[Q] T-mobile service in NYC 5 boros? And So Cal? - T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm on a grandfathered AT&T unlimited data plan. Also have a grandfather text and minutes plan. My monthly bill comes out to $65 give or take a couple dollars each month.
Now they throttle my data after 5gb of usage. I didn't mind too much before cause music streaming, e-mail, browsing, and etc still works fine when throttled. But I've been into watching Youtube heavily lately and been using Viral lite to set resolution lower. I also been streaming video from differ sources and the usage of gigs piles on quickly. I'm currently using the S4 and know once I get a Note 4 usage will be even more. I already border or pass 5gb always around three days to a week before the new cycle.
Being that said, I'm looking at T-mobile's "$80 Unlimited 4G LTE data" plan and it's enticing. Also includes 5 GB of tethering. So how is T-mobile's service in NYC area(5 boros and Tri-State) and in So Cal area which I travel to often? Are speeds as good as AT&T, is T-mobile service reliable? I'm pretty satisfied with AT&T service, but the throttling is becoming a problem.
Also reading about how AT&T locks the bootloader so tight, will getting a T-mobile branded phone be more worth it?

I'm actually on the $80 unlimited plan. I switched from at&t about two weeks ago and shared many of your concerns. I'm in SoCal and can say service have been above and beyond what I expected havimg had T-Mobile a few years back. Im getting 5 bars in so many places, from Los Angeles, to long beach, to Torrance, to Culver City. At home speeds are averaging 30 Mbps I live in Lynwood, ca in Culver City where I work I'm at about 50 Mbps. The only place I've lost service is in an underground parking garage.

You dont even have to ask man. T-mobile have no problem with coverage in big, midsize and small city! I have heard people use more than 100GB of data. I average about 16GB.

Thanks for the feedback. I asked one of my neighbors who has an S5 on T-mobile, and he gave the service nothing but praise. Looks like I'll be going with T-mobile. AT&T's prices and tactics have changed for the worst over the years.

yeah, in major metro areas, tmobile coverage is great; its the rural and country type areas that people say their coverage needs work on..

T-Mobile service in socal is reasonably good. I travel quite a bit for work (mostly LA, but Bakersfield to caliexico and out to Arizona runs my area)... LA has good service through most of it, and good speeds as well. Generally, I can top 5 megabytes a second on a weeknight at 1a. Malibu is generally terrible, though it's gotten better in the past few months. Long Beach is pretty good. Anaheim is generally good. Costa Mesa seems decent. From Riverside to Bakersfield, I'll maintain service about 85% of the time. Riverside to caliexico, maybe 70%. San Diego, no issues. Vista, up and down with every mile. San Clemente, much the same. Nothing on Ortega Highway, little worse than a friend's att phone. Palm Springs, good service. Into San bernardino, up and down. Up to big bear, crap shoot but generally terrible, same for Blue Jay.
Through to Arizona, pretty good service. Vegas, much the same. Drops sporadically for both of those, but longer drives.
Hope that helps a bit. I generally run about 40gb a month on average... Mostly tethering (I use a Linux laptop and it seems to bypass their reporting system. I used to ssh tunnel from Windows before that for the same results). I do it for work, downloading firmwares, case and site asset updates (terrible website that will burn 20mb for updating a few dozen items. Bad programming with no caching built in... 2mb parts list each time)
Note 2 for reference. Here as I debate the note 4, then needing a new extended zerolemon and so on.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

Coverage is pretty good down in SoCal. I live in Riverside County and generally get decent coverage outdoors. There is an issue though with T-Mobile being unable to use their 700MHz frequency until KXLA gets off. The Note 5 Might be out then though...

Bloomington, CA. (west of San Bernardino)
I've tested roommates' S4, S5, and the lil red hotspot thing. Over 50mbs consistently.
Bye bye Verizon.

