Cell phone coverage, for safety

[Kornholio]

Again, if your phone can use EVERY carriers signal and charges you NOTHING to use EVERY carriers signal including their own, you're never without signal so long as there is one and so paying more to use another carrier makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The only exception to this is if you're looking for a faster speed and neither Verizon nor Sprint (both CDMA) can touch AT&T and T-Mobile in that regard.

 

[SB22]

i have AT&T, though if it weren't with a family plan, i would seriously look into sprint. it seems to have a really fast network and fairly robust in places that AT&T lacks coverage. i cant give specifics, but maybe someone else can chime in on sprint's performance.

I tried Sprint over the last two years, and would NOT go back... Their coverage was fine in the Bay Area, but their data was PATHETIC! Even if you had coverage, data was spotty, and when you had data is was SLOW... Made it essentially useless (I travel all over the US). Again the Bay Area wasn't so bad, but outside of here, it was terrible.

Switched back to AT&T (had been on AT&T for 8 years prior), and data is fantastic! Love the LTE network now too, but AT&T's "3G" was always faster for me than Sprint's WiMax network. Personally, I have said this for years, but I don't know why everyone bashses AT&T. I think it's just people w/ iPhones. Personally, I've never had an iPhone and have always had great experiences on AT&T. (Disclaimer: never been a Verizon customer; don't like their phone selection/plans)

Alrighty, I should probably put on my flame suit...Cell network providers & phone brands are two touchy subject for any "geeks" around here

 

[ircsmith]

CREDO....they use the sprint network and donate money back to whatever cause the users vote for.

always get better coverage than all my friends that just had to have an iphone and are stuck with at&t.

 

[CorticalStack]

T•Mobile will give you excellent coverage in or near large cities and major freeways, but you'll be lucky to get any kind of signal in Boulder Creek or similar outliers.

My experience with cellphone signal in the Santa Cruz Mountains is as follows:
Verizon > AT&T > Sprint > Asking to use someone's house phone > T•Mobile


I have a Sprint phone, and it works alright in the mountains, but not as well as Verizon or AT&T did.

 

[Burning1]

I appreciate the replies. It appears that the only way to get comparable coverage to what I have now is to pay comparable rates.

Would it be possible to get coverage using Roaming? If I sign up with T-Mobile, can I roam using AT&T's network? Would it be possible to keep an AT&T pre-paid SIM in my pocket, just in case? Are there multi-band GSM phones that could also roam on Verizon's network?

 

[xgambit]

T-Mobile has far worse coverage than Verizon in the places you might need it most - e.g. backside of Hamilton.

When T-Mobile is good, it is great - fast 4G data, way better than ATT in my experience. When it is bad it is non-existant.

+1

i had tmo for years and it works great in populated areas but out in the boonies, my friends with at&t, vzw, and sprint would get reception before i do.


i recently switched to sprint and when their coverage isnt available, i get to roam on VZW's network for free. thats 2 networks for the price of one!

 

[xgambit]

Would it be possible to get coverage using Roaming? If I sign up with T-Mobile, can I roam using AT&T's network? Would it be possible to keep an AT&T pre-paid SIM in my pocket, just in case? Are there multi-band GSM phones that could also roam on Verizon's network?

no roaming onto at&tw's network, at least not in CA (AFAIK)

if you have a GSM phone that is unlocked, and you have an at&t sim, then yes you can use it on at&tw's network. but youll only be limited to edge internet though, no HSPA+ for you

 

[CannonFodder]

What about using a celluar signal strength booster? If you don't want to have it installed all the time, then just plug it in and and slap up the antenna if you need to make an emergency call. It still comes back to the roaming question, but this might help bump you from no bars to a couple of bars.

http://www.alternativewireless.com/wilson-mobile-professional-amplifer-w-12-in-antenna.html

http://www.alternativewireless.com/wilson-sleek-cell-phone-signal-booster.html

 

[xgambit]

What about using a celluar signal strength booster? If you don't want to have it installed all the time, then just plug it in and and slap up the antenna if you need to make an emergency call. It still comes back to the roaming question, but this might help bump you from no bars to a couple of bars.

