Best carrier in northeast? - Xperia Z3 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm planning on buying an Xperia z3 Compact. I currently have verizon so I know I'll have to switch to either att or T-Mobile. I've read that some people were having issues with getting lte service with att where they were not getting calls or texts with the lte on but haven't heard much good or bad about T-Mobile. The threads about lte issues were from last year so I don't know if anything has changed since then. Some people said registering their sim with an iPhone imei either but others said it made no difference. I do know someone who I could get an iPhone imei from but don't want to waste my time if it doesn't actually fix anything.
I'm open to trying either carrier since they're both contract free but would rather avoid the hassle of switching carriers 3 times. Att does seem to have a better reputation in my area (Long Island, NY) as far as coverage goes.

You'll always get better coverage with at&t but you'll also pay more and they do not have unlimited data. The phone works flawlessly on t-mobile but this phone does not support WiFi calling on any network if you care about that.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact

I've never used wifi calling so I don't mind that it isn't an option. I also don't mind paying more for a service that works better. Verizon is priced right around what att is and doesn't offer unlimited data either so I'd pretty much be in the same boat as I am now.
What carrier do you have? Do you live in this area too?

I have t-mobile but live in the Midwest. Works fine in metropolitan areas, falls flat in rural areas.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact

You can try a prepaid plan for a month each on both carriers to see who works better for you. I did that when I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile.

Related

Nexus One...At&t or T-Mobile?

Hey guys i just had a few questions for the nexus one users out there..by the way i am finally giving in and deciding to buy a nexus one!! I waited and waited to see if there were going to be any better phones coming out, but for some reason the nexus one just calls my name, its a perfect phone.
Anyways my dad has current service with at&t (the $60 individual plan) and i am pretty sure he already completed his two year contract. I was thinking of adding a line to his account and purchase a nexus one to use with it. My question was if i were to buy the n1, would there need to be a requirement to establish a new contract?
Also in your personal opinions, is the n1 better on the at&t or t-mobile network?
Thanks i cant wait to get the phone!
jsnplus10 said:
if i were to buy the n1, would there need to be a requirement to establish a new contract?
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No. It's $529... then you just add the line to your service. The only time you would have to start a new contract with the phone is if you opt for the $179 deal through T-Mobile (AT&T doesn't have a deal like that).
Also in your personal opinions, is the n1 better on the at&t or t-mobile network?
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Depends on where you live and what you want.
T-Mobile is the only provider that allows you to have a smart phone on a non-contract plan without requiring you pay for a data package. So if you have steady access to WiFi, it really isn't worth paying extra for data, and using Google Voice for free unlimited texting means that T-Mobile is by far the cheapest non-contract option.
AT&T generally has better overall 3G/coverage nationwide (they certainly do where I live in Utah), but if you go non-contract with them, you still have to pay for data.
T-Mobile is rolling out HSPA+ all over the USA, and people are reporting 6-7mbps speeds. Check out androidforums.com/nexus-one
If I were you, and if data/3G was important, I'd check your local AT&T retailers and have them show you speed tests.
It seems in general ATT nexus users don't have signal issues like the t-mobile nexus users often have. But that's just a general observation. It all depends on your specific area.
Me personally, ATT will have stronger service cause ATT uses 850 and 1900 mhz, where t-mobile uses 1700/2100 mhz. So ATT's 850 is much stronger signal penetration and range. I think this is partially why t-mobile users get that flaky 3g issue. But also ATT 3g has a head start on coverage over t-mobile, so they will catch up eventually.
...and the nexus one would be subject to follow the new data usage rules for at&t right? I think its 250 mb for $15 and 2 gb for $25.
Hmm ok, i do want to go with the cheapest option here and it sounds like if i go ahead and try out t-mobile they will eventually upgrade to hspa+ network...
Does the upgraded network on t-mobile mean that current 3g phones (like the nexus one) would be able to use it?
current tmobile 3g phones (including N1) are already ready for the hspa+
i sell tmo and att (amongst other carriers) i also have both carriers. the high speeds you can get on the tmo hspa+ are nice, but inconsistent.
go AT&T. pay a little more, but have a far better network.
Get T-Mobile service if you can get 3G service where you are.
i would vote for at&t. one of my buddy's using t-mo, and as mentioned before inconsistent with their network
I am on AT&T and T-Mobile gave me a free phone with unlimited free service which I stopped using because the audio quality was horrible and people kept complaining how bad it sounded.
I vote AT&T.
if you travel, tmobile really doesnt work outside metro areas and highways. just food for thought. at&t works in more rural areas as well. I dont have any issues with my at&t nexus, dont know about the tmobile version. Mine is for sale if you are interested, I need the money towards importing a phone at retail. Pm me if you are interested.
Okay thanks for all the help!

