What's vodafone uk like for updates? I've no experience with them though I can't see them any worse than tmob. Colchester vodafone have 8 in store with only one purchase today... really tempted but not sure about their service and signal
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Barff1984 said:
What's vodafone uk like for updates? I've no experience with them though I can't see them any worse than tmob. Colchester vodafone have 8 in store with only one purchase today... really tempted but not sure about their service and signal
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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Been a long time since I used Vodafone so I can't really comment on their service but if you are interested in signal why don't you do what I did and get yourself a PAYG SIM and test it out? I put £10 on the card and that got me free Internet for the month plus I still had my £10.
Because I don't have the patience Lol
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Barff1984 said:
Because I don't have the patience Lol
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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Lol. Well after going from bad with T-Mobile to atrocious with O2 I'm taking the time to test things out this time.
In terms of signal, Vodafone give you 7 days from the date of receiving your phone to test the signal and you can return the phone and cancel your contract within that time if you're not happy. I have been told this in store, and also via a salesperson using online chat via their website.
I've just gone from T-Mobile to Vodafone, and already I can tell that's it's a better service. Better signal at home, and a "H" symbol in my status bar more of the time.
sjgore said:
In terms of signal, Vodafone give you 7 days from the date of receiving your phone to test the signal and you can return the phone and cancel your contract within that time if you're not happy. I have been told this in store, and also via a salesperson using online chat via their website.
I've just gone from T-Mobile to Vodafone, and already I can tell that's it's a better service. Better signal at home, and a "H" symbol in my status bar more of the time.
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that's a good sign then. Still don't want to have to rely on voda for updates though. But after checking my local's stock, looks like they're branded.
I guess i'm covering all angles because i imagine this phone is going to be locked for a few months before we can start to root it.
They were the fastest to update the desire to 2.2, and have just entered a partnership with google, htc, samsung, sprint verizon and other manufacturers to provide updates for 18 months after released, announced at google io, as far as I saw the only uk network to do so.
Got my sgs2 on vodafone and I get h+ almost everywhere I go.
Best network as far as I'm concerned.
Swyped from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Good thread. Guys, how's your reception inside the buildings? I mean ones with metal carcass and concrete, like supermarkets, warehouses etc? I don't care about 3g IN the buildings as i have access to wifi, but ANY signal is a must. Thanks.
P.S. Currently with 3uk, and i can't fault them, always treated me well, and had decent signal, but for a few months now loosing reception at work and in certain buildings.
tinky1 said:
P.S. Currently with 3uk, and i can't fault them, always treated me well, and had decent signal, but for a few months now loosing reception at work and in certain buildings.
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Three started turning off their 2G fallback to the Orange network late last year in areas where they believed that their 3G network was strong enough so that could be the cause of your problem.
In addition Orange and T-Mobile are now working to combine their networks and they are switching off transmitters where they believe they have adequate coverage from one network.
They should be doing this for 2G transmitters at the moment and it could be that the Orange 2G fallback transmitter that Three was using is simply no longer functioning in the area where you work.
I think that Orange and T-Mobile will combine their 3G networks sometime this year and then start switching off 3G transmitters too. Three and T-Mobile have a 3G network sharing agreement but at the moment it doesn't extend to Orange and Three so that could put Three in a worse position once it happens since an Orange 3G mast could replace a T-Mobile one.
There is a possibility that all three networks will combine their assets to produce a single 3G network infrastructure but I haven't seen anything about that yet. Without such an agreement, once the consolidation is over, T-Mobile should emerge with the best network of the three since in addition to it's own network it will have a 2G and 3G sharing agreement with Orange plus a 3G sharing agreement with Three.
DuoM said:
Three started turning off their 2G fallback to the Orange network late last year in areas where they believed that their 3G network was strong enough so that could be the cause of your problem.
In addition Orange and T-Mobile are now working to combine their networks and they are switching off transmitters where they believe they have adequate coverage from one network.
They should be doing this for 2G transmitters at the moment and it could be that the Orange 2G fallback transmitter that Three was using is simply no longer functioning in the area where you work.
I think that Orange and T-Mobile will combine their 3G networks sometime this year and then start switching off 3G transmitters too. Three and T-Mobile have a 3G network sharing agreement but at the moment it doesn't extend to Orange and Three so that could put Three in a worse position once it happens since an Orange 3G mast could replace a T-Mobile one.
