Try this if you want to control the experiment. Turn ON Airplane Mode, after that, turn on WiFi. All radios except WiFi will now be disabled completely. Then see if it still works. (I doubt it.)
ETA: Of course, do this with your wireless modem/router unplugged.
Hypothesis: When you turn on Wi-Fi calling, the phone tries to route your calls and SMS through wi-fi. It fails because there’s not actually an internet connection, just an isolated hotspot. It falls back on its internal cellular antenna even though it’s still connected to the wi-fi at the same time, because that’s how they were designed to seamlessly handle handovers. When you call, the software (either on your phone or on the cell phone gateway) knows that your plan is suspended and doesn’t let you. But when you text, maybe the SMS portion of that software forgets to check for an active plan and lets the SMS go through anyway.
Under this hypothesis, at no point would it go through your DSL connection, but the act of connecting to a hotspot (even one disconnected from the internet) might trigger an obscure bug…
Text messages go through your carrier’s network, not your wifi network. If your text was working then not working there are any number of explanations for that, but the wifi was not carrying your texts.
i have been screwing around w airplane mode for a half hour now. the problem is airplane mode disables any ability to send sms or make voice calls, regardless of wifi being on and active. i found an ap that allows you to freely use wifi with airplane mode enabled, but only for web browsing. sms and voice are still automatically disabled.
googling around on it, it doesn’t appear there’s a method of sending SMS at all while airplane mode is enabled. i found this:
.
so, wifi modem on/off doesn’t make any difference, sms won’t send in airplane mode.
is there any other way to kill your network coverage but allow wifi calling/sms? other than, you know…having your service cut off?
He was talking about using Tmobile’s own built-in “Wifi Calling” app at a time when he had no Tmobile service. He said the texts started going through only after he turned on that Tmobile “Wifi Calling” app, even though he shouldn’t have been getting Wifi through his wireless modem. (My guess - he was actually getting some kind of internet service through that wireless modem at the time.)
this seems plausible.
because nothing else makes even a modicum of sense. i know SMS is a infinitesimally small amount of data, so my initial curiosity was that maybe the wifi’s signal was somecrazyhow enough to deliver the sms, even sans internet.
i am much more incline to believe this was some kind of ping-pong, slip through the carrier’s crack glitch–but one i am happy to have discovered.
i would like to add there are levels of suspension, and i was early into the first tier. that means my ability to call or send anything out was disabled, but i could still receive calls and texts–just couldn’t reply to anything nor retrieve MMS.
so that’s another indication my service wasn’t TOTALLY cut completely off, so apparently something about wifi connection allowed me to slip the SMS messages through my cell system.
anomaly indeed.
On most Android phones, if you turn on Airplane Mode, you can still turn on Wifi, and only Wifi will work while all other radios are off.
You could try taking out the SIM card, but I think some phones require there to be one (even if it’s inactive) or else nothing will work. Without a SIM card, I assure you that it’s not going out through cell service.
you are correct about all this, except for the “some kind of net service,” as i got the same thing to work even with the DSL line physically unplugged.
^i think the reply above might be the best explanation. i really wish there was a way to be able to turn my network off but still able to send SMS via wifi so i can test the modem.
i just don’t know of any method.
i tried both of these ideas.
with the sim card out and wifi on (and a certain internet connection that works for sure), it just pops up a message that the SMS will be sent once i have established a connection.
the same message comes up in airplane mode. again, wifi works in airplane mode–but only for browsing the web. wifi calling (which controls wifi texting) is automatically disabled in airplane mode.
Yes, but if I’m understanding the timeline here, this time, with the DSL like physically unplugged, you DID have cell phone service/signal, as your screenshots clearly show. That’s why I suggested Airplane Mode or SIM card removal in order to duplicate what it was like when you had no cell service.
So it’s not going out over wifi. Did you try this with the Wifi Calling turned on? (with Airplane mode off)
yes.
i have tmobile service and an HTC sensation.
when you toggle on wifi calling, a message comes up that says “wifi calling unavailable in airplane mode.”
hereis a really bloated thread on how tmobile does all this and why androids can’t do wifi calling–but the take away is no wifi calling in airplane mode.
sigh.
i’m going to try a few more things here. give me a bit…
eta: damn it. sim out, wifi works (again, only for net browsing). wifi calling says “no sim” and won’t allow calls or sms. only web browsing.
I’m talking about with the SIM card removed. I specifically said Airplane Mode OFF - forget Airplane Mode.
