Fongo App: Support call hand-offs between WiFi/Cellular Data

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Fongo App: Support call hand-offs between WiFi/Cellular Data

Postby CalgaryBen » 12/23/2018

I have an iPhone (latest iOS 12.1.2) with the Fongo 3.10.6.20 app.

I just signed up and did some testing today, and found receiving/making calls from WiFi or while using cellular data works perfectly. However, if I transition from WiFi to cellular data, or from cellular data to WiFi, the call is dropped.

Is there any way to resolve this? It's a very common use case, where I could be a on a call using cellular data, and then enter my office or home where WiFi kicks in. Or of course the opposite, where I start a call while at home, and want to continue the call when I leave.
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Re: Transitioning between WiFi and Cellular Data on call

Postby Liptonbrisk » 12/24/2018

Unfortunately, at this time, Fongo Mobile doesn’t support handoffs between Wi-Fi and cellular data networks. The call will drop.
Acrobits Groundwire used in conjunction with any SIP service, including Freephoneline, does support handoffs between Wi-Fi and cellular data networks.

Support for call handoffs between Wi-Fi and cellular data networks would, I feel, be a good suggestion. You can submit app feedback by submitting a ticket at https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

There’s also a suggestion forum: viewforum.php?f=30. Actually, I’ll move this thread there.
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Re: Transitioning between WiFi and Cellular Data on call

Postby CalgaryBen » 12/24/2018

Thanks for moving the thread!

I tested the WiFi/Cellular Data hand-offs for a other Apps similar to Fongo, and was impressed with the relatively seamless transitions (albeit just discernible). Unfortunately, those services do not support Canadian phone number porting, which Fongo does. But until the hand-offs work, I can't make the leap since my mobile phone wants me to be... well... mobile! And with that, comes moving in and out of WiFi-available areas...
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Re: Transitioning between WiFi and Cellular Data on call

Postby Liptonbrisk » 12/24/2018

CalgaryBen wrote:Thanks for moving the thread!

I tested the WiFi/Cellular Data hand-offs for a other Apps similar to Fongo, and was impressed with the relatively seamless transitions (albeit just discernible). Unfortunately, those services do not support Canadian phone number porting, which Fongo does. But until the hand-offs work, I can't make the leap since my mobile phone wants me to be... well... mobile! And with that, comes moving in and out of WiFi-available areas...



The other service I suspect you're thinking of is Google Hangouts or Google Voice, which isn't a SIP service, unlike Fongo Mobile and Freephoneline. However, it's clearly possible for network handovers (or handoffs) between Wi-FI/LTE (or 3G) to work with SIP services during calls without dropping them since Acrobits Groundwire can do it with Freephoneline.
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Re: Transitioning between WiFi and Cellular Data on call

Postby CalgaryBen » 12/27/2018

Liptonbrisk wrote:The other service I suspect you're thinking of is Google Hangouts or Google Voice, which isn't a SIP service, unlike Fongo Mobile and Freephoneline. However, it's clearly possible for network handovers (or handoffs) between Wi-FI/LTE (or 3G) to work with SIP services during calls without dropping them since Acrobits Groundwire can do it with Freephoneline.

I did consider Google Voice, but AFAIK, it does not offer Canadian numbers (and as you say isn't a SIP service), so it was off the table as a practical solution.

The apps I tested and was referring to are TextNow and Hushed, both SIP services. The beauty of using these is that they abstract away the need to configure anything. I'm not familiar with Groundwire, but my preliminary/quick search suggests it might be a viable solution which I'll look into further!

The one advantage of Fongo over the other apps/services I've looked at is the ability to port in a Canadian phone number; the US-based TextNow and Hushed do not offer this capability. But since the graceful handoffs between data connections is a must-have for my use case, I'm at an impasse and cannot take the leap to Fongo, despite very much wanting to do so!
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Re: Transitioning between WiFi and Cellular Data on call

Postby Liptonbrisk » 12/28/2018

CalgaryBen wrote: I'm not familiar with Groundwire, but my preliminary/quick search suggests it might be a viable solution which I'll look into further!


For what it's worth, Groundwire isn't a VoIP service provider. It's a SIP app that allows you to provision any BYOD (Bring Your Own Device or SIP services that aren’t restricted to specific devices or apps) SIP service on it. I would recommend Fongo Mobile (not a BYOD service, in this sense, since it is restricted to a specific app) for use on smartphones before I'd recommend Freephoneline due to the registration interval of 1 hour and, in particular, the potential of a temporary IP ban should a device attempt to register more than 5 times within 5 minutes. Hopefully Fongo Mobile eventually supports Wi-FI/cellular data call handoffs.

Also, Freephone's VoIP Unlock Key (a BYOD service), which one would need to buy in order to use with a smartphone SIP app, costs a one time fee of $89.95+tax, whereas Fongo Mobile is free to use. Freephoneline is mostly intended as a home phone replacement service for use with ATAs and IP Phones, and when used as a home phone replacement service, it's great. There's no better deal, over a long period of time, in Canada for a home phone service.
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Liptonbrisk
Technical Support
 
Posts: 2763
Joined: 04/26/2010
SIP Device Name: Obihai 202/2182, Groundwire
Firmware Version: various
ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others


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