eSims, what is your experience.

[NM]

My plan for upcoming USA trip:

My Phone has company provided Optus physical SIM which does not have global roaming enabled (and won't). So can't use Optus roaming for my holiday trip. I will divert all incoming calls to voicemail before leaving. I will use 28° MC Flexiroam for 3GB of free data. If that needs to be topped up, I will try the T-Mobile 3-month free trial and if I can't get that activated then either Flexiroam top-up or buy Airalo eSim with 10% first pruchase discount for $22.05 for 5GB).

Mrs NM's phone with Amaysim, so can get 100 mins of voice and 100 SMS for $20 for her using her regular AU number. Upon arrival in USA I will try to set her phone up with T-Mobile 3-month free trial. If that does not work, then buy an e-Sim from Airlao (5GB should be ample).

I have also setup my home NBN router as a VPN server so I can VPN from my phone and iPad and then out to the internet which will present my home NBN IP address (fixed IP) as the source, so hoping that will allow my Optus service to work via WiFi calling for receiving SMS while away (when I activate the VPN). Optus says VPN connections are not supported, and I assume the block all the known commercial products. But I expect it should work when using my home NBN router as the VPN gateway.

28° MC spending authorisations can be received in the 28° Service Centre app, so that will work so long as I have data available. If expecting an authorisation SMS to my AU Optus phone number, I should just need to connect the VPN to home router (quick and easy on iPhone) and receive it via "WiFi calling" capability. Yes, I know its not really WiFi when using a travel eSIM for data, and a better name would have been "IP Calling", but I did not name the capability.

I'll report back regarding the eSIM use (Flexiroam, Airalo, and/or T-Mobile), the Amaysim Voice/SMS roaming add-on and if the VPN connection back home works for Optus WiFi calling to receive SMS, listening to voice mails and even making calls from overseas.

 

[asterix]

My plan for upcoming USA trip:

My Phone has company provided Optus physical SIM which does not have global roaming enabled (and won't). So can't use Optus roaming for my holiday trip. I will divert all incoming calls to voicemail before leaving. I will use 28° MC Flexiroam for 3GB of free data. If that needs to be topped up, I will try the T-Mobile 3-month free trial and if I can't get that activated then either Flexiroam top-up or buy Airalo eSim with 10% first pruchase discount for $22.05 for 5GB).

Mrs NM's phone with Amaysim, so can get 100 mins of voice and 100 SMS for $20 for her using her regular AU number. Upon arrival in USA I will try to set her phone up with T-Mobile 3-month free trial. If that does not work, then buy an e-Sim from Airlao (5GB should be ample).

I have also setup my home NBN router as a VPN server so I can VPN from my phone and iPad and then out to the internet which will present my home NBN IP address (fixed IP) as the source, so hoping that will allow my Optus service to work via WiFi calling for receiving SMS while away (when I activate the VPN). Optus says VPN connections are not supported, and I assume the block all the known commercial products. But I expect it should work when using my home NBN router as the VPN gateway.

28° MC spending authorisations can be received in the 28° Service Centre app, so that will work so long as I have data available. If expecting an authorisation SMS to my AU Optus phone number, I should just need to connect the VPN to home router (quick and easy on iPhone) and receive it via "WiFi calling" capability. Yes, I know its not really WiFi when using a travel eSIM for data, and a better name would have been "IP Calling", but I did not name the capability.

I'll report back regarding the eSIM use (Flexiroam, Airalo, and/or T-Mobile), the Amaysim Voice/SMS roaming add-on and if the VPN connection back home works for Optus WiFi calling to receive SMS, listening to voice mails and even making calls from overseas.

From personal experience VoWifi and SMS over Wifi don't work when the device you are using is running a VPN. It works fine when I use my Mango travel router as the VPN device and connect to its wifi.

 

[RooFlyer]

@SYD , apologies, I' sure you've explained this before, but I can't find. I'm due for my annual 28 degree freebie 15 day 3GB plan, so how do I claim it?

Do I go to the 15% eligibility page MC page and re-do that again (the 15% off is current and on-going for me)?