Philadelphia, PA Owners

I'm interested to know what carrier / pre-paid option you chose & how your voice service & data performance is.
I might make the jump come next year, I'm patient enough to hold out for a 32GB version (I have a feeling it'll come Q1 2013). :fingers-crossed:
I'm worried about chooing T-Mobile, I don't know anyone on T-Mobile but their HSPA+ is tempting as is getting a better data deal
However AT&T seems to be proven but the people who I knew that had AT&T have either switched to Sprint or Verizon.
Your help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Edit: This forum is too active
I use T-mobile. I've been happy with both their voice and data service for years now - I switched when the G1 came out.
If you go camping/etc you'll probably run into coverage issues. However, in the Philadelphia suburbs you're not going to have problems, beyond the rare issue in a building or whatever that everybody has. I've found the coverage map on their website to be accurate - it has a google-maps-like interface and you can see coverage down to the street level.
Definitely get an unsubsidized plan. With monthly payments if you buy a phone from them it is no more expensive than the subsidized plans anyway. However, it gives you the flexibility to go elsewhere for your gear or update on your own schedule penalty-free. Obviously paying $350 for a Nexus 4 makes a lot more sense than paying $600 for the exact same device.
Compared to Verizon or ATT you'll save buckets of cash.
I'd say go att if you plan on going to south jersey. Edge sucks.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
T-mobile for the past 6 years in Philly and surrounding areas. I really can't complain. I have the occasional issue in a particular building or someone's house but I'm paying $50/mo. Their service has gradually become better year after year. I would definitely recommend.
I'm on AT&T in the Philadelphia area, and their HSPA+ here is sloooowwww. I'm lucky if I get 2-4mbps. The coverage is great (I switched from Verizon, and AT&T is much better in the areas that I frequent) but the speed is meh. Still much better than 3G, but nothing like the speeds I've heard of from T-mobile.
T-Mobile value here. The shore and poconos are much spottier than AT&T but delco, at least, is better. I never really did any wireless speed tests to compare.
the ~$600 a year savings made it a no brainer for me.
I'm out in Montgomery County and have been on Straight Talk AT&T for a while. Just got my new sim for ST T-Mobile. All I did was call them and gave them the new SIM PIN and within an hour or so, all was done. Costs 48/month with all unlimited, throttling data after 2GBs? I don't use that much data so I'm not sure. Coverage for AT&T was fine, but data speeds were slow. T-Mobile is already giving me about double the speeds: 6741kpbs down 2211kbps up. I'm guessing it'll be faster when I'm in the city. The SIM cards only cost ~10 bucks with free overnight shipping. I'd say go with ST if you don't need over 2GBs of data and then you can try both and be totally content with your decision.
Didn't think T-Mobile would get the nod here. I do work in Center City West so I was worried about the building I'm in and around me. But I have to remember I'm ok, given I'm not tied down.
Sent from my iPod Touch 5

[Q] HTC One on ATT or Tmobile?