There is a possibility that all three networks will combine their assets to produce a single 3G network infrastructure but I haven't seen anything about that yet. Without such an agreement, once the consolidation is over, T-Mobile should emerge with the best network of the three since in addition to it's own network it will have a 2G and 3G sharing agreement with Orange plus a 3G sharing agreement with Three.
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If you are affected by this either at home or at work you should call them up and see what they can do for you.
I have. So far got nowhere, they are asking for 99 pounds to terminate contract. Don't think its fair, as I loose reception when I need it most ie when not with the family. Waiting for reply from exec office. I know about Orange agreement they have. They indeed turned off roaming in my area late last year, but reception was still ok'ish, at least I didn't loose it completely. Then early this year I started experiencing problems.
Going to networks again. I does look like T-Mobile is going to have best coverage, but that's on paper, as you know in reality reception can be affected by many factors. My next provider is going to be either O2, voda or T-Mobile as all of them have 2g which has better penetration of the buildings. Hmmm, tough one....
DuoM said:
If you are affected by this either at home or at work you should call them up and see what they can do for you.
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tinky1 said:
I have. So far got nowhere, they are asking for 99 pounds to terminate contract. Don't think its fair, as I loose reception when I need it most ie when not with the family. Waiting for reply from exec office. I know about Orange agreement they have. They indeed turned off roaming in my area late last year, but reception was still ok'ish, at least I didn't loose it completely. Then early this year I started experiencing problems.
Going to networks again. I does look like T-Mobile is going to have best coverage, but that's on paper, as you know in reality reception can be affected by many factors. My next provider is going to be either O2, voda or T-Mobile as all of them have 2g which has better penetration of the buildings. Hmmm, tough one....
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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That doesn't sound fair at all. I would have expected them to allow you to terminate your contract or offer you compensation if you decided to stay with them (or a signal booster). I hope you can sort something out with them.
I forgot that we are in Q2 already and from what I can see the 3G merger is well underway and this includes shutting down 3G transmitters where others cover the same area. It could be that you were using a T-Mobile transmitter at work before and now you are using a Three or T-Mobile transmitter that doesn't penetrate as well due to distance or whatever.
As for networks in general I only meant that it looks like T-Mobile will have the best network out of Three, Orange and T-Mobile. I don't know about Vodafone and O2 although I can say that my experience with O2 has been pretty dismal overall (apart from the deal I got).
O2 problems I (and others) have experienced include the phones not ringing for 1/2 -> 2/3 of the of the period that the caller hears them ringing for, calls being sent to voicemail or callers being told that they cannot be connected and then not being given the option of going to voicemail even though the phone is sitting there with full connectivity (e.g. I can then make calls and I have full data connectivity and can download at 2.5 Mbps). I think they have general network capacity problems. For me, with O2, data is poor voice is worse.
I started testing a Three SIM last night and it seems about as good as T-Mobile in my house for data downloads (poor) but with strangely fast for uploads; plus it stays on HSDPA all the time while the T-Mobile SIM flips between 3G and HSDPA meaning that the data flow keeps pausing on T-Mobile but not on Three. Signal strength appears to be the same though but it just works better on Three. So now I just have Orange to go. The problem with choosing any of those three is that things could change tomorrow as Orange and T-Mobile adjust their networks and if I choose the strongest of the three I could suddenly end up in a worse position.
EDIT: I forgot to add that so far Vodafone have been head and shoulders above the other networks in my testing.
For the original poster. Voda siginal used to be good in colchester, but i moved to tmobile and they are better still, especially now they use orange too.
