wireless carrier

[strutkr1941]

How is consumer cellular for service and coverage. Have att service is sporadic and expensive

[fhenn]

STAY AWAY tried it what a mess went back to At&T

[tator447]

Strut,
Whatever you do stay away from Sprint. We've travelled over 7,000 miles in the last 3 months and the coverage is terrible. We are looking to switch to Verizon as soon as possible, but of course we got locked into a 2 year contract with Sprint so we need to work that out. Good luck no matter what you do. Oh, and I know AT&T is expensive, but so are Sprint and Verizon. They're all pretty much in collusion LOL

Jim

[Sirsea]

All depends on what part of the country you live in and where you travel. We have used AT&T (very weak on the East Coast), Sprint, Verizon and Virgin Mobile all with varying degrees of satisfaction. However, none of them worked well on our recent trip to Yellowstone, Jackson Hole and Mt Rushmore. All were very sporadic and if you found coverage it was in a small area. IMHO, pick the one other users recommend for where you will be using it most of the time.

[Russb]

I've had Verizon for the past 13 years with very few problems traveling all across the U.S.

[dalemac377]

X2 what Sirsea said. We just completed a similar trip with daughter and son-in-law. Daughter has Verizon, we have at&t. Sometimes she would have service, sometimes we would have service, most of the time neither of us had service. Very spotty out west no matter whose service you have.

[we-canoe]

Most have "coverage" maps to help figure where you will have a signal. They all follow the Interstate HWY system as well as larger cities but once you get out into the wilderness Verizon "typically" has better coverage.

[NH Horseman]

I hate to sound like a "know it all" and I'm sure someone out there will know more than me. I have been and am in the wireless communications business for over 40 years. There are only two cellular phones. US Cellular and Verizon. They operate in the 800 to 900 megacycle band and have four times the range of PCS (Personal Communications Service) phones. They operate on the 1.2 to 1.4 gigahertz range, have one quarter the range and include Sprint, Nextel, AT&T, Cingular and others. We call them "highway phones' as that is where they concentrate their coverage. A cell tower's range is limited and the antennas are usually directional. If you are not in the path of the antenna, you are in a weak or dead zone. I have four carriers on my cell tower and live 2 miles away and I have a hard time getting coverage in my house because their antennas point in a direction that does not favor me. Take this for what it's worth.

[strutkr1941]

Thanks for the info, living out on far northwest coast of Washington it looks like Verizon for us. We can't even get tv or radio and cell is very sporadic to many hills. Anyone travelling out here has to like being off the grid, so bring your Sat dish

[mark5w]

There is a solution. I just purchased my own "cell tower" from
Verizon. It is a device that hooks up to high speed internet connection
(cable router). Good for home but not sure at CG's.


http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/accessory?action=gotoTechspec

[carl]

I don't think you can compare the wireless home phone with a mobile cell phone! I have the wireless home phone & it works great & cheaper than a landline phone. It requires 110 volt power.

[mark5w]

Originally Posted by carl

I don't think you can compare the wireless home phone with a mobile cell phone! I have the wireless home phone & it works great & cheaper than a landline phone. It requires 110 volt power.

What I posted was for a mobile cell phone, not a wireless home phone. By the way, a wireless home phone is still a "landline."

[carl]

Originally Posted by mark5w

What I posted was for a mobile cell phone, not a wireless home phone. By the way, a wireless home phone is still a "landline."

I beg to differ, Mark. My wireless home phone has no wires connected except for the power connection & ATT says itoperates off the cell towers.It is just like a cell phone & can be used anywhere there is cell service. I have unlimited anytime minutes to all of the US for $19.99 a month.

[mark5w]

Originally Posted by carl

I beg to differ, Mark. My wireless home phone has no wires connected except for the power connection & ATT says itoperates off the cell towers.It is just like a cell phone & can be used anywhere there is cell service. I have unlimited anytime minutes to all of the US for $19.99 a month.

Stand corrected. BTW How does it work?? are you satisfied?? any problems with dropped calls?? I've been looking at this for awhile but my cell reception is poor. That's why I purchased the home cell tower. I didn't connect it but I'm anxious to see if I now get more than 1 bar. Any info would help. I'm on the Verizon service but they have the same deal.

[carl]

We have had this since May& it works good. Neighbor has Verizon unit & is happy also. You can connect to your existing wall jacks touse the wired phones, but you must disconnect from the utility land line.

[NH Horseman]

We use the Verizon one for business. We get one bar on the cell phone but this unit has a longer external antenna and picks up much better. We have it tied to wireless house phones. Can't do data over it but it works great as a phone with the added convenience of being able to take it with you. It also operates on battery for a long time before needing charging. So, bringing your home phone with you in the auto is a benefit.