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C811 performance on European GSM networks?

R

rjglenn

Android Enthusiast
I'm going to be traveling in Central & Eastern Europe this summer and was wondering how well the C811 works on European networks using a VZW SIM. Last year I had a Droid Razr Maxx and it took forever to connect and generally was a disappointment.

I know there are several on here that are using a C811 with a local SIM, but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this device using a VZW SIM while traveling in Europe.
 
I traveled last year in East Africa on a VZW SIM, so I'm probably not much help in regard to your Europe question...

Before I left the US I added (for free) VZW Global services to my account. I landed in Belgium for a couple of hours, and as soon as I landed I got three texts telling me welcome to VZW in Belgium and the rates for texts, calls and data. From there I was in a layover in Rwanda, and basically the same texts came up telling me local rates as soon as my phone locked onto a network. I stayed in Uganda and Tanzania and the same applied.

I was going to get a local SIM in Uganda, but when I went to get it they required my passport info for 'security purposes' (some kind of anti-terrorism law required all SIMs to be registered and documented) and I didn't have my passport on me at the time. Had I got the SIM from the correct carrier, I would also have been able to use that in Tanzania, but I didn't realize that at the time.

Needless to say, the rates for texting, data and voice were all very expensive on VZW global roaming. Texts were .50 each. Data was $21 per Mb. Voice was $5 a minute. I made a call to the US for 10 minutes for $50. After three weeks, I had added about $100 to my usual bill. I tried using Wifi whenever possible, but accidentally used data once for a minute, and they charged me the whole $21. Most of the rest was texting. I didn't have to make many voice calls, because I was with the people I was visiting most of the time.

Anyway, that's my experience. If I'd really needed to use data, I would have been fuxxed. Luckily places I stayed and the airports had Wifi. In all major cities texting and calling was seamless. The countyside wasn't as good, but I was pleasantly surprised by coverage even out in the boondox of western Uganda. I would think it would be flawless in Europe, considering their tower densities.

Here's the Global Services page: Global Services - Verizon Wireless

If you sign up and pay for some of their options, like prepaying $25 for 100MB of data, it would be cheaper than what I did.

BTW, my friend who was also travelling, accidentally also turned on her data on her VZW iphone without realizing. She downloaded something like 250 work related emails with attachments, that ended up costing her around $500 (almost half the ticket price to Tanzania from NY) ouch.

PS. I also brought along the charger that came with the phone. It didn't work anywhere because everywhere used 220V instead of the USs 120V. So I had to plug into peoples laptops, many taxis had 12V universal chargers, etc. I would also leave the phone at the hotel desk where I was staying. None of that was convenient. Sooooo, get a truly universal charger and some of those weird Euro plug adapters.
 
Thanks for this. I used a DRM last year and it took over an hour to connect and then it never worked well in France, the UK was a little better. On that trip I ended up using the 100 MB/$25 plan because pay as you go data is very expensive. WiFi is everywhere in Europe, but very little of it is free, even one place we stayed wanted €15 on top of the room charge for WiFi. When I travel I go places, I don't stay in my hotel and out and about most WiFi has to be paid for.

I've thought about using a local SIM but I need to be reachable on my regular number. I guess I should just leave my phone at home but having a small business does have its shortcomings.
 
So far I've been in Belgium for about two days. The phone connected up within moments of turning it on and has never lost signal. I will be traveling across Europe by train and will report on how well it works in more rural areas. So far it has worked very well.
 
How's the trip going? Still getting good coverage? You opted to use VZW Global roaming, right (vs. a local SIM card)?
 
I'm in the Czech Republic right now. The only time I've lost coverage is when I cross a boarder. Yes I am using VZW. So far I'm on my 3rd $25 data bucket and I've run up about $35 in text messages. Probably not the cheapest solution but it is reliable.
 
Well, I have been in Europe for about a month now with my C811. Today, while in Spain, I bought an Orange SIM card. I have a Verizon one, but the international plan is too expensive for me. I can call and text with my orange Sim card thanks to an app I downloaded called C811 extra settings, but I cannot get on to the mobile wireless network, just WiFi. I'll tinker around with the settings some more, but it looks like I'm stuck WiFi hopping for internet access.
 
Alright, I will attempt the above suggestion in the near future, but space_cat, are there any ramifications to this procedure, because it sounds like I'm jail breaking my phone, which I have no problem with, if it causes me no problems. I ask both out of curiosity and out of paranoia...
 
Yes, there are ramifications. It's a pain in a** to do the process. Rooting your phone immediately voids the warranty. Screwing up the process might screw up your phone permanently. Rooting might also cause issues with any future updates (though I doubt there will be any more.)

If you're not familiar and comfortable with hacking phones, I would avoid it. I bricked a Commando 4g trying to extend its capabilities and have left my new one alone after convincing VZW to cover the brick under warranty. The APN process has worked for some people, but if you decide to do it, please be very sure about understanding the instructions.

Here is another, maybe more recent thread on the subject - towards the bottom of this thread:

http://androidforums.com/casio-g-zone-commando-4g-lte/855224-vzw-c811-activating-straighttalk.html

The APN question comes up from time to time, but I haven't heard from anyone recently who has done it, so I don't know if the process has changed at all, or if it still works as described, due to updates, etc.

It used to be as simple as creating a new APN from a menu in that area of settings. Verizon realized this and disabled the option to do it so that people could not really use the phone on other networks. IMO they're skirting the law regarding truly unlocked phones. Maybe this protectionist crap will change in the future but ATM we and other phone users are stuck with sketchy workarounds.

Please look on the Playstore at all of the APN related apps. They exist to make the APN change process easy. Verizon makes it difficult.

Please let us know what you decide and how it goes for you.
 
Distinguished ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to inform you of my success in joining my phone to Orange's mobile data network. I owe many thanks to space_cat, supazuk, doctor, & Dan Rosenberg.

I will note that I made an error: when connecting your C811 to your computer to be rooted, make sure it is connected as a media device. Also, in the likely case that your phone restarts before motochopper can finish cleaning up (mine did), simply rerun motochopper and all will be well. Finally, know that after rooting your phone, booting will be slower. In particular the settings options and icons will not load, causing some duress. Give them time, and they will load.
 
I'm glad it went well and that you took the risk to make it happen. You now have the phone that should be, not the phone that Verizon deems appropriate :D.
 
Do you mean it doesn't find any signal or won't accept your SIM?

From what I can find out it should work for basic 2G telephony, as long as it isn't locked to a particular provider's SIM cards. But for anything else the c811 model looks like it only supports US bands, which are not widely used outside of North America.

There's a site that can be used for checking phone compatibility called willmyphonework.net. It doesn't list the c811 model explicitly, and I think the GzOne Commando 4G LTE it lists is a different phone because it has a 3G band which other sites don't show the c811 having.
 
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