I am currently on ATT with the Samsung Galaxy S III and I was thinking about switching to TMobile since they have unlimited data and also because ATT has the locked bootloader. The problem is, I am scared of switching to a new service provider. I tried asking around the office and I can't find ANYONE that has TMobile (At least not in the past year or two).
So my question is for people who currently have TMobile. How is the coverage? The speed? There isn't LTE here for TMobile but there is for ATT but I read that the 3.5g that TMobile has is pretty fast.
Any advice either way?
P.S. Please don't go out of your way bashing the other carriers, I am just asking to help me pick the best network for myself and my HTC One. If you have had both carriers, feel free to comment on both. But if you haven't had ATT, please don't bash it (and vice versa)
Once again, if you have had TMobile in the past year or so, please let me know what you think of it.
Thanks
Rob
AT&T HTC One running on T-Mobile 3G. My town finally got refarmed the phone constantly bounces around EDGE, H, and H+ = Battery Drain
But the speeds are pretty impressive, well compared to EDGE. I can literally walk around the house and have it switch between Data Speeds.
Coverage within the City is constant full bars, but now that they started refarming the area it's spotty 3G. For me though it's worth it. AT&T in my area has better coverage when it comes to the suburban areas, but the prices do not compare T-Mobile wins hands down.
Here are a couple Speed Test shots ..
robamacaf said:
I am currently on ATT with the Samsung Galaxy S III and I was thinking about switching to TMobile since they have unlimited data and also because ATT has the locked bootloader. The problem is, I am scared of switching to a new service provider. I tried asking around the office and I can't find ANYONE that has TMobile (At least not in the past year or two).
So my question is for people who currently have TMobile. How is the coverage? The speed? There isn't LTE here for TMobile but there is for ATT but I read that the 3.5g that TMobile has is pretty fast.
Any advice either way?
P.S. Please don't go out of your way bashing the other carriers, I am just asking to help me pick the best network for myself and my HTC One. If you have had both carriers, feel free to comment on both. But if you haven't had ATT, please don't bash it (and vice versa)
Once again, if you have had TMobile in the past year or so, please let me know what you think of it.
Thanks
Rob
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It all depends on where you live. If you have service nothing is better value than T-Mobile in my opinion.
Well in my opinion I have had t mobile, Verizon and at&t. It all comes down to service I get 20-50 mbps on art lte constantly, T-Mobile can be iffy from time to time if in a rural area and well the price if unlimited plus the price of paying for the phone each month comes close to att. The one thing over the years I have learned is loyalty can go a long way and when your needing that upgrade early it does pay off being with your provider for a while. I hope this helps out and this is just an opinion of mine.
Btw the bootloader is unlockable for att
Sent from my M7 using xda premium
Tmobile of you got good coverage in your area.
I am in the same boat, I've had Tmobile in the past and while the customer service is 10x better than AT&T I could never stick with them due to coverage being an issue. However, the area has recently been upgraded and coverage seems to be much better so I think I'm going to switch soon. Not to mention AT&T stopped offering military discount, while Tmo has the best military discount of any carrier.
Yeah, it really depends where you live. Minneapolis area has great coverage. I plan on switching back to them in June (currently on AT&T).
Don't be afraid of T-Mobile...
Sent from my HTC One X
So I ended up buying 2 HTC Ones from TMobile, they put a hold on my bank account for 300 dollars and then they cancelled the order. I called them to ask them what was up and they said they are cancelling all HTC One pre-orders that are placed because of an IT issue where the processing system doesn't think any HTC Ones are in stock.
But they are letting the system hit my credit to check if I can get the phone and they are charging my bank account even though they know the system will cancel the order at the end.
That along with the fact I'm not quite sure how good coverage/speed is in Toledo, OH has made my mind up. I'm staying with AT&T.
Thanks everyone for your input
Tachi91 said:
AT&T HTC One running on T-Mobile 3G. My town finally got refarmed the phone constantly bounces around EDGE, H, and H+ = Battery Drain
But the speeds are pretty impressive, well compared to EDGE. I can literally walk around the house and have it switch between Data Speeds.
Coverage within the City is constant full bars, but now that they started refarming the area it's spotty 3G. For me though it's worth it. AT&T in my area has better coverage when it comes to the suburban areas, but the prices do not compare T-Mobile wins hands down.
Here are a couple Speed Test shots ..
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Your just the guy I'm looking for. I'm currently on att with the HTC ONE, but thinking about going to tmobile's prepaid $30 plan. The coverage in Charlotte NC looks good, but I'm not exactly sure because I haven't used it. However, $30 is a great savings. While your out and about, your getting hspa +? But it switches constantly between hspa + and edge?

