(Part 2) Top products from r/ProjectFi

http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Windshield-Smartphone-iPhone-Samsung/dp/B00I58VAZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452626153&sr=8-1&keywords=car+mount+arkon

I got this arkon originally for my nexus 6 because it was one of the few that would hold the behemoth. I liked it enough that I'm still using it with my 6p.

There are a number of advantages I've found.

1. It clamps a small area so you don't have to worry about it pressing buttons, blocking the camera or the fingerprint sensor.
   
   
2. It's mostly a one handed affair getting the phone in and out, depends how tightly you lock the arm that lets you rotate and tilt the phone.
   
   
3. That tilt/rotate ability. I leave mine just slightly loose so I can preposition the phone's angle and orientation depending on where the sun is, what kind of app I'm using, stuff like that. This is a common feature among car mounts, but this one actually holds the phone in position while still allowing adjustment. No need to tighten or loosen the nut.
   
   
4. The arm is long enough that the phone can be closer to me as well as being angled slightly down. This is great in the summer so I can lower the arm over my vents to keep the phone cool. As we know, when it's hot, you're using navigation and the phone is charging things get hot and phones slow their charge when hot. Being able to actively cool it is a nice bonus. In the winter I can raise the arm up so it's no longer in front of the vents. This is really dependent on where you mount the phone and your car though.
   
   
5. It has one of those super sticky suction cups so it never falls off and it mounts to textured surfaces.
   
   
6. It's pretty unassuming. It's not as bulky as many mounts and is really simple in design.

if you don't want something huge i am loving this little ravpower flashlight charger i got on sale for $10 a year ago. i always know where my flashlight is, and it can charge my phone mostly full no problem. flashlight is super bright, and it's nice having the charger have an actual purpose beyond just charging.

https://amzn.com/B0084Y47SK

another great portable charger i have is their filehub/router/charger - the WD03. it has SD card slots, USB port, and ethernet port on a 6000 mah battery. you can plug in a 256GB thumb drive or portable hard drive, connect to the driver over wifi, then stream/copy/paste wirelessly. ethernet port means you can plug into a hotel ethernet port and have your own wifi network, works great with a chromecast on a hotel TV. it uses standard protocols like DLNA so you can use any file explorer, no need for proprietary apps to access the drive like the other wireless hard drive products. this thing was a godsend when i had my 32GB nexus 5, not so much these days with a 128GB 6p and a tablet with a 200GB SD card in it.

https://amzn.com/B00T5XQE3U

This. It actually works. I would never have even thought of trying to run Project Fi on my ancient 3G AT&T iPad 2 if I had not read the post from monkeytrain42. These are the steps to get it up and running:

1. The Project Fi sim will be a nano, and the iPad 2 uses the older micro form factor, so while you are waiting for your sim to arrive from Google you need to purchase a nano to micro adapter. Amazon has a bunch of different sellers for them, but be sure to check the expected delivery dates, because I saw that some would not have arrived for weeks. I bought mine from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSOUQXM? and the adapter arrived before the sim itself.
   
   
2. Install the sim into the adapter and eject the old one. There is a short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-kSp267vK8 which sounds like it is being narrated by a six year old, but the steps are correct. Make sure you pay attention to the alignment of both the sim holder and the sim itself so that you can reinstall everything correctly.
   
   
3. Once I had the new sim in and put in my WiFi password, WiFi worked immediately, but the cellular data did not. I could check this by turning off WiFi in Settings > General and trying to load a web page. I reset the network connection to clear out any old AT&T information: Settings > General > Reset (at the bottom of the page) > Reset Network Settings
   
   
4. When the iPad came back up I was still not getting cellular data. The problem turned out to be that the iPad 2 is so old it cannot automatically populate the information the new sim needs. After a bit of looking around I found the answer. Go to Settings > Cellular Data > APN Settings. In the APN box put in h2g2 Leave the Username and Password boxes blank.
   
   With that, both 3G and WiFi worked like a charm. I had replaced that old iPad 2 with a Samsung WiFi-only tablet over a year ago, and had to go digging around in a closet just to find the old thing. It is large and heavy and thick, but it works great, and now when I am out and need to get connectivity where there is no WiFI, the old iPad is once again my go-to gadget.
   
