Cell Coverage Question

[brownheron]

Where I am on the OP, Verizon is the best coverage around, and I have no complaints.
Had Sprint for a long time, but when I moved it was a no go out here, that may have changed by now.

Same here. I had been on ATT forever for both personal and work use.

I always had coverage issues when roaming around the OP. When we bought our house over there, we switched to Verizon for our personal phones as that's what our friends and neighbors recommended. Coverage is definitely better than with ATT. However, when I do have ATT coverage, the upload speeds (important for video conferencing) seem like they are a little better when looking at the ookla speedtest app.

 

[Bruce Baker]

That's interesting as I'm fairly certain Xfinity Mobile uses Verizon's network

Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile service is an MVNO, which means that Comcast handles all of its mobile customers’ billing and service issues, but the actual underlying network they’re using is Verizon’s.

What’s even more surprising is that Xfinity Mobile customers generally ranked the MVNO’s network coverage as slightly better than Verizon’s network coverage, even though the underlying network is exactly the same. (That’s not a huge surprise considering just 29% of Xfinity Mobile’s customers knew that Verizon is the actual network provider for Comcast’s mobile service.)

Yes, I knew Xfinity uses Verizon's network

 

[DoesItFloat]

Have you ever heard of an iPhone? I suggest giving that a try.

 

[SurfnFish]

We've been on Verizon for three decades, zero issues whether here in the mountains or at the beach or other states, currently on new Moto phones which are working fine.
Verizon coverage will auto default to 4G LTE if it does not receive a 5G signal. Also a good idea to reboot phone daily to clear out the RAM and any bad data. We're 'grandfathered in' so two phones w/unlimited calls and data costs us $110 a month.
My son uses Google FI, which leverages T-Mobile and US Cellular networks here in the states, others abroad, so he can travel to Europe and keep using the same phone on biz trips..

 

[nwbobber]

I switched from Verizon to T-mobile a few years ago because the coverage at White Pass was non existent on Verizon, and a friend made a couple calls on his phone, so I asked... Done deal. I have been happy with the change. It is less expensive than Verizon too.
No system has universal coverage other than sat. Go up to your favorite parking lot, and see who has coverage there, then check the other places you spend time to make sure you are not going to be adversely impacted, and go from there.

 

[krusty]

I carried both iPhones and Samsungs for years...the iPhone was required for work. Samsung was my personal phone, which could not be used for work. So I had both phones on at all times. Both used Verizon.

It was a crapshot which phone did better, but it was amazing where I would pickup signals in remote areas, particularly when texting messages...packets don't need much signal continuity.

Recently we had a widespread power outage in a pretty dense suburban area. My old Samsung S9 barely worked at all to load anything, and my wife's much newer Samsung S22 was plenty fast...sitting in the same room at our darkened house. Router modems were down. Maybe 5G on her phone was the difference.

I don't rely on cellphones at all out in the sticks. Just use Garmin satellite transceiver for texts....which is fine, since nobody in our family are big phone yakkers.

What in the hell do people talk about during the obvious hours they spend on those things? Half the cars on the road have some idiot driver yakking away on a phone held below their mouth like they're eating a piece of toast. I suspect very few of them are issuing instructions to ER staff to resuscitate a flatlining patient.

Gonna go outside to yell at clouds now, since there's no kids to yell at to get off my snow covered lawn.

 

[Zak]

I'm on TMobile but have been thinking of switching to Google Fi. As I understand it, Fi uses the antennas of TMobile, Sprint, and ATT (whichever has the best signal). I'd like to hear from anyone who uses Google Fi and has had a good or bad experience.

 

[nwbobber]

When I am out fishing, and I look at my phone and see no bars, I mostly just get a warm, happy feeling.

 

[Stonedfish]

Verizon 5G is a joke.
I've been with them a long time, but really starting to dislike them.
I have crap reception at my house, even though I live in the city. WiFi and network extenders haven't really helped.
If I'm in my car talking to someone, I always have to tell them I'll likely lose the call as I head down the hill to my place.
I have a Comcast home phone because my cell coverage sucks so bad. I’ve dislike them for awhile now. I already blew out CenturyLink (now named?) after 30+ years.
Might be time for Verizon and Comcast to go as well after the same amount of time.
SF

 

[DoesItFloat]

It's all the same. One person likes this, another person likes that... Keep in mind that your connection speed is only as fast as your shittiest component.

