is still stuck on the October security patch. I guess I'll find out if that's true when I try the Fi SIM later this week.

I got my invite like day one it was actually available but had just sold my N6 and didn't have anything to run the service on. After getting my N5X I was concerned about some of the early user reviews on the service. Fi appears to have gotten better since then so I used my old invite and ordered the SIM. Shipping of the SIM is pretty slow as I ordered it last week and it still says processing..

It's not really about the money to me either but heck if I can save some cash in the process then bonus! I think what Google is doing with Fi is the future of cell usage.

I hope someone comes along who is using Fi on a Nexus 5X and can chime in.

 

[LuciferRex]

I have had Fi for almost 3 weeks now on a 5x (that I bought from Google store when I signed up for fi)

1. Is the transfer between WiFi and Cellular noticed? On occasion, yes, but it usually cleans up the static very quickly
2. Signal strength based on and compared to previous cellular service I had Verizon, so no comparison really. But i don't really notice any major gaps, just weaker signal from time to time...3g versus 4g in some places, not a deal breaker for me
3. Speed of Sprint and T-Mobile data on the N5X (compare to previous service if possible) Again, I had Verizon, and I know some people get close to 50 down, I've only tested as high as about 35 down, but I'm not in on of the MAJOR markets
4. Battery life effected since it's looking for WiFi, Sprint and T-Mobile all the time I think the battery life is exceptional, compared to my Galaxy s5 at least

 

[raqball]

I have had Fi for almost 3 weeks now on a 5x (that I bought from Google store when I signed up for fi)

1. Is the transfer between WiFi and Cellular noticed? On occasion, yes, but it usually cleans up the static very quickly
2. Signal strength based on and compared to previous cellular service I had Verizon, so no comparison really. But i don't really notice any major gaps, just weaker signal from time to time...3g versus 4g in some places, not a deal breaker for me
3. Speed of Sprint and T-Mobile data on the N5X (compare to previous service if possible) Again, I had Verizon, and I know some people get close to 50 down, I've only tested as high as about 35 down, but I'm not in on of the MAJOR markets
4. Battery life effected since it's looking for WiFi, Sprint and T-Mobile all the time I think the battery life is exceptional, compared to my Galaxy s5 at least

Awesome and thanks for the response..

This alleviates most of my concerns. I just want to make sure before I port my number. I know I can port it back out but want to avoid that hassle if possible...

I guess i will just move forward with the port once the card arrives and go from there. If Fi does not meet my needs then I'd just need to port the number back to AT&T. I've had this number for a while so loosing it is not an option.

 

[Downwind]

I bought the 5X because I was anxious to try Fi. I was on Verizon for 18 years but the cost was killing me. I switched a month ago and couldn't be more pleased. There are some places that were Verizon holes that either T-Mobile or Sprint now covers. Mostly I'm on wi-fi. The hand-offs have been seamless. When I first got the service I ran some speed tests on the LTE and got amazing speeds. Up to 50 mps, which was better than Verizon in the same locations. I'll miss the flexibility of unlimited data but I'm not missing the extra $100 out of my wallet.

 

[raqball]

I bought the 5X because I was anxious to try Fi. I was on Verizon for 18 years but the cost was killing me. I switched a month ago and couldn't be more pleased. There are some places that were Verizon holes that either T-Mobile or Sprint now covers. Mostly I'm on wi-fi. The hand-offs have been seamless. When I first got the service I ran some speed tests on the LTE and got amazing speeds. Up to 50 mps, which was better than Verizon in the same locations. I'll miss the flexibility of unlimited data but I'm not missing the extra $100 out of my wallet.

Cool thanks!

Once I get my SIM card I'll run some speed test to compare to AT&T (which I am currently on) and will keep this thread updated. So far 2 happy former Verizon customers! That's good news since Verizon is widely considered to be the best network (and most expensive) in the US..

 

[LuciferRex]

Please make sure you look at Fi's coverage map first though, I'm in Southwest Ohio, so I'm covered.!

 

[raqball]

Please make sure you look at Fi's coverage map first though, I'm in Southwest Ohio, so I'm covered.!

I'm blanketed in LTE according to Fi so I should be good. I'm in the Los Angeles area..

If anyone else wants to check their coverage, here is the link:

https://fi.google.com/coverage

 

[jonebk12]

Have you tried pulling the update?

