Google Fi’s W+ Network Expands Coverage, But It’s Not Free To Customers
Google’s Area 120 introduced Orion WiFi back in 2020, which would let public venues sell WiFi capacity to cellular carriers. This is especially helpful for big sporting events like the Super Bowl or the World Series. Now, Google is using this approach to expand coverage for Fi, without having to use T-Mobile or US Cellular’s network.
Around the middle of 2021, Google started a trial of OpenRoaming, where subscribers are connected to “Google Fi WiFi Hotspots” and it gives them more coverage in more places. While in testing, this did not count against your data cap. However, now that the trial is over, it does.
Now, it’s called the W+ Network. It will appear in your Pixel’s status bar and in the Settings app as W+. Even though it is WiFi. Currently, it is only available for Google’s own devices running on Android 12 and later. So that means just Pixels. Google says that it is also performing real-time analysis to ensure you’re getting a high-quality connection. Google Fi will never automatically connect to one of these networks when you’re saved WiFi networks are within reach.
Do I pay for W+?
Sort of. The data you use on W+ does count against your data cap for the month. So it’s not like traditional WiFi. That’s likely why Google Fi is not showing it as WiFi but as a cellular connection. That way your phone doesn’t get data happy downloading all kinds of stuff while you’re connected.
It’s included in your data cap because Google considers it as an extension of the actual Fi network. It’s likely that behind the scenes, Google is paying for these WiFi connections. So it’s similar to the premium hotspots that you’d otherwise need to pay for directly.
It’s a good idea for Google Fi to add, instead of relying solely on T-Mobile and US Cellular’s network, neither of which are perfect. But you can turn off W+ if you don’t want to use it.
Google’s Area 120 introduced Orion WiFi back in 2020, which would let public venues sell WiFi capacity to cellular carriers. This is especially helpful for big sporting events like the Super Bowl or the World Series. Now, Google is using this approach to expand coverage for Fi, without having to use T-Mobile or US Cellular’s network.
Around the middle of 2021, Google started a trial of OpenRoaming, where subscribers are connected to “Google Fi WiFi Hotspots” and it gives them more coverage in more places. While in testing, this did not count against your data cap. However, now that the trial is over, it does.
Now, it’s called the W+ Network. It will appear in your Pixel’s status bar and in the Settings app as W+. Even though it is WiFi. Currently, it is only available for Google’s own devices running on Android 12 and later. So that means just Pixels. Google says that it is also performing real-time analysis to ensure you’re getting a high-quality connection. Google Fi will never automatically connect to one of these networks when you’re saved WiFi networks are within reach.
Do I pay for W+?
Sort of. The data you use on W+ does count against your data cap for the month. So it’s not like traditional WiFi. That’s likely why Google Fi is not showing it as WiFi but as a cellular connection. That way your phone doesn’t get data happy downloading all kinds of stuff while you’re connected.
It’s included in your data cap because Google considers it as an extension of the actual Fi network. It’s likely that behind the scenes, Google is paying for these WiFi connections. So it’s similar to the premium hotspots that you’d otherwise need to pay for directly.
It’s a good idea for Google Fi to add, instead of relying solely on T-Mobile and US Cellular’s network, neither of which are perfect. But you can turn off W+ if you don’t want to use it.
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