Aio Wirelress or StraightTalk?

[kwalla]

Should there be any performance/access difference between Aio Wireless and StraightTalk with an AT&T sim?

I've a Nexus 4 and Solavei (TMobile) just doesn't cut it with a deadspot outside my house they say there's nothing to be done about (even though the coverage map is all 2nd best rating).

So.. I want to switch to an ATT network.. and as far as I can tell, it shouldn't matter which one I pick -- other than differences in the plans. The access/speed/quality should all be the same, right?

 

[Biaviian]

Aio's data is a bit different than StraightTalk. ST doesn't tell you when your plan will be throttled or canceled due to high data usage. Aio's plan spells that out. So if you are worried about heavy usage causing your ST plan to be canceled I'd go with Aio. Otherwise there is about a $5 price difference. I stuck with ST because I don't have issues with my data usage.

 

[jimdvn333]

Straight Talk now specifies 2.5 GB.

 

[acejavelin]

If I had to choose between the two, I would go AIO Wireless... I had ST for a while and it was a disaster and their customer service people were idiots. I had issues with data constantly dropping (not the signal, just the connection through their APN) and could not receive MMS messages but sending worked fine. I finally got sick of it and went to AT&T Go Phone and haven't had an issue since.

Also, on AIO wireless, if you get close to your data limit they send you a text and you can just add another GB of full speed data for $10.

 

[kwalla]

So.. even though both have access to the same network, the data dropped more on ST? The APN actually makes a difference?

I understand customer service being different, but would have thought the actual network experience would be identical...

 

[acejavelin]

So.. even though both have access to the same network, the data dropped more on ST? The APN actually makes a difference?

I understand customer service being different, but would have thought the actual network experience would be identical...

Absolutely... Although the wireless connection to the towers is always excellent where I am AT&T service was far superior to ST... You can kind of think of the APNs as VLANs or Proxy servers in a way, all internet data goes through the APN connection and in ST/Net10's case that is back to their servers/network and that meters and prioritized data to be shared with all clients, and that is where I think the bottle neck and problems came from. The MMS issue was clearly on their end, being able to receive but not send is definitely a server or account issue on their end. I have never once had an issue with AT&T's service.

 

[Medion]

Direct comparison without any usage experience:

Both offer unlimited talk, text, and data (2G). ST throttles after 2.5GB, while AIO throttles after 2GB. ST is $45, while AIO is $55 ($70 for 7GB plan).

Aside from the cost though, there is a difference in network coverage. AIO uses AT&T towers only, no roaming agreements. For my recent cross-country trip, that would have meant zero coverage for about 300 miles on the highway east of Cheyenne (I had AT&T at the time, which roamed). T-Mobile doesn't offer coverage there either, with or without roaming. Straight Talk has their own roaming agreements setup and covers that area very well.

If I had to choose between AIO and ST, I think that ST's cheaper plan combined with better coverage makes it a better plan to start with. I'd go with them first, and if your experience mirrors that of Acejavelin's, port your number to AIO.

 

[kwalla]

Direct comparison without any usage experience:

For my recent cross-country trip, that would have meant zero coverage for about 300 miles on the highway east of Cheyenne (I had AT&T at the time, which roamed). T-Mobile doesn't offer coverage there either, with or without roaming. Straight Talk has their own roaming agreements setup and covers that area very well.

This confuses me. ST uses ATT or TMobile, right? If neither have good coverage in Cheyenne.. whose network would you roam onto? Sprint? Verizon?

 

[Medion]

This confuses me. ST uses ATT or TMobile, right? If neither have good coverage in Cheyenne.. whose network would you roam onto? Sprint? Verizon?

Sprint/Verizon use CDMA, and T-Mobile/AT&T use GSM. They are not compatible. AT&T has a roaming agreement with a regional carrier east of Cheyenne, while T-Mobile does not. Straight Talk seems to have a similar deal, but theirs is more comprehensive (you can go further off the highway with ST, whereas AT&T is just on the highway).

While AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile/Sprint are the largest networks, they're not the only ones. There are plenty of regional carriers with their own towers that cover areas not served by the big-4.