Help me pick a new mobile provider

May 7, 2010 5:36 PM

Related to this question I am ditching AT&T and, sadly, my iPhone. Is there any way I can know which mobile service provider will give me the clearest reception where I live before I buy?

For several months I've reported my ongoing lack of reception to AT&T (I've called, I've used the iPhone app) to no avail. As someone said previously, I am screwed - and I have no idea when I will become unscrewed so it's time to bail.

I've tried to conduct my own investigation into which mobile providers would be best, given my location, but nearly all of my friends have AT&T iPhones too (which don't work in my apartment, nor anywhere on my block, really) which renders my inquiry seriously unhelpful.

If anyone has any ideas about how I could test out the various providers before going through the rigamarole of signing up and buying, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

[P.S./Sub question re: predicting an unscrewed date: I'm wondering if the new iPhone would resolve my issue. If there's a chance it will, I'm willing to wait and buy a new one. I'm not hopeful, however, as anyone who is on any sort of phone with AT&T -- old iPhone, newest iPhone, dinosaur-number-pad-only phone (that would be my mom) -- cannot receive or make calls in my apartment. So...I don't have a lot of faith that a new-and-improved iPhone will make any difference. But I'd love to hear if you think I'm wrong.]

posted by hapax_legomenon to Technology (20 answers total)

All cellphone providers have coverage maps on their websites (though they're probably not as fine-grained as you require). Or you could try to broaden the pool of local people you're asking--maybe coworkers, neighbors, etc. Or find a local store that sells phones from multiple providers, then ask the folks there. Or check cellphone forums like HowardForums, and see what people who live in your area have to say.

(Your userinfo says you're in San Francisco's 94117 zip code--lots of Metafilter users in that city. Somebody who lives nearby might be able to provide useful input.)
posted by box at 5:43 PM on May 7, 2010

You can buy a cheap prepaid phone (usually $20 or so) from each of the major providers and test them personally (Sprint sells prepaid under the Virgin and Boost brands, but VZ and T-Mobile are self-branded)
posted by ConstantineXVI at 5:49 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: http://www.deadcellzones.com/

I live somewhere there was supposed to be coverage for ATT - but was not.

I got a permanent discount on my plan due to the disruption of service. Service is now fine, a year later, but I retain the discount on my cell phone bill.

Good Luck.
posted by jbenben at 5:50 PM on May 7, 2010

There is no way of knowing if the new iPhone will work better or worse in your neighborhood.
posted by mmascolino at 5:58 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

It's not normal procedure, but when we were considering switching our family plan I recall Cingular let us borrow a phone to take home and test their coverage. There wasn't any, so we didn't go with them. But I think that was an unusually kind salesperson and probably not normal policy, so borrowing phones from friends and coworkers (asking neighbors as well, etc) is also a good way to test. And yes, I'd guess that if AT&T phones all fail in your apartment, that it will continue to be so ongoing.
posted by Lady Li at 6:00 PM on May 7, 2010

You can get a T-Mobile SIM card, unlock your iPhone, and try the T-Mobile network. I use my (older than yours) iPhone with a T-Mobil SIM card and it works great. No data coverage with the prepaid plan I use; I'm not sure whether it would be possible for you with another plan.

Bonus: the T-Mobile prepaid plan is super cheap. $10/month, but then I don't make many calls.

Double bonus: SIM cards are not expensive. Plus, once you get this working, you can take the unlocked phone anywhere in Europe, pop in a (very cheap, sometimes free) SIM card, and have inexpensive cell phone service there.
posted by amtho at 6:07 PM on May 7, 2010

I think all the major providers will let you cancel within the first 15 days or so.
posted by kickingtheground at 6:08 PM on May 7, 2010

Before I had an iPhone, I had various crappy old-school phones with Verizon service, and they worked like magic everywhere in the Bay Area, all throughout San Francisco, including Noe Valley and the Mission District. (When I'm in the Mission now, my iPhone gets zero-zip-nothing service. And I barely get any kind of network connectivity in friends' apartments or cafes; texts actually fail for me.)

