Spark VoWiFi abroad

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johno1234

2808 posts

Uber Geek

#311065 11-Dec-2023 14:03

Was recently in Sydney for a week. I had hoped to use the free wifi that you can get in most places, especially the hotel, and not bother with roaming. So I activated airplane mode then wifi on... but could not make calls. If I do that at home calls just work.

Should this work? Have a longer trip to Japan coming up and hope so...

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8328 posts

Uber Geek

#3170697 11-Dec-2023 14:14

Doesn't look like Spark's Wifi calling works outside NZ

"You can make local calls and send texts within NZ
You can make calls and send texts from NZ to overseas

If you're currently located overseas or if you're using a VPN Service in NZ, you may not be able to use Spark WiFi Calling."

https://www.spark.co.nz/help/mobile/understand/wifi-calling/

johno1234

2808 posts

Uber Geek

#3170700 11-Dec-2023 14:23

wellygary:

Doesn't look like Spark's Wifi calling works outside NZ

"You can make local calls and send texts within NZ
You can make calls and send texts from NZ to overseas

If you're currently located overseas or if you're using a VPN Service in NZ, you may not be able to use Spark WiFi Calling."

https://www.spark.co.nz/help/mobile/understand/wifi-calling/

Well that is bigly sukimoto for our Japan trip :-/ seems like Spark are just avoiding a benefit to their subscribers so they can make profit on roaming.

Are Voda/One so restrictive?

tanivula

991 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3170702 11-Dec-2023 14:28

Can confirm Spark Wi-Fi calling does not work in AU from a month ago.

One NZs website says you can

deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3170704 11-Dec-2023 14:29

Any ways around this?

I have bought an eSIM wifi hotspot to take on an overseas trip next year. It has a built in Wireguard client. I'm wondering if I could VPN back to NZ to make wifi calling work. Even (if I wanted to be really ugly) VPN to a VPS near where the cellular data terminates, then just send whatever looks like Spark traffic back over another VPN to my house...

johno1234

2808 posts

Uber Geek

#3170706 11-Dec-2023 14:33

wellgary's quote above says VPN won't work either.

I have looked at getting an international eSim from someone like Airalo but that's not so useful if your provider won't VOIP.

deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3170708 11-Dec-2023 14:36

johno1234:

wellgary's quote above says VPN won't work either.

wellygary:

..

If you're currently located overseas or if you're using a VPN Service in NZ, you may not be able to use Spark WiFi Calling."

https://www.spark.co.nz/help/mobile/understand/wifi-calling/

I'm assuming that means "this doesn't work from non-NZ IPs" - if you're using a VPN service, they often send your traffic through a VPN server in another country.

If I run a VPN server at my house, from my hotspot device, then to Spark that should be indistinguishable from running VoWifi from my house, which works. My phone sees a wifi network, which it connects to; Spark sees traffic coming from someone in Whanganui ... neither knows the plumbing in between the two. As long as the higher latency doesn't cause the whole thing to fall over.

wellygary

8328 posts

Uber Geek

#3170709 11-Dec-2023 14:36

johno1234:

wellgary's quote above says VPN won't work either.

I think they mean if you're using a VPN in NZ attempting to be somewhere else,

VPNning back to NZ could possibly work??

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deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3170714 11-Dec-2023 14:45

With a VPN on my handset (Nokia X20): using the 1.1.1.1 free VPN which terminates in Auckland... VoWifi bypasses the VPN. When I start a call, I can see non-VPN traffic from the phone, doing a DNS lookup:

14:41:49.520817 IP 192.168.49.103.42101 > 192.168.49.1.53: 27628+ A? epdg.epc.mnc005.mcc530.pub.3gppnetwork.spark.co.nz. (68)
14:41:49.543564 IP 192.168.49.1.53 > 192.168.49.103.42101: 27628 3/0/0 A 122.63.255.115, A 122.63.255.112, A 122.63.255.109 (116)

followed by a bunch of IPsec traffic to 122.63.255.115

14:41:49.712584 IP 192.168.49.103.41735 > 122.63.255.115.500: isakmp: parent_sa ikev2_init[I]
14:41:49.746581 IP 122.63.255.115.500 > 192.168.49.103.41735: isakmp: parent_sa ikev2_init[R]
14:41:49.908851 IP 192.168.49.103.41735 > 122.63.255.115.4500: NONESP-encap: isakmp: child_sa ikev2_auth[I]
14:41:50.274681 IP 122.63.255.115.4500 > 192.168.49.103.41735: NONESP-encap: isakmp: child_sa ikev2_auth[R]
...
14:41:51.149351 IP 122.63.255.115.4500 > 192.168.49.103.41735: UDP-encap: ESP(spi=0x1a0abc1d,seq=0x1), length 132
14:41:51.149374 IP 122.63.255.115.4500 > 192.168.49.103.41735: UDP-encap: ESP(spi=0x1a0abc1d,seq=0x2), length 132
...

