Porting Mobile Number to a VoIP Provider and Using a Tablet as a Mobile Phone (Exclusively through Mobile Data)

juzza87 on 25/04/2022 - 03:09

I've tried to Google it but had difficulty finding a concrete answer for Australia in 2022. My idea is to port my mobile number to a relatively stable/well known enterprise VoIP provider and use a 4G equipped tablet as a phone, always with me for the more advanced features and larger screen size. I know I could hotspot a tablet but don't really want to carry two devices everywhere.

Issues I've thought about so far: Text messaging (which I actually do more than call), lack of calling facilities (would need a headset or have to use loudspeaker), camera not as good as my phone, might not always be pocketable (I was thinking on the smaller tablet end like iPad Mini or smaller), VoIP provider might disappear, additional cost of a mobile data plan and VoIP plan, connectivity with devices particularly smart watch.

If you've any thoughts for or against or have done something similar I'd love to hear from you. This could all be a very bad idea that blows up later or it could be neat.

Mobile

Comments

  • salrock on 25/04/2022 - 05:18

    I would buy samsung fold instead or some other similar device

  • Namidairo on 25/04/2022 - 07:23

    Text messaging (which I actually do more than call), lack of calling facilities (would need a headset or have to use loudspeaker), camera not as good as my phone, might not always be pocketable (I was thinking on the smaller tablet end like iPad Mini or smaller), VoIP provider might disappear, additional cost of a mobile data plan and VoIP plan, connectivity with devices particularly smart watch.

    Crazytel do SMS on their app, but I'm not sure how well it works with ported-in mobile numbers as DID's, or whether you need to use their virtual mobile numbers (their version of disposable mobile numbers).

  • mskeggs on 25/04/2022 - 09:33

    Some of the Chinese 4G tablets have both call and sms apps.
    You just put the sim in and it is a very large phone, no voip provider required.

    Not possible with iPads, however, though maybe with the voip work around.

    • juzza87 on 25/04/2022 - 10:15

      That's an interesting idea, I'll have to have a look on Aliexpress later today to see what's out there.

      I just thought of another negative, if there's no 4G/internet then no phone calls which would be a problem in the bush with an emergency, though the android tablet with phone functionality wouldn't suffer this issue like a VoIP would

  • lint on 25/04/2022 - 15:31

    Somebody did this with the latest iPad mini as an experiment and it's not great. I think the biggest miss is that there's no earpiece so if you don't want your conversations to be on loudspeaker, you'd have to have earphones in all the time.

    https://youtu.be/Xfdc2DoI92I

  • Stingo on 29/04/2022 - 17:38

    I think its a terrible idea. Aside from the issues you've mentioned, even if you could get the cost of a virtual mobile number and calls/texts sufficiently offset by a greater data inclusion in a data only plan satisfactory VoIP requires a decent connection which is not guaranteed. Either go for a phablet or find the cheapest/smallest/lightest phone to hotspot with.

  • id on 01/05/2022 - 02:21

    not the best solution if your specific usage is replicating mobile functions (call/sms). Having a mobile/data plan is still much a cheaper and more reliable route than what u trying to explore.

    first of all are you prepared to pay for eg… crazytel - $7.95/m did plus 5c/sms, calls, porting $10, maxo- $14.95/m did plus 10c/sms, calls, plus porting fee 25$. Then add to that a data only plan, would already be comparable cost if you add it all up (voip plus data).

    there can be unpredictable call quality issues depending on various thing from mobile data congestion, pop sip servers, data signal fluctuations, latency, jitters.. etc etc.

    some niche ideas for porting mobile to voip- international oz mobile local presence without the excruciating fee of mobile roaming, sms accessible via their portal or sms received to your email . Business pbx functionality using a mobile num.

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