I know cell coverage has been discussed previously, but bear with me.
We are considering changing cell and Internet providers.
We have only had Sprint. Have had them for years! We usually are ok but there have been places where the coverage is poor or does not exist. We also have Sprint Mobile Wifi. I love it when it works but again, sometimes we get no signal or it is on roaming. Hate those roaming charges so I have to really limit my usage.
Our Sprint plan is 1,500 minutes a month and we don't get charged more for cell phone roaming and our minutes do not count is it is connecting to another cell phone regardless of the provider. We have two cell phones and the Wifi - costs us $202.00 a month.
We have a Williams antenna booster and that does help to pull in the signal somewhat.
Our question for those who have Verizon - are there areas where you do not get a connection ? Where are they? What do you have for Internet. What plan do you have and what are the costs?
We are fulltimers and our travel takes us all over the country. Thanks a heap!
Terry and Jo said
12:24 AM Jul 8, 2012
Well, mine won't be the definitive answer as we don't travel all that much...yet. However, my understanding is that Verizon has one of the best coverage areas.
We were at Sportsman's Campground, which is NW of Pagosa Springs, CO, back in 2009. Our AT&T was worthless. We walked to the little store/office one evening and a lady was standing outside talking on her phone. When we asked, she said she was on Verizon but that at Sportsman's, she could only get one bar. But....she was able to use the phone.
We lived about 20-some miles SW of Oklahoma City and out in the country. If I got a call on my AT&T phone, I had to go outside to be able to communicate any at all, and that wasn't good. We switched over to Verizon and have had no problems with coverage in the same places, no dropped calls, and no delays in getting voice mail.
Now, we also have the MiFi through Verizon with a Samsung 4G MiFi unit. That Samsung 4G isn't as dependable with keeping a signal as the old 3G one did. When our contract with them for internet is up in October, we will probably go with Millenicom.
AT&T has a coverage map too, just do a Google search.
Hope this helps.
Jim
Technomadia said
01:34 AM Jul 8, 2012
Hi there...
Personally, we like a combination of using Verizon as our primary cellular provider (the largest provider), and AT&T as our back-up. Combined, the two give us an excellent 3G (or higher) footprint.
Here's a comparison map showing you where each combination has coverage:
So, perhaps at the very least you can use the above map to see where Verizon will differ for you from your current Sprint. (Please note, I created this just showing 3G data or better... which is not necessarily indicidive of where you'll get a voice signal. But, it's what I had available to quickly upload - someone had just asked us a similar question recently.)
By the way, I created those comparisions using the iPhone/iPad app we created called Coverage? - it overlays the maps from the major carriers in one place, so us travelers can better plan our travels to stay connected. (We use it to plan our overnight stops, campgrounds or just which way to route to find signal). We depend on our internet signal to enable our full time RVing lifestyle, as we work online.
- Cherie
DorisandDave said
02:33 AM Jul 8, 2012
We only have real world comparison. We too had Sprint and weren't happy in a few places we traveled. South of Phoenix and South Texas. We switched to verizon to have more coverage on both our phones and our aircard. Some places we have to use our booster (south Texas) for internet and purchased a monthly AT&T phone for phone service while we were in South Texas....AT&T is king there.
Since we have switched we have had nary a problem with our cells and have been happy with the service for those and the aircard.
janni said
02:23 PM Jul 8, 2012
We use Verizon for phone and internet. Our internet is through Millenicom(20 gb/month for 59.99) and just got our phone(50.00/month unlimited talk and text-no contract) Fulltime for a year and a half and always been able to connect.
igotjam said
08:38 AM Jul 10, 2012
We have Verizon North America plan (we are Canadian so we use it in Canada for 6 months/yr) at $59/mo for 450 anytime minutes and 1000 off peak minutes per month. We also have Verizon MI-FI for $35/mon but we put that on vacation when in Canada. Have used them for a few years after getting rid of a more expensive-less coverage Canadian carrier. We have traveled with it through 5 Canadian provinces and 30 states (Florida to Montana) and never been without service. Last winter In south Texas (anywhere from Mission to Brownsville) both worked flawlessly.
-- Edited by igotjam on Tuesday 10th of July 2012 08:41:54 AM
bjoyce said
04:02 PM Jul 10, 2012
Verizon changed many of its plans on June 28th, so don't expect the same plans people are talking about. The coverage hasn't changed, but the plans and prices will probably be very different.
Roz said
04:52 AM Jul 12, 2012
You are quite right on that, Bill. It pays to check and see what is new. We wanted to reduce our monthly bill a bit and were considering droping one or two costly features.
At a visit to Verizon we discovered a new plan reduced our overall cost nearly $40/ mo, and provided us much more than we were currently paying for. We now have unlimited voice and text on both smart phones. They dropped the extra cost for both iPads and the charge for using out smart phones as hot spot providers.
It definitely pays to check for new programs.