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Related
Hi I am new here. i have been lurking for a bit but didn't find an answer to the question I have so I decided to sign up. First a little background... first time android user coming from an iphone. I really like the NS, couldn't be happier. I am also pleasantly surprised by T-Mobile's data speeds. I live in Manhattan and as everyone knows ATT is the pits for reliable service and fast data speeds there. I have gotten 5.11mbps down using the speed test app on T-Mo in my apt. With ATT I could only get .78mbps down as the highest. Videos, websites, music downloads are all really quick on the NS. It is actually faster then my cable provider's internet service...probably because time warner sucks and my cable is split about 45 ways. I happen to work in Jersey City, right on the Hudson river overlooking Manhattan. When I am in the World financial center in lower Manhattan commuting to work I get the same high data speeds as I do in my apt. The WFC is right across from where I work. When I check T-Mo's coverage map there are 2 cell towers a stones throw from my building on the river front. That being said I only get Edge coverage. Does anyone else have an issue with bad 3G to Edge handoff with the NS or with T-Mo in general? I feel like I should have solid 3G service there! Is there a way to force 3G?....I would assume that 2 bars on 3G is better then 5 on Edge, at least as far as data speeds are concerned. T-Mo's site list my job site as having excellent coverage. Also, I have eliminated the possibility that the building I work in is causing the issue. When I am outside the issue persists. I have about a .25 mile walk to my building in Jersey and all along the way I am sitting on Edge.
Greg Tolan said:
Hi I am new here. i have been lurking for a bit but didn't find an answer to the question I have so I decided to sign up. First a little background... first time android user coming from an iphone. I really like the NS, couldn't be happier. I am also pleasantly surprised by T-Mobile's data speeds. I live in Manhattan and as everyone knows ATT is the pits for reliable service and fast data speeds there. I have gotten 5.11mbps down using the speed test app on T-Mo in my apt. With ATT I could only get .78mbps down as the highest. Videos, websites, music downloads are all really quick on the NS. It is actually faster then my cable provider's internet service...probably because time warner sucks and my cable is split about 45 ways. I happen to work in Jersey City, right on the Hudson river overlooking Manhattan. When I am in the World financial center in lower Manhattan commuting to work I get the same high data speeds as I do in my apt. The WFC is right across from where I work. When I check T-Mo's coverage map there are 2 cell towers a stones throw from my building on the river front. That being said I only get Edge coverage. Does anyone else have an issue with bad 3G to Edge handoff with the NS or with T-Mo in general? I feel like I should have solid 3G service there! Is there a way to force 3G?....I would assume that 2 bars on 3G is better then 5 on Edge, at least as far as data speeds are concerned. T-Mo's site list my job site as having excellent coverage. Also, I have eliminated the possibility that the building I work in is causing the issue. When I am outside the issue persists. I have about a .25 mile walk to my building in Jersey and all along the way I am sitting on Edge.
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kinda confused, are you using the phone on ATT or Tmo?
if its on ATT you will only be getting EDGE
Sorry for the confusion...this is on on T-Mo.
To help diagnose the problem ... do you have any friends who can verify that there is in fact T-Mobile 3G coverage at your work? (where you say you only have EDGE)
This could be a service issue that T-Mobile is unaware of; you could also call customer service and request that they test those towers.
may also be a matter of a Tech re associating your device with the tower
@Ravidavi: unfortunately I am the only t-mobile user in my group! everyone else is on vzw or att.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I've seen this too. This is my first t mobile phone too but it switches to edge and stays there in solid 3g areas. I want to like t mobile more but this is making it hard for me.
I'll call customer service. Complaining a bit might put it on their radar....
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I called customer service. There is a known issue in the area.... Must be related to the blizzard we had.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Welcome to Android!
For the future, you can force 3G by going to your dialer and inputting:
*#*#4636#*#*
Phone Information
Flick down to where you see Preferred Network Type
Select 'Wcdma Only"
You will see your signal reset and should 3G be available in that area, you'll pick it up. I'm also a fellow Manhattanite and am too loving the T-Mobile speeds since I came from iPhone in January 2010 with Nexus One
Sweet thanks for that. It indeed showed no service at all on wcdma. That will definitely be a handy trick in the future!
allen099 said:
Welcome to Android!
For the future, you can force 3G by going to your dialer and inputting:
*#*#4636#*#*
Phone Information
Flick down to where you see Preferred Network Type
Select 'Wcdma Only"
You will see your signal reset and should 3G be available in that area, you'll pick it up. I'm also a fellow Manhattanite and am too loving the T-Mobile speeds since I came from iPhone in January 2010 with Nexus One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
So I'm over T-Mobile and their crappy reception in my area.
I've had work tickets opened for trouble-shooting in my area and nothing..