My switch from ATT, if T-Mo good in Chicago ?

I have been on ATT in the Chicago burbs for a few years now, been happy and satisfied with their service, no issues, and we have a good plan = 2 lines Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts, and 10GB shared Data for $130/Month. And with me on next it is $155/Month.
But I always like to at least root my Wife's phone for AdAway and XPosed stuff to tweak her phones better, and me I always root, and install Custom Recovery and ROM my phones, right now on a HTC One M8 converted to GPE and love this phone.
My point is, ATT has gotten worse and worse the last 18 months with locking down their phones, even root can take months to come by on flagship phones. And on principle it is really pissing me off, why give ATT money, if they won't even let me customize my phone anymore ? The ATT Note 2 I had two years ago, was the last best ATT phone IMO, I rooted it and ROM'd the heck out of that phone, but sadly with the new Note 4 those days are long gone and history with ATT.
Long story short, does T-Mobile offer competitive plans to what i currently have ? And how is their service in Chicago area ? Thank you
Well, you have two choices based on what you're interested in:
1. Switch service to T-Mobile. I also live in Chicago. The service isn't as good as AT&T here in the city, or elsewhere. LTE/3G data doesn't penetrate buildings as well. The calling and texting seems to be about the same when towers are near, but I know for a fact that AT&T has them beat in terms of coverage outside of major metro areas. I frequently drive between Chicago and Indianapolis- AT&T has 4G or LTE about 85% of the drive, while T-mobile will barely get phone calls to go through, much less high speed data. T-Mobile is cheaper service than AT&T, but you're getting what you pay for.
2. Buy the T-Mobile Note 4 off-contract and unlock it for AT&T. There are lots of threads here on xda about this- and it's what I've just done with my T-Mo note 4! I had done the same with my Note 3, there are presently no issues with t-mobile samsungs and at&T. connecting to LTE, phone calls, mms, sms, etc all works perfectly.
As you said, the AT&T variants are locked down and will probably remain that way. The ONLY note 4 you can buy that has the unlocked bootloader AS WELL AS support for LTE networks in the United States is the T-mobile Note 4. How much of a premium are you willing to pay for having the unlocked bootloader, is what you need to ask yourself. An off contract Note 4 from T-mobile costs $850 after Illinois taxes, and you'll need to activate the line for at least one day, meaning a few more bucks.
Hope that helps. I would go with option #2, especially if you're like me- grandfathered unlimited data from at&t.
obviously, the cost of the note 4's from t-mobile will decrease after the product is widely available and the initial hype dies down. So if you're enjoying your M8, wait a few months and grab a note 4 from swappa.com, ebay, or craigslist
Good points thanks.
I would almost like to test drive T-Mobile first for like a week, see how it is around town and in my office, etc... I am happy with ATT the past couple years, good service, it's just the principle of them locking down phones really irks me, and makes me want to take business elsewhere.
hey man, nice to see you here
I dont know about that other dude, but my service in the burr ridge/willowbrook area is fantastic with T-mobile
Also, I travel through lombard/villa park/elmhurst alot, and always have super strong signal, and in 8 months, I dont think I have dropped a single call; 4g speeds usually between 15-35 down,and 6-15 up, so I am one happy camper with Tmobile in chicagoland..
Do the test drive if you want confirmation yourself..
wase4711 said:
hey man, nice to see you here
I dont know about that other dude, but my service in the burr ridge/willowbrook area is fantastic with T-mobile
Also, I travel through lombard/villa park/elmhurst alot, and always have super strong signal, and in 8 months, I dont think I have dropped a single call; 4g speeds usually between 15-35 down,and 6-15 up, so I am one happy camper with Tmobile in chicagoland..
Do the test drive if you want confirmation yourself..
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Hello neighbor
I work in Willowbrook, and most of my business is in the western burbs, so thanks for your input.
And the principle of the idea is pushing me away from ATT, the whole lockdown is so upsetting.
How quick is a port of our numbers from ATT to T-Mobile, if I pick up the Note 4 ?
If I recall, when I switched, the number porting was done by the time we left the store!
just bring in your old ATT bill, and make sure you know the password on your ATT account, and the porting should be really fast..
I am in IL, but downstate and live in the Metro St. Louis area. The comments about T-Mo coverage are spot on. If you are downtown, or within about a 10-15 mile radius of it, you should be good. I was a long time Verizon customer, and I jumped to T-Mo when VZW pissed me off with that "network optimization" nonsense.
My experience at the office with T-Mo has been great. Faster even that Verizon. At home (30 miles NE of downtown STL) it is a different story. Maybe 1 bar of HSPA (never LTE) inside my house. I don't travel much, so I can't comment there yet, but I will say that if you spend a lot of time on the road you probably are best off buying the T-Mo Note 4 and staying with AT&T.
