Hey XDA-lers,
I think it's an unusual question because it's not directly related to tech... But maybe it can be answered here (hope it's the right forum?).
My girlfriend and me want to travel to USA next month for 5 weeks. We want to rent a car and drive through california, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho - typical touristic thing everybody does .
Since we need internet (for navigation and everything else), we search for a data plan. We don't need SMS or phone - only data. 5gb would be perfect.
Does anybody know a cheap plan with good coverage in this region?
I found this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
But I think, you need to buy a phone at Walmart to get it?!
Something in this direction would be perfect!
Thank you very much!
snoK
snoK123 said:
Hey XDA-lers,
I think it's an unusual question because it's not directly related to tech... But maybe it can be answered here (hope it's the right forum?).
My girlfriend and me want to travel to USA next month for 5 weeks. We want to rent a car and drive through california, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho - typical touristic thing everybody does .
Since we need internet (for navigation and everything else), we search for a data plan. We don't need SMS or phone - only data. 5gb would be perfect.
Does anybody know a cheap plan with good coverage in this region?
I found this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
But I think, you need to buy a phone at Walmart to get it?!
Something in this direction would be perfect!
Thank you very much!
snoK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not what you want or need. This is merely a plan/minutes refill to an existing pre-paid account.
First you need a pre-paid SIM. Often called a "starter kit". You'll have to pick one up somewhere, like a Wal-Mart or a cell-phone store. I'd be very surprised if you couldn't find them for sale within 100 feet of baggage claim. And then you'd have to chose a plan. Most pre-paid plans that have 4G data allotments already include unlimited talk/text. Not necessary, as you say, but it might be helpful if you and your girlfriend get separated.
Whatever service you go with, the actual network will be either T-Mobile or AT&T. Your phone will be a GSM phone (I'm assuming), and AT&T and T-Mo are GSM networks. So assuming your phone isn't locked to a carrier within Germany/EU, it'll work just fine on AT&T or T-Mo or their MVNOs and you don't have to buy a new phone.
I would definitely recommend using an AT&T MVNO. The American West has huge tracks of land, deserts, mountains, etc. AT&T will have plenty of dead zones, but it'll be way better than T-Mobile. For what it's worth, you can get data in T-Mobile's dead-zones because they partner with AT&T with them for coverage. But it'll be "roaming" (T-Mobile doesn't charge for roaming), and at 2G speeds. I honestly don't know if this carriers over to T-Mobile's MVNOs though.
With that in mind, there are a number of AT&T MVNOs (as well as AT&T's GoPhone). I would recommend Cricket Wireless. They have outlets everywhere. Right now you can get set up with pre-paid SIM for $.99, and then choose the $50/mo plan which gives you 4gb of high-speed data, after which you get throttled to 2G speeds. If you need more high-speed, you can purchase another GB for $10. Don't let them charge you an activation fee - you can do it yourself (unless you can't).
Unfortunately, any plan with data will be monthly and will be purchased along with talk/text. Perhaps it's possible in the EU, but you can't simply purchase 5gb data that lasts until you use it up regardless of how long it takes. Unless there's something I'm unaware of. So that means in a 5 week trip you're pretty much stuck paying for 2 months unless you go a few days without service.
Regarding data and GPS navigation though, remember that navigation requires either the map to be downloaded beforehand, or a data connection. Using Google Maps on your phone to find a restaurant, site-of-interest, or hotel within a city is one thing. Using GPS to drive from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon is another thing. Get a rental car with GPS and make sure the maps are all pre-loaded. You won't be able to rely on a phone's GPS for this unless you get an app that allows you to purchase the maps for the states you'll be traveling through and download them to your phone before you embark (find a public hotspot for this). Google Maps allows you to download maps for off-line use, but you're rather limited in the size. For example, I can fit all of Tucson in one map, but that's it. A city like LA or Phoenix wouldn't fit. Never mind all the miles inbetween.
Any questions, I'm happy to answer as best I can. Hope you enjoy your stay. I've lived in both Arizona and Colorado for many years, and I'm sure you'll be impressed by the west half of the US.
Wow, thank you very very much for this great explanation!
Cricket Wireless sounds great, think we will get it there.
Have a nice weekend!
snoK
Related
Ok right now i am with verizon and they got great service, but it is really expensive. I have a smartphone and a regular ol flip-phone.
