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I have the TP2 on Verizon, and I would like the HD2. My biggest concern is dropping and poor cell reception. I'm in Orange County, CA, but I do travel around the U.S. occassionally. Please be honest and let me know how people who are on T-Mobile U.S. service what you think. Do you drop calls a lot? Poor connections? Dead zones?
I've had Verizon for 9 years, so I've been spoiled with great cell service. I RARELY get dropped calls and dead zone (I'm being honest). So I'm wondering what people think about T-Mobile.
you won't be disappointed
I haven't dropped a call in chicago though i wish data was like philly lol
whiteblazer01 said:
I have the TP2 on Verizon, and I would like the HD2. My biggest concern is dropping and poor cell reception. I'm in Orange County, CA, but I do travel around the U.S. occassionally. Please be honest and let me know how people who are on T-Mobile U.S. service what you think. Do you drop calls a lot? Poor connections? Dead zones?
I've had Verizon for 9 years, so I've been spoiled with great cell service. I RARELY get dropped calls and dead zone (I'm being honest). So I'm wondering what people think about T-Mobile.
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I've never had a dropped call... but the 3g signal sucks. It doesn't get 3g signals in buildings or houses. I really regret leaving at&t, which had great 3g signals. Also, looking at the t-mobile signal map, it looks like there's a lot of places in the US that don't get t-mobile.
I would suggest, if you can afford it, get the Telstra 9193 HD2 imported from australia and use At&t. You'll get much better service, at least 3g service.
3g & signal are great for me better than my friend with an iphone at&t i had tmobile since it was voicestream & the service has always been good but i say it all depends on your area givie it a try if you are not satisfy you could always go back as soon as you dont pass the 30days
Not for the HD2. Reception on this phone blows chunks. It makes a low signal a no signal. It switches over to EDGE at the drop of a hat. Anyone that switched to T-Mobile for the HD2 can't make a good evaluation based on that device, it truly blows. T-Mobile has an good soon-to-be HSPA+ Network in Orange County but I would avoid the HD2 at all costs.
Service
I live in Idaho. I have Att, it is ok, but don't get 3g. But I'm ok with edge. I have tried Tmobile,It was great in the town 14 miles from my home. But lost signal all the time. I would say from what other people say, is it's ok in big cities, but not rural. I would pay the extra, & get telstra, on Att. Actually, I did similar thing, just put my sim in from 10.00 data plan. I don't use much data so I'm not going to pay higher plan,, My bud in Pa has telstra,on att, loves it, no tmobile probs.
Former AT&T user for about 10 years - really depends on the area. I just got a T-Mobile HD2 and while the phone is phenominal compared to the current AT&T offerings (build quality, screen, etc.) the network in St Louis is VERY spotty. As others have said the 3g is very weak - as soon as you move say into a parking garage (3g worked with AT&T) it will immediately switch to Edge. Also there seems to be a ton of dead spots even in urban areas. The 3G speeds here at most get in to the 800 range where AT&T was well over 1200 BUT the latentcy and browsing speeds on AT&T seem slower. iPhones in this area suck up tons of bandwidth.
Traveling from say St Louis across to Atlanta on major interstates - AT&T is pretty much on Edge EXCEPT in really major cities like Nashville but other than that its Edge all the way to Atlanta. Used a AT&T Tilt and 8525 for this run. DON'T believe the coverage maps - as soon as I left St Louis it was Edge through Kentucky unless I passed a very populated city and the speeds were mediocre at best.
Until a radio ROM update is released that hopefully fixes the reception problem the phone will have issues. Call quality is just "ok" with some popping, hissing etc.
I think you'll be ok if you use it in MAJOR urban areas but if you go off route or go to some of the smaller cities/towns coverage will be pretty poor.
I only paid about 75 dollars for the phone with a two year commitment so I can't really complain - the only really bad decision on Tmobile part was to spec the phone differently than the European HD2 - finding cases, screen protectors that fit the phone at the moment is pretty difficult.
Nope you are better off with the htc incredible and stay on verzion
stim141 said:
Former AT&T user for about 10 years - really depends on the area. I just got a T-Mobile HD2 and while the phone is phenominal compared to the current AT&T offerings (build quality, screen, etc.) the network in St Louis is VERY spotty. As others have said the 3g is very weak - as soon as you move say into a parking garage (3g worked with AT&T) it will immediately switch to Edge. Also there seems to be a ton of dead spots even in urban areas. The 3G speeds here at most get in to the 800 range where AT&T was well over 1200 BUT the latentcy and browsing speeds on AT&T seem slower. iPhones in this area suck up tons of bandwidth.
Traveling from say St Louis across to Atlanta on major interstates - AT&T is pretty much on Edge EXCEPT in really major cities like Nashville but other than that its Edge all the way to Atlanta. Used a AT&T Tilt and 8525 for this run. DON'T believe the coverage maps - as soon as I left St Louis it was Edge through Kentucky unless I passed a very populated city and the speeds were mediocre at best.
Until a radio ROM update is released that hopefully fixes the reception problem the phone will have issues. Call quality is just "ok" with some popping, hissing etc.
I think you'll be ok if you use it in MAJOR urban areas but if you go off route or go to some of the smaller cities/towns coverage will be pretty poor.