I really like what T-Mo is trying to do, they just have to get more towers out there.
Porting the number takes less than 30 seconds flat... It is incredibly fast. (done it already with 2 lines from AT&T to T-Mobile) Now I have 3 lines in total with T-Mobile, (an old one plus 2 new ones coming from AT&T)
robroy90 said:
I am in IL, but downstate and live in the Metro St. Louis area. The comments about T-Mo coverage are spot on. If you are downtown, or within about a 10-15 mile radius of it, you should be good. I was a long time Verizon customer, and I jumped to T-Mo when VZW pissed me off with that "network optimization" nonsense.
My experience at the office with T-Mo has been great. Faster even that Verizon. At home (30 miles NE of downtown STL) it is a different story. Maybe 1 bar of HSPA (never LTE) inside my house. I don't travel much, so I can't comment there yet, but I will say that if you spend a lot of time on the road you probably are best off buying the T-Mo Note 4 and staying with AT&T.
I really like what T-Mo is trying to do, they just have to get more towers out there.
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you know you can get them to "give" you a asus router, so you get a super wifi signal in your house, for data and calling...
wase4711 said:
you know you can get them to "give" you a asus router, so you get a super wifi signal in your house, for data and calling...
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Click to collapse
Thanks, but I already have a better WiFi solution than their router. I had them send me their new LTE Booster and it helps a little, but it is still very spotty.
robroy90 said:
Thanks, but I already have a better WiFi solution than their router. I had them send me their new LTE Booster and it helps a little, but it is still very spotty.
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can I ask what solution you have that is better than a free AC router?
I had the asus RT-AC87, but returned it, because I got the same wifi speeds from the T-Mobile router, as I did from the $300 RT87..
How did you get tmo to give you an Asus router? I just switched from att to tmo here in jersey and my reason was for cheaper prices. I'm still within my 14 days but I will say I'm impressed so far. Greats LTE speeds, no issues with calls. I have derive at work & home so I think I'll be staying. I'm on the note 3 now waiting for n4 pre-order.
idelgado782 said:
How did you get tmo to give you an Asus router? I just switched from att to tmo here in jersey and my reason was for cheaper prices. I'm still within my 14 days but I will say I'm impressed so far. Greats LTE speeds, no issues with calls. I have derive at work & home so I think I'll be staying. I'm on the note 3 now waiting for n4 pre-order.
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info here and via google..
http://www.phonearena.com/news/T-Mobiles-CellSpot-Wi-Fi-router-available-now_id60802
https://www.google.com/search?utm_s...tmobile+wifi+router+available+date&gws_rd=ssl
edouble312 said:
Well, you have two choices based on what you're interested in:
2. Buy the T-Mobile Note 4 off-contract and unlock it for AT&T. There are lots of threads here on xda about this- and it's what I've just done with my T-Mo note 4! I had done the same with my Note 3, there are presently no issues with t-mobile samsungs and at&T. connecting to LTE, phone calls, mms, sms, etc all works perfectly.
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Click to collapse
So can you confirm the t mobile note 4 works fine with 4g lte on att? How did you unlock it? I current have the att note 3 on contract so would be paying out of contract prices and it seems to make more sense to go with t mobile if I want to customize it at some point or switch to t mobile later on. Also the t mobile note 4 is cheaper out of contract than att. If you are currently using the t mobile note 4 on att and everything works that's the route I'm going to go too. Just waiting for someone to verify that works as there are some threads with people having issues when going this route with the note 3. I've also heard if att ever asks for your imei or other phone info you should give them the numbers from an older att phone so they don't blacklist you and block you from using lte.
mike__o said:
So can you confirm the t mobile note 4 works fine with 4g lte on att? How did you unlock it? I current have the att note 3 on contract so would be paying out of contract prices and it seems to make more sense to go with t mobile if I want to customize it at some point or switch to t mobile later on. Also the t mobile note 4 is cheaper out of contract than att. If you are currently using the t mobile note 4 on att and everything works that's the route I'm going to go too. Just waiting for someone to verify that works as there are some threads with people having issues when going this route with the note 3. I've also heard if att ever asks for your imei or other phone info you should give them the numbers from an older att phone so they don't blacklist you and block you from using lte.
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correct about the imei. phone's working fine for me. speed tests are great, no issues with any LTE coverage. Maybe a little better than my previous phone- the T-mo Note 3 unlocked on AT&T.
I found a seller on eBay who got me the code. There's a thread in the questions/problems section that discusses my guys and all the other sellers.