 

[SYD]

@SYD , apologies, I' sure you've explained this before, but I can't find. I'm due for my annual 28 degree freebie 15 day 3GB plan, so how do I claim it?

It should be on the app dashboard. Just click “Check eligibility” to kick off the process.

Do I go to the 15% eligibility page MC page and re-do that again (the 15% off is current and on-going for me)?

No, the app just seems to remember the ongoing MC discount.

 

[MARTINE]

Hi everyone
Reporting from Lisbon and finding the amaysim int roaming plan add on working well everywhere with instant connection and easy to use.
Question - TLS Bigpond account become impossible to access suddenly OS.? I can access all other email accounts quickly. Tried resetting all the server as per their protocols published - nada. Cannot do via myTelsta app either.
Not a big thing but it was working until yesterday (day4 of trip).
Have nordvpn running.
Any ideas?

 

[NM]

From personal experience VoWifi and SMS over Wifi don't work when the device you are using is running a VPN. It works fine when I use my Mango travel router as the VPN device and connect to its wifi.

Apparently Telstra services (and Boost) work for Voice/SMS over Wifi when outside Australia. But Optus geo-block the service outside Australia and they block traffic from known VPN services. But in my case, using my own home router as a VPN gateway, there is no way they can tell the traffic is coming via a VPN or originating outside Australia, unless they have some way of querying the phone itself for GPS position, and I do not believe there is anything in the Voice over WiFi standards that allow that.

WiFi calling (and receiving SMS) works via my home router VPN when my device is in Australia, so other than the extra latency coming from overseas, I expect it should work from outside Australia.

 

[RealtimeY]

Are you using Android? In my experience on iOS VoWiFi (being a VPN in itself) actually quietly bypasses whatever VPN you have on so it's not so easy to circumvent.

 

[RooFlyer]

It should be on the app dashboard. Just click “Check eligibility” to kick off the process.

Well, this is embarrassing.

I was doing as you suggested, but the 'verify' was greyed out. Then I checked - my first Flexiroam purchase off the MC was in ... September last year. I'd forgotten that I was doing Aerilo before that. Not eligible for the annual thing yet.

Never mind me, I'll just keep muttering in the background.

 

[encryptededdy]

But I would much prefer that it has a number attached to receive SMSs & make calls in particular. On my last trip I had to break open my Telstra roaming plan ($10/day) to attend to some urgent stuff. Do you know why more eSim providers don't offer that, and if you can suggest others that have both data and voice/SMS?

Just use Telstra WiFi calling? Also, the roaming plan is not required to receive SMS.

As noted earlier, you should also be able to "WiFi" call through your other SIM's data connection, although this is annoying to setup on iOS.

 

[encryptededdy]

Are you using Android? In my experience on iOS VoWiFi (being a VPN in itself) actually quietly bypasses whatever VPN you have on so it's not so easy to circumvent.

Even on most Android devices I understand that the VoWiFi bypasses any system VPN settings. Also I think some commercial VPN services won't tunnel the IPSec WiFi calling traffic correctly.

 

[SYD]

Not eligible for the annual thing yet.

Why? Unless you’ve already order a freebie this calendar year?

Pretty sure it’s “calendar year” and not a rolling 12 mths?

 

[RooFlyer]

Why? Unless you’ve already order a freebie this calendar year?

Pretty sure it’s “calendar year” and not a rolling 12 mths?

Well, that's a double D'oh! on me then. Yes, it is calendar year


So I went back to the page you pointed out, and I tried before (greyed out), and the same. So I logged out, logged back in and - worked!

Thanks for your patience.

 

[ausfox]

I find that my bigpond mail arrives on my I devices (3 running) but cannot send. have to use a secondary gmail account to respond/reply to incoming bigpond. Been like it for some years. EU, Japan, Canada, US. Running telstra network accounts.

 

[SYD]

So I loggd out, logged back in and - worked!

That was going to be my next suggestion!

