[tedanderson]

If I buy a used Android phone, will it work on my local wifi connection without it being activated through a cell phone carrier?

I need a handheld device for a few web based applications that I use on the job and being that I already have internet service, I don't really need a data plan. I know that I can use an iPod touch for some of my purposes but I was hoping that an unactivated Android phone does the same thing.

 

[chevymaher]

Yes the Wi-Fi works independently of the Phone service just like an I pod.
I have a unlocked phone. It still gets Wi-fi from the carrier it came from also. And I use a different service.

 

[Shad0wXCalibur]

The ES file explorer app is great for browsing your phones files like a computer and connecting to a computer wirelessly through a wifi router to move files between the two devices if you don't feel like plugging up the USB cable every time to do that.

 

[tedanderson]

Thanks guys!

One thing that I plan on doing is using it to monitor IP cameras. I wanted to go with an Android phone so that I can get someone to custom build the app for me.

 

[bratliff]

If you don't have an android phone, craigslist, and swappa are the best places for android phones I have found.

 

[Phantom]

you will need to make sure your phone WI-FI is on the same frequency of the network the IP cameras are on ,,, not all routers have all the frequencies , if the freq band is different it wont be compatible

 

[tedanderson]

Well I ended up getting a 1st Gen iPhone.. donated to me by a friend who probably has a dozen of them from all of the upgrades that's he's done over the years.

And I realize that I'll probably still want to get a droid eventually but this at least gets me started. Right now I carry a mobile hotspot with me just so I can get acclimated with using a touch screen and the keyboard that pops up for the text fields.

And now I see why people keep their heads "buried" in their phone for extended lengths of time.. it takes FOREVER to do anything on a smart phone. :lol:

I would lose patience very quickly if I needed to make a phone call and I had to flip through all of those screens.. although I think that most smart phones have a 1-button function to get to the dial pad.

 

[chevymaher]

Yes they take a while to learn. But just like a computer I put icons on the main screen to take me to the functions I use most. Contacts, messages, internet etc etc. Mine has a strip at the bottom that says phone. Hit it and past calls and numbers for dialing pop up. It also has car mode where stuff you shouldn't be doing is blocked and all that is there is real big and obvious.
It does take a month of sundays to figure out how to set everything.
Thats is why I don't switch phone types often. I know where everything is on the one I got.

 

[paintdrying]

What is an ip camera? I think I need something like this so I could leave guys on the job and I can call them from home depot and say, hey put those beers down and get back to work.

 

[Phantom]

What is an ip camera?

a camera that has an ip address so that it is connected to a network and can be accessed remotely ,, such as security cameras ...
can be used for a variety of purposes ,

 

[tedanderson]

I think I need something like this so I could leave guys on the job and I can call them from home depot and say, hey put those beers down and get back to work.

Yeah.. and that's exactly what it does. The difference is that the camera acts as it's own self-contained video server (vs. some of the more elaborate systems that have a centralized box that sends the camera feeds out to the net) and all you basically need is a high-speed connection from wherever you want to set the camera up. It's easy to configure and you can watch it from anywhere around the world.