I only paid about 75 dollars for the phone with a two year commitment so I can't really complain - the only really bad decision on Tmobile part was to spec the phone differently than the European HD2 - finding cases, screen protectors that fit the phone at the moment is pretty difficult.
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I don't see exactly what you're getting at. It's the HD2, not the network.. the signal might be weak but the HD2 totally drops the signal. Swap out your HD2 for a Motorola CLIQ or CLIQ XT and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'm not saying it won't ever switch over to EDGE again because the network still has some EDGE-only towers sprinkled in (said to be rectified in 2010+Fiber to the sites) but it will greatly reduce the occurrence.
8 years with verizon, 5 lines in south florida
Switched one line specificly for HD2 to tmobile. SUx 3g signal
Most of the tiem ti shows 3g or H but the connection is weak, i get mostly 300-500 range, once ina while it may spike to 800.
Cant even compare to Verizon, i had Droid.
Thinking to go wimax for Sprint. Same phone but better data output.
I've been with them all - Verizon, Tmobile, AT&T - even dating back to 'Cellular One'. I also used to travel far more in the US than I do now and I've never been disappointed with what is now AT&T's network or service area. Tmobile had been spotty for me.
If you're looking into an HD2, I'd recommend buying a T9193 and going with AT&T. It'll cost you more for the hardware but you won't be forced into a $30+/month data plan for two years because you can go with their 'MEdia Net' unlimited plan for $20/month instead, saving $10 per month over the data plan that iPhone users are forced into. IOW, the $240 it'll save you over two years will help reduce your private purchase of the phone to about $500 or less, if you shop hard and wait for a deal.
it would really depend on your own location i've had verizon< noproblems though many years ago. then moved over to nextel< its nextel:x then moved over to at&t (found this site) at&t I would always have drop spots, not random alsways a consistant few locations other than that it was fine. I recently switched to t-mo for the hd2 on no contract as i plan on moving over to sprint once the evo comes out. so far the best service has come from verizon though at the time I only had a flip phone. I would go back but haven't liked any of the phones and that was the only reason i left. I would stick with verizon and try out the incredible. I haven't encountered any issues being in the OC myself with t-mo service but its only been about a month and I haven't traveled out of OC.
picassoianctions said:
8 years with verizon, 5 lines in south florida
Switched one line specificly for HD2 to tmobile. SUx 3g signal
Most of the tiem ti shows 3g or H but the connection is weak, i get mostly 300-500 range, once ina while it may spike to 800.
Cant even compare to Verizon, i had Droid.
Thinking to go wimax for Sprint. Same phone but better data output.
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LOL.. I really hope you do pick up a WiMAX phone. If you think you're disappointed now just wait. Also the connection has nothing to do with it, if you're getting slow speeds that's because the backend of the network is still on one T1. When HSPA+ is enabled it will blow WiMAX out of the water.
BillTheCat said:
I've been with them all - Verizon, Tmobile, AT&T - even dating back to 'Cellular One'. I also used to travel far more in the US than I do now and I've never been disappointed with what is now AT&T's network or service area. Tmobile had been spotty for me.
If you're looking into an HD2, I'd recommend buying a T9193 and going with AT&T. It'll cost you more for the hardware but you won't be forced into a $30+/month data plan for two years because you can go with their 'MEdia Net' unlimited plan for $20/month instead, saving $10 per month over the data plan that iPhone users are forced into. IOW, the $240 it'll save you over two years will help reduce your private purchase of the phone to about $500 or less, if you shop hard and wait for a deal.
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When did you have T-Mobile?
whiteblazer01 said:
I have the TP2 on Verizon, and I would like the HD2. My biggest concern is dropping and poor cell reception. I'm in Orange County, CA, but I do travel around the U.S. occassionally. Please be honest and let me know how people who are on T-Mobile U.S. service what you think. Do you drop calls a lot? Poor connections? Dead zones?
I've had Verizon for 9 years, so I've been spoiled with great cell service. I RARELY get dropped calls and dead zone (I'm being honest). So I'm wondering what people think about T-Mobile.
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I have T-Mobile as my personal phone (Proud owner of The HD2) and have AT&T phone as my business phone (company gave it to me to use it)... So, here is the comparison:
Where I live the reception is very strong for both T-Mobile and AT&T - when you check their maps... T-Mobile has not failed me in last 5 years. I recall only one outage I have experienced and that was due to bad weather where I simply was not able to make phone calls to certain people. So my rating for T-Mobile is and stays 5 stars hands down...
Now AT&T - it appears to have faster 3G - like it is a big deal since I do not use it at all - but anyway, having faster 3G that's where everything stops. Call Reception is terrible, dropped calls all over the place, you get into the building you loose reception easily, etc. Therefore, can easily rate AT&T with lousy 2 stars - which they get only based on faster 3G.
Bottom line T-Mobile is definitely better in service where I live which is Chicagoland Northern burbs - but comparing it to Verizon? Well, I never had Verizon as I am not fan of CDMA networks - more like GSM person (habbit I brought from Europe I guess lol)... I heard Verizon is good with coverage; not that great in Basements - but having HD2 in mind - I do not think you will regret it...
PS test it out and see how it works - you can get that done and see for your area if it's working or not... good luck!
Though I think the Fascinate looks better and has a camera flash, the Vibrant seems to look better on paper: More on-board memory, HSDPA offers "potentially" fasters data speeds, Tmo can do voice and data at the same time while Verizon can't, no Bing or VZ apps on the Vibrant, and I can buy the phone out of contract at a reduced rate.
