Nexus One in Canada

I've been lucky enough to be using a Google Nexus One for the past few weeks (thanks to my employer). The setup steps are basically the same as I posted for the G1 - as are the limitations.

First, you'll need a Nexus One. Apparently Google's online store realizes you're in Canada and won't sell you one - but the resourceful will get one. I'm sure Google will eventually release the Nexus One to Canada - probably when the limitations below are resolved.

As with the original G1, the Nexus One will work on the Rogers/Fido network, but not at 3G speeds. You'll only get EDGE speed. For most things this is perfectly fine - but watching a YouTube video is painful. If you can live with that limitation, read on.

You'll also need a Rogers (or Fido) SIM card. Make sure you have a data plan (not a Blackberry plan). But, do NOT insert the SIM yet. Doing the initial setup over wifi will be easier - the Android setup doesn't let you configure APN info during setup (which is silly) and your SIM card may not set it correctly.

So, make sure you're in a wifi area. Put the battery in, but do not put in the SIM card. Turn on the phone and go through the setup. You'll be able to configure the wifi connection and setup the phone with your Google account.

Once the phone is setup, turn it off and put the SIM card in. Turn it back on. You should have phone access and data may work depending on the SIM card (turn off the wifi to check). If data does not work, you'll need to configure the APN info. See my previous post for details.

Enjoy! It's a great phone (but, yes, I'm sure it's not perfect... yet).

Update: Corrected the mention of Bell/Telus. Because of the way they've built their 3G networks (as an overlay on their CDMA network) they don't have fallback capabilities that the Nexus One will support.

Android G1 Phone in Canada on Rogers

Update: Also see my recent Nexus One in Canada post.

Getting the G1 working in Canada on Rogers' GSM network isn't hard, but you won't be able to use a true 3G connection - you'll only get an EDGE connection. For me, that's good enough and I love the phone. I've never owned an iPhone so I'll leave the iPhone vs G1 debate to others.

You'll need an unlocked phone. Apparently T-Mobile will unlock any phone for any customer who has been with T-Mobile at least 3 months. Of course, someone will write an unlocking program so new customers don't have to wait 3 months. You may also be able to buy an unlocked G1 from non-T-Mobile sources.

Put a Rogers SIM card into the G1 phone. You should have an iPhone/SmartPhone data plan with Rogers - the Blackberry plan won't work (at least not with these instructions). When I called to switch my plan I said that I had an iPhone - no point in confusing the operator. With the SIM in place you should have voice connectivity right away.

To get data working, go to Settings | Wireless controls | Mobile networks | Access Point Names. You'll see a long list of T-Mobile networks. Press the menu button, select New APN, then modify these values:

• Name: Rogers
  
• APN: internet.com
  
• Username: wapuser1
  
• Password: wap
  
• MCC: 302 - should be preset correctly
  
• MNC: 72 - should be preset correctly

Don't forget to press menu and Save. If you're in an EDGE coverage area, an EDGE icon should appear in the status bar next to the signal strength indicator. Mine appeared within a couple of seconds.

Browsing, email, video and SMS works, but I haven't been able to get MMS working. It may be that my Rogers plan isn't configured for MMS. I think the below settings should work - if you find they do work or what to change to make them work, please let me know. Create a New APN and set these values:

• Name: Rogers MMS
  
• APN: media.com
  
• Username: media
  
• Password: mda01
  
• Server: 172.25.0.107 - or maybe this should be * - I've tried both
  
• MMSC: http://mms.gprs.rogers.com
  
• APN type: mms

EDGE is as good as it gets in Canada with the G1 hardware. The G1 has quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE, but only dual band (1700/2100Mhz) UMTS/HSPA (3G). Rogers operates their network on 850/1900Mhz, so the G1 hardware can only use EDGE. Bell and Telus are building "4G" networks but they'll also operate on 850/1900Mhz. So, I don't recommend buying a G1 for use in Canada if you're a heavy data user. My unlocked handset came from my employer and replaced my EDGE Blackberry, so I'm very happy. Hopefully there will be other Android hardware released soon that will be compatible with 850/1900Mhz 3G in Canada.

I discovered a good Rogers developer document [pdf]. It's targeted at developers building applications for the Rogers network, but lists everything needed to get non-Rogers hardware connected. The first few pages are also a good overview of GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA, 3G, etc.

Update: To clarify, an EDGE connection is usually slower than a 3G connection. I say "usually" because it depends on a ton of network factors.

Update: If you have a G1 with a T-Mobile plan, you can bring it to Canada and it will just work, including data. You'll be roaming on Rogers network and you'll be charged whatever T-Mobile's roaming rates are, but no additional configuration is needed.

Update: Make sure to check out the comments for lots of other settings that work, including on some other Canadian carriers.