I find that my bigpond mail arrives on my I devices (3 running) but cannot send. have to use a secondary gmail account to respond/reply to incoming bigpond. Been like it for some years. EU, Japan, Canada, US. Running telstra network accounts.

I find some some mail clients just don't like certain wifi networks. Particularly in AirBnBs - they're mostly ok but some must have some weird or poor configuration that the mail systems won't connect or possibly think you're attempting something dodgy. Activating a VPN on my device usually kick starts it 9/10 times. Tethering of my phone data often resolves the last 10%....(I rarely see the same issues using roaming mobile data on my phone).

 

[MARTINE]

That was going to be my next suggestion!

I find some some mail clients just don't like certain wifi networks. Particularly in AirBnBs - they're mostly ok but some must have some weird or poor configuration that the mail systems won't connect or possibly think you're attempting something dodgy. Activating a VPN on my device usually kick starts it 9/10 times. Tethering of my phone data often resolves the last 10%....(I rarely see the same issues using roaming mobile data on my phone).

I cant even log into my Telstra — does not recognise the credentials!

 

[ausfox]

At one stage in EU I had to use webmail to access my mail a couple of years ago.
I assume that Telstra are blocking the traffic as a security measure. Good but B inconvenient at times.

 

[NM]

Are you using Android? In my experience on iOS VoWiFi (being a VPN in itself) actually quietly bypasses whatever VPN you have on so it's not so easy to circumvent.

I am using IOS at both ends (iPhone IOS and Cisco ISR router IOS). The iPhone VPN client uses a version of the Cisco VPN client, which it reports to the VPN server as being "Client Version is : Cisco Systems VPN Client 17.5.1:iPhone OSp". And the "APPLICATION_VERSION string" sent from my router is "Cisco IOS Software [Fuji], ISR Software (ARMV8EB_LINUX_IOSD-UNIVERSALK9_IAS-M), Version 16.7.1, RELEASE SOFTWARE"

The router is set to not allow split tunnel connections, requiring the VPN client to send all IP traffic via the tunnel. This is certainly the case for any installed phone apps. I'll setup some packet captured to see if I can identify if the VoWiFi is following the Cisco VPN path. I'll be disappointed if the VoWiFi on the phone somehow bypasses the VPN client.

 

[NM]

I have done some testing and it seems that the iPhone VPN client is only forcing installed Apps to use the VPN, and the phone functions themselves (like connected hotspot devices, WiFi calling) do not traverse the VPN.

With the phone connected to my home WiFi and operating in airplane mode (cellular radio disabled), I can see the WiFi calling traffic exiting my home router (UDP500, UDP4500 towards an Optus gateway). But when connected externally via the phone VPN client, that WiFi calling IPsec traffic is not going through the VPN and home router, but directly to the hosted IP network.

And if I use my VPN connected phone as a WiFi hotspot for another device, its WiFi calling works without going through the home VPN.

So the iPhone treats installed apps differently (sends them through the VPN) to native phone functions (WiFi Hotspot connected devices, WiFi calling).

iMessage works fine through the VPN, as well as app-based calling like Messenger, Facetime etc., but not native SMS. The VPN client inserts itself between the installed APPS and the phones IP "router" where the native phone functions also connect.

 

[qaz]

My plan for upcoming USA trip:

I have also setup my home NBN router as a VPN server so I can VPN from my phone and iPad and then out to the internet which will present my home NBN IP address (fixed IP) as the source, so hoping that will allow my Optus service to work via WiFi calling for receiving SMS while away (when I activate the VPN). Optus says VPN connections are not supported, and I assume the block all the known commercial products. But I expect it should work when using my home NBN router as the VPN gateway.

fyi receiving an sms whilst overseas is free and will not trigger Optus Daily Roaming

however it's been reported that using a VPN will not circumvent their geo-blocking of Wi-Fi calling whilst overseas

 

[Scarlett]

I read through NMs post and all that gets into my brain is:

Bork, Bork, Bork…

So instead I’ll just leave this here as the eSIM I’ve purchased for a Sep/Oct trip to mostly Portugal.


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