The only thing that makes me hesitate (besides the less-appealing design), is Tmo's coverage vs. Verizon. I'm primarily in L.A. / I.E. and do some occasional traveling, and have no experience with Tmo service. Should I be concerned or just make the jump?
i can't speak for 3G coverage on Tmo vs Verizon but can on voice call svc
Tmo seems to have partnered with every small carrier around the country - every year i make about 5-6 visits to clients or suppliers around the country with two other folks from partner companies - one is on AT&T and one on Verizon - and every time we're in a rural area, their svc drops out before my Tmo's does
Last Dec we were heading south out of derby, VT ((on the canadian border) and about 35 miles south you're heading into foothills - my bud with verizon lost his svc, and had to use my phone for about 20 minutes (my tmo was showing 1 bar signal) - he finished his call and about 5 minutes were were i the hills with no signal
when we started coming out of the foothills (they were really mountains but we were gaining elevation with numerous small rock outcroppings around us), anyway, when we started coming out, my Tmo was first to have svc again
they always notice my Tmo's svc is better than their's
and there's no roaming chgs with Tmo here in US or at least i've never had any
have had similiar experiences traveling thru rural S. Carolina, Georgia, Tenn, W VA, Kentucky and western TX and thru New Mexico
nice info above.. but yes.. T-Mobile is GSM/W-CDMA/UMTS/HSPA+ so u can talk-n-surf over 3G (21HSPA+).. also, our speeds dominates all US carriers (even Sprints 4G/WiMax).. T-Mobile will upgrade its HSPA+ data again in 2011 from 21mbps to 42mbps.. i live in Seattle and we have 21HSPA+, but real world results will be between 5-10mbps (also depending on your device limitation).. also, T-Mobile gives u more bang for your buck.. but yes, they do have a smaller foorprint (mainly in more rural areas).. no problem for me since i stay in cities, and not in the boonies.
Even tho Verizon ADDED flash, it gimped its I.M. to 2GB (also no FFC--only Sprint has FFC).. T-Mobile even packed the Vibrant with a few goodies like the movie Avatar.
The Los Angeles and Inland Empire area have good 3G coverage from what I hear. HSPA+ is growing too. 3G coverage when traveling won't be like Verizon so I would check to see if 3G coverage overall is good enough for you.
sec1has said:
Though I think the Fascinate looks better and has a camera flash, the Vibrant seems to look better on paper: More on-board memory, HSDPA offers "potentially" fasters data speeds, Tmo can do voice and data at the same time while Verizon can't, no Bing or VZ apps on the Vibrant, and I can buy the phone out of contract at a reduced rate.
The only thing that makes me hesitate (besides the less-appealing design), is Tmo's coverage vs. Verizon. I'm primarily in L.A. / I.E. and do some occasional traveling, and have no experience with Tmo service. Should I be concerned or just make the jump?
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I live down in the high desert, and travel all the time between here and L.A. and San Diego, and have excellent coverage all over the I.E./L.A./San Diego area. So I don't think you have much to fear with transferring over to tmo
Looks like I'll be switching carriers.
sec1has said:
Looks like I'll be switching carriers.
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Cool Enjoy Calling People and Going Online at the same time with a faster 3G
sec1has said:
Looks like I'll be switching carriers.
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Before you do, find out from people using T-Mobile in the areas that you frequent how their reception is. I love T-Mobile. Their CS rocks and prices are very good, but I couldn't get reception at my desk in my office in Manhattan and had to switch. It's great that it works 35 miles from the Canadian border, but if it doesn't work where you need it, it doesn't work.
Drachen said:
Before you do, find out from people using T-Mobile in the areas that you frequent how their reception is. I love T-Mobile. Their CS rocks and prices are very good, but I couldn't get reception at my desk in my office in Manhattan and had to switch. It's great that it works 35 miles from the Canadian border, but if it doesn't work where you need it, it doesn't work.
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When was that and with what phone? T-Mobile is extremely good in Los Angeles, I don't think you know how good they are out there. There will be weak zones for any carrier but T-Mobile is great in Los Angeles. It's their core market. Also there are some sites planned later this year to go online. Not to mention when I took at look at compass.t-mobile.com, not only was NYC lit up with over 40 new towers (includes microcells), so was the Los Angeles area.. 20 new sites in one zip code earlier this year. So, things are always subject to change.
Drachen said:
Before you do, find out from people using T-Mobile in the areas that you frequent how their reception is. I love T-Mobile. Their CS rocks and prices are very good, but I couldn't get reception at my desk in my office in Manhattan and had to switch. It's great that it works 35 miles from the Canadian border, but if it doesn't work where you need it, it doesn't work.
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can't say anything about manhatten, but worked fine in queens when i visited the inlaws last thanksgiving
I live in the same areas you metioned L.A./I.E. and i have tmo the service is great in L.A. I had verizon and went to school in west la and the service was patchy but with tmo it was at minimum 2 bars all over same area with 3g. the only problem i find with tmo is going to events with a lot of people/cells phones, the phone has service/3g but i couldn't text, make a call, or use the internet. i have problems with this at dodger games and i had problems during the summer at coachella but i love tmo and will definitely be getting the vibrant!!
pinkgabe said:
I live in the same areas you metioned L.A./I.E. and i have tmo the service is great in L.A. I had verizon and went to school in west la and the service was patchy but with tmo it was at minimum 2 bars all over same area with 3g. the only problem i find with tmo is going to events with a lot of people/cells phones, the phone has service/3g but i couldn't text, make a call, or use the internet. i have problems with this at dodger games and i had problems during the summer at coachella but i love tmo and will definitely be getting the vibrant!!