-- Edited by Roz on Thursday 12th of July 2012 04:54:27 AM
Kai said
07:50 AM Jul 12, 2012
We also have made the decision this year that we are going to have to change over to Verizon. We have been fighting it on principle of them being a little more expensive. But we have been without coverage in campgrounds in So Carolina, Jenson Beach, FL, west part of Virginia (if ph call rang in there & I ran out the door & up the hill as fast as poss in I Might be able to talk to person if I turned my head just right. But you couldn't dial back out..grrr). Also didn't work in New Jersey area or until we were back toward coast of Virginia...but hey I had all the minutes I needed. And since many times my husband is working night shift there is just a safety factor ... I am very pleased with Verizon's hub for the internet. You just have to understand you can't stream video or do utube if you are going to choose a lower plan. It worked in all the area's my phone didn't.
TXRVr said
05:43 PM Jul 12, 2012
phyllen wrote:We have two cell phones and the Wifi - costs us $202.00 a month.
Our question for those who have Verizon - are there areas where you do not get a connection ? Where are they? What do you have for Internet. What plan do you have and what are the costs?
I have four phones on the Verizon Family Share plan with texting and 3G hotspots on two of them for less that your cost. Unlike Sprint, VZW does count the minutes that are not Verizon to Verizon. But with 1200 minutes shared that's never been a issue for us.
We have been using VZW for almost a decade all over the US and rarely have we not had coverage where we have traveled. Obviously, if I'm communing with the squirrels and bears, we don't. I carry a pre-paid calling card for emergency situations where there may be no cell, but there is a phone somewhere. A few months ago I was treking in the boonies and noticed a working pay fone near a fire tower. Imagine that.
It is getting so that internet hotspots are all over the place. Almost every Mickey D's has one. Even small town libraries have them. It is so widespread that I'm thinking of dropping one of the hotspot plans to save a few bucks on the bill. To me, anytime internet connection is a convenience and not a necessity, but that's an individual preference.
For a small restock and a restock fee, one can always sign up for a different service provider and try it out for a short period before being committed. If the coverage issue is the main concern, I'd do a phone service only so I could check that out.
Good luck.
bjoyce said
08:01 PM Jul 12, 2012
TXRVr: Your plan no longer exists for new customers, it went away on June 28th. Next time you need a new phone you will have to pay full price for the phone to keep your current plan. Assuming you have two smartphones and two feature phones the new family plan will cost you a minimum of $190 (for 1GB of data) plus taxes but you will have unlimited voice, texting and no surcharges for hotspots.
TXRVr said
01:20 AM Jul 13, 2012
bjoyce wrote:
TXRVr: Your plan no longer exists for new customers, it went away on June 28th. Next time you need a new phone you will have to pay full price for the phone to keep your current plan. Assuming you have two smartphones and two feature phones the new family plan will cost you a minimum of $190 (for 1GB of data) plus taxes but you will have unlimited voice, texting and no surcharges for hotspots.
bjoyce> I was not aware of that. Thanks so much for the info. I can be better perpared to do battle when the time comes.
I don't buy new phones from cell companies. The 'first adopters' who want the latest of everything make them readily available on Ebay or Craigslist. It negates the increase in contract period and it is still a requirement for the cell company to make them operational. It's fairly simple doing so yourself using online instructions ..once you find the instructions that are buried deep on the cell company's website page.
I've also tried the Wal-Mart pay-as-you-go plans. They are cost effective and are good for plan Jane cell service. At some point, when the cost of all this VZW convenience outweighs the benefits, I'm going to convert everything to two tin cans and a string.
I know cell coverage has been discussed previously, but bear with me.
We are considering changing cell and Internet providers.
We have only had Sprint. Have had them for years! We usually are ok but there have been places where the coverage is poor or does not exist. We also have Sprint Mobile Wifi. I love it when it works but again, sometimes we get no signal or it is on roaming. Hate those roaming charges so I have to really limit my usage.
Our Sprint plan is 1,500 minutes a month and we don't get charged more for cell phone roaming and our minutes do not count is it is connecting to another cell phone regardless of the provider. We have two cell phones and the Wifi - costs us $202.00 a month.
We have a Williams antenna booster and that does help to pull in the signal somewhat.
Our question for those who have Verizon - are there areas where you do not get a connection ? Where are they? What do you have for Internet. What plan do you have and what are the costs?
We are fulltimers and our travel takes us all over the country. Thanks a heap!
Well, mine won't be the definitive answer as we don't travel all that much...yet. However, my understanding is that Verizon has one of the best coverage areas.
We were at Sportsman's Campground, which is NW of Pagosa Springs, CO, back in 2009. Our AT&T was worthless. We walked to the little store/office one evening and a lady was standing outside talking on her phone. When we asked, she said she was on Verizon but that at Sportsman's, she could only get one bar. But....she was able to use the phone.
We lived about 20-some miles SW of Oklahoma City and out in the country. If I got a call on my AT&T phone, I had to go outside to be able to communicate any at all, and that wasn't good. We switched over to Verizon and have had no problems with coverage in the same places, no dropped calls, and no delays in getting voice mail.