Related

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

POLL: UK 4G PLANS And Would You Trade 3G Ulimited Data? Nexus 5 on the Way

Just trying to figure out if anyone had a previous 4G LTE plan prior to ordering the N5 and if its proved to be worth it or Not. Being New to that whole side of LTE things. How much GB allowance do you receive a month and average use total.
I have a 3G unlimited plan on O2 which are rare lately since 3 network is the only network that doesn't unlimited DAT at me moment.
Now the nexus 5 is 4G ready in the UK is it really worth chasing a 4G plan yet or wait because 3g works quite fine at moment with hotspots everywhere. Cheapest 4g plan is around £26 for 1gb I think. I didn't even mention 500mb cors that's just silly to even consider on 4G.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
In the same boat as yourself at the moment - (o2 simplicity with unlimited data)... Going to switch to giff-gaff (12 quid bundle) and wait it out and see whether 4G prices drop...
At the moment from what I can gather, EE have the monopoly coverage wise so hopefully when the competition kicks in prices will drop.
Certainly don't want to get tied into a long 4G contract at the moment to find high prices & crap coverage ruins the experience...
I'm currently on 3 with an iPhone 5. Going to stick with them if I get a Nexus 5. 2000 minutes, 5000 3-3 minutes, 5000 texts, Totally Unlimited data with unlimited tethering, and 4G at no extra cost in December, all for just £15 a month
As nellisere says, the best one for me is 3. 4g coming next month (very limited) and is cheap and reliable with excellent HSDPA coverage (left voda on my n4 after 8 months of crap service).
I'd look around
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
4G isn't in my city yet so I won't be switching until that happens, obviously.
Three is the best for data.
Up to 20mb (10-15mb average) on 3G.
Truly unlimited for £12.90 a month.
And 4G will be free - no charge difference or plan changes.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA-Premium 4
I think I'm going to leave Orange due to poor network coverage, and move to Three.
Nellisere - think I'll get that same plan that you're already on. is the unlimited tethering available for new customers do you know? I've looked on their website but can't find confirmation about that. Cheers.
Another vote for three from me, get great 3G (15 - 20 Mbps) and when 4G turns up it won't cost me any extra. Totally unlimited data as well, I recently used nearly a gigabyte while on holiday in Italy at no extra cost due to their "Feel At Home" deal.
Three is awesome
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
My dad is on Vodafone and barely gets any decent signal on his S4 and all so I can't expect any better. 02 simplicity has been awesome for me. Only capped once. I'm waiting to see what they do then 3 week brings completion. I was using the n4 before never really bothered much before.
Seems like 3 is the one to watch but is EE coverage that good. Cors its definitely too pricey for me.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Does anyone know if, when 3 changes to LTE in December, will the change in frequency improve penetration into buildings? I had heard somewhere that this would be the case but not really found any info (not looked properly yet to be honest!) Just got my n5 today (a beast!) And want to take advantage of LTE when it arrives, as well as Google music... can't really do so just now as it uses so much data.
Tried a 3 sim but not much use in my flat as the signal is non existent... on virgin "unlimited" but capped after 3.5GB, would love the option to have truly unlimited, LTE would be a bonus ..
Edit: sorry for changing the subject a wee bit - I use approx 2-3gb per month, but that's with me being careful... don't use the phone that much for Google music, but would deff use it more if I had unlimited!
...sent from the Nexus 5000
I will probably stay on Tesco network for 4G (but only upgrade when they have 4G in my city) for only £2.50 extra. Three is tempting but who knows when they will have 4G in my area - I can't imagine Plymouth is anywhere near their top priority list. Plus, I must keep my phone number and it'd be quite a hassle to switch networks while keeping same number. Then again, unlimited data would be great. I don't use 3G that much at the moment as WiFi is faster but that would change with 4G so I would appreciate unlimited data then! I may switch but I don't expect there will be 4G on any network in Plymouth for at least another year anyways.
androidsnax said:
Does anyone know if, when 3 changes to LTE in December, will the change in frequency improve penetration into buildings? I had heard somewhere that this would be the case but not really found any info (not looked properly yet to be honest!) Just got my n5 today (a beast!) And want to take advantage of LTE when it arrives, as well as Google music... can't really do so just now as it uses so much data.