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The Pre-HSPA+ network was pretty limited in terms of how many calls and data it could handle but HSPA+ should alleviate that until the site runs out of spectrum (slots for calls/data).
heygrl said:
Not to mention when I took at look at compass.t-mobile.com, not only was NYC lit up with over 40 new towers (includes microcells), so was the Los Angeles area.. 20 new sites in one zip code earlier this year. So, things are always subject to change.
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Not about to get into an argument about it, just going by my own experience. I used several HTC phones, a MDA, Touch Duo and Diamond. I found the reception great where I live near the Empire State Building, but really crappy in my office in Flatiron and under Grand Central. Even A/B tested with borrowed iPhone SIMs to make sure it was a carrier issue and not a phone issue. I switched to AT&T in Nov of 2008 and haven't had a problem since using a Fuze, Omnia 2 and Nexus One. (Meanwhile T-Mobile went from having only crap phones to a great lineup and AT&T went to becoming a one-trick iPony)
My point wasn't that T-Mobile sucks. I rather like the company, but the service didn't work for me in the places I tend to be a lot. My point was that you should try to actually confirm the reception yourself in the places you frequent rather than just going by others' experiences.
pinkgabe said:
I live in the same areas you metioned L.A./I.E. and i have tmo the service is great in L.A. I had verizon and went to school in west la and the service was patchy but with tmo it was at minimum 2 bars all over same area with 3g. the only problem i find with tmo is going to events with a lot of people/cells phones, the phone has service/3g but i couldn't text, make a call, or use the internet. i have problems with this at dodger games and i had problems during the summer at coachella but i love tmo and will definitely be getting the vibrant!!
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Drachen said:
Not about to get into an argument about it, just going by my own experience. I used several HTC phones, a MDA, Touch Duo and Diamond. I found the reception great where I live near the Empire State Building, but really crappy in my office in Flatiron and under Grand Central. Even A/B tested with borrowed iPhone SIMs to make sure it was a carrier issue and not a phone issue. I switched to AT&T in Nov of 2008 and haven't had a problem since using a Fuze, Omnia 2 and Nexus One. (Meanwhile T-Mobile went from having only crap phones to a great lineup and AT&T went to becoming a one-trick iPony)
My point wasn't that T-Mobile sucks. I rather like the company, but the service didn't work for me in the places I tend to be a lot. My point was that you should try to actually confirm the reception yourself in the places you frequent rather than just going by others' experiences.
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November 2008 is far too long ago. HTC/Apple (especially Samsung) phones also really don't offer good reception regardless of sim swapping. A phone with crap reception will be even crappier on PCS and less crappy on CLR (850). I already stated that I've seen over 40 pink "T"'s on compass.t-mobile.com in NYC earlier this year which ultimately means coverage has improved since 2008. ATM there are over 7 new sites showing and that's within the last 90 days.
That doesn't mean the coverage isn't weak, but the phone matters greatly and the ones you listed are all average or below average. I can go out to a warehouse and have my Samsung phone lose coverage, but not my Motorola? If I only had Samsung phones I'd probably think there was no coverage in that warehouse when there actually is coverage, my Samsung just didn't pick up the signal.
I will say this about T-Mobiles service, about 6 months ago the best signal I could get in my house was edge, now mind you the only carriers getting signal at all in my house were Verizon and T-Mobile. AT&T and Sprint could not get a signal whatsoever even at a window.
Well I woke up one morning and saw a full 5 bars of 3G and thought I was dreaming. Well low and behold now I have that all the time just about anywhere I go. For the record I only live about 10-15 minutes from Boston, so it's not like I'm in the middle of nowhere lol.
Just waiting patiently for my HSPA+ now, which the Boston market is confirmed as getting it soon.
heygrl said:
November 2008 is far too long ago. HTC/Apple (especially Samsung) phones also really don't offer good reception regardless of sim swapping. A phone with crap reception will be even crappier on PCS and less crappy on CLR (850). I already stated that I've seen over 40 pink "T"'s on compass.t-mobile.com in NYC earlier this year which ultimately means coverage has improved since 2008. ATM there are over 7 new sites showing and that's within the last 90 days.
That doesn't mean the coverage isn't weak, but the phone matters greatly and the ones you listed are all average or below average. I can go out to a warehouse and have my Samsung phone lose coverage, but not my Motorola? If I only had Samsung phones I'd probably think there was no coverage in that warehouse when there actually is coverage, my Samsung just didn't pick up the signal.
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I think you're basically illustrating my point. All the reasons I switched are irrelevant to anyone that is not me in Nov of 2008. They were highly relevant to me in Nov of 2008, considering that I couldn't get service in a place I spend 1/3 of my life on weekdays. It didn't matter how good the reception would be once they finished the AWS rollout, how good it was in LA or 35 miles from the Canadian border or the fact that the phones I like have sub-par reception. The decision had to be made based on my own experience not someone else saying that it was good.