I've written to corporate and was basically told either deal with it or pay the termination fee.. this 2 days after re-newing. Little did I know that you cant cancel as soon as you renew a contract, unlike when you open a new line (Thanks for NOT telling me that T-Mobile).
Anyhow, I'm probably gonna sell my Sensation, my wife's Galaxy S 4G, and our niece's Vibrant to pay the cancellation fees, and look to go elsewhere.
Verizon & Sprint seem to have the best reception in my area, but I like rooting my phones and I'd like to know, what phones or service have the more options when it comes to rooting??
wait... you are not even getting 2G ? as in EDGE?
you can certainly ROAM for free in the USA, back then when i was living there even when i get no 3G i can still roam just fine in 2G and get reception everywhere where 3G did not reach without additional charges
AllGamer said:
wait... you are not even getting 2G ? as in EDGE?
you can certainly ROAM for free in the USA, back then when i was living there even when i get no 3G i can still roam just fine in 2G and get reception everywhere where 3G did not reach without additional charges
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Well the reception is so choppy that in and around my condo, the reception goes from 4G to Edge, to nothing, to edge, and back n forth - ALL DAY around my place! I literally have to cross the street to receive a picture message!!
I've just had it with all that and the fact that I kinda got duped by the freakin Loyalty dept themselves, I'm over T-Mobile.
AllGamer said:
wait... you are not even getting 2G ? as in EDGE?
you can certainly ROAM for free in the USA, back then when i was living there even when i get no 3G i can still roam just fine in 2G and get reception everywhere where 3G did not reach without additional charges
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Before I moved all I got was gprs sometimes. Most times I had to use wifi calling to make a call or stand by the street to talk. People could get 3 bars of AT&T 3G in my house.
Now I've moved and get full T-Mob coverage, but the 3G speeds are worse than Sprint and Verizon.
We plan to drop them soon, especiallyvafter they changed our rate plan and tried to extend our contract another.year.behind our backs and charged us $50 in minutes overages because their MyAccount app shoes the wrong minute used value on every phone.
Then lied about the rate plan change and told me there was a note on the account saying we were notified. After cussing her out for about 5 minutes I hung up in her face and called back. The next person fixed it probably just tobget me off the phone. I was fuming.
I'm going back to AT&T. They had much better customer service and infnitely better coverage. I don't mind paying more for piece of mind. Also, I want true unlimited mobile to mobile calling. Not T-Mobiles gimp version cause no one else except the people on my plan has them, anyways.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
I would get a Sgs2 of you can (At&T) or the sprint one. If the big (bad) red is your thing then the Razr seems to be the best from my useage. I work near a red store and Have gone to 2 and tryed both the razr and the 720p HTC and the razr seems more use able to me, but the S2 on AT&T H+ was able to = or beat them in loading web and video. The HTC could not even play 1080p video right and the first one I tryed at the store near me booted up and before I could do anything it went off for good.( I have never seen a phone do that in a store.)
I like AT&T now even if my speeds of 3-5mb is not as good as the 2.5-15mbs of LTE. P.S Yes I did a speed test on cnet and my phone got 3.8 and the HTC got 2.5. I don't think was right, but you never know.
Well in your area it could be complicated would not use Sprint their service is unreliable, so pick your poison, ATT and get bumped off alot from over crowding or Verizon and get over charged and deal with cdma
BTW, I have a friend who owns a percentage in the Arsenal team.....
You could get a booster for your house, TMO offers them, or you can buy a grey market one and THAT will solve alot of your problems.
perroh said:
So I'm over T-Mobile and their crappy reception in my area.
I've had work tickets opened for trouble-shooting in my area and nothing..
I've written to corporate and was basically told either deal with it or pay the termination fee.. this 2 days after re-newing. Little did I know that you cant cancel as soon as you renew a contract, unlike when you open a new line (Thanks for NOT telling me that T-Mobile).
Anyhow, I'm probably gonna sell my Sensation, my wife's Galaxy S 4G, and our niece's Vibrant to pay the cancellation fees, and look to go elsewhere.
Verizon & Sprint seem to have the best reception in my area, but I like rooting my phones and I'd like to know, what phones or service have the more options when it comes to rooting??
