Nextel
Switched to Nextel when a service man was calling his home office from under my house with full signal strenght. Also, seamless network all the way into Canada. They are more expensive but a fine example of you get what you pay for.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T Wireless (TDMA)
This phone has recieved superbly at this location for the past two years. This fall however, no change in bars but all calls in or out are gone the phone just tries in vain to redial. Thanks ATT / Cingular.
Was this review helpful to you?Sprint
I switched from T-Mobile to Sprint because of cheaper family plan. Big mistake. I get 0 bars indoors making this phone essentially useless. I'll be switching back ASAP.
Was this review helpful to you?Qwest
Typically get 3 bars inside or out. This is the bottom of Queen Anne ("Lower" QA). As I've had this phone only 24 hours, it is perhaps more useful to mention the Motorola 120c which preceded it, which usually got 2-3 bars and occasionally dropped a call, but mostly downtown where there are plenty of tall buildings to cut off a signal. Overall Qwest has had the best coverage of the four providers (Qwest, Sprint, GTE Wireless and AT&T) I've used. They also have hands-down the best customer service, although plenty of people seem to think it sucks: If you're one of those, here's a tip: Be nice to them, and they'll come up with ways to help you that pissing and moaning will never unearth. Trust me. I've done it dozens of times over the last few years -- over their entire existence in this region. :-) Last year I lived on the upper east side of Queen Anne overlooking Lake Union and had Sprint PCS on a Motorola Timeport (the silver flip -- which model no. escapes me, as did the antenna, thus my defection from Sprunt -- that's not a typo; their customer service was diminutive, but that's a separate rant). I could reliably find quite a number of dead spots between Queen Anne Ave N. and 5th Ave. N. where it was impossible, while on foot walking through the neighborhood, to either make or sustain a call. Can't say if this problem also exists on this phone with Qwest a year later, but as with Capitol Hill, we have three large TV antenna towers with microwave antennas on them, in addition to an incredibly 50's sci-fi-looking shorter array near a Qwest central office around W. Galer and 3rd West. I also had trouble around 5th Ave N. & Newton St. (line-of-sight to at least two of those towers) getting my car alarm remote to work, unless I stuck the remote under the front wheel well above the tire or some other place that shielded the remote from line-of-sight to those towers. That never happened anywhere else. Sometimes I had to walk around my car three times just to disarm it.
Was this review helpful to you?Sprint
Hwy. 305 and the Winslow area have good coverage. Never any dropped calls from my residence near Winslow. Only 1 bar, but never any complaints on both ends. There are some problems in the most rural parts of the island especially inside buildings, but a signal was reported.
Was this review helpful to you?T-Mobile
Full bars in the house, no dropped calls, no complaints.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T
Outside 4-5 bars, inside apartment 0-2 max. Unless I have the top of the phone pointed out the window I get no reception or poor reception and at any given time calls are dropped. If I use my earpiece and position phone out window I get a steady 3-4 bars, but can still lose calls unexpectedly. Very annoying since this is my primary line. Friends with better phones and same service experience better reception in my apartment, so I'm upgrading my phone.
Was this review helpful to you?Sprint
Almost never had a dropped call near home, although sometimes in other neighborhoods.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T Wireless (TDMA)
Reception was fine here two years ago, but degraded all of a sudden (both my phone and my girlfriend's, same model, had the same reception issue. Can't receive incoming calls, calls "drop" (but AT&T WS doesn't credit them as drops), and text messages / vmail delayed. Friend of friend says this is due to AT&T degrading service on TDMA to encourage customers to switch to GSM.
Was this review helpful to you?T-Mobile
No reception in the house - one measly bar if I go outside on the deck.
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