5 ms·

You know, I thought that they were doing somewhat acceptably in my limited experience with 3G... until I spent the weekend in Chicago with '3G' and 'Full' recep

by tialys 17y ago

You know, I thought that they were doing somewhat acceptably in my limited experience with 3G... until I spent the weekend in Chicago with '3G' and 'Full' reception. I couldn't make or keep any calls, and the '3G' worked about 1/3 of the time. Embarrassing to say the least. They work ok where I live now, but I'm likely going to switch away as soon as possible. Damn iPhone...

wglb 17y ago
I have one of each. There is no comparision--verizon wins hands down in chicago.
unalone 17y ago
I guess it depends on location. I'm lucky: In Philadelphia AT&T gets reception in places Verizon doesn't, so I can place calls on the subway. But the Northeast is an AT&T hotspot; I've never had the opportunity to take this phone any place tricky.
maukdaddy 17y ago
I had Verizon when I moved to Chicago, and now have AT&T for the iPhone. What a mistake. 90% of the time I have 5 bars of "3G" but the network won't actually transmit any data. Sometimes the phone flips back and forth from 3G to edge back to 3G, which most apps can't seem to handle. I drop well over 50% of my calls, while my wife's iPhone drops close to 90%.
- ams6110 17y ago
  When I lived in Chicago I had the previous incarnation which was known as "Cellular One" aka "Hellular One" and then Cingular, and it sucked then too.
- chadgeidel 17y ago
  Same here in CO Springs. AT&T "inflates" their connection information (more bars) on their phones. [citation needed I know] I can sit in my office with 4 or 5 bars of 3G and not bring up Google.com on my IPhone. I live on the top of a hill about a block away from an array of cell towers, but my calls rarely even connect (and drop all the time).
  - ericd 17y ago
    I've noticed this as well in an area with extremely bad reception (inside a skyscraper) - my iPhone seems to frequently default to showing 5 bars when it can't actually make or receive calls, but then when I go next to a window and it actually establishes a workable connection, the signal strength meter shows 1-2 bars. I haven't seen a citeable source, though. Edit: clarified a bit. Also, I wanted to add that I get one or more dropped calls basically every day, even outside (in Manhattan).
fjabre 17y ago
I live in Los Angeles and it's always switching back and forth between 3G & Edge, even when I'm standing still.. Sometimes dropping my call in the process. It's gotten to the point where I turn off 3G just so my calls won't drop..
dkarl 17y ago
AT&T 3G works reliably for me in Austin, though not blazingly fast. However, I'm tempted to go back to Verizon if I like the Droid. Verizon was always rock-solid for me: no dropped calls and much better service away from cities and interstates. I'm pretty sure Verizon's rural coverage was better eight years ago that AT&T's is today. I can't compare non-voice service directly, because I only used Verizon for voice calls, but Verizon wins the voice service comparison hands down. AT&T's voice service is really disappointing in comparison: occasional dropped calls in the city and limited service in the boonies. Another thing I've noticed: with AT&T, I've often had difficulty making calls when I'm close to a concert or festival. This has been annoying since I live a few blocks from a city park that is often used as a venue. AT&T has apparently done something in the last year or so to ameliorate this problem a little, but (constant refrain) I never had a problem with minor local events when I had Verizon.
- dhimes 17y ago
  AT&T works great for me in Boston's North Shore, but not for my wife (iPhone I) nor my son (iPhone II). I can routinely make and receive calls with my Razr standing right next to them when they can't with their iPhones. So, make sure you compare apples to apples. I suspect that the sensitivity of the iPhones' transceiver is lacking. That's why I haven't bought one yet: my cell phone is my business phone and I need to be able to get calls most importantly. I have no information on the third iPhone model, though.
  - dkarl 17y ago
    To clarify, I have an iPhone 3G. Excluding the problems with events I described and the truly atrocious service I had before the 2.0.1 upgrade (or 2.1? I don't remember), I've never been unable to make a call from anywhere in Austin. I just have to try again if the call fails or is dropped, which is common but not an everyday occurrence. It's a tolerable level of service, but still irksome enough to bias me toward Verizon for my next phone.
    - dhimes 17y ago
      I'd be curious to know: do other people in your area on AT&T who don't have an iphone have the same problem?