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Click to collapse
Hey guys i need your help.. Are any of you suffering terrible signal with vodafone on your sensation ??
If so please go to this http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/HTC-Sensation/No-signal-on-HTC-sensation/td-p/745817/page/4 and tell them your FW Version / Build No. Software version ect.
Apparently if it gets enough interest to be ruled out as not being a hardware / software issue, vodafone will 'look in to it' and try to get it fixed.
It is a well known fact that the issue lies with the vodafone signal and not the device and now the official ICS is out - and not fixed the problem - they can sort out their ****ty signal they are forcing on us.
It will only take a moment and it could get some proper results I think a group of 10 - 15 minimum will be a good enough case for investigation.
Thanks.
c'mon guys ! 60 views and not one reply ??
Isnt this a serious issue for most vodafone users ?
I claimed Vodafone had told me they were due to upgrade in m area when I took out my contract but a year later hadn't. I complained again and a third time. I said I wanted them to cancel my contract with no charge as I felt they had lied to me twice and they did, 9 months early! Now with 3 and never not had HSDPA anywhere...! Ditch Voda, they WILL cancel contracts if you have complained in the past & they've not acted on your issue.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA
I left vodafone 3 years ago because of ****ty signals, you should think about doing the same. good luck in your quest......
I'm on Vodafone and have no issues with my Sensation or my Galaxy Nexus in built up areas. OK, it can be flakey in patches but not enough to bother me really
im an aussie user, and have JUST cancelled with vodafone because of of their reception. seems their issues are around abroad.. and they've bought out 3 over here, so they now use the same towers
was only 3 months into my contract, but service was appalling. now i have to give my htc sensation back and move to another carrier which offers the SGS2 i would rather the sensation over the SGS2 anyday.. but i just CAN'T live with voda.
We suffer in the states as well
HTC Sensation Virtuous 4.0 ICS goodness.
If you think Vodafone signal is bad in the North West you should try Orange
I have a sensation on Orange and I struggle to get a 3G signal anywhere but my house yet my TYTN2 on Voda gets data no problem
vodafone coverage is excellent in my house and my area, I have 2 vodafone lines, One with the Sensation another with the Galaxy S
the Galaxy S is full bars all the time (2g) even in my house,, 3g signal is not so good.
But with the sensation im struggling to even get a semi decent 2g signal anywhere not just my house.
This is my 2nd sensation so i know the handset is NOT faulty. I posted on vodafone forums that i can use any other sim and get excellent 2g and pretty decent 3g..
The sensation just doesnt work with vodafone (for me and many others) Which tells me that this is to do with vodafones signal - it must be on a different frequency or something
The case is building so they cannot ignore us !
Its a shame because i really like vodafone, The CS is great (others will disagree) The network is strong (on any other phone) They never hassle me when my bill is late (all the time) Ive been with them for a long time i would like to continue to use them...
And finally i like the sensation, I chose it over the SGS2 and i do not regret it.... But i feel like the only way to get this sorted is to swap for the SGS2 or leave them all together for another carrier.
And finally finally. I live 1/2 a mile from the nearest tower... Ive walked by it many times with my dog....
I got a Droid 2 Global from Ebay with the latest rom installed on it. I got the sim unlock code from Verizon. Then I band unlocked it. Got a straight Talk Att Sim with service in it. It is rooted but stock otherwise. I get 3g in Philly just fine and thought everything was good. In Philly the signal was really low usually around 2-3 bars and it would bounce between HSPDA and 3g a lot but was fine speeds were decent 700-1200kbs and I could make calls fine. However....
The phone is actually for my sister to use out in central NJ. Looking at the ATT GoPhone map it should have great coverage but the phone can't make calls at all many times in central NJ. To make things worse the phone will loose all signal and ask her if she wants to change from GSM only to Global mode. A lot of times she will hit OK and then will have to remember to go in the settings and change it back to GSM (which she forgets to do a lot so even if she is getting an Att signal it won't work). She had a Tmobile flip phone and said that got much better reception.
Normal Att phones work fine in her area but signal isn't the strongest for most carriers there. So it is either the phone or Straight talk att service. I have read nothing but good things about Straight Talk att service around the web as far as signal goes can't find a bad signal mention. 3g Speed is usually slower than true Att but reception is usually noted to be the same. If it is Straight talk that is the issue I can just get her a prepaid Tmobile Sim and she should be fine on Edge with Opera Mini. She doesn't use the web a lot.