[Q] Maybe leaving T-Mobile for Sprint - What will I lose? or Gain?

Although I have been a very satisfied T-Mobile customer for the last 7 years, it appears and tech support confirms that the tower that I connect to at home is oversold and instead of the 16 to 20 megs down that I used to get, I am now getting 1.5 meg on a good day and it goes down to .3 meg on bad days. I can't live with that as I have little other access to Internet bandwidth in my neighborhood and it gets worse every week. I use the Internet for business. The only fix appears to be another tower. Not a quick fix.
So, If I make the switch, what happens? Although it may work out better in switching if I give Sprint my existing Nexus 6, I will be using a Nexus 6 with them. I read comments that I will lose simultaneous voice and data use because of their Spark network. Is that true? What LTE speeds should I expect? I also understand that I will lose tethering if I opt for the unlimited plan (I am actually leaning toward the 20 GB family plan which I understand that I can share with my data enabled devices.) I don't read any nice things about Sprint.
Any thoughts you can share would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.
Dont do it bro, sprint is horrible. Tell me if you find 25 people you know that love sprint more than T-Mobile. Sprint is a rotting company hiding behind sales gimmicks and ideas from T-Mobile. T-Mobile is still rolling out this year with Band 12 700Mhz and its LTE footprint roll out replacing old edge areas. More people complain about sprint way more than T-Mobile. So if you dont like T-Mobile, you might as well get shartrizon or AT$$$T. I would recommend calling T-Mobile to send a tech. to your area to fix the issue or report it for fixing.
ourtech said:
Although I have been a very satisfied T-Mobile customer for the last 7 years, it appears and tech support confirms that the tower that I connect to at home is oversold and instead of the 16 to 20 megs down that I used to get, I am now getting 1.5 meg on a good day and it goes down to .3 meg on bad days. I can't live with that as I have little other access to Internet bandwidth in my neighborhood and it gets worse every week. I use the Internet for business. The only fix appears to be another tower. Not a quick fix.
So, If I make the switch, what happens? Although it may work out better in switching if I give Sprint my existing Nexus 6, I will be using a Nexus 6 with them. I read comments that I will lose simultaneous voice and data use because of their Spark network. Is that true? What LTE speeds should I expect? I also understand that I will lose tethering if I opt for the unlimited plan (I am actually leaning toward the 20 GB family plan which I understand that I can share with my data enabled devices.) I don't read any nice things about Sprint.
Any thoughts you can share would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.
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Is Cricket Wireless an option? They are essentially AT&T with throttled LTE speeds of 8Mpbs down, no throttle up. I am paying $55/month for 20GB of LTE data. They no longer offer that plan, but have the same plan at 10GB of data.
chaunold said:
Dont do it bro, sprint is horrible. Tell me if you find 25 people you know that love sprint more than T-Mobile. Sprint is a rotting company hiding behind sales gimmicks and ideas from T-Mobile. T-Mobile is still rolling out this year with Band 12 700Mhz and its LTE footprint roll out replacing old edge areas. More people complain about sprint way more than T-Mobile. So if you dont like T-Mobile, you might as well get shartrizon or AT$$$T. I would recommend calling T-Mobile to send a tech. to your area to fix the issue or report it for fixing.
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Click to collapse
See, that is my feeling as well. I can't find anyone that has nice things to say. As to AT&T or Verizon, wow does the cost jump. And to the point about getting a tech out there, been there, done that. T-Mobile is very aware of the problem. They have bee running tests for a while. Sadly, it is oversold. Not broken. Don't have too many options. There were some numbers from Verizon that weren't horrible, but I don't think Verizon pays ETFs.
Someone is selling a CricketWireless 20GB LTE plan on Howard Forums...I have had ZERO issues using Cricket with my Nexus 6...in fact I am loving it.