Tried a 3 sim but not much use in my flat as the signal is non existent... on virgin "unlimited" but capped after 3.5GB, would love the option to have truly unlimited, LTE would be a bonus ..
Edit: sorry for changing the subject a wee bit - I use approx 2-3gb per month, but that's with me being careful... don't use the phone that much for Google music, but would deff use it more if I had unlimited!
...sent from the Nexus 5000
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I'm also with Three but I have to disagree with their 3G and HSDPA being lightning fast. There have been numerous occasions where I have had no signal in Central London! Also, at home (I live in London also), I get a speed of 5-6Mbps on my iPhone 5.
That said, I'm hoping their signals and speed improve. I certainly can't complain for unlimited data and tethering for £15.
IdodgerI said:
I think I'm going to leave Orange due to poor network coverage, and move to Three.
Nellisere - think I'll get that same plan that you're already on. is the unlimited tethering available for new customers do you know? I've looked on their website but can't find confirmation about that. Cheers.
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Tethering free only on The One plan. Ie £15pm 12month contract, or £18pm on 30 day rolling. I'm on the former and have no complaints with 3.
Sent from N4 ?
I was once a happy T-Mobile customer for 24 months until September when I moved to giffgaff on the £10 goodybag. Wherever I was, I always seemed to have signal with T-Mobile, usually 3G or HSDPA most of the time.
Along with the great signal, my T-Mobile deal was simply brilliant: 600 minutes, 500 texts, Unlimited Internet and a free phone (a Wildfire S) for just £11 a month! It seemed however that T-Mobile did not care much for my custom as in the 25th month (after the 24 month offer) the price doubled to £22! I then quickly grabbed a PAC Code (surprisingly very easy) and switched to giffgaff.
However, since my Nexus 5 purchase, I'm looking for a 4G deal and Three is calling to me with it's '4G at no extra cost' promise. Can anyone on Three vouch for it's signal strength, stability and speed?
artturnip said:
I was once a happy T-Mobile customer for 24 months until September when I moved to giffgaff on the £10 goodybag. Wherever I was, I always seemed to have signal with T-Mobile, usually 3G or HSDPA most of the time.
Along with the great signal, my T-Mobile deal was simply brilliant: 600 minutes, 500 texts, Unlimited Internet and a free phone (a Wildfire S) for just £11 a month! It seemed however that T-Mobile did not care much for my custom as in the 25th month (after the 24 month offer) the price doubled to £22! I then quickly grabbed a PAC Code (surprisingly very easy) and switched to giffgaff.
However, since my Nexus 5 purchase, I'm looking for a 4G deal and Three is calling to me with it's '4G at no extra cost' promise. Can anyone on Three vouch for it's signal strength, stability and speed?
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No. As it's unlikely that we live, work and visit same areas as you. You have 7 days to cancel though. I've been all around London, Cambridge, Oxford and few other places and the only place that wasn't too good was Cambridge. Now and again you get a bad spot, but it's so small that it looks like a local issue with a mast rather than poor coverage.
Sent from N4 ?
Arturnip it depends on location so where do you live? Personally I live in Plymouth and everywhere I go apart from forde valley and manedon main road I have excellent signal, it is more reliable than Orange/t-mobile/virgin from my personal experience (cant comment on O2 but family on vodafone and it seems terrible) and much faster for instance at my place of work I get 20mb/s with <90ms ping on Three but on T-mobile I got 8mb(same as Virgin) and on Orange I got 2mb with high ping, glad I left Orange as it was one of the worst and the most expensive! Currently paying £8.50 a month for one plan at Three due to some deals added together (12 month contract) so very happy as its cheap as chips, extremely fast and can only get better with FREE (or close to it...) 4g! Shame its arriving sometime next year and not now .
I'm happy enough with Three's DC-HSDPA speeds
Switch to Three! There 3G speeds are nuts I get around 15Mbit DL and 5Mbit UL. They are rolling out 4G over the next year or so and will not be charging extra for it, meaning if you have a 3G unlimited data plan you will still have unlimited data with 4G.
Three are the only UK provider that will offer unlimited 4G with no extra cost, madness when you compare what EE are offering.
I'm happy with three.
Also on the one plan unlimited internet and tethering for £15 a month is a steal! (Includes 4G when available also).
All depends on there coverage in the places you visit most and people can't tell you on here. Grab a sim (even PAYG) and try it. Can always cancel.
Here is my speeds and I don't exactly live in a high populated area. (Nottinghamshire)
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