Or is the phone's GSM reception really bad and should I just get an Att phone. If so does the Droid 2 global get bad reception overseas too. That would really suck as the Droid 2 Global is an unbeatable bargain at 100$. I got the extended battery for it and it lasts 2 days of hard use... when it gets a signal.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter. I used the trick that supposedly boosts the GSM signal and the trick to change the plist file to get the missing bars back by changing a verizon key setting. But it didn't change anything, I think that was a "bug" verizon fixed with the latest version of Gingerbread on the phone. It would help a little if I could at least stop that screen from showing up asking if she would like to change from GSM to Global when she looses her signal. I looked on the web but folks said that couldn't be removed even if rooted. Any help or input would be appreciated. Most important thing for her is reliable voice not data. This is driving me nuts and I don't want to waste any more money on a lost cause.
Did you edit /system/build.prop and set ro.mot.phonemode.vzwglobalphone to 0? If yes it might just be AT&T's network.
I use my D2G in Japan and Russia and I have no issues with UMTS and HSPA.
Gasai Yuno said:
Did you edit /system/build.prop and set ro.mot.phonemode.vzwglobalphone to 0? If yes it might just be AT&T's network.
I use my D2G in Japan and Russia and I have no issues with UMTS and HSPA.
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Click to collapse
Yes that is the build prop setting I changed. It didn't make any difference whatsoever. I think Verizon may have "fixed" it in the newest rom.
Yianaki said:
Yes that is the build prop setting I changed. It didn't make any difference whatsoever. I think Verizon may have "fixed" it in the newest rom.
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In case anyone takes a gander at this thread just like to say that the phone's GSM radios are slightly worse than others made actually for GSM. So if you live in an area with great reception you will never notice it. If you live in a place with iffy reception it may not connect at all.
I tested by running around with a new samsung dumbphone and could make calls in places where the unlocked Droid 2 Global couldn't swapping the Straight talk sim. Droid 2 would drop calls in central Jersey more than the dumbphone..
My D2G actually works better on GSM than my old Nokia 9300 and Motorola V547.
And I have yet to learn what a “dropped call” is.
Do note that I often find myself at least 30 km away from the nearest village here in the forest, and the cell towers are a few and far between. The D2G, though, keeps its 3G at at least 2 bars.
Gasai Yuno said:
My D2G actually works better on GSM than my old Nokia 9300 and Motorola V547.
And I have yet to learn what a “dropped call” is.
Do note that I often find myself at least 30 km away from the nearest village here in the forest, and the cell towers are a few and far between. The D2G, though, keeps its 3G at at least 2 bars.
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Click to collapse
Also, if the user is (US) band-unlocked, doesn't that mean that he is using the older radio firmware (.330 at best)? GSM performance got better with the later releases, although many had no issues with the earlier versions.
Yeah, you're right. In my experience 2.4.x's radio firmware was a bit lacking in terms of stability on GSM.
I've been with verizon since 2000 and never really had an choice to change since they always had the best service in my area. I've never liked at&t and the rep for tmobile has been its known for prepaid and shotty service. Thing is now, I see more and more people moving over to tmobile and are loving it. Its cheaper per month than verizon and service in my area in NJ is pretty much the same as verizons. Plus there are some features like the wifi calling, the hspa+ coverage, lte. that make it pretty attractive. But the kicker on whats making me consider the change is the phone selection. Verizon seems to always be lagging behind and I'm tired of having to wait for new phones to hit verizon and for updates to be released. Has anyone else thought about a move?
topaz330 said:
I've been with verizon since 2000 and never really had an choice to change since they always had the best service in my area. I've never liked at&t and the rep for tmobile has been its known for prepaid and shotty service. Thing is now, I see more and more people moving over to tmobile and are loving it. Its cheaper per month than verizon and service in my area in NJ is pretty much the same as verizons. Plus there are some features like the wifi calling, the hspa+ coverage, lte. that make it pretty attractive. But the kicker on whats making me consider the change is the phone selection. Verizon seems to always be lagging behind and I'm tired of having to wait for new phones to hit verizon and for updates to be released. Has anyone else thought about a move?