But I was also just thinking, and I don’t know how Tmobile’s Wifi Calling app would identify who you are without the SIM card. I guess it’s possible some of that info gets stored in memory, but I tend to doubt Wifi Calling will work without a SIM card - not because wifi/internet isn’t working, but because the WC app needs to identify your phone to Tmobile through the internet connection.
sorry i wasn’t clear–
airplane mode was off when i did the sim-card removal experiment. wifi calling doesn’t work unless the sim is in.
googling around, wading through some tedious tmobile support threads, it appears wificalling still requires some kind of network connection.
actually tmobile still deducts minutes from your plan for wifi calling, so there doesn’t appear to be a way to circumvent cell service and use wifi calling or wifi sms.
that said, i do not believe the anomaly SMSs were sent via the modem. i think the modem’s connection on my phone somehow allowed my SMSs to break through the tmobile service suspension. i dont know how or why, but i cannot come up with any other reasonable answer. phantom messages can’t send through wifi when there’s no internet signal. tmobile had me blocked from sending messages or calls. something about connecting to the dead wifi-signal allowed sms to go through (apparently my cell provider) and again, ONLY sms, not calls, not MMS and not web data.
it has to be a glitch in their suspension protocol. it makes the most sense, that it is a gap in their suspension method.
since i cannot disable service manually and still play with wifi calling, i am at a loss as to test it. so this might be the end of the thread unless someone has a really good idea.
Yeah, that’s what I figured after further thought.
Well, not through Tmobile and their app, or your regular cell phone number, but it can be done through Google Voice and an app called GrooveIP. I use it all the time on my Tmobile phone.
Well, based on reading the “Correct Answer” in your Iink, I agree with your opinion. This bit:
That makes it sound like it’s very likely that even though Tmobile had deactivated your cell service, with the Wifi Calling app on, SMS still works via cell because of the fake-out method the WC app uses to function.
dang. really interesting stuff.
at least i’m not crazy. 
thanks for your input. my brain aches from all the reading and testing.
Oh, BTW, if you want to change your current setup so that you can get internet simultaneously between the office and your flat, you just need a cheap router that functions as a network bridge. It doesn’t even need to have wireless capability, but that might be a bonus, and it’s harder to find ones that don’t, these days.
Then, you’d relocate the modem that’s currently in the office to the junction point and plug it in directly to where the phone/DSL line originates. From that (formerly) office modem, connect it to the new router that will serve as the bridge. Then, from that bridge, you would connect the same wire that goes to the office, and the same wire that goes to your flat. You would then have to reconfigure the modem/router in your flat so that it works only as an access point, and not a DSL modem. The only active DSL modem will be the one that was formerly in the office, and then you’ll have simultaneous use of the internet at both locations.
Oh, one potential pitfall with the above…
What kind of cable is it that goes between the junction point and your flat and office? Are they network (10baseT/ethernet) cables, or are they regular phone line? I assume they’re terminated with an RJ11 “phone” type connectors, but are the actual cables regular phone cable, or are they network cable?
If they’re regular phone cables, my idea above probably wouldn’t work without running new network cable.
yeah that’s the issue, they are just phone lines.
this facility is 40k sqft. service lines come in on the exact polar opposite end as the flat, so i would need several hundred linear feet of network cables. i had considered putting a router where the line comes in and running ethernet cords to the two computer hubs (flat/office), but that would require around 400 linear feet of cable. as it stands, there was phone cord already run so we could just switch the input and us it for the dsl line for our current set up.
it isn’t ideal, but it is what it is.
to bring it back to cell stuff–
part of why i got this HTC android is because it allowed tethering. so on office days (which are only 7 hours 3 days a week, not a huge big deal), i could tether my laptop and use my 4g data plan for internet (incidentally, when i did, the 4g was roughly 16times faster than my DSL connection. holy wow. also, for some crazy reason, cable and high speed “are not offered in your area,” even tho “my area” is smack downtown the largest city in the state. still don’t get that).
when ice cream sandwich was released for my phone’s model, t-mobile patched in a block on free tethering. so while my phone is capable, and it’s legal, tmob blocks it and makes you pay another monthly fee for the right to use your phone for all the things it can do.
bullshit.
i think i might just root my phone and go back to tethering on off days.
How far is the flat from the office? With the right kind of wifi equipment, which can be surprisingly cheap, you may be able to bridge that gap wirelessly.
Rooting your phone is a good solution if you want to do that. My unrooted Tmobile Gingerbread phone natively does tethering and wifi hotspot for free, and I would hate it if they “upgraded” me.
But if you want to get your DSL network in order without necessarily running cable, there are options. I can recommend the linked seller, and if interested, you should probably also check out their ebay auctions.