Smartphone: unlimited data, 5000 messages a month and a split of 500 min.
Flip-Phone: Split of 500 min
My bill right now is around 140.00 a month, Is this right? Are there any other carriers that can offer this at a better price than what i'm getting? I would like to see the 500 min stay the same or more, and i need unlimited txtin on the smartphone. The second phone can stay as a add a line phone.
I just cant afford this right now, it's killing me inside every month i have to pay this bill. Any help would be much appreciated.
garage_man said:
Ok right now i am with verizon and they got great service, but it is really expensive. I have a smartphone and a regular ol flip-phone.
Smartphone: unlimited data, 5000 messages a month and a split of 500 min.
Flip-Phone: Split of 500 min
My bill right now is around 140.00 a month, Is this right? Are there any other carriers that can offer this at a better price than what i'm getting? I would like to see the 500 min stay the same or more, and i need unlimited txtin on the smartphone. The second phone can stay as a add a line phone.
I just cant afford this right now, it's killing me inside every month i have to pay this bill. Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I have 2 lines on T-Mobile, unlimited voice and text on both, and unlimited data on one line (mine, other is my daughter's dumbphone), and it's $120/month...and I believe they have plans matching yours now (or close) for even less.
However, I would only recommend them if you know their service is solid in your area. In their major markets where they have more solid coverage, they're great, but in other places quite the opposite.
Sprint is also very cheap and there coverage in most places is very good. Im south of dallas have very good coverage and in some areas near me no other carrier has service, not verizon, tmobile or att. But it all depends on your area.
Family plan with 2 phones for $130 a month you get...
1600 shared mins- Free mobile to mobile, doesnt matter what carrier the others on.
Unlimited text
Unlimited data
Unlimited picture mail
4g network is a separate charge.. only htc evo
Also we are getting the HTC Evo on June 4. Which will be one of the best android/smart phone available, but i guess that can be argued. Sprint also is the first nation wide carrier to carry 4g network. If its in your area, it might be something to look into.
Wow
I can't believe i am getting ripped off this bad. I should've mentioned that I live in northern michigan right around traverse city. Verizon seem to have a good 3g connection around here which is very important as i use my phone as the modem for my house. Also if i change do you think i can get away with large data usage. My bill varies from as little as 40gb a month to as much as 180-190gb.
I use tmobile prepaid plan and i pay 70.00 per month for 500 anytime min. unlimited data,free nights and weekends,free tmob to tmob. Hope this helps, oh i get like 300 or 500 texts included also or maybe its unlimited.
You think that's bad? I have;
Line 1: HTC Eris - 1400 minutes shared; Unlimited Messaging; Unlimited Data; TEC
Line 2: LG EnV3 - Shared minutes w/ above; Unlimited Messaging; Pay Per KB Data (none is ever used); TEC
Line 3: Samsung Smooth - Shared minutes w/ above
On average, I pay $192 a month. Now my fiance wants the LG Ally, which will tack another $30 on per month LOL
We're up for renewel, though, so I'll try to talk them into a month of free service which will offset the monthly cost a bit for the next 2 years.
-mak
edit: Sprint has a similar plan for $129; 1500 minutes, Any Mobile Anytime (Unlimited Mobile2Mobile on any network), Unlimited Messaging & Unlimited Data for all lines on the account. With insurance and two lines it would be $153 + tax a month.. but the phone selection isn't anything spectacular as of now, other than the Evo which will run you $299 -$100 MIR.
garage_man said:
I can't believe i am getting ripped off this bad. I should've mentioned that I live in northern michigan right around traverse city. Verizon seem to have a good 3g connection around here which is very important as i use my phone as the modem for my house. Also if i change do you think i can get away with large data usage. My bill varies from as little as 40gb a month to as much as 180-190gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile seems to be roaming coverage in Traverse, MI, so you won't be getting a 3G connection.
Sprint on the other hand has native coverage, as well as 3G. It may be a very good idea to look into Sprint as their coverage is very comparable with Verizon in some cities, and it seems that you live in one of them.
gsvnet said:
T-Mobile seems to be roaming coverage in Traverse, MI, so you won't be getting a 3G connection.