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Click to collapse
I'm probably going to switch to their pre-paid service when my contract is up. I want a Nexus.... Verizon doesn't seem to be getting another any time soon.
I would definitely go with Tmobile for better phone selection & price, but the service in my area is below average. Hopefully LTE rolls out to my area then I'll jump ships.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
I have to jump ship Verizon breaking my bank bad got to pay a fortune to keep service . I gotta switch back to my iPhone I know -_- and go to T-Mobile prepaid because they have the 1900 MHz support in my area
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
If you go to a T-Mobile store they might be able to help you pay for your ETF fee, at least that's what they did for me. I would have to pay Verizon 150, but the rep just credited my T-Mobile account 100$ when I switched. He told me that this is something every store has a budget for. It's definitely worth a shot just asking the rep. It's saved me quite a bit of money so far (even if coverage isn't perfect)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I had T-Mobile and really liked 'em. They were NOT cheaper, I'm able to get on VZW's Old Fart Plan and it was just $5/mo more than the T-Mo plan I had.
CS is about equal with both except for T-Mo's prepaid which gets you people who speak no intelligible English, with postpaid you get good CS.
Coverage, very close to zero with T-Mo, everywhere I went. Only spotty coverage in the largest cities, VZW has 3g or better everywhere I travelled.
A phone that can't make a call until you find a Starbucks with free WiFi isn't useful to me.
Have your car break down on California 371 in the middle of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation? You're 50 miles from ANY T-Mo signal and you've got 2 - 3 bars with Verizon.
I really liked T-Mo but it wasn't usable for me.
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
I don't like Verizon's pricing, phone selection, and the hassle required to unlock their phones for international use.
That being said, I switched from t mobile to Verizon in 07 for one reason: coverage. I use to live in Philadelphia in an 5 floor apartment with a T-Mobile store like three blocks away. No coverage in my apartment unless I kept the phone by the window.
Now I live and work in north nj and Verizon is the only reliable wireless carrier (by word of mouth). Not sure how much has changed in six years but I would leave Verizon if anyone had coverage close to the theirs
topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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I tried 2 weeks ago, just to test their service and see how it was since I haven't been with them for 1 year and a half and its still sucky. They do have 4G (HSPA+) in my area now but I get 1 bar of it and when it dont get a strong signal it'll go to Edge. I hear a nearby area "might" get LTE in late June so that means my area "might" get it late 2013. I'm just waiting to see what happens...my contract is up in November for Verizon
My buddy has tmo and hates the service. He doesn't get service with his phone and winds up using his Verizon work phone 90 percent of the time to make calls.
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I had Verizon before I switched to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is cheaper, has just as good of support and a good selection of phones. However, Verizon does have better service so if you travel frequently expect some dead zones.
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I used to have T-mo and I loved it! The reception in my area was incredible. I moved to verizon and it's still in the same category in satisfaction. T-mo is a lot cheaper than verizon, so I would give it a try. You're not going to regret it. Sim cards are the best.
I recently jumped from Verizon to T-Mobile and pretty much all comments thus far are justified.
topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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They've added -some- sites in recent times, but the "re-farm" you seem to have heard about is primarily a massive equipment refresh for about 85% of the existing WCDMA sites. Unlike Sprint's Network Vision or AT&T's "add an LTE panel to an 8 year old WCDMA site" rollout, T-Mobile is doing a -complete- equipment refresh on said sites using either Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Station solutions or Ericsson's Antenna Integrated Radio setups. For the sites that get the new equipment, coverage could see a 10-15% improvement in coverage and in-building penetration due to each of the NSN/Ericsson setups having the radio at tower-top.
T-Mobile will do you well if you are a city-rat. The lack of rural expansion pre-AT&T failed merger was due to the cost of infrastructure and backhaul when the only spectrum you have is high-frequency (PCS/AWS). Even in areas of excellent coverage, there's still a few limitations: Deep inside buildings, attenuation -will- eat the signal. Terrain is another big one that affects all carriers... if you happen to be in a place where terrain blocks your line of sight, you're not gonna get a good signal. Now, the equipment refresh is to facilitate LTE, as both setups are capable of LTE-A out of the box. T-Mobile had to sit on their hands for 18mo and not do any proactive system/coverage upgrades due to the AT&T merger debacle, but it was a good thing as now that they have the money and spectrum from both the merger fallout and MetroPCS plus new equipment, they're good to go. So, depending on where you live, work, and play, T-Mobile could potentially be great...
but...
bbqsfire said:
My buddy has tmo and hates the service. He doesn't get service with his phone and winds up using his Verizon work phone 90 percent of the time to make calls.