by tialys 17y ago

wglb 17y ago

I have one of each. There is no comparision--verizon wins hands down in chicago.

unalone 17y ago

I guess it depends on location. I'm lucky: In Philadelphia AT&T gets reception in places Verizon doesn't, so I can place calls on the subway. But the Northeast is an AT&T hotspot; I've never had the opportunity to take this phone any place tricky.

maukdaddy 17y ago

I had Verizon when I moved to Chicago, and now have AT&T for the iPhone. What a mistake. 90% of the time I have 5 bars of "3G" but the network won't actually transmit any data. Sometimes the phone flips back and forth from 3G to edge back to 3G, which most apps can't seem to handle. I drop well over 50% of my calls, while my wife's iPhone drops close to 90%.

ams6110 17y ago
When I lived in Chicago I had the previous incarnation which was known as "Cellular One" aka "Hellular One" and then Cingular, and it sucked then too.
chadgeidel 17y ago
Same here in CO Springs. AT&T "inflates" their connection information (more bars) on their phones. [citation needed I know] I can sit in my office with 4 or 5 bars of 3G and not bring up Google.com on my IPhone. I live on the top of a hill about a block away from an array of cell towers, but my calls rarely even connect (and drop all the time).
- ericd 17y ago
  I've noticed this as well in an area with extremely bad reception (inside a skyscraper) - my iPhone seems to frequently default to showing 5 bars when it can't actually make or receive calls, but then when I go next to a window and it actually establishes a workable connection, the signal strength meter shows 1-2 bars. I haven't seen a citeable source, though. Edit: clarified a bit. Also, I wanted to add that I get one or more dropped calls basically every day, even outside (in Manhattan).

fjabre 17y ago

I live in Los Angeles and it's always switching back and forth between 3G & Edge, even when I'm standing still.. Sometimes dropping my call in the process. It's gotten to the point where I turn off 3G just so my calls won't drop..

dkarl 17y ago

AT&T 3G works reliably for me in Austin, though not blazingly fast. However, I'm tempted to go back to Verizon if I like the Droid. Verizon was always rock-solid for me: no dropped calls and much better service away from cities and interstates. I'm pretty sure Verizon's rural coverage was better eight years ago that AT&T's is today. I can't compare non-voice service directly, because I only used Verizon for voice calls, but Verizon wins the voice service comparison hands down. AT&T's voice service is really disappointing in comparison: occasional dropped calls in the city and limited service in the boonies. Another thing I've noticed: with AT&T, I've often had difficulty making calls when I'm close to a concert or festival. This has been annoying since I live a few blocks from a city park that is often used as a venue. AT&T has apparently done something in the last year or so to ameliorate this problem a little, but (constant refrain) I never had a problem with minor local events when I had Verizon.

dhimes 17y ago
AT&T works great for me in Boston's North Shore, but not for my wife (iPhone I) nor my son (iPhone II). I can routinely make and receive calls with my Razr standing right next to them when they can't with their iPhones. So, make sure you compare apples to apples. I suspect that the sensitivity of the iPhones' transceiver is lacking. That's why I haven't bought one yet: my cell phone is my business phone and I need to be able to get calls most importantly. I have no information on the third iPhone model, though.
- dkarl 17y ago
  To clarify, I have an iPhone 3G. Excluding the problems with events I described and the truly atrocious service I had before the 2.0.1 upgrade (or 2.1? I don't remember), I've never been unable to make a call from anywhere in Austin. I just have to try again if the call fails or is dropped, which is common but not an everyday occurrence. It's a tolerable level of service, but still irksome enough to bias me toward Verizon for my next phone.
  - dhimes 17y ago
    I'd be curious to know: do other people in your area on AT&T who don't have an iphone have the same problem?