Thinking about moving over from Verizon for the Note 4...

I just wanted to put a feeler out there. Hopefully those who may have switched from Verizon might chime in and give me some helpful advice.
I've been with Verizon since the GS3 came out and I've had it with that company. They have excellent service, and I have signal just about anywhere I go, but there are a lot of things about them that bother me, and I'm ready to jump ship. This all started when I had a Note 4 in hand at the VZW store the other day, and after speaking to the ASSociate there, I'm ready to leave. I'm on the EDGE plan (kinda like JUMP), and was an early adopter to that, so I had the 50% pay off to get a new phone after 11 mo. First thing I don't like is the cost. With a 21% discount, I was paying $121/mo for the Note 3 with 5GB data, 450min, and 1000 text messages (I never used up the minutes or texts). I didn't think that was too outrageous since I was paying off that N3 every month, and I was OK with it because I'm a complete nerd and like to have a new phone every year. However, they now want you to pay off 75% of the phone over 18 months. What is that bs? If I'm paying 75% of an $800 phone, I might as well just sell it on eBay. Another issue is the bootloader, of course. Verizon locks down their phones hardcore. Even rooting them is a chore on VZW, and I'm tired of it. I'm not even a huge "power-user". I just like to have my Titanium Backup and freedom of controlling my system apps. T-Mobile obviously doesn't have any of these issues, but everyone I talk to says the service isn't that great, especially in rural areas. I take a lot of trips to remote locations, and fear that I will not have signal at any of them. For a person who always has their phone on them and is an extension of themselves, this could be a deal-breaker.
Any advice? I'm seriously considering it, and TMo is sending me an iPhone 5s to test this week, but I'm still afraid of the commitment.
I just traded in my Verizon Note 3 and switched to tmobile. I am loving it so far. I actually get better reception that Verizon here in my part of Pittsburgh. I recently upgraded to the unlimited 4g plan and decided I am going to ditch Comcast too. I will get a Chromecast and/or MHL cable to hook my note up to my tv and occasionally for youtube ans netflix, wifi Hotspot when I am using the computer.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
i made the switch from verizon to t-mobile on friday. i'm giving up verizon's unlimited data plan because they won't let me upgrade unless i pay full price or give up the unlimited. i chose to go with t-mobile's $80 unlimited everything plan w/ 5gb of hotspot. my situation is a little different than yours, though. i was already a t-mobile customer (back when they were voicestream until 2010), so i already know what i'm getting myself into in terms of quality (plus, my parents, brother, and sister-in-law are on t-mobile). i live in chicago also, so that makes a difference. i've never had an issue with t-mobile's service. the only reason i had originally switched the first time is because when the smartphone race began, t-mobile had some of the worst selections.
again, i live in chicago, so your results might vary, but i did a ookla speedtest on my brother's note 4 (on t-mobile) and my galaxy s4 (on verizon) and his numbers beat my numbers consistently (which genuinely surprised me).
Do the T-mobile test drive first available here http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial?cmpid=WTR_PB_N62kxn2C&002=2202007&004=13691619257&005=47088372328&006=45480286217&007=Search&008=&025=c&026=&gclid=Cj0KEQjwt7KiBRD9lOePpe_BhrgBEiQAHaS_116jcCU3lPFxN-073akQkOmUEMwL_jAlA8fhsqPxLb4aAuDY8P8HAQ. They will send you a phone to try out for a week. I wanted to switch, but found out that they actually have no service at my home and half of the areas on my way to work, even though on their website it says there is full 2g service in all these places. Their coverage map is extremely misleading. Just read all the customer dissatisfaction with coverage via this link. http://support.t-mobile.com/community/coverage/content?filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D~objecttype~objecttype%5Bthread%5D
Cicatrize said:
I just wanted to put a feeler out there. Hopefully those who may have switched from Verizon might chime in and give me some helpful advice.