I thought Verizon was the Evil Man and I wanted out of my contract, but it never occurred to me that AT&T could be the Evil Man AND not provide me with adequate cell service.
posted by purpleclover at 6:13 PM on May 7, 2010

You might try Line2 which is an app that lets you get a second phone number for your iPhone, and also lets you make and receive calls over wifi when you are in a hot spot. I get extra-lousy and unpredictable reception in my home (downtown Seattle) on my iPhone, but I have wifi at home so I just make/receive calls over that. Works great...no longer dependent on ATT coverage. The service is $15/mo, but I was able to reduce the price of my ATT plan by significantly more than that since I now use fewer minutes (the wifi calls don't count against your minutes). Line2 (from Toktumi) has been extensively reviewed and has garnered a lot of positive attention, so you can do a little research prior to jumping in.

Just thought I would mention it as an option short of throwing the iPhone out the window.
posted by nickjadlowe at 6:26 PM on May 7, 2010

Seconding kickingtheground, but when we took phones to test, we had 3 days to return them, and we were able to negotiate no restocking fee if they didn't work out.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:28 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: Throw a party. Mingle, and ask to borrow guests' phones.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:43 PM on May 7, 2010

One thing to try (can't hurt to give it a go) is to shut off the 3G on your iPhone. A friend of mine when to the local AT&T store to complain about bad coverage and dropped calls and the person there showed him how to turn off the 3G to help with the coverage and dropping issues. He found it made a difference.

Go to Settings, General, Network, then flip the switch to Disable 3G. Hope it helps you.
posted by cecic at 6:58 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: If there is a public place where you couldn't use your phone with AT&T and you see others who can use theirs, you can ask them who their carrier is after they hang up. This is how I found my current carrier, after asking three or four people and getting the same answer.
posted by zinfandel at 7:30 PM on May 7, 2010

Try putting your SIM into a different phone. Can't speak for other areas, but my Blackberry on AT&T works just fine where iPhones don't work. It might just be the phone.
posted by gjc at 7:31 PM on May 7, 2010

I read an article on consumerist.com where a guy had bad AT&T service at home and negotiated for them to send him one of their new antenna signal boosters for free. That could be an option. Also, every cell phone service provider definitely does have a short window in which you can cancel service and return the phone with no penalties. Just be absolutely sure how many days that is when you get the phone.
posted by CwgrlUp at 7:37 PM on May 7, 2010

It's not really "before you buy", but Sprint allows you to return the phone and cancel service within 30 days and get all your fees refunded:

Sprint 30-day Return Policy

I suspect that something like this is offered from all the other carriers if you ask, it's just not advertised.
posted by meowzilla at 7:45 PM on May 7, 2010

Verizon (my carrier) does have good service everywhere I've been in SF (except, once, traveling from Church & Market to Church & 27th or thereabouts), and has the best coverage north of the city, hands down. (I live in the Mission.) A couple of times a year we go with friends to a place up on the Sonoma/Mendocino border, and we've been the only ones with cell service (they have AT&T and Sprint). Oddly, my coverage is only meh near my work, which is down on the Peninsula in an area with craploads of VC firms, which you'd think would guarantee perfect coverage from every provider.
posted by rtha at 8:01 PM on May 7, 2010

Definitely ignore the carrier's coverage maps, except as a rough guide to their coverage. According to both Verizon's and ATT's maps, we're squarely in both of their coverage zones, yet, we rarely manage more than 2 bars on our Verizon phones, and the ATT iPhone routinely loses the network completely, and their 3G service is mostly hypothetical here.

I like the party idea.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:06 AM on May 8, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I'd been hoping (although not really expecting) for a solution that didn't involve hassling with (and more importantly, taking the time to) try out all the various provider services, but it seems like that may be my only option. It's too bad my wifi at home sucks as well (due to neighbor interference, I think, anyway -- it always seems to crap out when I can hear their tv) so making/receiving calls via the intertubes isn't viable either.

Anyway, thanks again.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 5:54 PM on May 8, 2010

regarding your wifi, is it possible your neighbors are using a wifi streaming device like a Roku player when watching TV? if so, fixing your interference issue should be as simple as changing the channel your wifi router is set to. most are set to channel 6 or 11 by default, either get a wifi analysis app for your iPhone (they exist for Android, I assume iPhone has them too) and pick an unused/little used channel

regarding the main question, I like the party idea too.
posted by jrishel at 10:46 AM on May 11, 2010