http://www.alternativewireless.com/wilson-mobile-professional-amplifer-w-12-in-antenna.html

http://www.alternativewireless.com/wilson-sleek-cell-phone-signal-booster.html

those things work ok when there is still some reception in the area but nothing is going to help you if the carrier doesnt have cell sites in the area

 

[Gixxergirl1000]

I've got Sprint, and found it has better coverage than AT&T (which I had before). I spend a little less money, and the few times I've had to use Customer Service, they've been much more helpful and friendly than AT&T. It even has coverage all over Mt Hamilton, down at Buttonwillow, and the only place that the coverage has been a little spotty was up at Thunderhill.
I'm really happy with Sprint, and I'll be sticking with them.

 

[liferider]

Put me down for another vote against TMobile - We had VZW for about 10 years and recently switched to TMobile, and I'll be going back to VZW when I can get out of the contract -

TMobile doesn't work in many places that I think are ridiculous - at the local Target store, Hwy 37 near Sears point, etc. If I even *think* about getting away from a major metro or main freeway, it stops working reliably.

Another perspective - a friend is a (aircraft) pilot, and he uses VZW because it works well when he's flying (and TMobile did not)

TMo is great unless you want to make phone calls or use the phone's internet connection

 

[flying_hun]

FWIW, I've had Sprint since the crust cooled, and while I agree about the recently improved customer service, their coverage has not always been the greatest. Jason, I understand your argument, but I've had experiences that contradict it. Most notably last year on Hwy 36 when a participant on my ride crashed. The only people who could call 911 were the Verizon users. My Sprint phone had no connectivity. Same for the AT&T users.

 

[SirSkankin DBA]

However, it looks like they are going to terminate my unlimited data plan, and frankly, my cell phone bills are getting a little excessive. I'm not terribly happy with their long train of neutered phones, or lack of SIM support (which affects me when I travel to Europe.)

As a Verizon customer, I have done a lot of research on this...and though, they are changing their plans across the board, it will not effect you unless you sign a new contract. So, there are a couple options for you in that.

1. If your contract has already completed...Just don't sign a new one.

2. If you are still in contract...Nothing to worry about...If they try to change your plan while on an active contract, then you are can get out of the contract without paying the Early Termination Fees.

3. If you don't mind buying phone without the stipend, you can keep your unlimited data and voice plan as long as you want.

I realize that #1 and 3 are related, but these are the options that you have to keep your plan and not play into the new "Verizon System" of doing things

Hope this helps

 

[serazin]

Don't count on cellular from anyone when out in the boonies. They don't build cell towers in places without a good number of people. If you're in a remote area, SPOT is gonna be your best reasonably-priced bet for emergencies.

One alternative I keep meaning to test on those rides is my handheld amateur radio.

I've found very few places where I can't hit a 2 meter repeater in California with 5 watts. (..no place so far with 50 watts, I always hit something.)

APRS is a little more spotty, but I can usually hear my beacon echo back at least every 20 miles or so.

440..sorta..sometimes depends

 

[Burning1]

For what it's worth, I finally made a decision.

TL;DR version: T-mobile, and if coverage is an issue, I'll keep a Verizon Pay-as-you-go phone for backup.

Main objectives were to reduce costs, but also partially to stick it to Verizon who, despite offering good coverage, has provided nothing but a string of neutered phones and billing problems.

I put in 2 good years working with a T-Mobile partner, and heard nothing but good things about them. They also offer a very good discounted SIM only plan, with no contractual obligations. Cost is about $15/mo less than a 2-year contract with a discounted phone; enough that over the life of the contract. That's a pretty awesome deal, since the last time I bought a bundled phone was 5 years ago. It's enough to buy a shiny new Galaxy Nexus, but in my case, I'll probably find a good used Nexus S.

I'll see how T-Mobile coverage works for me. If it turns out to be an issue, Verizon offers a plan where I can pay $1.99 a day for unlimited usage, on-demand. There don't appear to be any monthly fees, and there are no minutes to expire.