Best cell coverage?

[hardhead]

I'm in Hughesville and currently have Verizon, which has good coverage, but I'd like to change carriers for other reasons.

Does anyone use AT&T or Sprint around Prince Frederick, Waldorf, Hughesville or Laplata?

If so, what do you think of your coverage? Thanks for any help-

Mike

 

[PeoplesElbow]

You will not have any issues with AT&T in those areas. If you want to give it a trial go buy a GoPhone for $50 and try it out. The neat thing about ATT is instead of buying a phone with a contract if you dont want to you can simply go buy a go phone and stick your sim in it and it works. I haven't had a contract in years and only pay $65 a month for 3GB (with rollover too!) of data unlimited talk and text.

 

[creative1]

I was frustrated with Verizon couple months back because of upgrade issues...but anyways, I went to Sprint store in Wildewood to see about switching and Sprint paying off my Verizon contract like they advertise on TV. Very helpful there and asked for my home address. She entered it into their computer system and told me Sprint service in my area was weak and I would have lost calls, etc. She recommended I stay with Verizon, so I did. Isn't what I wanted to hear but I'm still with Verizon.

Oh, I live in Mechanicsville.

 

[Kinnakeet]

I was frustrated with Verizon couple months back because of upgrade issues...but anyways, I went to Sprint store in Wildewood to see about switching and Sprint paying off my Verizon contract like they advertise on TV. Very helpful there and asked for my home address. She entered it into their computer system and told me Sprint service in my area was weak and I would have lost calls, etc. She recommended I stay with Verizon, so I did. Isn't what I wanted to hear but I'm still with Verizon.


Oh, I live in Mechanicsville.

The sprint thing is a rip off stick with verizon

 

[Beta]

I'm in Hughesville and currently have Verizon, which has good coverage, but I'd like to change carriers for other reasons.

Does anyone use AT&T or Sprint around Prince Frederick, Waldorf, Hughesville or Laplata?

If so, what do you think of your coverage? Thanks for any help-

Mike

I'm curious what the reasons are, mainly because I'm guessing that whatever issue you had would have been about the same regardless of which carrier you had. BUT I don't blame you for wanting to switch if they pissed you off. You'll be as happy with your new carrier as you were with Verizon, assuming said issue doesn't crop up again. If you travel, though, you'll regret not having as good of coverage. But if you stay in the areas you listed, you'll be mostly OK with AT&T. I can't speak to the other two.

 

[Smith]

You will not have any issues with AT&T in those areas. If you want to give it a trial go buy a GoPhone for $50 and try it out. The neat thing about ATT is instead of buying a phone with a contract if you dont want to you can simply go buy a go phone and stick your sim in it and it works. I haven't had a contract in years and only pay $65 a month for 3GB (with rollover too!) of data unlimited talk and text.

I'll second that... AT&T coverage is very good in those areas. Another option for pre-paid AT&T coverage is Cricket Wireless, which was absorbed by AT&T a little over a year ago. Cricket offers plan as low as $35 per month for 2.5 GB of data and unlimited talk & text, but the real asaving are with multiple phones using their Group Save option... we have 4 phones, each with 2.5 GB of data, for $100 per month. We could get a 5th phone for the same $100/month, but don't have any use for it. Their prices include all taxes and fees, so you only pay the amount advertised. Cricket has a good selection of phones: Android phones including the new Galaxy S6, the iPhone 5c, and they even offer a free phone if you don't mind having a Windows phone.

 

[Beta]

I'll second that... AT&T coverage is very good in those areas. Another option for pre-paid AT&T coverage is Cricket Wireless, which was absorbed by AT&T a little over a year ago. Cricket offers plan as low as $35 per month for 2.5 GB of data and unlimited talk & text, but the real asaving are with multiple phones using their Group Save option... we have 4 phones, each with 2.5 GB of data, for $100 per month. We could get a 5th phone for the same $100/month, but don't have any use for it. Their prices include all taxes and fees, so you only pay the amount advertised. Cricket has a good selection of phones: Android phones including the new Galaxy S6, the iPhone 5c, and they even offer a free phone if you don't mind having a Windows phone.

So here's the dumb question. How much does it cost for that new Galaxy S6 via Cricket wireless vs. getting it with a 2 year contract with a bigger company (such as directly via an AT&T contract)? Are you paying full price for those phones since you don't have a contract?

 

[Hodr]

I was frustrated with Verizon couple months back because of upgrade issues...but anyways, I went to Sprint store in Wildewood to see about switching and Sprint paying off my Verizon contract like they advertise on TV. Very helpful there and asked for my home address. She entered it into their computer system and told me Sprint service in my area was weak and I would have lost calls, etc. She recommended I stay with Verizon, so I did. Isn't what I wanted to hear but I'm still with Verizon.

Oh, I live in Mechanicsville.