Sprint on the other hand has native coverage, as well as 3G. It may be a very good idea to look into Sprint as their coverage is very comparable with Verizon in some cities, and it seems that you live in one of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thats what i was wondering cause as this is my internet i need a 3g connection at all times. I would like to see around 1mb or a little more cause right now i pull 1.3mb
garage_man, I think your best bet is to do the following:
-First, determine which carriers have adequate data coverage in your exact location. Best way to do this is to find some friends on other carriers (with smartphones preferrably) and test them at your location
-Let us know which carriers make the cut, and then I'm sure there'll be users on here who have tips on how to pay the least for the most with any of them, and then you can choose from there.
Are you sharing the connection thorough a wifi-router app, or by connecting by USB to one PC and sharing it out from there? I'm just curious really.
Ur gonna love this
sirphunkee said:
garage_man, I think your best bet is to do the following:
-First, determine which carriers have adequate data coverage in your exact location. Best way to do this is to find some friends on other carriers (with smartphones preferrably) and test them at your location
-Let us know which carriers make the cut, and then I'm sure there'll be users on here who have tips on how to pay the least for the most with any of them, and then you can choose from there.
Are you sharing the connection thorough a wifi-router app, or by connecting by USB to one PC and sharing it out from there? I'm just curious really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hook the phone up through internet sharing to my server. I have the connections bridged to my network card. From there it goes to my router/wifi. I use the wifi for my laptops and PS3. From the wifi router it goes to a switch to connect my gaming rig and tv. The switch gives me the ability to expand my network when needed. It's a little confusing and not the fastest internet but it gets the job done lol.
garage_man said:
I hook the phone up through internet sharing to my server. I have the connections bridged to my network card. From there it goes to my router/wifi. I use the wifi for my laptops and PS3. From the wifi router it goes to a switch to connect my gaming rig and tv. The switch gives me the ability to expand my network when needed. It's a little confusing and not the fastest internet but it gets the job done lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's cool, thanks. I kinda thought you had something a little more complex going on there lol. That's farily impressive though that your phone's connection can support all that...although I don't know if the unstable ping usually associated with a cell data connection would be ideal for gaming.
I guess then you also need to consider what phones each network has that can handle the way you having things setup. There's a bunch that can, but it may affect your choice in carriers.
sirphunkee said:
That's cool, thanks. I kinda thought you had something a little more complex going on there lol. That's farily impressive though that your phone's connection can support all that...although I don't know if the unstable ping usually associated with a cell data connection would be ideal for gaming.
I guess then you also need to consider what phones each network has that can handle the way you having things setup. There's a bunch that can, but it may affect your choice in carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the ping isnt the best for gaming. It is a pretty consistent 150 to 100 ping lately. There are of course times when i can get it as low as 80 and other times 1000 lol, but verizon upgraded there notwork and i get around 150 every time. To keep things running smooth I usually i keep it down to one thing like playing a game, or watching a movie. It cant do all them things rly well.
If i change carriers i will most likely get another tp2. Unless there is a good android phone out there that can so the same internet sharing as windows mobile and have a awesome keyboard of a tp2 lol. Does anyone know of such phones.
sirphunkee said:
garage_man, I think your best bet is to do the following:
-First, determine which carriers have adequate data coverage in your exact location. Best way to do this is to find some friends on other carriers (with smartphones preferrably) and test them at your location
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good advice. Also, CNET has a map where you can look up your network coverage with each carriers . It may help you as well.
I think the first thing you need to determine is where you have coverage because it won't do you any good to get a better plan and no coverage.
Sprint seems to have the best deals (though not necessarily the best customer service).
I have TMO and I like them a lot but its like another member says, if you have coverage in your area, they're great, if not, then it's frustrating. they have great plans (no-contract plans as well) and great customer service.
Hope that helps.
hmmm... I wanted to post a direct link but I guess I can't because I'm a new user.
google "root wireless cnet reviews" or "CNET compare carrier coverage in your area " and hopefully that'll take you to the right place
CNET has an interactive map where you can enter your area code and see the coverage by carriers.
Hope that helps.
Wouldn't ya know it
MyTomato said:
hmmm... I wanted to post a direct link but I guess I can't because I'm a new user.
google "root wireless cnet reviews" or "CNET compare carrier coverage in your area " and hopefully that'll take you to the right place
CNET has an interactive map where you can enter your area code and see the coverage by carriers.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have no data where i live lol.