Now, we also have the MiFi through Verizon with a Samsung 4G MiFi unit. That Samsung 4G isn't as dependable with keeping a signal as the old 3G one did. When our contract with them for internet is up in October, we will probably go with Millenicom.
Terry
You can chedk out Verizon's coverage on their web site @ http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController?requesttype=NEWREQUEST&coveragetype=datacoverage4g
AT&T has a coverage map too, just do a Google search.
Hope this helps.
Jim
Hi there...
Personally, we like a combination of using Verizon as our primary cellular provider (the largest provider), and AT&T as our back-up. Combined, the two give us an excellent 3G (or higher) footprint.
Here's a comparison map showing you where each combination has coverage:
So, perhaps at the very least you can use the above map to see where Verizon will differ for you from your current Sprint. (Please note, I created this just showing 3G data or better... which is not necessarily indicidive of where you'll get a voice signal. But, it's what I had available to quickly upload - someone had just asked us a similar question recently.)
By the way, I created those comparisions using the iPhone/iPad app we created called Coverage? - it overlays the maps from the major carriers in one place, so us travelers can better plan our travels to stay connected. (We use it to plan our overnight stops, campgrounds or just which way to route to find signal). We depend on our internet signal to enable our full time RVing lifestyle, as we work online.
- Cherie
Since we have switched we have had nary a problem with our cells and have been happy with the service for those and the aircard.
We have Verizon North America plan (we are Canadian so we use it in Canada for 6 months/yr) at $59/mo for 450 anytime minutes and 1000 off peak minutes per month. We also have Verizon MI-FI for $35/mon but we put that on vacation when in Canada. Have used them for a few years after getting rid of a more expensive-less coverage Canadian carrier. We have traveled with it through 5 Canadian provinces and 30 states (Florida to Montana) and never been without service. Last winter In south Texas (anywhere from Mission to Brownsville) both worked flawlessly.
-- Edited by igotjam on Tuesday 10th of July 2012 08:41:54 AM
You are quite right on that, Bill. It pays to check and see what is new. We wanted to reduce our monthly bill a bit and were considering droping one or two costly features.
At a visit to Verizon we discovered a new plan reduced our overall cost nearly $40/ mo, and provided us much more than we were currently paying for. We now have unlimited voice and text on both smart phones. They dropped the extra cost for both iPads and the charge for using out smart phones as hot spot providers.
It definitely pays to check for new programs.
-- Edited by Roz on Thursday 12th of July 2012 04:54:27 AM
We also have made the decision this year that we are going to have to change over to Verizon. We have been fighting it on principle of them being a little more expensive. But we have been without coverage in campgrounds in So Carolina, Jenson Beach, FL, west part of Virginia (if ph call rang in there & I ran out the door & up the hill as fast as poss in I Might be able to talk to person if I turned my head just right. But you couldn't dial back out..grrr). Also didn't work in New Jersey area or until we were back toward coast of Virginia...but hey I had all the minutes I needed. And since many times my husband is working night shift there is just a safety factor ... I am very pleased with Verizon's hub for the internet. You just have to understand you can't stream video or do utube if you are going to choose a lower plan. It worked in all the area's my phone didn't.
I have four phones on the Verizon Family Share plan with texting and 3G hotspots on two of them for less that your cost. Unlike Sprint, VZW does count the minutes that are not Verizon to Verizon. But with 1200 minutes shared that's never been a issue for us.
We have been using VZW for almost a decade all over the US and rarely have we not had coverage where we have traveled. Obviously, if I'm communing with the squirrels and bears, we don't. I carry a pre-paid calling card for emergency situations where there may be no cell, but there is a phone somewhere. A few months ago I was treking in the boonies and noticed a working pay fone near a fire tower. Imagine that.
It is getting so that internet hotspots are all over the place. Almost every Mickey D's has one. Even small town libraries have them. It is so widespread that I'm thinking of dropping one of the hotspot plans to save a few bucks on the bill. To me, anytime internet connection is a convenience and not a necessity, but that's an individual preference.
For a small restock and a restock fee, one can always sign up for a different service provider and try it out for a short period before being committed. If the coverage issue is the main concern, I'd do a phone service only so I could check that out.
Good luck.
bjoyce> I was not aware of that. Thanks so much for the info. I can be better perpared to do battle when the time comes.
I don't buy new phones from cell companies. The 'first adopters' who want the latest of everything make them readily available on Ebay or Craigslist. It negates the increase in contract period and it is still a requirement for the cell company to make them operational. It's fairly simple doing so yourself using online instructions ..once you find the instructions that are buried deep on the cell company's website page.
I've also tried the Wal-Mart pay-as-you-go plans. They are cost effective and are good for plan Jane cell service. At some point, when the cost of all this VZW convenience outweighs the benefits, I'm going to convert everything to two tin cans and a string.