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MiG8GT said:
I had Verizon before I switched to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is cheaper, has just as good of support and a good selection of phones. However, Verizon does have better service so if you travel frequently expect some dead zones.
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Unfortunately, when all you have is high-frequency spectrum to use and a network that hasn't seen significant expansion since 2009, this is going to happen. As with all carriers, one man's perfect signal might have a crap signal from another carrier in the exact same spot. Happened to me: with Verizon, could pull 30mbit LTE from bed, but at work I could kill an entire charge with light use because the phone had crap signal on all 3 services (1x EVDO and LTE(whose average speedtest at the desk was 2-3mbit down)). Meanwhile, terrain eats T-Mobile's WCDMA signal at my house(edge only), but I pull 3x the speeds on T-Mobile because of a near perfect signal than I could with Verizon at work.
If you have a friend with T-Mobile, treat'em to lunch and ask them to take a ride around town with ya to see how the service is where you go. Another option is to borrow someone's unused, unlocked T-Mobile phone and grab a sim, sign up for the $30 100min/unlim data&text online and carry that around with you for a bit.
For someone like me who -rarely- leaves metro areas when I travel, T-Mobile is great. For you, it could be different, just take the "ZOMG SPOTTY COVERAGE TMO SUCKS" with a grain of salt, and understand that no carrier is perfect everywhere, even if those comments for that individual are justified.
Forgot to add: T-Mobile won't see any WCDMA expansion for the foreseeable future since their current focus is on the equipment refresh on existing sites. The next round of expansion will come after the 600MHz auction next year.
Shoot me an IM/PM if you have any more questions.
Opposite for me, since Tmo coverage is awful for even making calls in a lot of areas where I live. I agree that they are easier to deal with, but lack of coverage in a lot of areas in Kentucky and Ohio nix them for me.
rushless said:
Opposite for me, since Tmo coverage is awful for even making calls in a lot of areas where I live. I agree that they are easier to deal with, but lack of coverage in a lot of areas in Kentucky and Ohio nix them for me.
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yes, I have Vzw, for two reasons, one they have good coverage nearly everywhere in the us and two data speeds are good. important if you need t use Google Navigator.
topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a T-Mobile S3 and Verizon Z10 for work, Verizon Bionic and TB for personal.
I get better coverage and internet speed on my Verizon devices than my T-Mobile.
I'm in Chester County, PA.
coverage
You could always do a bit of research for your expected area to see what the coverage is like across the various carriers.
www dot opensignal dot com
As if the captchas and relogins aren't enough, I can't friggin post links either.
I've started to take a hard look at T-Mobile and seriously thinking of switching when my contract end on Verizon. I live in southern NH and work in MA. There are T-Mobile 4G towers close to my house and work, but my commute would be mostly 2G.
Comparably, Verizon is mostly 4G in the area, a strong 4G signal at work, but at home I rarely get a 4G signal and half the time the phone will drop because of poor signal strength. There are 3G spots and some bare areas on my commute.
My step-son has T-Mobile and he get a strong 4G signal at our house. He also says he mostly has phone service in the area(drop spots) and data is mostly 2G. When you get closer to the highways or bigger tows / cities there is better service.
Verizon
T-Mobile is awesome, if you live in a coverage area, work in a coverage area, and/or go to school in a coverage area. Also, if you DO NOT EVER plan on traveling, or, at least, taking your phone with you when you go.... Their coverage is horrible compared to Verizon, but their prices are nicer, the packages are more appealing, and prepaid is way better. Really, it's just all up to you, and what you want.
I never had any problems while traveling with t mobile service I have gone from one end of the country to another with mine when I had them before and I'm looking to switch back only switched because I wanted to give Verizon a try not liking them way to pricey and crappy phone selection
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