This would go over the VPN if the VPN was initiated by my hotspot device (i.e. not the handset). I'll try that soon...

Nate001

645 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3170720 11-Dec-2023 15:11

Was in EU earlier this year and can confirm VoWiFi does not work with VPN (self hosted).

cokemaster

Exited
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Lifetime subscriber

#3170733 11-Dec-2023 15:49

johno1234:

....

Are Voda/One so restrictive?

Both One and 2 Degrees allow overseas VoWIFI. You get the full functionality too, so you're able to send and receive SMS as if you were in NZ.

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deadlyllama

1264 posts

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#3170770 11-Dec-2023 16:37

deadlyllama:

With a VPN on my handset (Nokia X20): using the 1.1.1.1 free VPN which terminates in Auckland... VoWifi bypasses the VPN. When I start a call, I can see non-VPN traffic from the phone, doing a DNS lookup:

..

This would go over the VPN if the VPN was initiated by my hotspot device (i.e. not the handset). I'll try that soon...

It's aliiiiiiiiiive!

Using:

an eSim hotspot off Aliexpress
a cheap 128kbps yohomobile eSim that terminates everything in Singapore
eSim hotspot configured to use its built in wireguard client to connect to:
a wireguard server running on my router here in sunny Whanganui

...sometimes I can call my default test number (0800 28 28 28) and it goes over VoWifi.

Well, better than never, right? It's all very slow with the 128kbps limit and Singapore in the mix.

nztim

3821 posts

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TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#3170904 12-Dec-2023 07:25

You need to have a VPN in front of your mobile phone not on the mobile phone itself to make a connection back to NZ.

Sparks WiFi calling doesn't work from overseas IP addresses or from a VPN on the phone itself.

EDIT: Just seen the post by @deadlyllama after I posed, explains it all :)

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

nztim

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#3170907 12-Dec-2023 07:49

cokemaster:

Both One and 2 Degrees allow overseas VoWIFI. You get the full functionality too, so you're able to send and receive SMS as if you were in NZ.

I am in the US can confirm my ONENZ phone is connected via VoWiFI with no VPN

Just bear in mind, calls on $8 per day roaming include calls to your destination country, however this does not apply when calls are made over VoWiFi as you are connected back to ONENZ and not a local carrier (found this out the hard way)

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

johno1234

2808 posts

Uber Geek

#3170993 12-Dec-2023 10:33

nztim:

cokemaster:

Both One and 2 Degrees allow overseas VoWIFI. You get the full functionality too, so you're able to send and receive SMS as if you were in NZ.

I am in the US can confirm my ONENZ phone is connected via VoWiFI with no VPN

Just bear in mind, calls on $8 per day roaming include calls to your destination country, however this does not apply when calls are made over VoWiFi as you are connected back to ONENZ and not a local carrier (found this out the hard way)

Yeah, that makes sense. For our travels, the main thing we need is probably data so we can talk to each other with WhatsApp (or similar) when we get lost in Tokyo or on the skifields, and so we can use things like subway guides, Japanese translations etc. Telephone calls using our NZ numbers are probably a lesser issue.

For data, there are really cheap eSim plans but only 2 of us have eSim compatible phones (Apple). All the Androids in the family are not top of the line enough to have eSim.

deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

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#3170996 12-Dec-2023 10:43

Re: some/all of our phones can't do eSim

In my research for our family trip to Europe next year I found

eSim hotspot (~NZD200 shipped) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005445414108.html
eSim physical SIM card - https://esim.me/ - gives your existing phone eSim capabilities

Our plan is - big cheap eSim data pack on the hotspot, local-ish SIM cards (not eSims, we'll just buy something from a supermarket) with less data/minutes in the phones for when people get lost.

The kids will get hand-me-down phones to carry around :)

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