Wouldn't ya know it
MyTomato said:
hmmm... I wanted to post a direct link but I guess I can't because I'm a new user.
google "root wireless cnet reviews" or "CNET compare carrier coverage in your area " and hopefully that'll take you to the right place
CNET has an interactive map where you can enter your area code and see the coverage by carriers.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have no data where i live lol.
.mak said:
You think that's bad? I have;
Line 1: HTC Eris - 1400 minutes shared; Unlimited Messaging; Unlimited Data; TEC
Line 2: LG EnV3 - Shared minutes w/ above; Unlimited Messaging; Pay Per KB Data (none is ever used); TEC
Line 3: Samsung Smooth - Shared minutes w/ above
On average, I pay $192 a month. Now my fiance wants the LG Ally, which will tack another $30 on per month LOL
We're up for renewel, though, so I'll try to talk them into a month of free service which will offset the monthly cost a bit for the next 2 years.
-mak
edit: Sprint has a similar plan for $129; 1500 minutes, Any Mobile Anytime (Unlimited Mobile2Mobile on any network), Unlimited Messaging & Unlimited Data for all lines on the account. With insurance and two lines it would be $153 + tax a month.. but the phone selection isn't anything spectacular as of now, other than the Evo which will run you $299 -$100 MIR.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That plan sounds nice, is there anyway for me to sim unlock my verizon tp2 to allow it to be used on the sprint network?
With my OG Evo coming to a slow end in support (Thanks to ALL the devs btw for the BEAUTIFUL roms) and my contract coming to an end in March, I'm looking to decide to either stay on Sprint, or switch to the other two widely known markets.
I would like some pros and cons from REAL users and devs here please. Any dope can google, but I trust only those said in XDA. I would like to get a GS3 for xmas, but I need to decide to either get it for sprint, or wait and see what I can do when my contract comes up. A close friend of mine says ATT atm is the way to go with their HSPA+ networks as 4g is old, and LTE isn't as widely available yet. But I'm worried about dropped calls and customer support... AND/OR pricing plans. I'd like something under 100$/mo as my sprint atm is only 85.
It really depends on your area and the infrastructure. Personally, switching to T-Mobile was a great choice for me - I have great coverage all over my city. I'm on the $30/mo plan with 100 minutes, unlimited texting and 5Gb of data at 4G speeds (throttled after). It's great for me because I used an average of 100 minutes a month (all minutes factored in) - some people use VOIP to make that go farther, but it depends on your needs.
What carrier offers what you need ? Do you really want to enter another contract ? Does a contract offer give you any benefits (roaming, mobile-to-mobile, et cetera) ? What do you actually need and use ? How many minutes / texts / data ?
As for network technology and "the future", I don't know. Do you use tons of data ? Does it have to be super-fast ? Chances are that by the time a contract is up or a phone has seen better days, the technology is going to be in a different place, anyway. Streaming Netflix is about as heavy use as I do and it only uses 1/5 of the bandwidth available to me. I'm sure data and use will be changing in the future, but who knows what it will be like when it's time to get a new phone / contract ? Who knows what mergers and agreements will happen between then and now ?
I never experienced a "dropped call" on any network - and although I spend most of the time in the city (where there's great coverage on any network), I live in the boonies and routinely made calls on my way to and from work - and I've done so on every network but ATT. But clearly I don't make THAT many calls if I'm only using an average of 100 minutes a month.
I would think for that kind of information, it would be best to ask locally. When I was shopping around for a new phone-plan, I asked all my co-workers who they had and if they liked it.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
Stay with Sprint!!
Hey there,
Stick with Sprint for sure. Although other carriers are presently better in coverage in certain areas, you can't beat what is on the horizon for Sprint!! Nextel is being decomissioned, towers being migrated to Sprint, LTE being integrated into them as well as existing towers. Exciting frontier of change coming from Sprint. Sprint also has the most spectrum (essentially air rights regulated by the fcc inhibiting wireless growth) aka wireless realestate! Sprint comes in slightly higher than double the nearest carrier being verizon. Once what Sprint calls Network Vision (their network overhall) is complete, we will be so far advanced compared to nearest competitor. Not to mention the prices in correlation to being the only carrier who offers truly unlimited, unthrottled data blows it all up out of the water. This is both publicized and internal information known in correlation to recent and soon mergers. Trust me
If you found this information helpful feel free to hit the thanks button!