If by pulling the update, you mean manually going into the phone's settings and tapping "check for updates," then yes, I have (usually once per day or so). I even turned the phone off, pulled the vzw SIM and rebooted to try on wifi but to no avail. My Fi SIM is supposed to get here on Thursday so I guess I'll find out then if Verizon really is to blame for the lack of updates.

 

[sfringer]

My Fi SIM is supposed to get here on Thursday so I guess I'll find out then if Verizon really is to blame for the lack of updates.

That was certainly my experience when moving from Verizon to T-Mobile last Friday. I swapped SIMs in the store and was immediately greeted with the system update message.

So, it would seem despite the indications that Nexus phones would be well-served with direct-from-Google updates; carriers can still cause issues with that panacea!

 

[pursuit2550]

I got on FI yesterday and it was a breeze to switch. On my drive to work today I did look at my cell service a couple of times and noticed 3g, something that hardly ever happens on VZW. I haven't seen it go out of LTE since this morning. BUT,LTE speed where I am at right now SUCK, didn't happen with VZW. I am getting 1-1.5 up and .05 down. TMO and Sprint are not the best here in Miami but those speeds are a joke

 

[jonebk12]

That was certainly my experience when moving from Verizon to T-Mobile last Friday. I swapped SIMs in the store and was immediately greeted with the system update message.

So, it would seem despite the indications that Nexus phones would be well-served with direct-from-Google updates; carriers can still cause issues with that panacea!

It's crazy to me that Verizon can even block these Google updates. Maybe it's incidental because Verizon doesn't technically support the phone, but once I take my Verizon SIM out and am only on WiFi, you'd think updates would come right through. When I first unboxed the phone, before I put any SIM in, I got an initial update right off the bat no problem.

 

[ufergus]

I was on Sprint for many years, switched over to a T-Mobile MVNO service for a few months and am now on Fi. I am very pleased with the service and will be converting several other family members to Fi shortly. Unless you are trying to save a grandfathered unlimited plan somewhere, give it a shot. You really have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. The one feature I was hesitant about is the auto-open wifi with vpn but it works quite well. The only thing to watch out for when you switch is SMS/MMS. Not all third party apps work with Fi. You are pretty much stuck with Messenger, Hangouts or Textra. I use Textra and everything works, even MMS over Wifi which has been flaky at best before.

1. Is the transfer between WiFi and Cellular noticed?
Haven't really noticed anything unusual
2. Signal strength based on and compared to previous cellular service
The same as I observed on native Sprint and T-Mobile MVNO
3. Speed of Sprint and T-Mobile data on the N5X (compare to previous service if possible)
The same, I see no reduced priority compared to native service, at least in regards to Sprint. Speeds are the same as my PTEL service too.
4. Battery life effected since it's looking for WiFi, Sprint and T-Mobile all the time
I am coming off a two year old Nexus 5, but I find the battery to be excellent.

 

[raqball]

Awesome and thanks for the response.. My Fi card shipped today and is scheduled to arrive on Monday. Apparently it was sent on the back of a FedEx turtle... LOL

Looking forward to giving the service a go!

 

[pursuit2550]

So on my way home yesterday I was checking my phone signal. It was all over the place, LTE, 3G, H and 3 little dots scrolling on the bottom of the signal strength meter, I have even seen a ! on the meter also. I got home and tested my speed again my GF Iphone. Both of us on LTE and full bars. Shes on VZW. She got 38-40 I got 1-2. Now either TMO and Sprint really suck in my area or VZW is awesome or some things going wrong with my FI. I will be travelling to Tallahassee,FL this weekend so we will see how it goes. So far FI is not looking so good.

One more thing I just noticed. I have my number registered to my mobile banking. Well when I switched it un-registered it. I went back in and registered when the port was done over to FI. This morning I get a e-mail saying my number has be unregistered. So apparently from jumping back and forth between carriers is unregistering my number with mobile banking. Strike 2.

 

[LuciferRex]

I got on FI yesterday and it was a breeze to switch. On my drive to work today I did look at my cell service a couple of times and noticed 3g, something that hardly ever happens on VZW. I haven't seen it go out of LTE since this morning. BUT,LTE speed where I am at right now SUCK, didn't happen with VZW. I am getting 1-1.5 up and .05 down. TMO and Sprint are not the best here in Miami but those speeds are a joke

Have you accessed the Project Fi app and gone through the prompt to 'finish setting up service' or something to that effect?

 

[pursuit2550]

Have you accessed the Project Fi app and gone through the prompt to 'finish setting up service' or something to that effect?

Not sure what you are talking about. I do have the app and every thing works fine, except for what I mentioned above.