Drachen said:
I think you're basically illustrating my point. All the reasons I switched are irrelevant to anyone that is not me in Nov of 2008. They were highly relevant to me in Nov of 2008, considering that I couldn't get service in a place I spend 1/3 of my life on weekdays. It didn't matter how good the reception would be once they finished the AWS rollout, how good it was in LA or 35 miles from the Canadian border or the fact that the phones I like have sub-par reception. The decision had to be made based on my own experience not someone else saying that it was good.
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So why would you post here? Seriously though...
heygrl said:
So why would you post here? Seriously though...
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Because this is a phone forum and not a (no offense) network fanboy forum. The phone I want and the phone you want are basically the same and there's more activity here. A root update was posted in the Vibrant dev forum that answered a question on the Captivate forum. Our phone drops 3 days after yours and there's going to be a lot of experimentation going on and the results will benefit both of us.
That and I thought I had something to add to the conversation and couldn't keep my trap shut. Personal failing.
heygrl said:
So why would you post here? Seriously though...
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Drachen said:
Because this is a phone forum and not a (no offense) network fanboy forum. The phone I want and the phone you want are basically the same and there's more activity here. A root update was posted in the Vibrant dev forum that answered a question on the Captivate forum. Our phone drops 3 days after yours and there's going to be a lot of experimentation going on and the results will benefit both of us.
That and I thought I had something to add to the conversation and couldn't keep my trap shut. Personal failing.
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I doesn't really matter whose on what carrier. Each person is going to have different needs and different carriers will support those different needs. I think we can all agree this will be a kick ass phone and blows the iphone out of the water.
I thought engadget did a piece on data rates of carriers & ATT came out on top. Was this incorrect?
I am going to post this in both forums. I think it will be an interesting read for each. haha
I'm on sprint. My Premier account is up and I can get a phone upgrade. I currently have a Hero and was going to get an EVO on Monday.
Because of the pro-rated ETF fees from Sprint, I can cancel my account for $120.
I watched several reviews for the My Touch 4g and was really impressed with the phone. The quadrant scores were cool to see. I realize that isn't the be all/end all but from the couple days of research I did on the phone, I am liking what I'm seeing.
I've read up on the EVO for several weeks now. I'm familiar with the phone and realize the amount of user support it has. I am 'pro root' so I would be looking for the root option in the future.
Price wise, T-Mobile and Sprint with WI-Max would be about the same cost to me each month.
With choosing to stay with Sprint I'd lose the Premier account status. I would have to sit with the MT4G for 2 years or buy out of pocket.
I'd be buying an 'older' phone but one that has a great user community. I'd probably be happy with the Evo until my next Premier renew date.
I'd have the Wi-Max network to use.
I'd have a better screen? I don't know yet as I haven't tried the MT4G at a store.
With choosing to go with T-Mobile I'd be getting a newer phone for the same price as I would pay for the Evo (ETF of $120 and I've seen the MT4G for sale for $80). Next gen processor.
I'd be losing screen real estate and the look and feel of the Evo which I've come to like.
I'd be losing the xda community support or the amount. I am sure the MT4G community will grow.
I'd be committed to T-Mobile for 2 years. I wouldn't be able to upgrade after 12 months.
***Coverage-wise, it's a tossup. I live in Minneapolis and have Wi-Max and from what I see on T-Mobile, HSPA+ is here too. A concern of mine is that when we travel back home (to eastern wisconsin) the coverage for T-Mobile is extinct. the website shows it using a different carrier. Sprint back home is 3g.
Not sure what I want to do. My friend who has an Evo looked at the MT4g and said he wouldn't switch based on looks. He hadn't investigated the phone in depth. Guess looks are important but I'm thinking a few other things that should weigh into the equation.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I'll probably get fanboys from each forum but I'm sure there will be enough objective info to glean.
daryllh said:
***Coverage-wise, it's a tossup. I live in Minneapolis and have Wi-Max and from what I see on T-Mobile, HSPA+ is here too. A concern of mine is that when we travel back home (to eastern wisconsin) the coverage for T-Mobile is extinct. the website shows it using a different carrier. Sprint back home is 3g.
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This is the only part I will comment on. I am in the south twin cities.
I have a t-mo 9700, and an evo. The t-mobile coverage here sucks. I drop calls at an alarming rate compared to the evo. Both the wimax and hspa give great speeds. I've driven all over Wisconsin...and you are right. Coverage there is EDGE at best in many areas for t-mobile.
All I can say is my biggest selling point would be the service in the area. I switched from Sprint to Tmobile to get the HD2. When I got it... I soon realized I wouldnt keep it long. I didnt realize until the second day that it wasnt that my phone wasnt ringing inside my house it was that I had no reception lol. And standing outside and leaving the phone sitting by the window just to get a bar got old pretty quick. On top of that there were quite a few dead spots around my area where I would always drop calls or not be able to get data. I switched back after 2 weeks. So the first thing id do is make sure tmobile can give you at least equal service to what you have now... at LEAST. And I say that because a lot of people I know that have tmobile are hyping up the HSPA+ but they can barely even get 3G.
