Network handover in Google Fi • Hacker News Board

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#11

Post by mynameisvlad » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:09 PM UTC

adovenmuehle wrote: post #2

I've been keeping track of Google Fi since it was released. I'm hoping the new Nexus 5 (both LG and Huawei versions) is compatible with Google Fi, although I did call the Fi support number (and talked to a real human) and she said they haven't heard anything about support for the Nexus 5. Here's hoping.

Well of course they haven't heard anything about support for an unreleased device that at this point is only rumours and leaks. Did you really think that a company representative would just up and reveal any information (which they probably wouldn't even know until maybe a week before release when they get training on it) in an official capacity like that?

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#12

Post by ndrarmst » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:26 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #8

ndrarmst wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(author here) I didn't have a chance to test how the VPN works, but even if they were using MPTCP the switch wouldn't necessarily be seamless. Especially how they are using it now - which hands over a Wi-Fi call (which is data) - to a cellular voice call (not data). It's a subtle point, but calls over cellular are not data, so they are not using TCP/UDP/MPTCP/etc.

> but calls over cellular are not data Does this change with VoLTE? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoLTE

Yes - with VoLTE, calls are also data.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#13

Post by nadams » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:27 PM UTC

jewel wrote: post #4

When Fi was announced they mentioned that public wifi traffic would go through a VPN to google's datacenters. At the time I assumed that they'd just run ALL traffic through the VPN, since that'd make for some very seamless switching. As bad as that would be from a privacy perspective, I trust Google more than T-Mobile or Sprint. By running everything through the VPN, you'd be able to have TCP connections that didn't…

It should be noted that the VPN only turns on when it automatically connects to pre-approved APs. Google didn't disclose to me what those APs are.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#14

Post by thrownaway2424 » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:27 PM UTC

I remember having UMA on a T-Mobile BlackBerry (8800, I think) and the call handoff from WiFi to mobile really was seamless, no gaps at all. This was in 2007, by the way.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#15

Post by dgulino » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:27 PM UTC

https://republicwireless.com provides seamless wifi->cell and cell->wifi handover of calls.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#16

Post by ndrarmst » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:27 PM UTC

edude03 wrote: post #9

ndrarmst wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(author here) I didn't have a chance to test how the VPN works, but even if they were using MPTCP the switch wouldn't necessarily be seamless. Especially how they are using it now - which hands over a Wi-Fi call (which is data) - to a cellular voice call (not data). It's a subtle point, but calls over cellular are not data, so they are not using TCP/UDP/MPTCP/etc.

I see, for some reason I thought it was Voice over IP tunnelled to google via VPN (over wifi or LTE). My mistake.

Exactly. They are doing VoIP over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), but not VoIP over 3G/LTE (which is VoLTE if you follow certain standards).

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#17

Post by jerf » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 6:43 PM UTC

dgulino wrote: post #15

https://republicwireless.com provides seamless wifi->cell and cell->wifi handover of calls.

I can verify. "Seamless" in this case means "I often don't even notice". If I'm directly watching I can sometimes see it and correlate it to a small dropout but it's nothing that doesn't happen all the time on cell phones anyhow; it's below the noise threshold.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#18

Post by zw123456 » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 7:07 PM UTC

Another interesting future aspect of HetNet technology http://www.netmanias.com/en/post/blog/7388/kt-korea-lte-h-lt...

What GoFi is doing is actually not at all new and has been around a while (the wifi / LTE hand off) the third provider is always been possible with multiple SIMS which has been around for quite a while.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#19

Post by tyingq » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 7:09 PM UTC

dgulino wrote: post #15

https://republicwireless.com provides seamless wifi->cell and cell->wifi handover of calls.

Can also confirm, handover is smooth on republic. The 1GB plan is a little lower than Google Fi as well. 2GB is the same cost as Google, 3GB is slightly higher.

Re: Network handover in Google Fi

#20

Post by Bedon292 » Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 7:12 PM UTC

Very interesting. This contradicts how Google advertises the service though. They say the transition is seamless. Unless they are playing fast and loose with the definition of seamless, this does not seem to qualify.

According to their website it is expecting signals to slowly get worse and have time to start transitioning before it drops out. A sudden loss of wifi for whatever reason probably confuses it. I would expect walking down the street away from your wifi would cause a smoother tansition.

I also expect those dialer codes are not meant for use during a call, and that is why a transition is queued up.

Have you tried driving from a Sprint deadzone, where you are on TMobile, to a TMobile deadzone where you would have to transition to Sprint? This would show if it can actually transition between the two during a call. Which others seem to say works.