I have looked at Cricket. The problem is that I do exceed 10 GB in some months and there is no provision for tethering or tablets that I could see. One of those options would be necessary.
ourtech said:
See, that is my feeling as well. I can't find anyone that has nice things to say. As to AT&T or Verizon, wow does the cost jump. And to the point about getting a tech out there, been there, done that. T-Mobile is very aware of the problem. They have bee running tests for a while. Sadly, it is oversold. Not broken. Don't have too many options. There were some numbers from Verizon that weren't horrible, but I don't think Verizon pays ETFs.
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I had verizon wireless for 10 years and left them over a year ago for T-Mobile. I didn't regret anything. I didn't switch because of price because I could afford verizon, but their plans and phones suck and they are scam artists trying to rape every penny from you just like John Legere quoted. In my area and even in rural places in georgia I get pretty decent excellent coverage and service. At home I usually get from 80-112mbps down and 7-15mbps up. Verizon couldn't match that and hell, everyone I know that has sprint hate it and are jumping to T-Mobile because they get less than 1mbps and call quality sounds like pure ****. T-Mobile has nationwide VoLTE and WiFi calling and texting and the "Uncarrier" exclusives. I have unlimited data so I use it as my home internet since I have root for tethering unlimited data and its way faster than charters fastest speeds they deliver to my house lol. Sprint is also bad just like verizon because remember they are money hungry companies and they will lock u in contracts and can only use their cdma devices or select unlocked devices like the nexus 6. I heard verizon doesn't recognize the unlocked nexus 6, idk if that is true or not.
Link? And what about tablets or tethering? I need that data sometimes when I am out in the field and I have to remote into something. Yes, even my 6 inch screen is a little small. I don't see any plans for tablets.
ourtech said:
I have looked at Cricket. The problem is that I do exceed 10 GB in some months and there is no provision for tethering or tablets that I could see. One of those options would be necessary.
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Although tethering is not supported, it does work.
There also would be no issue popping in a Cricket SIM in a Nexus 9. I've considered selling my WiFi N9 and getting a LTE N9 with a 20GB Cricket SIM.
metaphz said:
Is Cricket Wireless an option? They are essentially AT&T with throttled LTE speeds of 8Mpbs down, no throttle up. I am paying $55/month for 20GB of LTE data. They no longer offer that plan, but have the same plan at 10GB of data.
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metaphz said:
Someone is selling a CricketWireless 20GB LTE plan on Howard Forums...I have had ZERO issues using Cricket with my Nexus 6...in fact I am loving it.
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From what I could see in the Howard forums, the 20 GB promo expired in April. Thanks though.
ourtech said:
From what I could see in the Howard forums, the 20 GB promo expired in April.
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It did expire, someone is selling their account.
ourtech said:
Link? And what about tablets or tethering? I need that data sometimes when I am out in the field and I have to remote into something. Yes, even my 6 inch screen is a little small. I don't see any plans for tablets.
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There is an app on the playstore if you have root called "WiFi Tether Router" which will work or if you want unlimited native tethering.
#1 in SQL lite go to /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db/global
#2 add " tether_dun required " and set the value to 0
#3 in your APN settings add " dun " to APN type and set your APN to IPv4 only since IPv6 doesnt support this.
Either use OpenSignal app or their site and zoom in on your neighborhood. They have a list of carriers with their average upload and download speed.
Personally I wouldn't use Sprint as OpenSignal and Rootmetrics has shown it is the slowest network across the country.
Get a AT&T GoPhone sim and try them out for a month. Walmart sells the sims. They now have rollover data on prepaid just like T-mobile. Plus they're not throttled like Cricket.