I have had, or do have a phone with all of the major carriers in this region (Verizon, ATT, Sprint, and T-Mobile). Sprint fairly recently upgraded their local towers to 4G-LTE, but in doing so they also reduced the power of their legacy service. Where I used to get a very strong signal at work and at home, I now get a marginal to non-existent 2G/3G signal in either location and a weak 4G signal.

T-Mobile is pretty good if you stick to the highway and don't travel south of Pax River. On the Lusby side of the bridge it's much better. In my opinion it's the least usable.

ATT works OK in most of these areas, but doesn't have the greatest building penetration so test it in your work/home before switching. At my office I literally have full bars for ATT 4G right outside the door. I walk inside and I have 1 bar.

Verizon seems to be the best mix, but as you said you don't like them. Have you tried PagePlus or Straight Talk? They are Mobile Virtual Network Operators (Cell companies that lease space on other people's towers) that make use of Verizon. All the benefits of Verizon's service, but easier companies to deal with (and cheaper too).

 

[Smith]

So here's the dumb question. How much does it cost for that new Galaxy S6 via Cricket wireless vs. getting it with a 2 year contract with a bigger company (such as directly via an AT&T contract)? Are you paying full price for those phones since you don't have a contract?

Excellent question! i was wondering the same thing before i made the jump, so I created a spreadsheet that would calculate the total cost over time for various plans/phones that the different carriers offer. That way I could see where the break-even point is and the total savings. I plugged in the current prices from AT&T's and Cricket's websites for the Galaxy S6, and this is the result:

	AT&T​	Cricket​
Phone price (w/tax)	$357.99​	$688.99​
Monthly plan (w/tax)	$148.40​	$35.00​
Total 1st year cost	$2,138.79​	$1,108.99​
Total 2nd year cost	$3,919.59​	$1,528.99​

By the 3rd month you'd break even with Cricket, then save $1,030 in the 1st year, and $2,391 by the end of the 2nd year, compared to a 2-year contact with AT&T. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a new premium phone, so even AT&T is charging $300 for it on a 2-year contract. Plan choices are a bit more complicated on the AT&T side with their Next12, Next18, & Next24 plans, but keep in mind those low payments last longer than their corresponding "Next" plan, and either way will still cost more than you'd pay with Cricket.

 

[Beta]

Excellent question! i was wondering the same thing before i made the jump, so I created a spreadsheet that would calculate the total cost over time for various plans/phones that the different carriers offer. That way I could see where the break-even point is and the total savings. I plugged in the current prices from AT&T's and Cricket's websites for the Galaxy S6, and this is the result:

	AT&T​	Cricket​
Phone price (w/tax)	$357.99​	$688.99​
Monthly plan (w/tax)	$148.40​	$35.00​
Total 1st year cost	$2,138.79​	$1,108.99​
Total 2nd year cost	$3,919.59​	$1,528.99​

By the 3rd month you'd break even with Cricket, then save $1,030 in the 1st year, and $2,391 by the end of the 2nd year, compared to a 2-year contact with AT&T. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a new premium phone, so even AT&T is charging $300 for it on a 2-year contract. Plan choices are a bit more complicated on the AT&T side with their Next12, Next18, & Next24 plans, but keep in mind those low payments last longer than their corresponding "Next" plan, and either way will still cost more than you'd pay with Cricket.

Very interesting. I don't know where you get all your numbers from, but at least that helps. Let's say I could get that S6 for free, then it's $688.99 vs $0. At $35/month vs. the ~$80 I currently pay, that means I'd be ahead after 16 months. Assuming I do the new every 2 to get a free phone, that means I would pay $1529 every 2 years w/ cricket or $1920 every 2 years with my current provider (includes free phone @ current provider or $689 for Cricket phone). That's still +$400 which helps me save almost enough money to buy another phone. And then the vicious cycle continues.

But overall it definitely seems cheaper to go that route. Thanks!

 

[Smith]

Very interesting. I don't know where you get all your numbers from, but at least that helps. Let's say I could get that S6 for free, then it's $688.99 vs $0. At $35/month vs. the ~$80 I currently pay, that means I'd be ahead after 16 months. Assuming I do the new every 2 to get a free phone, that means I would pay $1529 every 2 years w/ cricket or $1920 every 2 years with my current provider (includes free phone @ current provider or $689 for Cricket phone). That's still +$400 which helps me save almost enough money to buy another phone. And then the vicious cycle continues.

But overall it definitely seems cheaper to go that route. Thanks!

I got those numbers the websites of AT&T and Cricket. Where would you get a S6 for free? Let me know, I would like one if it's free.
AT&T charges $300 for the S6 with 2-year contract, and likewise Verizon is charging $250 with a $50 mail-in rebate. The "new every two" you mentioned was a Verizon program that ended in 2011 (although they allowed customers to use their expired credits through 2013). Now they offer their "Edge" program, which is similar to AT&T's "Next" plans. Both take the cost of the phone and divide it into monthly payments that are added to the cost of your plan.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Very interesting. I don't know where you get all your numbers from, but at least that helps. Let's say I could get that S6 for free, then it's $688.99 vs $0. At $35/month vs. the ~$80 I currently pay, that means I'd be ahead after 16 months. Assuming I do the new every 2 to get a free phone, that means I would pay $1529 every 2 years w/ cricket or $1920 every 2 years with my current provider (includes free phone @ current provider or $689 for Cricket phone). That's still +$400 which helps me save almost enough money to buy another phone. And then the vicious cycle continues.