I've been with Verizon since the GS3 came out and I've had it with that company. They have excellent service, and I have signal just about anywhere I go, but there are a lot of things about them that bother me, and I'm ready to jump ship. This all started when I had a Note 4 in hand at the VZW store the other day, and after speaking to the ASSociate there, I'm ready to leave. I'm on the EDGE plan (kinda like JUMP), and was an early adopter to that, so I had the 50% pay off to get a new phone after 11 mo. First thing I don't like is the cost. With a 21% discount, I was paying $121/mo for the Note 3 with 5GB data, 450min, and 1000 text messages (I never used up the minutes or texts). I didn't think that was too outrageous since I was paying off that N3 every month, and I was OK with it because I'm a complete nerd and like to have a new phone every year. However, they now want you to pay off 75% of the phone over 18 months. What is that bs? If I'm paying 75% of an $800 phone, I might as well just sell it on eBay. Another issue is the bootloader, of course. Verizon locks down their phones hardcore. Even rooting them is a chore on VZW, and I'm tired of it. I'm not even a huge "power-user". I just like to have my Titanium Backup and freedom of controlling my system apps. T-Mobile obviously doesn't have any of these issues, but everyone I talk to says the service isn't that great, especially in rural areas. I take a lot of trips to remote locations, and fear that I will not have signal at any of them. For a person who always has their phone on them and is an extension of themselves, this could be a deal-breaker.
Any advice? I'm seriously considering it, and TMo is sending me an iPhone 5s to test this week, but I'm still afraid of the commitment.
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I made the switch yesterday . Screw Verizon I had the note 3 and was out of contract . So I just switched over got the note 4 and so far so good . I stay in Caldwell Idaho .
NWNJ said:
Do the T-mobile test drive first available here http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial?cmpid=WTR_PB_N62kxn2C&002=2202007&004=13691619257&005=47088372328&006=45480286217&007=Search&008=&025=c&026=&gclid=Cj0KEQjwt7KiBRD9lOePpe_BhrgBEiQAHaS_116jcCU3lPFxN-073akQkOmUEMwL_jAlA8fhsqPxLb4aAuDY8P8HAQ. They will send you a phone to try out for a week. I wanted to switch, but found out that they actually have no service at my home and half of the areas on my way to work, even though on their website it says there is full 2g service in all these places. Their coverage map is extremely misleading. Just read all the customer dissatisfaction with coverage via this link. http://support.t-mobile.com/community/coverage/content?filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D~objecttype~objecttype%5Bthread%5D
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Click to collapse
I think my anger with Verizon caused me to leave that part out of my long post, lol. I did that, and they're sending me an iPhone 5s to test, which will be here on Tuesday. I'm excited to try it out, but the consensus around my office with T-Mobile customers is that it's not very good service. Time will tell, I guess.
How is T-Mobile's customer service? I was a T-Mo customer about 10 years ago and it was excellent back then.
JUST DO IT. VERIZON SUCKS. COMPLETELY OVER RATES THEM SELVES.
I've had better coverage data speeds and call quality in the last week with my note 4 then the last 8 years with Verizon. Not to mention Tmobiles not a bunch of ****ing blood suckers.
I switched from att to tmobile two weeks. I'm in northern new jersey and I'm not looking back. I originally got the note 3 but decided I wanted to make sure I had the latest phone so I got the note 4 before the return period was up. I ported over two lines and a tablet. I'm saving about $50 per month on tmobile. The service has been great so far. The speeds have been excellent and coverage at my job and house is five bars. The fact that their phones have unlocked bootloaders is of course a plus. I'd say if coverage is good then make the switch.
Taking Notes on my Note 4
Well these are interesting responses.
As far as my work goes, nothing seems to penetrate that building except AT&T, which would be nice, but they have the same issues that Verizon has. It's interesting, because I thought TMo piggy backed off of AT&T towers for roaming...
Depends on the service in your area. I live in NYC so I've notice hardly any difference in service and faster speeds with T-mobile. However if you travel a lot I would say Verizon is better because that map does not lie, you really do have service everywhere with them.
idelgado782 said:
I switched from att to tmobile two weeks. I'm in northern new jersey and I'm not looking back. I originally got the note 3 but decided I wanted to make sure I had the latest phone so I got the note 4 before the return period was up. I ported over two lines and a tablet. I'm saving about $50 per month on tmobile. The service has been great so far. The speeds have been excellent and coverage at my job and house is five bars. The fact that their phones have unlocked bootloaders is of course a plus. I'd say if coverage is good then make the switch.
Taking Notes on my Note 4
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Ditto. I switched from Verizon this past Thursday and not looking back. I love the freedom with bootloaders. I was with TMob 8 years ago and the service to be honest was horrible. But now TMob has greatly improved. I haven't dropped calls and data speeds are fast.
Cicatrize said:
Well these are interesting responses.
As far as my work goes, nothing seems to penetrate that building except AT&T, which would be nice, but they have the same issues that Verizon has. It's interesting, because I thought TMo piggy backed off of AT&T towers for roaming...