As far as phones go you really cant lose either way. Honestly I pay very little.. if any attention to that quadrant stuff. In real time day to day use the differences make little to no difference TO ME. Its like people were complaining about a "lag" of like 0.000000009 milliseconds compared to other phones when as a general user I could care less. Either way you decide in another month or so there will probably be something new out anyways that made you wish that you had waited lol.
uniquenameevo said:
This is the only part I will comment on. I am in the south twin cities.
I have a t-mo 9700, and an evo. The t-mobile coverage here sucks. I drop calls at an alarming rate compared to the evo. Both the wimax and hspa give great speeds. I've driven all over Wisconsin...and you are right. Coverage there is EDGE at best in many areas for t-mobile.
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That's good to know. I'm more concerned about the data speeds as I spend about 50 minutes a month talking on my phone. Well, a hundred counting weekends.
I just switched from T-Mobile to Sprint a month ago. I had an HD2 on T-Mobile. My biggest comment....... I wish I would have done it sooner!!!! If I were you, I'd stay with Sprint. T-Mobile was good and al, but their coverage isn't all that great, compared to Sprint.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G.
uniquenameevo said:
This is the only part I will comment on. I am in the south twin cities.
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I'm also in the south twin cities (Apple Valley, specifically) and I'm currently with T-mobile. I have an EVO right now on their 30 day trial and coverage/speed is so much better than with my T-mobile mytouch. I've been working with Tmobile on my coverage issues, but they haven't been very helpful. I'm going to be dropping them soon and moving over to sprint.
daryllh said:
That's good to know. I'm more concerned about the data speeds as I spend about 50 minutes a month talking on my phone. Well, a hundred counting weekends.
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I'd love to comment, but the way a BB handles data I can't give you a real answer. It is faster than last spring...but on an android I don't know how it will stack up. Sprint speeds are quite good.
goaliemn said:
I'm also in the south twin cities (Apple Valley, specifically) and I'm currently with T-mobile. I have an EVO right now on their 30 day trial and coverage/speed is so much better than with my T-mobile mytouch. I've been working with Tmobile on my coverage issues, but they haven't been very helpful. I'm going to be dropping them soon and moving over to sprint.
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I'm on the Savage side of things. I do have the drop issue all over though. I heard it was because they dropped in network roaming or something along that line.
I ended up ordering a mytouch. I'll take it for a 2 week spin.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
I switched from T-Mobile to Sprint a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier. I live in a city of 80,000, Saint Joseph, Missouri. The ONLY cell phone carrier here without 3g coverage is T-Mobile. They didn't even have EDGE until 7 months ago. There are parts of the city where cell coverage is non existant, and T-Mobile refuses to acknowledge it on their coverage map. When in Kansas City, I would get 3g speeds of 400kbps down and 500kbps up. It was pathetic.
T-Mobile's support is WONDERFUL, however their network is the worst I have ever seen.
Shushunmire said:
I switched from T-Mobile to Sprint a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier. I live in a city of 80,000, Saint Joseph, Missouri. The ONLY cell phone carrier here without 3g coverage is T-Mobile. They didn't even have EDGE until 7 months ago. There are parts of the city where cell coverage is non existant, and T-Mobile refuses to acknowledge it on their coverage map. When in Kansas City, I would get 3g speeds of 400kbps down and 500kbps up. It was pathetic.
T-Mobile's support is WONDERFUL, however their network is the worst I have ever seen.
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Same here, in southern Missoura, att only has EDGE, Verizon has 1x (not sure if thats 3g or not), Sprint has 3g and pretty decent speeds. T-Mobile has no coverage out here, thats how I was able to terminate my contract without an ETF. T-Mobile is great in urban areas, but outside of larger cities reception and data speed leaves much to be desired, even along major interstates and highways.
I thought about the same thing but in all honestity sprints all around better. Im not gonna lie though from what u hear tmobiles supposed 4g actually faster then sprints but not to many markets so yea. Sprints a better choice or go verizon
Sent from my PC36100-evo-using Tapatalk
So I got the Nexus S yesterday and LOVE everything about it.
I'm unable to get any acceptable reception inside my apartment (on the lowest level of a three story complex thats surrounded by other apartments).
I live in Hermosa Beach, CA and TMO says I have good coverage here... and they're right... because once i walk outside I'm blazing... like literally once I'm outside my door... what gives??? How can I go from 3G 4 bars lit up in green to that stupid EDGE with one bar... lucky to be green... or no reception at all.
Will I be stuck with not being able to use my phone inside my apartment? I called TMO and they are sending someone out here to check the reception I guess... but I'm stuck using WiFi inside my apartment without being able to use the phone.
Anyone else experience similar issues like that? My sprint phone never did this.
look into getting a signal repeater or something
T-Mobile definitely has issues penetrating buildings, in my opinion. Both my home and one of the two work-sites I frequent are almost dead-zones on T-Mo.
I purchased one of those zBoost cell repeaters for my home, which greatly improves reception, but you need to be able to run a cable to an outside antenna for best results.
Here's an Amazon link for a starting point to different models: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=mobile&field-keywords=zboost+tmobile&x=0&y=0
That said, it's ridiculous to have to pay $250 to get your cell signal. I only did it because the one I got does both AT&T and T-Mo frequencies (not T-Mo 3G, though) and my AT&T phones can get signal inside the house, but just barely.
