Galaxy note 4 as wifi only device

[TheOpusFuller]

I'm currently on Verizon with an iPhone 6 plus as my primary.

I love VR and I was interested in purchasing the gear VR headset.

My question is, am I able to buy a Verizon note 4 off contract at full price and use that out of the box as a wifi only device? Will everything work correctly only using wifi or would I NEED a cellular and data plan in order to use the device?

Thanks all!

 

[anon(5600632)]

With WiFi only and no contract, you ought to be able to do everything except the phone calls and texts requiring a carrier phone number. But if you have a google voice number, Hangouts can use that for calls and texts over WiFi too.

 

[TheOpusFuller]

I kind of wanted to do everything it could possibly do with only having wifi. Apps, net, gchat, most importantly being able to use gear vR.

Like I said, I'll still have a primary device.

Am I even able to buy a Verizon note 4 off contract at full price and not have to connect it to a carrier? I was on the phone with best buy and they were trying to tell me I needed to activate it on a carrier even if I'm buying it at full price. Seems so bogus!

If I'm paying full price, why does best buy have any right to say what I do with the device?

 

[rdiddy_25]

If you're buying it outright why not buy the tmobile version? This way you can root if you need or want to. JMO

 

[ChemMan]

So my Dad uses his Note 4 as a pay per use device. He has cellular connectivity for calls and such but no data. Probably costs him 20 bucks a month.

When he is around open or credentialized WIFI he can run and download any apps.

BTW, do you use the iphone fingerprint scanner? Just curious.

 

[TheOpusFuller]

I don't like to root my devices. Don't like the fuss.

And I don't even want a calling plan on it. I want to basically use this as a tablet. I want to connect it to my wifi home network and use it only on wifi. I don't want to pay any additional money to use the device.

I'm basically looking to use my iphone 6 plus as my primary. I'd use the note for apps and Internet and stuff but mostly for the gear vr. Likens said before I still want to option to swap between the note 4 and the iphone 6 plus if I feel inclined.

I just want to know if I buy an off contract note 4 at best buy is that possible or do I need to activate it on some kind of plan. They said I did which doesn't make much sense to me. And if it's possible to use this as a wifi only device. Don't care about calls or texting so much.

 

[TheOpusFuller]

Yeah I use the fingerprint scanner all the time. It's amaxing. I use it with an app called 1password. Why do you ask?

 

[ChemMan]

Yeah I use the fingerprint scanner all the time. It's amaxing. I use it with an app called 1password. Why do you ask?

Have you tried to hack your phone with a picture or mold of your finger? Just wondering if it is possible to fake the finger on the iphone.

The Gear VR rocks! it is great. It played a major part in me going from the Note 2 to the Note 4.

if you are an iphone user Zeiss has one you may be interested in. Many more apps for the Gear VR and Google Cardboard though.

 

[TheOpusFuller]

Ha Ha, no I didn't try to fake my fingerprint. The way I see it, if someone steals my phone while I'm out and about, I'll grab my wife iPhone and ping the **** out mine until I find it. I doubt someone is able to fake my fingerprint in that short of time frame. So I'm not too worried about it.

The gear VR looks awesome. I have google cardboard that I use my iPhone with. The apple store actually has some VR stuff in it. Enough to get an idea of what VR can do, but I heard google cardboard doesn't do VR justice when you use Gear VR.

I'm a huge fan of VR after playing with a rift DK1 kit from work. Super awesome. Hence the reason why I want to get a note 4. haha. I'm prepared to drop 700 bucks on the note 4 and another 199 just to get a solid VR device and have a solid experience!

 

[ChemMan]

I am getting ready to pick my Gear VR up and step out for a little adventure. Hahaha! Great thing, wish all Note 4 users had one.

 

[anon(5600632)]

I don't like to root my devices. Don't like the fuss.

And I don't even want a calling plan on it. I want to basically use this as a tablet. I want to connect it to my wifi home network and use it only on wifi. I don't want to pay any additional money to use the device.

I'm basically looking to use my iphone 6 plus as my primary. I'd use the note for apps and Internet and stuff but mostly for the gear vr. Likens said before I still want to option to swap between the note 4 and the iphone 6 plus if I feel inclined.

I just want to know if I buy an off contract note 4 at best buy is that possible or do I need to activate it on some kind of plan. They said I did which doesn't make much sense to me. And if it's possible to use this as a wifi only device. Don't care about calls or texting so much.

I don't know Best Buy's policy, but Amazon is full of unlocked Note 4's at full price. That makes more sense than a Verizon version because you can use it on just WiFi with no contract and always have the option of buying a SIM card from T Mobile or StraightTalk or an international carrier if you travel.

 

[iGalione]

You can buy any phone off contract and turn mobile data off, hell you don't even have to activate it, just simply turn WiFi on and use it whenever you have wifi, since you will be using it kinda like an ipod, you don't have to do much else.

Live life, love life, excel life...

N1 . N2 .. N3 ... N4 #ILE
#ILoveEvolution

 

[TheOpusFuller]

Well I bought the Note 4 for 680 bucks last night at the Verizon Store.... I was able to trade in my old iPhone 5 for $120 towards the purchase which was kind of nice.

So far I installed all my apps that were on my iPhone 6 Plus to my Note 4. Set up my 1password which is a huge must. If you haven't looked into 1password, you should!

So some first impressions. I don't know what is running in the background or what is happening but my battery is getting hammered. I had it off the charger since 7am this morning and it's already chewed through the battery and is currently at 65%.

If I was using my iPhone 6 Plus I would still be at around 93% battery so I need to figure out what is happening with the Note 4.

Secondly - The Note 4 is pretty nice. The UI is smooth unlike older android devices I have owned. At least the hardware is finally able to keep up with my Apple devices being buttery smooth. The screen on the Note 4 is also nice. Very vibrant and colorful and crisp. I like it!

I still have to get used to some of the apps and how they are played out from the developers. One thing I enjoyed most about using apple devices are the apps.

For those who don't use 1Password, it's basically a password storage app. 1Password creates complex passwords for your apps and websites. For instance, I would go to my gmail account, change the password, and 1Password would generate a very complex password that nobody could guess. When I want to sign into that website at a later date, I would simply scan my fingerprint on the 1password app, it would automatically know what website I'm trying to access and it would automatically fill in the username and password for me. It's secure and I don't have to manually input any username/password information. It doesn't seem that the android based 1Password app is set up like the iOS based app is. It's a little unfortunate as I use 1Password every single day and the simplicity on the iOS device is pretty amazing. I'll just have to make due and work through it though.

The only other things that still is a bit of a thorn in my side is the level of customization on android. There are so many menus, so many options, and half the time I'm looking online for what these things do. My guess is that these settings are what is running in the background, chewing through my battery. That's one thing I like about Apple. It's simple and to the point. You spend less time messing around with settings and options and more time just using your device for what you need to get done. I still have to do some figuring out with all these settings and to see if some of these can be turned off to save some battery life.

So far it's a neat experience. But again, the sole purpose of getting this Note 4 is to use the Gear VR headset which is sold out unfortunately. I wonder when these will be back in stock!