Greetings all!
I've been a very satisfied and loyal supporter of Ting for nearly two years now. However, I've decided to get myself a 32gb Nexus 5 from the playstore (arrives tomorrow, yaay!) with the hopes that I'll eventually be able to BYOSD to Ting. For now, I'm trying to settle on an ATT MVNO since TMO coverage is awful around here for miles.
Here is my usage on Ting:
under 100 mins
no texts (I use Google voice for SMS)
150mb average data use
I pay about 15-25ish per month depending on usage.
What I'm looking for in an ATT MVNO:
Decent Customer Service
Unliminted (or even decent amount) SMS/MMS/VOICE
Decent amount of data, say 250mb-1gb.
Reliable autopay and number porting.
No more than $40/month
I would like to port my Ting number once I feel "safe" and satisfied with the ATT MVNO.
I'm thinking of going with red pocket for now since I can get a free sim from callingmart.com with 39.99 of service. However, I'm nervous about the repeated complaints about inconsistent data throttling with Red Pocket. If I like the ATT service, I'd like to port my "real number" over to AIO because I've heard they have better CS, LTE, and a more reliable data throttle of 256kbps after the plan cap. I wish they had more LTE data (in my price range), but I can deal with the 256kpbs throttle if I breach 250mb.
I like the larger data pools of Airvoice and RP but the strange stories about having to call in to reset data or restore service are unsettling. I've never had an issue with my Ting service. Ting CS kind of spoils you.
Am I being paranoid?
Aside from you owning a nexus 5, I think this thread belongs over at the Howard forums because it has nothing to do with the Nexus 5
Sent from my LG-D801 using xda app-developers app
Dang, was wondering the same thing.
I'm in the same boat, but migrating from Sprint. I was hoping to hear what the community had to say on the matter of AT&T MVNOs. XDA is my trusted source. :fingers-crossed:
I would also like to see what the community here thinks on this matter. I'm currently with Sprint, was considering Republic Wireless, but when the Nexus 5 came out decided that I prefer that to the MotoX and so was looking at Ting. Hopefully they will come around to allowing a Play Store Nexus on Ting, but until then I'd sure like to get away from my $85 per month plan I have with Sprint towards something in the $20-$40 range. ATT and Sprint have decent coverage where I am, T-Mobile is not an option, unfortunately.
heroisnotdead said:
What I'm looking for in an ATT MVNO:
Decent Customer Service
Unliminted (or even decent amount) SMS/MMS/VOICE
Decent amount of data, say 250mb-1gb.
Reliable autopay and number porting.
No more than $40/month
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would highly recommend Aio Wireless. Their $40 plan fits all of your criteria, and I've been really satisfied with them after 2 months. I currently use the $70 plan and the speeds and coverage are great. I would also recommend installing their MyAio app to keep track of data/pay/etc and their Visual Voicemail app which is really great to use. I can't comment on their Autopay feature because I like to manually pay my bills to keep track of where all of my money goes, but their payment method via app and desktop is painless and quick.
About 18 months ago, I left Sprint for Straight Talk. They have everything unlimited* for $45. You get unlimited 2.5GB of 4G (LTE & HSPA+ for at&t SIM, HSPA+ for T-Mobile SIM), then 2G until the end of the month. I only had to call them once after i ported a secondary Google Voice number to them (I couldn't add a service card online). I read that the customer service is bad, but it seemed fine to me. I usually get around 5Mbps, but sometimes its faster/slower too.
I'll second Straight Talk. I've had no problems whatsoever with them. I did have to call to activate my SIM card (the online process messed up somehow), and I had to talk to the manager as the first rep had no idea what I was talking about, but overall it's been great.
Well, not quite. LOL. But I do have a question for my US Nexus bros and sistas.
I'm not a noob when it comes to cellphone technologies having worked in the industry here in BC for over a decade, and I've done research. Lots. Here is what I need help with.