I too have issues in buildings not necessarily my house but businesses
This is a T-Mobile issue. Not a nexus issue. Also is not a new issue.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
cpcrazyfly said:
This is a T-Mobile issue. Not a nexus issue. Also is not a new issue.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Technically correct, but if the Nexus S is your first T-Mobile phone, you might not know this. It would be easy to think the NS has a poor antenna. It's a valid question to ask, in my opinion.
redhatyellow said:
So I got the Nexus S yesterday and LOVE everything about it.
I'm unable to get any acceptable reception inside my apartment (on the lowest level of a three story complex thats surrounded by other apartments).
I live in Hermosa Beach, CA and TMO says I have good coverage here... and they're right... because once i walk outside I'm blazing... like literally once I'm outside my door... what gives??? How can I go from 3G 4 bars lit up in green to that stupid EDGE with one bar... lucky to be green... or no reception at all.
Will I be stuck with not being able to use my phone inside my apartment? I called TMO and they are sending someone out here to check the reception I guess... but I'm stuck using WiFi inside my apartment without being able to use the phone.
Anyone else experience similar issues like that? My sprint phone never did this.
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This is just a fundamental issue with the frequencies t-mobile uses for their 3g network, 1700 and 2100mHz. Those have poor building penetration vs for example lower bands like the 850mHz on ATT which penetrates buildings much stronger. It requires them to build towers closer together but that isn't always possible, its hard enough to get towers up as it is.
This is one reason I've tried to stay on ATT 3g as their 3g band performs much better in these situations, when its available.
distortedloop said:
T-Mobile definitely has issues penetrating buildings, in my opinion. Both my home and one of the two work-sites I frequent are almost dead-zones on T-Mo.
I purchased one of those zBoost cell repeaters for my home, which greatly improves reception, but you need to be able to run a cable to an outside antenna for best results.
Here's an Amazon link for a starting point to different models:
That said, it's ridiculous to have to pay $250 to get your cell signal. I only did it because the one I got does both AT&T and T-Mo frequencies (not T-Mo 3G, though) and my AT&T phones can get signal inside the house, but just barely.
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Do you think TMO will provide this for me? Have people got TMO to do this before?
And yeah, I know this isn't a NS issue... I LOVE THE NS -- MY FAV PHONE OF ALL TIME!!, but i am new to TMO and love them as well EXCEPT for inside my house !!
Has anyone ever got TMO to provide better reception inside their home?? You would think they would provide people with like wireless routers for their homes!
I had the G1, Nexus One, G2, and MT4G before the Nexus S and have to say that the Nexus S gets hands down the best reception in my apartment.
The G1 was worthless, the N1, G2, and MT4G were pretty much on par but only got reception in certain parts of the apartment which means I couldn't move very much when on the phone (unless when on wifi calling of course).
The Nexus S has reception everywhere in my apartment with superior call quality throughout. Very impressed with it so far. T-mobile still sucks inside buildings but you're better off with the Nexus S than other T-mobile devices.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
find another place lol
why you are living deep down under. afraid of nuke or something ?
Also, I live in Los Angeles and we've been having lots of rain here... will that affect reception at all?
And what about femtocell technology? Does TMO use it??
redhatyellow said:
Also, I live in Los Angeles and we've been having lots of rain here... will that affect reception at all?
And what about femtocell technology? Does TMO use it??
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Im about an hour away from you and the rain is horrible but i havent had any issues...
and I dont think they do
LOL! I cannot stop laughing reading this comment
ll_l_x_l_ll said:
find another place lol
why you are living deep down under. afraid of nuke or something ?
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Rain seems to be affecting my T mobile service, I'm in the valley and areas I normally get 3g on have been edge or no service since the rain storms began.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Hopefully someone will port the tmobile wifi app to the nexus s. I may return mine and wait for it because I don't want to keep switching phones at home because one has the ability for wifi calling and the other doesnt.
Also I have tried sip calling to no avail on both nexuses.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Rain is known to sometimes cause interference with reception; I notice this as well in NYC. I have noticed that the Nexus S is pretty good at keeping the signal alive, certainly better than my N1 or Vibrant.
To improve your reception, set the phone to airplane mode and then turn it off a few seconds later to get the closest towers. Also call 611 and ask them to reset your phone on the network from their end. Surprisingly, this sometimes does help. As someone said previously, the higher the band (2100 mhz for Tmo 3G), the worse penetration is unfortunately. I think Tmo stopped selling their repeaters earlier this year or last year (hotspot @ home).
I tweeted on Sunday my dissatisfaction with T-Mobile service. I was 75' outside one of their own stores in an area marked as 3G on their maps, couldn't get data at all inside another store, couldn't get better than EDGE outside in the parking lot.
Their reply was to try a new SIM. The SIM I have is from my N1 original, it's not even a year old. Anyone think it's worth the effort swapping? Do SIMS actually "wear out" that fast?
I suspect that's one of those "we don't really have an answer or fix, but give the customer something to try so we look proactive" kind of answers. LOL
have you tried setting up SIP + GVoice over Wifi?
This doesn't resolve the tmobile issue, but at least you can make and receive calls on wifi without eating up your minutes...
It's not ideal, but it works.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=877879
My friend had this problem with his ATT phones. He contacted them, *****ed, and they set up one of those repeaters in his apartment. He's the only one that could log into it and set up a filter to use only phones he registers. Maybe you can talk to Tmobile about this, though I'm not sure if they're eager to give everyone these things (or if Tmobile even gives them).
