Dropping AT&T for Verizon and ETFs involved

[GT1999]

I've about had it with AT&T's bad coverage in my area. I'm paying $140/mo for two lines, and I don't even get reception at work. As of last week, both my fiancee and I have had bad call quality or no calls come in at our apartment - something obviously happened with their network. I've been an AT&T and previously Cingular customer for 8 years.

If I cancel, I'll have the following ETFs:

iphone 4 8gb $275
inspire 4g $195

I could probably wipe these and sell them on ebay to recoop the costs but I don't know if it's worth it.

I made a call at AT&T and they may install a Microcell at our apartment free of charge, however I'm still left with no coverage at work.

I'm honestly thinking about just keeping the Microcell if they install it, and once the ETFs go down, just switch to Verizon from there.

Anybody else fed up with AT&T's poor reception? Their customer service is also a joke, unless you call to cancel of course.

 

[sonoma1993]

I've about had it with AT&T's bad coverage in my area. I'm paying $140/mo for two lines, and I don't even get reception at work. As of last week, both my fiancee and I have had bad call quality or no calls come in at our apartment - something obviously happened with their network. I've been an AT&T and previously Cingular customer for 8 years.

If I cancel, I'll have the following ETFs:

iphone 4 8gb $275
inspire 4g $195

I could probably wipe these and sell them on ebay to recoop the costs but I don't know if it's worth it.

I made a call at AT&T and they may install a Microcell at our apartment free of charge, however I'm still left with no coverage at work.

I'm honestly thinking about just keeping the Microcell if they install it, and once the ETFs go down, just switch to Verizon from there.

Anybody else fed up with AT&T's poor reception? Their customer service is also a joke, unless you call to cancel of course.

indoor coverage is not guarantee for any service provider.. I have tmobile service, when I go to my sister apartment to visit. If i'm on main floor, I barely get any service. But once I go up to the 2nd floor or 3rd floor, i get good service.

 

[alent1234]

i carry a VZW and AT&T phones daily, don't expect perfection even with verizon

and you will never get close to $195 for the inspire

 

[GT1999]

i carry a VZW and AT&T phones daily, don't expect perfection even with verizon

and you will never get close to $195 for the inspire

Yeah, I realize this. I've modded it with a nice AOSP ROM, which may bump up the value a tad, but it also has a shaky camera lens in the back. I'll probably be lucky to get $50 for it.

The iphone on the other hand is in almost perfect condition and I know those fetch good cash.

I'll probably just end up waiting, unfortunately, but I called AT&T and bitched 'em out.

Verizon has superior in-door coverage from everything I've seen, and just better coverage all around IMHO.

Since my "Unlimited" data plan doesn't mean jack on AT&T anymore, I say screw 'em.

 

[alent1234]

which phone are you having problems with? both?

the inspire has a qualcomm radio and iphone 4 is infeneon. verizon/sprint iphone 4 and all 4S's have qualcomm radios

i used to have a AT&T 3GS and now have a AT&T 4S and the reception is better, especially with updated iOS. not as good as my verizon droid pro though.

vzw does have much better indoor coverage mostly due to using CDMA and better frequencies for voice

 

[GT1999]

which phone are you having problems with? both?

the inspire has a qualcomm radio and iphone 4 is infeneon. verizon/sprint iphone 4 and all 4S's have qualcomm radios

i used to have a AT&T 3GS and now have a AT&T 4S and the reception is better, especially with updated iOS. not as good as my verizon droid pro though.

vzw does have much better indoor coverage mostly due to using CDMA and better frequencies for voice

The iphone fairs better in the apartment but when she started to have problems with people hearing her and I was done to zero bars, and calls just went directly to voicemail on my inspire I got really pissed. It's been going on a week. They gave a $25 credit, great, but that doesn't make up for the fact that I missed a conversation with my dad.

Anyone have any experience with these Microcells?

My work blackberry on Verizon gets full bars and has NEVER dropped a call for me over the years... ever... and I've been on 6 hour long conference calls.

 

[alent1234]

i had the inspire for 6 months last year. the reception was a little better than the iphone 3gs but not as good as the 4s. it also suffers from a death grip like the 4. try it with some cloth or a cheap case to see if it solves the problem

 

[GT1999]

i had the inspire for 6 months last year. the reception was a little better than the iphone 3gs but not as good as the 4s. it also suffers from a death grip like the 4. try it with some cloth or a cheap case to see if it solves the problem

My 3GS was crap. The Inspire is a lot better, but i can tell due to metal shell it suffers from good signal quality, hence why the iphone fairs better probably despite even being a 4s.

If I could have my way I'd get the Droid Razr MAXX right now with Verizon, great coverage, call quality, and awesome battery life. A guy can dream.

 

[Red Storm]

Me and my cousin both left AT&T for Verizon back in the iPhone 3G days. We were in a parking lot trying to call one another with full reception, and the calls repeatedly failed. That was the straw that broke the camels back, so we ditched AT&T and hopped on the Android bandwagon with the OG Droid.

 

[Sid59]

I was in the same boat as you a year ago but our contract was up. ATT had a dead spot in our apartment and no reception at work. In fact, no other carrier besides Sprint, which had spotty service at my work place.