   Thank you for the suggestion monkeytrain42
   

+1 for the iOttie!

This one was a little more expensive, but I love that I just have to push the phone towards the back, and it snaps the arms in place. It holds my Nexus 6P with cruzerlite case just fine. When it's time to remove the phone, then you squeeze the sides. The idea here is that you can easily place it on the mount with one hand.

http://amzn.com/B00JRGOKQ8

I am also a journalist and have a pixel on Fi. I have been using this nifty thing to record calls for two years:

Sony Compact Earphone Style Microphone, Designed to Record Phone Conversations From Your Cell or Telephone to Your Voice Recorder, Computer and Any Other Recording Device https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009W4B0W2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CLTyyb6XPE7AV

It's pretty cheap, extremely easy to use, and can be used with any phone and digital recorder. I've never had much luck with apps for recording calls. As long as you're just using the recordings for review/transcribing and not for posting audio interviews for podcasts and whatnot, it's perfect.

Headphones:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GWU8FTK/

I really wanted one with a boom mic, I feel like they are superior.

Obitalk:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUV7C9A/

So what I do with this is it's connected to my router via Ethernet and then via RJ9 (regular phone cable) to a wireless phone base. I have three wireless handsets, just traditional phones. For the cost of $50 bucks for the hardware you basically have free VOIP via Google Voice for life.

This is the one I bought and found that I didn't even need a few of the items. Here is the camera glass cover

An X-ACTO or other utility knife along with a playing card (used a Joker to not mess up my other cards lol) was also useful.

I have this one in my MINI and it is fantastic. Very slick and holds pretty much any phone (including my Nexus 6) with no problems at all.

Yes. I've installed a Project Fi data-only SIM in my Nexus 5. It works.
You will need an adapter. This is the one that I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GB6DBO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

OK, I found this ZTE MF61 Unlocked Mobile Hotspot Broadband Device for $50.

Also some discussion last year about the sim needing an adapter for the ZTE64. Not sure if it would be needed for this one.

I got it a couple of years ago off of woot I think -- I'm not sure it is available new anymore: here is what I think it is: http://www.amazon.com/HP-14-q070nr-14-Inch-Chromebook-T-Mobile/dp/B00FGOTBQO

They sort of have those..

Powermat first name I thought of. Link is to Amazon.

They make a version of that adapter that will allow for charging, but the reviews indicate that it doesn't work for everyone.

You could also use the wireless charging on the phone, those have become very cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Wireless-Charging-Galaxy-Devices/dp/B00Y839YMU/

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Wireless-Charger-Charging-Devices/dp/B01KJL4XNY/

You could also probably find a wireless bluetooth receiver that you can plug your headphones into. The one below is wired, but would work if you are stationary.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Bluetooth-4-0-Audio-Receiver/dp/B00I59VBH4/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009H6WIRQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480275811&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=sadapter+nano+sim+card+to+micro+sim+card+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=41f8rfmzHkL&ref=plSrch

Do you know if this adapter will work? I just checked and the phone appears to use a microSim.

That's what I ordered mine for.

Here's a SIM card adapter kit for a little over a dollar shipped from Amazon if you haven't ordered one yet.

No problem. Thanks for Gold :)

Also another charger I really like is this one: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DG8NUC8?keywords=tylt%20charger&qid=1451921490&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

I one of those on my desk in my office and it works great as well. It's a little big since it will hold the nexus 6 but I have never had a single connection problem with it no matter what case I've had on it.

Router

Range Extender

I live in a small town that is down in a river valley. There is barely any cell service because of the surrounding hills, and I have a little over an acre of property. The main reason why I switched to Fi was to have wifi calling/texting available no matter where I am on my property.

Here's what I have on my account:


Security Key

Google Authenticator

Voice or Text Message. I use Hangouts so I can get this on PC, Tablet, Laptop, Desktop

and of course the backup codes.

So, if I lose access to all these things I am up shit creek. Luckily I don't usually have that issue though.