I will be spending about 6-8 weeks in a small town called Parker, AZ. There I will be living at the airport without WiFi or other connections without walking into town. I'm working on my commercial pilots license and would not have time for that more than once a week. Now my choices for 3G+ as I understood it until now were either AT&T or AT&T for HSPA (actually was looking at straight talk, but the AT&T network) or Sprint CDMA. How ever since the N5 has the CDMA network capability and I see people using theirs on Sprint. Now I like sprints plans better with unlimited data. But in all my years selling Analog, to 1xCDMA, to EDGE, etc. There was always one constant. You can not, or at least not easily, activate CDMA devices on one provider from another. Yes there were ways, but not without jumping through a million hoops or ESN cloning (not that I ever did any of that). So how does it work for them now on the N5? And how can I set up a temporary account from the great north so I can switch my service to srpint as I cross the border?
I've had Sprint SERO for years. I live in the SF Bay Area, and even though the coverage is bad (it ALWAYS drops calls on the Bay Bridge), and the data is slow in most place, it's only $59 per month (with taxes, etc.). Of course, I've always had the hope that it will get better. Those hopes have now been bolstered by the Softbank deal.
Now that I have a Nexus 5 that can be used on multiple carriers, as a test, I got an AT&T Straight Talk SIM ($45 per month) and have been using that for a few days. It's night and day - calls go through and don't drop, data is fast - it's RELIABLE! Although Straight Talk has gotten (deservedly) bad rap for throttling, recently they changed their policy and published a 2.5 GB limit at which point you get throttled. That's enough for me, and, in the rare case that I go over before the end of the month, I can pay the next month's $45 early and get a new 2.5 GB. And, if ST goes bad, there's always AIO or other AT&T MVNOs.
But, I'm reluctant to switch. If Sprint really does get a good LTE network going and I can use unlimited data to watch Netflix without worry, that would be a nice thing. And, once I cancel the SERO plan, there's no going back.
Of course I've hung on for years because I thought Sprint would get better, and it never has. But, with my luck, the month after I cancel my SERO plan Sprint will improve 1000%.
Any thoughts? I can't be the only person going through this.
(I use Google Voice so the (perhaps) temporary change of carrier is not notice by people that call me, except there is no MMS.)
I just dumped Sprint and paid a $140 ETF. It was worth it friend. I did not have the SERO deal, but I now know what it's like to have real phone service. I switched to a Go Phone plan and could not be happier. Living in NYC and being with sprint was BEYOND painful. Each morning, I would try to listen to NPR on my way to work. It would take forever for the stream to get going on LTE and when we would reach a spot in my commute where it had to hand off to 3g, the stream would just die. I would then have to toggle airplane mode until I finally found a usable signal. So yeah, now that I have Go Phone as my provider, even on 3G I can stream my liberal news to my hearts content. Not to mention, that I have LTE almost everywhere I go with actual LTE speeds. Dump those suckers.
AliLaPointe said:
I just dumped Sprint and paid a $140 ETF. It was worth it friend. I did not have the SERO deal, but I now know what it's like to have real phone service. I switched to a Go Phone plan and could not be happier. Living in NYC and being with sprint was BEYOND painful. Each morning, I would try to listen to NPR on my way to work. It would take forever for the stream to get going on LTE and when we would reach a spot in my commute where it had to hand off to 3g, the stream would just die. I would then have to toggle airplane mode until I finally found a usable signal. So yeah, now that I have Go Phone as my provider, even on 3G I can stream my liberal news to my hearts content. Not to mention, that I have LTE almost everywhere I go with actual LTE speeds. Dump those suckers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No car radio?
More seriously, how many GB do you have from Gophone - and can you listen to NPR and not burn up all your GB?
Go to s4gru, donate a couple bucks and look at the map for your area.
Maybe read a little and educate yourself on how sprint is improving their network.
After you do that you can make an informed decision based on facts rather then asking for opinions here.
---------- Post added at 09:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:39 PM ----------
AliLaPointe said:
I just dumped Sprint and paid a $140 ETF. It was worth it friend. I did not have the SERO deal, but I now know what it's like to have real phone service. I switched to a Go Phone plan and could not be happier. Living in NYC and being with sprint was BEYOND painful. Each morning, I would try to listen to NPR on my way to work. It would take forever for the stream to get going on LTE and when we would reach a spot in my commute where it had to hand off to 3g, the stream would just die. I would then have to toggle airplane mode until I finally found a usable signal. So yeah, now that I have Go Phone as my provider, even on 3G I can stream my liberal news to my hearts content. Not to mention, that I have LTE almost everywhere I go with actual LTE speeds. Dump those suckers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no you can only stream 2.5gb worth assuming you do not use data for anything else.
lafester said:
Go to s4gru, donate a couple bucks and look at the map for your area.