But overall it definitely seems cheaper to go that route. Thanks!

People really get hosed for those "free" phones on contract.

An unlocked Moto G 2nd generation costs $180 and for most people is every bit as good, but it just doesn't have that ooooo ahhhh factor when you show your friends and coworkers.

 

[Beta]

I got those numbers the websites of AT&T and Cricket. Where would you get a S6 for free? Let me know, I would like one if it's free.
AT&T charges $300 for the S6 with 2-year contract, and likewise Verizon is charging $250 with a $50 mail-in rebate. The "new every two" you mentioned was a Verizon program that ended in 2011 (although they allowed customers to use their expired credits through 2013). Now they offer their "Edge" program, which is similar to AT&T's "Next" plans. Both take the cost of the phone and divide it into monthly payments that are added to the cost of your plan.

I don't know where to get a free S6, but I haven't looked. All I know is that when everyone was paying $100+ for the S4 (on a 'new every 2' deal, or so I thought), Amazon came out with a deal that was only available for a matter of hours where I could buy it for a penny. So there's always that. I got mine toward the end of '13 but I didn't have a credit from '11. :shrug:

It looks like I'll have to research my next upgrade though based on what you said. Thanks.

 

[molly_21]

People really get hosed for those "free" phones on contract.

An unlocked Moto G 2nd generation costs $180 and for most people is every bit as good, but it just doesn't have that ooooo ahhhh factor when you show your friends and coworkers.

I agree. You are still paying for the phone, you just don't see the actual cost vs. buying the phone outright.

I went into the Radio Shack in Prince Frederick one time (we have Boost Mobile. It works for us) and looked at Boost Mobile's new phones at the time. The saleperson was trying to sway us into Sprint and started to go on about "Free" phones and the protection the big cell companies give you if you damage your phone, blah, blah, blah. We basically told the guy to shut the f up. Granted I realize stuff happens to phone's people don't intend to happen (dropping in the toilet, accidently washing it if you leave it in your back pocket, dropping it). But maybe I have been lucky, but the price you pay for "protection" from the big companies to cover damaged phone and them listen to people try to get their phone fixed via cell phone insurance plan. I have seen more people get screwed and have to buy new phones or just pay for the new screen on their own then try to deal with getting a replacement or whatever.

 

[Beta]

I agree. You are still paying for the phone, you just don't see the actual cost vs. buying the phone outright.

I went into the Radio Shack in Prince Frederick one time (we have Boost Mobile. It works for us) and looked at Boost Mobile's new phones at the time. The saleperson was trying to sway us into Sprint and started to go on about "Free" phones and the protection the big cell companies give you if you damage your phone, blah, blah, blah. We basically told the guy to shut the f up. Granted I realize stuff happens to phone's people don't intend to happen (dropping in the toilet, accidently washing it if you leave it in your back pocket, dropping it). But maybe I have been lucky, but the price you pay for "protection" from the big companies to cover damaged phone and them listen to people try to get their phone fixed via cell phone insurance plan. I have seen more people get screwed and have to buy new phones or just pay for the new screen on their own then try to deal with getting a replacement or whatever.

And that's only if you buy the insurance and buy it straight from their official stores. Most people don't. Then you're SOL anyway.

 

[hardhead]

Thanks for all the advice everyone - I really appreciate it. The problem I've been having with Verizon stems from lost voicemail messages. I'm self-employed, and I've had a disturbing number of people tell me they've left me voicemail messages I've never gotten.

If anyone knows, does AT&T have decent coverage and voice quality when traveling the highways between here and northern PG county, i.e. around Greenbelt, etc.?

Again, thanks for all the advice, and also especially the tip about Cricket phones-

Mike

 

[CandaceMM]

I have AT&T prepaid. I switched from Verizon contract about a year ago. I live in Mechanicsville/Oakville area and travel to Clinton, MD for work. I do not have any issues with coverage or dropping phone calls. I even managed to wipe my verizon contract iphone and put my AT&T prepaid sim in and use that as my phone. It was incredibly stupid for me to keep my verizon contract and my only regret is not going to AT&T prepaid sooner.

 

[SamSpade]

(bump)

I'd like to know if cell phone coverage has changed much in the last several years.

 

[KingFish]

(bump)

I'd like to know if cell phone coverage has changed much in the last several years.

 

[KingFish]

I have AT&T and am satisfied. Only spot I know is bad is a small section between 235 and Solomon's Island Bridge.