I wait for Callingmart to announce their monthly 10% off GoPhone refills on Twitter. Then refill each month saving me $6.
Just my 2ยข but I have been with Sprint for going on 8 years. Their service is great in my area (now) and their customer service has always been outstanding. While I do agree that they don't have the best coverage, they have come a long way in my time with them. You can get unlimited, TRULY unlimited data with them for a good price. They offer payment plans on the top devices and as I said, customer service has bent over backwards for me more than once. Choice is yours, OP, just do your homework and choose wisely.
I have no complaints with Sprint. They recently upgraded my area to LTE and its fast. Its really pointless to ask random people on the internet because they more than likely do not live in your state much less your city. Signal strength is the most important aspect of cell phone service and you wont find that answer here. I would find a coverage map and compare the carriers, make sure it is a legitimate coverage map and not advertising. I would also ask people in your area with Sprint so you can compare.
bob2300nx said:
I have no complaints with Sprint. They recently upgraded my area to LTE and its fast. Its really pointless to ask random people on the internet because they more than likely do not live in your state much less your city. Signal strength is the most important aspect of cell phone service and you wont find that answer here. I would find a coverage map and compare the carriers, make sure it is a legitimate coverage map and not advertising. I would also ask people in your area with Sprint so you can compare.
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To each his own. I have learned a lot from this, coverage map aside (I am in a Spark enabled area of moderate strength, the same as I am for T-Mobile and for that matter, likely AT&T, which tells me little that I didn't already know. It is a topology issue.) My question wasn't about coverage. It was about the experience. I have learned that, unlike T-Mobile, Sprint customer service is out of country, but some have had good experiences with the company. I have also received useful suggestions about alternatives. This has been very useful to me. Sprint could have the strongest signal in my area and still be a company to avoid like the plague.
Free data after you reach your limit, and free music service streaming
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
ceo4eva said:
Free data after you reach your limit, and free music service streaming
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
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Good point. Hadn't thought about those. Thanks.
This morning my Speed Tests were decidedly better. At least 8 and as high as 12 meg. I haven't seen those numbers in months. So, (holding breath), perhaps my last call got something changed. I won't make changes unless I am sure there is no hope for change.
ourtech said:
To each his own. I have learned a lot from this, coverage map aside (I am in a Spark enabled area of moderate strength, the same as I am for T-Mobile and for that matter, likely AT&T, which tells me little that I didn't already know. It is a topology issue.) My question wasn't about coverage. It was about the experience. I have learned that, unlike T-Mobile, Sprint customer service is out of country, but some have had good experiences with the company. I have also received useful suggestions about alternatives. This has been very useful to me. Sprint could have the strongest signal in my area and still be a company to avoid like the plague.
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Other than calling to activate new phones, I have only had to call once in all my years with Sprint and I have no complaints on it. I don't generally need service, I pay my bill and use my phone lol. As far as overseas call centers, that's not entirely true; there is a Sprint call center in my city (along with a T-Mobile call center). To each their own.
I switched from Sprint to Verizon as my family plan 4 years ago, best decision of my life. Sprint will frustrate you beyond belief with their slow data, you won't even be able to load Google. I know you said the big 2 cost too much, so I'd stay with T-Mobile if I were you, avoid Sprint at all costs. I personally love Verizon, have 5 off contract smartphones with them, 15GB shared data, and pay $153+tax a month.

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