I'm less then a week on getting paid and have enough money saved up to finally get the Nexus S. I'm also getting my employee plan since I work for Radio Shack. The only thing is stopping me is T-Mobile. Are they really dependable. In by which I mean that will I get good signal, dropped calls, and etc. I would like to hear some feedback on T-Mobile? I am on Sprint, I'm currently satisfied with the service I get.
Thanks.
Hey, its not att. Thats a plus haha.
Really depends on your area. I rarely get drop calls with T-Mobile. Maybe once a month. Signal is eh, phases in and out every now depending on your location (but then again that's with every carrier). YMMV. Even though T-Mobile isn't perfect, I'm personally satisfied with the affordable plans. That sort of balances out any discrepancies .
Check coverage here
t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx
Alopez_45 said:
I'm less then a week on getting paid and have enough money saved up to finally get the Nexus S. I'm also getting my employee plan since I work for Radio Shack. The only thing is stopping me is T-Mobile. Are they really dependable. In by which I mean that will I get good signal, dropped calls, and etc. I would like to hear some feedback on T-Mobile? I am on Sprint, I'm currently satisfied with the service I get.
Thanks.
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Go to T-Mobile's website and look at their coverage checker. Then go to your friends who live around where you live and have T-Mobile, and ask them. You can't really get an answer about YOUR expected call quality from someone on an internet forum who might not even live in your state.
As far as feedback on T-Mobile, surely you've heard that they win mobile provider customer service awards every year? Top-rated customer satisfaction, etc... it's all over the news all the time.
The only people who aren't happy with T-Mobile, are those who don't have actual coverage where they live/work. And those are just logistical issues for which you'll have to do real-world checking (as I mentioned in the first paragraph) to find out.
Whatever you do, don't get a brand new phone before at LEAST using the T-Mobile website's coverage checker to verify that you should have good voice & data service at the locations important to you.
I live in an area without very good service (terrible actually) and I'm still very happy with tmo best customer service period.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I live in an area where I don't get Edge or 3g. The network coverage is spotty compared to ATT and Celular South. If there were a roaming agreement with ATT it would be awesome. If I go south I can count on not having service unless in a populated area. The further north I go (depending on area...) it gets better.
The plans and customer service are awesome. Don't have a complaint at all about them. No need to add extra stuff for MMS messages. I can tether all I want for no extra charge... Just wished we had 3g.
I'm in NYC. The biggest issue I noticed with Tmobile is if you're ever deep inside a building (like in an office building, a department store, or especially a mall) the signal can become weak, or even nonexistent. It just doesn't seem like their signal strength can penetrate building walls well. Other than that, the service is quite stable and reliable.
That's just my experience.
onthecouchagain said:
I'm in NYC. The biggest issue I noticed with Tmobile is if you're ever deep inside a building (like in an office building, a department store, or especially a mall) the signal can become weak, or even nonexistent. It just doesn't seem like their signal strength can penetrate building walls well. Other than that, the service is quite stable and reliable.
That's just my experience.
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same here in MA
I came to T-Mobile from sprint. There are both goods and bad. Sprint had a better coverage area in my city but tmobile has speeds that just blow my mind away. You'll love the speeds. The coverage is a little more spotty but honestly its not bad. This is in Phoenix, I am very excited with tmobile, their great here. I only had 1 call drop and that was only cause I was going through a tunnel.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
It all depends on the area your in.. I had the Dell Venue Pro on Tmobile and I was always having really bad service, It seems like I have slightly better service with the Nexus S.
peeturr said:
Really depends on your area. I rarely get drop calls with T-Mobile. Maybe once a month. Signal is eh, phases in and out every now depending on your location (but then again that's with every carrier). YMMV. Even though T-Mobile isn't perfect, I'm personally satisfied with the affordable plans. That sort of balances out any discrepancies .
Check coverage here
t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx
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Agreed. I get excellent coverage here in Cleveland.My buddy in Chicago swears by Sprint. Lots swear by Verizon which for me gets worse signal than my T-mobile. AT&T usually has the most bad rep but so popular because of the beloved iPhone. I'd try and find a friend in Chicago with T-mobile and ask them how their service is. Indoors, downtown, suburbs, etc.
onthecouchagain said:
I'm in NYC. The biggest issue I noticed with Tmobile is if you're ever deep inside a building (like in an office building, a department store, or especially a mall) the signal can become weak, or even nonexistent. It just doesn't seem like their signal strength can penetrate building walls well. Other than that, the service is quite stable and reliable.
That's just my experience.
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good observation, and that's because tmobile actually cant penetrate structures well because their 3g network frequency is very high in the spectrum, 1700/2100 has very poor building penetration, where lower has much better penetration, such as 900 or 850. that's why i always felt i get more with the tier 1 networks, given you are in fact in an 850 area.
I just switched to Tmobile to get the NS from Verizon...
I dont know much about voice cause I dont really call THAT often, but data is faster on Tmobile
RogerPodacter said:
good observation, and that's because tmobile actually cant penetrate structures well because their 3g network frequency is very high in the spectrum, 1700/2100 has very poor building penetration, where lower has much better penetration, such as 900 or 850. that's why i always felt i get more with the tier 1 networks, given you are in fact in an 850 area.
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Interesting. Good to know.