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As far as penetrating buildings goes, earlier this year tmobile just bought the rights to new frequencies that have a lower wave length and will penetrate buildings considerably... they haven't made the activation on this frequency everywhere yet, but the Note 4 is one of the first phones(if not the first?) to have the ability to receive this frequency built in, so as soon as it goes live in your given area, you'll get the benefits! This is a hardware thing too, so it's not like they can just update other phones n they'll have it too, only new phones built to receive it
p()()pypants said:
As far as penetrating buildings goes, earlier this year tmobile just bought the rights to new frequencies that have a lower wave length and will penetrate buildings considerably... they haven't made the activation on this frequency everywhere yet, but the Note 4 is one of the first phones(if not the first?) to have the ability to receive this frequency built in, so as soon as it goes live in your given area, you'll get the benefits! This is a hardware thing too, so it's not like they can just update other phones n they'll have it too, only new phones built to receive it
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That's interesting. I didn't know that. Did they give an eta when they expect to turn on those frequencies?
Taking Notes
p()()pypants said:
As far as penetrating buildings goes, earlier this year tmobile just bought the rights to new frequencies that have a lower wave length and will penetrate buildings considerably... they haven't made the activation on this frequency everywhere yet, but the Note 4 is one of the first phones(if not the first?) to have the ability to receive this frequency built in, so as soon as it goes live in your given area, you'll get the benefits! This is a hardware thing too, so it's not like they can just update other phones n they'll have it too, only new phones built to receive it
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Click to collapse
Are you referring to the 700MHz spectrum they're rolling out? Link here: https://sites.google.com/site/cellularbinder/t-mobile-700a-spectrum
If that's the case, I'm in Southwest Michigan, and it looks like they need to clear up some stuff before that happens in my area (if I'm reading that correctly)?
EDIT: Also, is not the 700MHz for LTE band 12 only? I would love to have LTE inside of work, but less necessary than just a regular GSM phone signal.
Verizon sucks...PERIOD
the ONLY reason to even consider them is if you need coverage in the most obscure areas of the US; if not, kick those scumbags to the curb..
If you have decent coverage in your area, then no one can beat T-mobile for coverage, price, customer service, and everything else.
Do the test drive, go to all the areas you are concerned about, and if you get coverage, then switch
wase4711 said:
Verizon sucks...PERIOD
the ONLY reason to even consider them is if you need coverage in the most obscure areas of the US; if not, kick those scumbags to the curb..
If you have decent coverage in your area, then no one can beat T-mobile for coverage, price, customer service, and everything else.
Do the test drive, go to all the areas you are concerned about, and if you get coverage, then switch
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Click to collapse
My fiancee and I are both geocachers and use an app to post our finds immediately, so we do actually need coverage in obscure areas. We often have trouble even with Verizon, but that trouble is 1-2 bars of 3G. I'm hoping that doesn't translate into zero signal with T-Mobile. You are right, though. The plan is to do the test drive and see how it goes. With an unlocked bootloader and an eventual SIM unlock, I could always switch to AT&T if it ends up not working out very well. I have none of those freedoms with Verizon.
yeah, as much as I dislike "the deathstar", I hate verizon more, so given the choice of 2 evils, ATT would be your way out..
but, here again, go nuts on the 7 day tmobile test drive and see how good/bad they are in your area..
I use AT&T go phone prepaid with my tmo gn4. $60mo unl talk and text and 3gb LTE. I can add additional lte at $10 per gb. Just have to pay full price for my devices. I LOVE my set up. I travel, so tmo isn't an option for me. Hope you find a set up. Also, vz just released their prepaid plan mostly the same at $65mo with LTE service, and they're getting the gn4 developer edition with bootloader unlocked. Again, just have to pay full price.
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I have both so I know. I'd go with TM any day. Don't think about it. Just do it. Depending on your usage, if you don't talk much, the $30 pre paid plan is unbeatable. 5gb of data.
Well I've had this iPhone for an hour now. Hate the phone, but one thing I've seen already is the LTE speed is DOUBLE what I get from Verizon. It gets around 40mbps down and 10mbps up in my house, which is ridiculous. I can't even get that on Verizon outside with full bars.
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[Q] T-Mobile vs Verizon for N6?

