Coverage comments are submitted voluntarily by visitors around the Oakland, CA area.
Comments are sorted by date. However, users can sort by Carrier, City, Zip Code, Reception Rating,
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My reception was below average- two bars or less- until about a month ago, when it suddenly became far worse- frequent total losses of service, cycling through loss and regain until I just turn the phone off. I've called Verizon's tech support three times, and they say there's been transmitter work in the area and it'll get better, but after a month I've come to understand they're just shining me on. My phone gets a great signal, just a mile away in any direction, but North Oakland has been, evidently, left for dead. I'm looking at Sprint, through Credo. It couldn't be worse.
Usually I get full bars of UMTS / HSDPA 3G in my area. Otherwise, when I am at home, my connection drops in half to 2 bars out of four (windows mobile phones show four bars instead of the 5-7 bars other phones show). Inside my home, I get EDGE, never any 3G. T-Mobile is pretty good in my area, I can't complain. I just wished it worked inside the 12th st and 19st BART stations.
I have used Verizon for about 10 years and have been very happy with the reception and their customer service. I always get a signal inside my house, and usually a pretty good signal at work in downtown Oakland (far from a window). This past summer we drove to Wyoming through Oregon and Idaho, taking back roads most of the way, and were very surprised at how often we had a signal. I was even able to get on the web waaay out in the boonies of eastern Oregon. Amazing!
Service has gone downhill. I wander through my house, phone in hand, searching for a signal. Once upon a time I could call from my car in the underground garage. Then I had to move to just outside the garage. Next it was onto the street in front of the garage. Now it's down the street sometimes, so I drive slowly, searching for a signal.
Although I hate the higher pricing of Verizon, I have to admit the reception for me has been pretty close to perfect at our home about midway in on Benevides. Still, I pay way too much. My neighbor has T-Mobile and told me she gets no reception in her house--has to go outside or find a sweet spot upstairs. I borrowed her phone to test T-Mobile in our home next door and I got service all throughout our main floor. None downstairs where my desk is though. Thinking about moving to T-Mobile for the much cheaper rates including texting... as long as I can get calls somewhere in the house!
It's always a surprise when we get a cell call. Most of the time it just doesn't work. If we walk around the house, and often outside, we can pick up reception for a while, before it gets dropped. Would drop the landline if we could; can't.
Well I was looking up ways to check for coverage because I'm looking to cancel my AT&T phone service. I'm very sad to have to do so; I have an iPhone and love it! But I can't use it at home as my calls drop daily.
Just moved here with my iphone 3G (almost at the bottom of El Centro, north of Park), and my iphone is completely worthless. Most of the time I get 1 to 2 bars, but the phone drops every other call, and the rest just sound terrible. It doesn't matter if I have 3G turned on or off.
Better upstairs than down, but I can take two steps to my left and the signal will go from 2 or 3 bars to none, and the call gets dropped. I used to have AT&T which was useless. Verizon is only a bit better. I'm keeping my landline.