ATT gave me a free microcell for home and that made everything easier. I didn't have a landline and not getting calls/text while at home was a bane.

 

[zsdersw]

If you get a Microcell, make sure your Internet access is flawless. If it's not, it could make things more trouble than it's worth.

 

[GT1999]

If you get a Microcell, make sure your Internet access is flawless. If it's not, it could make things more trouble than it's worth.

Cellular data, or do you mean it interfering with wifi? I know nothing about Microcells so any info you have is appreciated.

 

[zsdersw]

Cellular data, or do you mean it interfering with wifi? I know nothing about Microcells so any info you have is appreciated.

Well, a microcell uses your Internet access at home to provide cellular service... so if your Internet access (RoadRunner, Comcast, Uverse, etc) is at all flaky the microcell will be flaky too.

 

[GT1999]

Well, a microcell uses your Internet access at home to provide cellular service... so if your Internet access (RoadRunner, Comcast, Uverse, etc) is at all flaky the microcell will be flaky too.

The Internet is good, but wifi is a bit congested due to the complex I'm in but it never goes down. I get 8-14Mbps off an 802.11n router, but when I hook directly up with a CAT6 cable to it with my Comcast service I get 40Mbps/12Mbps.

 

[zsdersw]

The Internet is good, but wifi is a bit congested due to the complex I'm in but it never goes down. I get 8-14Mbps off an 802.11n router, but when I hook directly up with a CAT6 cable to it with my Comcast service I get 40Mbps/12Mbps.

Then you should be OK. Using any phone with your wifi won't be going through the microcell... but any phone calls you make or using the phone with the wifi turned off will go through the microcell.

When I was with Sprint they gave me an Airave (basically the same thing as a microcell but for Sprint) and whenever I had TV/Internet trouble I had to reboot the Airave or else I couldn't send/receive calls.

 

[GT1999]

Then you should be OK. Using any phone with your wifi won't be going through the microcell... but any phone calls you make or using the phone with the wifi turned off will go through the microcell.

When I was with Sprint they gave me an Airave (basically the same thing as a microcell but for Sprint) and whenever I had TV/Internet trouble I had to reboot the Airave or else I couldn't send/receive calls.

Oh I see. So basically, browsing at 14Mbps speeds with WiFi on my phone will be over, I'll need to keep wifi off on my phone to get calls/texts. That kind of sucks, but I guess it's better than not getting any at all.

 

[zsdersw]

No, if you have your phone's wifi turned on, it will use that for Internet/data, going through the wifi you already have in your house... if you have the phone's wifi turned off, all data/calls will go through the microcell.

 

[GT1999]

No, if you have your phone's wifi turned on, it will use that for Internet/data, going through the wifi you already have in your house... if you have the phone's wifi turned off, all data/calls will go through the microcell.

Ok. So it's a win-win.

 

[zsdersw]

Ok. So it's a win-win.

Yup unless there's a power and/or Internet outage.

 

[alent1234]

i would probably wait until the next iphone comes out. now that its on all carriers they might have some specials to lure new customers

 

[Red Storm]

i would probably wait until the next iphone comes out. now that its on all carriers they might have some specials to lure new customers

Not to mention that getting a non-LTE smart phone on Verizon is a pretty dumb move with how slow their 3G network is. I feel it's almost certain the next iPhone will have LTE.

 

[alent1234]

it's more than enough for streaming music

my work droid pro is on unlimited data, and i actually use more data on my AT&T plan. a lot of times i'll stream with my droid just because it's "free"

i'm thinking of moving to VZW after my wife's iphone 4 contract is up. i'll pay the ETF on my 4S which i will get back from selling it. only because i also get a discount on VZW as well as AT&T

 

[dagamer34]

At the very least, check and make sure Verizon has good coverage in the areas you'll be in most before you switch. Do not make the blind assumption that Verizon is better for most people so it will certainly be better for you.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I had the same story except mine was with Sprint. My ETF with Sprint was down to $150 and I had horrible data speeds all the time. 56k was faster than my 3G. 4G was spotty and if it dropped it took about 2 minutes to find and reconnect to the 3G signal. I complained, they gave me a $50 credit, but I canceled anyway. I sold my Epic 4G for $150 on craigslist and then was using a Tmobile prepay until the Galaxy Nexus came out. Tmobile was miles ahead of Sprint and Verizon is just out of this world. LTE is so fast that I canceled my internet land line and just tether off my phone for internet.

 

[dagamer34]

I had the same story except mine was with Sprint. My ETF with Sprint was down to $150 and I had horrible data speeds all the time. 56k was faster than my 3G. 4G was spotty and if it dropped it took about 2 minutes to find and reconnect to the 3G signal. I complained, they gave me a $50 credit, but I canceled anyway. I sold my Epic 4G for $150 on craigslist and then was using a Tmobile prepay until the Galaxy Nexus came out. Tmobile was miles ahead of Sprint and Verizon is just out of this world. LTE is so fast that I canceled my internet land line and just tether off my phone for internet.

Man, you survive on Verizon's data caps? *salute*