 

[Old Man]

The only reason that I have a cell phone is to call when I'm out fishing as to when I'm on my way home. I really don't like talking on any phone.

 

[SurfnFish]

I'm on TMobile but have been thinking of switching to Google Fi. As I understand it, Fi uses the antennas of TMobile, Sprint, and ATT (whichever has the best signal). I'd like to hear from anyone who uses Google Fi and has had a good or bad experience.

Son and his wife both have it, rate it highly, maintains connecitivity driving from bay area to Bend, wife says no issues when she flies out of state for her art business, works wherever she lands.

 

[RayJay]

I'm wondering if anyone on the list has any experience with Consumer Cellular. I'd like to hear about any pros and cons.

 

[RCF]

I'm wondering if anyone on the list has any experience with Consumer Cellular. I'd like to hear about any pros and cons.

Consumer Cellular uses AT&T and T-Mobile cellular networks. They just lease 'space' and put together their own pricing packages, provide billing services, and customer support (which I hear is great). The plans they put together are targeting a certain demographic (seniors) with lower data usage.

 

[Wolverine]

I had ATT since phones were the size of bricks. Several years ago switched to T-Mobile as I got tired of being gouged by Rogers Wireless as ATT would switch to Rogers every time I went to Canada. T-Mobile works fine in Europe.

 

[Peatbog]

I carried a Samsung flip phone from Verizon up untill last September. I washed and dried it one too many times. Loved the phone but Verizon got tired of my 3g ass and kicked my pet phone to the curb anyway. They sent me a new toy flip phone which I returned. Verizon had the best network on the Olympic peninsula hands down with ATT in close second.

I bought my first computer phone in Sept and love watching porn on it but the phone function is like the last thing it wants to do for you. I actually went down Wally world and bought a moto g power for a hundred and I pay straight talk by the month. My bosses has a moto g stylus with Verizon. My phone often can get out here in Mason county when his can't. I do believe that Verizon actually owns straight talk and uses Verizon's network. I could be wrong.

I think it's a crap shoot between the provider, how busy the system is at the time, and whether the chips in your phone were made on a Monday, Wednesday or a Friday. I can hotspot YouTube to my tablet beautifully untill around 8 am then it depends on how busy everything is and the crap shoot last untill Around five pm. I can always get out here with the phone. Here is off of 119 going up to lake cushman.

 

[_WW_]

I had ATT since phones were the size of bricks. Several years ago switched to T-Mobile as I got tired of being gouged by Rogers Wireless as ATT would switch to Rogers every time I went to Canada. T-Mobile works fine in Europe.

Does T-Mobile work in Canada?

 

[Jake Watrous]

Does T-Mobile work in Canada?

Yes. Free, too. At least in my experience, and my plan is nothing special.

My Sprint (now T-Mobile network) plan has always allowed me to make seamless and free calls (and use data) to anywhere I’ve gone in the Americas (Bahamas, Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, Belize, etc) and Europe (Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain).

 

[Brian Miller]

it was amazing where I would pickup signals in remote areas, particularly when texting messages...packets don't need much signal continuity.

^^^

The cell coverage map layers on Gaia Maps can help me find reliable cell coverage. But I augment my Verizon voice and txt with VHF amateur radio. I can almost always send texts through the global APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) to Mrs Brian letting her know my status when out of cell coverage. The system uses GPS in the radio to send my coordinates when it transmits with a link in the text to a map showing a Jeep - SUV symbol labeled with my call sign. The APRS tracks all transmissions and I have the radio set to "beacon" every 5 minutes when I'm actually driving while fishing-hiking-camping so she can look at the link in the text, or use a browser bookmark at any time to see my route and latest position.



So far the only area I've been with poor to no cell or APRS digipeater-Igate coverage is a relatively small area east of Chinook Pass on 410 from Lodgepole below Fife's Ridge down to around Nile. However VHF can have "ground wave propagation" (reflect off the ground), and has around 100 miles of LOS radio range with 50 watts, so if I drive any distance on forest roads up above 410 I can connect through the Bethel, Shriner Peak, or Crystal Mountain APRS digipeaters. Our home VHF base station could connect to my mobile through IRLP (Internet Relay Link Project) repeaters but it's a rather complicated process. As a side note, I've been able to talk to a friend in Korea through amateur IRLP repeaters but cell is much easier with an international calling plan. Our base is not set up with APRS for her to respond with messaging directly to my mobile but as @krusty mentioned cell texts can work in the hinterland for non-urgent comms.