Hey everyone, I am looking for some opinions here. I live in Atlanta, GA and have just switched to Verizon from T-Mobile. Originally, I purchased iPhone 6+ and am now using the Nexus 6. I still am debating which I will use day to day, but, I have had nothing but issues with Verizon.
Without too much detail... rep that helped us migrate 3 business lines screwed up. As a result we had a lot of calls with care and managers and ended up getting 30gb of shared web for price of 10gb as well as close to $400 worth of credits atop of $450 in 2 cycles for switching. Great deal overall and helps a ton to cover device costs!
I had no issues with T-Mobile but my business partner is going to Dallas more where he had spotty coverage. On Verizon, he was great there but here... we have issues. From voice quality being much worse than Tmobile (even on VOLTE) to slower data speeds to 3G where we have LTE on T-Mobile. Now, with Nexus 6 I at least will get HSPA while on call with T-Mobile, compared to 0 data on verizon. There are places I get nearly 80mbps on Verizon, but it is cancelled out by overall mediocre performance.
I completely understand that Verizon has amazing coverage and better in-building penetration. However, Tmobile has made huge strides to become a very good data network in many metro areas. While calculating costs, after all credits, we would come out pretty even going back and won't save too much money.
So, given all that, is it worth staying on Verizon? Am I simply seeing greener grass on the other side? I am also worried that with Verizon it will be ages before nexus 6 will get VOLTE and Voice + Data.
Now, I am researching a lot about spectrum and what each carrier is deploying and for some reason T-Mobile just seems to be better when it comes to LTE tech, newly acquired spectrum and overall voice + data.
I was a Verizon customer for 11 years and switched to T-Mobile about 1 and half years ago. Couldn't be happier. Wished there was an easy answer gl with your decision
jbdan said:
I was a Verizon customer for 11 years and switched to T-Mobile about 1 and half years ago. Couldn't be happier. Wished there was an easy answer gl with your decision
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Thanks! Yea, indeed. From one angle I am thinking that the extra coverage is worth it, specially considering how so many others pay way more than what my plan costs. From another, I am seeing such inconsistent service and decreased voice quality makes it hard to want to stay on Verizon. I do like seeing 75mpbs sometimes though .
I rarely had service issues on T-Mobile everywhere I went around the city, now, it is a daily routine on Verizon.
air2k57 said:
Thanks! Yea, indeed. From one angle I am thinking that the extra coverage is worth it, specially considering how so many others pay way more than what my plan costs. From another, I am seeing such inconsistent service and decreased voice quality makes it hard to want to stay on Verizon. I do like seeing 75mpbs sometimes though .
I rarely had service issues on T-Mobile everywhere I went around the city, now, it is a daily routine on Verizon.
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Sounds like you've somewhat made your decision then
75mbps or 25mbps it doesn't matter to me but to some it might (I get 50mbps down and 25 up). Love HD voice it's crystal. What I love most though? That I am no longer with the big red corp and am with the most innovative and exciting carrier of the last 2 years
jbdan said:
Sounds like you've somewhat made your decision then
75mbps or 25mbps it doesn't matter to me but to some it might (I get 50mbps down and 25 up). Love HD voice it's crystal. What I love most though? That I am no longer with the big red corp and am with the most innovative and exciting carrier of the last 2 years
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Haha i hear ya. To me, anything over 5mbps is good as on mobile it all loads instant and videos buffer fast. So im not crazy in thinking that tmobile has an overall more advanced network?
air2k57 said:
Haha i hear ya. To me, anything over 5mbps is good as on mobile it all loads instant and videos buffer fast. So im not crazy in thinking that tmobile has an overall more advanced network?
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Good question I really don't know. I don't think you're crazy for thinking that. Tmo has turned the carrier world upside down and I believe all subscribers of all carriers can thank tmo for their lower prices and higher GB data plans.
I had to drop vzw because we moved 1 1/2 yrs ago to suburb of Atlanta and it's a vzw dead spot. No prob with tmo though. Blessing in disguise
jbdan said:
Good question I really don't know. I don't think you're crazy for thinking that. Tmo has turned the carrier world upside down and I believe all subscribers of all carriers can thank tmo for their lower prices and higher GB data plans.
I had to drop vzw because we moved 1 1/2 yrs ago to suburb of Atlanta and it's a vzw dead spot. No prob with tmo though. Blessing in disguise
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So you pretty much live by me sounds like. Interesting, that just means that it may not just be me then. At first I thought it was either my phone or the sim, verizon replaced both though. It seems like service always bounced between 2 and 4 bars of LTE at my house which creates random results. At times I could be getting 2mbps down while another verizon phone is getting 50, and vice versa. Speed isn't eveytbing, but there is no consistency and added with bad voice quality even on volte... A week ago I drove out towards Lawrenceville to help a friend look for a car and I kept dropping to 3G or having data so bad that even mobile sites would not load. My gf has T-Mobile and I grabbed her phone to test, she was literally getting 40 Mbps to my 1!
air2k57 said:
So you pretty much live by me sounds like. Interesting, that just means that it may not just be me then. At first I thought it was either my phone or the sim, verizon replaced both though. It seems like service always bounced between 2 and 4 bars of LTE at my house which creates random results. At times I could be getting 2mbps down while another verizon phone is getting 50, and vice versa. Speed isn't eveytbing, but there is no consistency and added with bad voice quality even on volte... A week ago I drove out towards Lawrenceville to help a friend look for a car and I kept dropping to 3G or having data so bad that even mobile sites would not load. My gf has T-Mobile and I grabbed her phone to test, she was literally getting 40 Mbps to my 1!
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Haha! I live in mableton/Smyrna area. I have great coverage on tmo where ever I go in and around Atlanta. Especially now with the moto N6 its radios rock. 3g on vzw is like edge on tmo. They're both painful. I rarely if ever have seen edge in and around Atlanta on tmo (only one spot I know of) but often saw 3g on vzw. Tmos hspa/umts is super fast
jbdan said:
Haha! I live in mableton/Smyrna area. I have great coverage on tmo where ever I go in and around Atlanta. Especially now with the moto N6 its radios rock. 3g on vzw is like edge on tmo. They're both painful. I rarely if ever have seen edge in and around Atlanta on tmo (only one spot I know of) but often saw 3g on vzw. Tmos hspa/umts is super fast
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How is voice on n6? I popped Tmobile sim in it and it wasn't very good when I tried. I've read that volte and hd voice won't come to n6 on Tmobile till early 2015? Yea, I always told people about how good hspa on Tmobile was lol. It killed LTE on most carriers originally. Other than having a little higher ping.
air2k57 said:
How is voice on n6? I popped Tmobile sim in it and it wasn't very good when I tried. I've read that volte and hd voice won't come to n6 on Tmobile till early 2015? Yea, I always told people about how good hspa on Tmobile was lol. It killed LTE on most carriers originally. Other than having a little higher ping.
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Already has HD voice spoke with it today. Volte will be a while yeah. I think voice quality is great, HD and non-hd
If anyone else has any input, greatly appreciated. I downloaded root metrics app and looking at places I go T-Mobile seems to have much stronger data than verizon. Although, voice coverage seems a tab better on verizon.
if you live out in the country, or spend lots of time out there, then tmobile is not for you. i love tmobile, and they have wonderful data speed where i live(70mbps download/30mbps upload. southern brooklyn), but out in the country, they arent so good. in cities, they are wonderful.
simms22 said:
if you live out in the country, or spend lots of time out there, then tmobile is not for you. i love tmobile, and they have wonderful data speed where i live(70mbps download/30mbps upload. southern brooklyn), but out in the country, they arent so good. in cities, they are wonderful.
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Thanks for your input!