Maybe read a little and educate yourself on how sprint is improving their network.
After you do that you can make an informed decision based on facts rather then asking for opinions here.
Click to expand...
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This may sound stupid, but what exactly is the different between s4gru map and the one from Sprint? That said, I look at the Sprint LTE map before and the current Sprint LTE signal is weak. There are many area in LA county(not city) that even though it show LTE on the map but I only have 3G. And yes Sprint 3G is suck. That said, I'm looking forward to try the Spark(tri-band LTE), which as far as I'm concern, most of the place I'll be around had good WiMax. So if things goes smoothly(meaning I'll have LTE signal like I used to have when I got WiMax), I will be happy to stay w/ Sprint SERO-P. Then again, this is my experience. My term w/ Sprint isn't up yet anyway. So, I will use it and try Spark when I have Nexus 5 until the term is over then decide.
I am in the same boat, no LTE in my town but I am supposed to have LTE at work in Midtown Manhattan. I get an LTE signal on my N5 with Sprint at work but when I do a speedtest I am getting .25Mbps down and like .01 up. I hear Verizon is no better in Midtown and now that they have publicly admitted it, they are not even a consideration. So that leaves ATT or Tmobile, I will not go with Tmo so that leaves ATT. Went to an ATT store on Park Ave close to my office and ran a speedtest on one of their display LG G2s and only got between 1-2mbps down.
So none of the carriers are good for me now in Midtown, but ATT and Verizon would be good at my house, but I am on wifi at my house so coverage at work is more important. I have been waiting and waiting for Sprint and I know their LTE network is going to be great when it finally gets here, but when will that be? How long can you wait and keep paying them for crap service, it is very frustrating.
I agree that you should do some research on S4gru, but that will only take you so far. Sprint was promising a great network back in the Wimax days and that stuff fell apart. They then promised LTE and I have been having spotty coverage for more than a year. I'm really happy after my switch to Go Phone. No issues here. Also, nowhere near to close on my data allotment. I dont use a car radio because, well, I live in NYC and take public transit.
AliLaPointe said:
I agree that you should do some research on S4gru, but that will only take you so far. Sprint was promising a great network back in the Wimax days and that stuff fell apart. They then promised LTE and I have been having spotty coverage for more than a year. I'm really happy after my switch to Go Phone. No issues here. Also, nowhere near to close on my data allotment. I dont use a car radio because, well, I live in NYC and take public transit.
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Maps can only take you so far. For example, the maps show a strong signal (Sprint calls it "Best" voice signal at my house, and calls constantly drop. There are other places on the maps where a strong signal is shown and the calls always drop. The fact that in the entire course of its existence Sprint has not been able to figure out (or hasn't bothered to figure out) how to not drop calls consistently for people driving across the Bay Bridge is amazing. There are places on the map where strong data coverage is shown and the data is so slow as to be unusable.
So, the real thrust of my question was whether Sprint is going to change its spots and have consistent and reliable service, not whether it can show a map which covers a large area but in reality is full of holes.
I'm sure there are a lot of us in this position.
I have this n5 with two SIMs two, AT&T works great just about everywhere I go, Sprint , junk. And now that LTE won't work at all until the 3G/4G towers have been fully completed, more bad news, from bad planning by Sprint.
I like the Google voice integration with Sprint, and my number is not eligible to be ported to Google voice.
It seems that Sprint is always promising a better service is just around the corner. They're doing this again with this 'spark' talk, which really won't do much.
They should their time implementing LTE 1900 Mhz, before they get ahead of themselves and offering LTE 2500 Mhz too, they need to walk before they can run.
I was thinking about using net10's 2 line family plan, over Straight talk, not sure of the different between the two, the same company.
If t-moble had coverage, i'd consider them too.
The S4GRU site will show you the Sprint tower locations, not the coverage.
Edit: One blog post here: http://seth.killey.me/?p=1049
I had sero on sprint and just ditched them for tmobile and could not be happier. I have been hanging on to sero for years waiting for coverage to improve and it has only gotten worse. I finally gave up and have not looked back since.
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