What Is Wifi Calling

What Is Wifi Calling

 

So What Is Wifi Calling?

Wi-Fi calling is calling over a Wi-Fi network through the internet instead of over a regular cellular network. This can come in super handy in several situations like when you’re in a visit on the outskirts of a cellular network, or when you work in a building or in the basement and you have touchy cell service.

Now, before I get too far I want to clear up what I’m referring to as Wi-Fi calling. there are a lot of apps Available like Skype, Viber, WhatsApp or Facebook messenger that allow you to place calls or send messages over Wi-Fi.

Now, I’m excluding these because you have to use a separate app to send the messages or replace the call, and it won’t hand-off to a cellular network if you walk outside of the Wi-Fi range. What I’m referring to as Wi-Fi calling is built into the phone natively so you don’t have to do anything separate or different than you would normally place a call.

To get Wi-Fi calling to work for you, you’ll need to be on a cellular carrier that supports Wi-Fi calling and you’ll need to be using a device that works with Wi-Fi calling.

Currently all major carriers AT&T; Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile work with Wi-Fi calling as well as many small carriers like republic Wireless. If you don’t see your carrier listed here check with them to see if they support Wi-Fi calling.

You’ll also need to be using a device that supports Wi-Fi calling. Many smartphones today will work with Wi-Fi calling, but again it just depends on the carrier. For example: a quick scan through Verizon’s website shows all these options, check with your carrier to see which devices are available for you.

The best of all Wi-Fi calling is free, and you don’t have to add any special packages or be on a special plan to make it work; however, it can use your minutes whether you’re calling over Wi-Fi or using cellular network. It just depends on the carrier, so check with your carrier to see how they handle this.

When it comes to Wi-Fi calling, you want a strong reliable connection to your Wi-Fi network and preferably a fast one.

Wi-Fi calling doesn’t use a ton of data: about 1MB per minute for calls, and about 6-8MB per minute for video calls. But if you have poor connection or slow Wi-Fi, your call quality will suffer and you may even drop the call.

Now, that you know what Wi-Fi calling is, let’s talk about how to use it:

All you have to do is turn it on it’s super easy on an iPhone simply go to settings phone and turn on Wi-Fi calling.

On an Android device: tap on settings – tap more setting – and tap Wi-Fi Calling or advanced calling, and that’s, all you have to do just place calls like normal, and whenever you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, it will automatically switch over and use Wi-Fi calling. And when you leave that network, it will switch over and you cellular calling. Even if you’re on a call at the time, your phone will only use Wi-Fi calling if it connects to a network it recognizes or can login to.

for example: you’ll need to go to your favorite coffee shop and log in to its Wi-Fi once it recognizes that, every time you go there, it will switch over to Wi-Fi calling. Another perk of using Wi-Fi calling is HD voice, which is basically really good call quality. most carriers support HD voice and some like Verizon actually require you to turn HD Voice on before you use Wi-Fi calling.

with HD voice the calls you make will be some of the best you’ve ever made that is assuming that the other party has HD voice turned on as well, so there’s the basics of Wi-Fi calling but there’s even more you can do to make sure you have better call quality when you’re at home this is where your router comes in.

One thing to note here, is that your carrier may ask for your physical address while you’re performing setup, because, when you call emergency services they want to be able to route you to the nearest dispatcher so that’s what is wifi calling. If you have some issues on setting it up, take a look at our troubleshooting guide here.

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Daven Klarsen is a technology writer and researcher. He's also an avid sports fan, especially when it comes to the LAL. When not working, you can usually find him tweaking his Android devices or watching soccer news.