How is team mobil

Guys been with sprint 15 years I have a note 3 which I am able to do voice and data simultaneously. I am trying to update but non of the phones aprint offers are abke to do that. So i am lookjng around. What are the experience on team mobil? What to look for what sucks whats good thanks
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A lot depends on location and where you may travel. I live in KC (home of Sprint) and had Sprint for 4 years before I switched to T-Mobile earlier this year. In KC where Sprint advertises they are the #1 carrier my T-Mobile service blows them out of the water. For data I would get 5 to 7 mbps down on Sprint and on T-Mobile I get 12-20+ . However I went to a wedding in the middle of no-where Iowa and did not have service most of the time. I have also been to Omaha for business and can have great service at one spot and then a few blocks away no service. My son also had problems when he was there and was going to go in to a T-Mobile store, but there were none in Omaha. So to be location is the biggest issue.
I am on a 4 line 10gb per month per line plan, the 10gb is LTE then it goes to 2x data (not that I have gone over 10gb in a month). Three of the lines have the data stash built up to 20GB so we will always have LTE. My son who streams all the time on his phone this month is at 28GB used on the network, but only 9GB used on plan because of Binge On, he also had 9GB in his data stash (since YouTube was added to Binge On). He does not have cable in his apartment and they have a wifi cap on their internet plan so he does not connect to Wifi even at home. This has worked great for him. He is in a smaller college town in Missouri and has very good coverage there as well.
I am paying less for T-Mobile than Sprint and with the Jump On Demand, have had the Note 5, S7 Edge and now the Note 7 since I started in January. I could not be happier and unless they drop Jump on Demand or their coverage get worse (both unlikely) I would not switch to another carrier if they even beat T-Mobiles price by a few dollars.
He previously stated location matters.
I have had all phone carriers and tested many many devices of the years. There are 2 absolute truths about the cellular industry.
1. The Hardware you use can affect the level of service
2. The service you select has strong areas and weak ones.
To give an example. I am in Sacramento, CA on T-Mobile. I just Jumped to the Note 7 because the iPhone 6S Plus I was on kept dropping data and calls in the states capital. Knowing that equipment and switches in the towers can "not get along very well" I decided to try the Note 7 in the exact same areas. I have had 100% LTE coverage with very fast data in all areas but on T-Mobile still.
So the trick is finding the right Phone and the Right service. I personally like T-Mobile the best right now after trying all carriers. They have great data and voice coverage for me in my area and places I have been and they offer many more benefits and respect me more as a customer than Big Red or Baby Blue. I did not have the best experience on Sprint in my area regardless of the device.
The cost and benefits are what continue to make me a happy T-Mobile customer. I do think Android devices are superior in connectivity and customization but iPhone hands down has a more seamless out of the box user experience. I would not give my note 7 up for one again though.
Thanks,
Sprint sucks. Couldn't pay me to use Sprint. Go for T-Mobile. Do it.
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What's team mobil?
Sprint has the same coverage as Verizon if you squint
Ha Ha
I've had T-Mobile for 12 years now and would never go to another. As stated above location does matter, at my house I have 4-5 Mbps and just 3 miles to the North I get around 50 Mbps. At home I'm on wifi most of the time but data is usually enough to use as a hotspot when the internet is down.
I live in central Florida, and we just moved our family plan from Sprint to T-Mobile, after 13 years. After 1 week so far on T-Mobile, i don't regret it 1 bit! What good is unlimited data on Sprint, if it's unusable? Time will tell I guess, but so far, I'm happy!
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I love T-Mobile, they really shake up whole phone industry and 60mbps lte at my home plus wifi calling (which nobody else had until just couple yrs ago) does help, but even oh so vain VZ has dead spots (been there), so maybe get 1 month prepaid SIM card and see how it works in your area to be sure? But probably local T-mo shop would be the best place to ask. Best thing about T-mo: no contract (thank you T-mo for bringing it in) except for phone payments , if you buy it on instalments, so if you not happy, pay off the phone, sell it and be on your marry way
Thanks for all the comments. Do you have voice and data simultaneously with out using wifi?
Yes all GSM network are voice and data at the same time after Edge(2G).
Been with all 4 major carriers since the 90's (work reasons) and we dropped Sprint roughly 5 years ago. We helped them build a tower on the property and they tried to can us and make up pay the ETF for excessive roaming... How do you figure that one when everyone they canned and lost our numbers when we are less than 1/10 a mile from their tower we can see out the window.
T-Mobile if they have the coverage they are the best bang for your buck. Sorry, but I can not for the life of me paying 40% less than Verizon, but only gettinf 20% of the coverage in places of travel.
Take T-Mobile Jump on Demand if you switch. If they don't have the coverage you need they'll unlock your phone and let you switch carriers(you still have to pay payments for your phone).
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Tidbits said:
Yes all GSM network are voice and data at the same time after Edge(2G).
Been with all 4 major carriers since the 90's (work reasons) and we dropped Sprint roughly 5 years ago. We helped them build a tower on the property and they tried to can us and make up pay the ETF for excessive roaming... How do you figure that one when everyone they canned and lost our numbers when we are less than 1/10 a mile from their tower we can see out the window.
T-Mobile if they have the coverage they are the best bang for your buck. Sorry, but I can not for the life of me paying 40% less than Verizon, but only gettinf 20% of the coverage in places of travel.
Take T-Mobile Jump on Demand if you switch. If they don't have the coverage you need they'll unlock your phone and let you switch carriers(you still have to pay payments for your phone).
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
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You must be going to pretty far away places, because before I switched I had VZ and my friend had T-mo. We travelled together along east coast, from NY to Fla and we were dead even as far as coverage, except Everglades, where T-mo had some spotty signal and VZ didn't, that was the day I switched and never looked back. This was few yrs ago, but if anything things are better now. VZ usually has better coverage in less populated areas, but not as much as you make it and in most higher population areas like whole east coast, they're pretty much even. Of course if you dont have signal and you need it, you dont care, if it was the only place in whole US, but my wife called me on t-mo sim card over wifi from China, for free. Try that on VZ .
That's high populated places... outside that Verizon and AT&T win hands down. Also there have been numerous times in populated places like San Francisco where T-Mobile has little to no coverage in many parts. My job requires me to be in on multiple places in a single city. If the coverage was like how you think it is Verizon wouldn't be our main provider. Yes they have gotten better but not as good as the media or you experienced.
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