Anyone else kinda worried about coverage?

bobjohnson201

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So a lot of us that are still waiting on the n4 are leaving our carrier (sprint, verizon) to try out a GSM network (t-mo, att) for the first time. I just think it would be a huge bummer once I finally get the n4, try out the network (t-mo for me), and realize it has terrible reception. I have sprint now, so its not exactly amazing, but it still gets the job done with a decent signal in most places. I think im getting 1.5 down and 0.5 up (slow, I know) but honestly I care more about signal strength than data speed. In other words, i'm not exactly sure if the n4 is going to be my everyday phone because i'm unsure of how the networks will be like. Anyone else concerned about this? Whats your backup plan?
 

Citizen Coyote

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If you're in a metro area, you should be fine. If you travel in rural areas you may have a problem, especially if you go with a prepaid plan that doesn't include roaming (your phone will simply report no signal). Your best bet (if you don't want to go through the hassle of dealing with a temporary phone to test it yourself) is to ask around and see if anyone has coverage. Check with friends, coworkers, neighbors, or even the random guy at the bar who you notice has T-Mobile.
 

MrBigFeathers

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I live and work in a pretty big city that is supposedly covered by ATT and T-Mobile. My wife has T-Mobile and has absolutely no signal in our house/neighborhood, luckily they have Wi-Fi calling. So T-Mobile was out for me since I need to be able to make calls from my home. Next I borrowed a friends iPhone 4s to test ATT. Same thing, I couldn't get more than 1 bar in my house or surrounding neighborhood. Calls couldn't stay connected. With Verizon I have never really seen my signal go below 2 bars and can always make clear calls wherever I am. I would have loved to switch my service from Verizon and get the Nexus 4 but I need a phone to work first and foremost. So I will continue to take it up the tailpipe and stay with Verizon.

I would try testing the service yourself before switching, don't go by what the coverage maps say.
 

Dr0me

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I live and work in a pretty big city that is supposedly covered by ATT and T-Mobile. My wife has T-Mobile and has absolutely no signal in our house/neighborhood, luckily they have Wi-Fi calling. So T-Mobile was out for me since I need to be able to make calls from my home. Next I borrowed a friends iPhone 4s to test ATT. Same thing, I couldn't get more than 1 bar in my house or surrounding neighborhood. Calls couldn't stay connected. With Verizon I have never really seen my signal go below 2 bars and can always make clear calls wherever I am. I would have loved to switch my service from Verizon and get the Nexus 4 but I need a phone to work first and foremost. So I will continue to take it up the tailpipe and stay with Verizon.

I would try testing the service yourself before switching, don't go by what the coverage maps say.

the nexus 4 does not support wifi calling (i think i heard this from phil's review)

I switched from a VZW G nex to the N4 on ATT and have been pleasantly surprised here in SF. My coverage is actually better, I used to drop data in this one spot on my commute to and from work while on muni when i was on VZW but now my ATT just keeps rockin. The speeds are almost just as fast loading webpages, the only noticeable decline in speed is downloading an app but even then it is not enough to be frustrating. If i had not been on LTE i wouldn't have even thought it was slow or slower.
 

Nonymous666

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I also currently have Sprint. They get a lot of flak from everybody for speed and whatnot, but I've never had a problem with coverage.

With the N4, I'd really like to get the T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan. That would be perfect for me. But the coverage map around me (Pittsburgh area) shows good coverage in the metro area but quickly degrading in the suburbs and then just nothing in the rurals if I leave the highway. So it will probably be a no-go.

AT&T finished their LTE rollout in Pittsburgh a few months ago (they've got a billboard about it everywhere you go around here) and the map makes it look like LTE is just about everywhere. I have a hard time believing that's the reality, though.

I'll likely get StraightTalk sims for both AT&T and T-Mobile so I can compare the two. Hopefully I'll found out T-Mobile's map is a bit out of date. For as much as I'd like to have that measely $30 T-Mobile plan, I have the feeling I'll have to go with AT&T. Too bad they don't offer a cheap plan similar to Tmobile.
 

Kaenon

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I left Verizon last Friday for T-Mobile Pre-paid.
I had been with Verizon since 2003 and they offered me a discount but i refused.

In my area, T-Mobile coverage isn't very consistent. At home I get 3G and around town I get HSPA+.
At work, I get voice/text coverage, no data at all.
 

natehoy

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Why don't you just check the coverage map for the carrier you're switching too?

There are also projects like Sensorly and OpenSignalMaps that have signal strength maps that get their data from other android users. While not as complete as carrier maps, they tend to be more realistic. The carriers can sometimes be a tad "optimistic" in their own maps.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums
 

bobjohnson201

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Why don't you just check the coverage map for the carrier you're switching too?
I should've mentioned this earlier. I have checked the coverage map for both t-mobile and att and tmobile looks pretty decent with "Good" data coverage in most areas and "excellent" data coverage where I live. The thing that kinda concerns me is my local best buy does not carry t-mobile as they say the coverage is not very good and my local walmart says that t-mo isn't very good either. the only thing i can do is wait and then try for myself.
 

bobjohnson201

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I live and work in a pretty big city that is supposedly covered by ATT and T-Mobile. My wife has T-Mobile and has absolutely no signal in our house/neighborhood, luckily they have Wi-Fi calling. So T-Mobile was out for me since I need to be able to make calls from my home. Next I borrowed a friends iPhone 4s to test ATT. Same thing, I couldn't get more than 1 bar in my house or surrounding neighborhood. Calls couldn't stay connected. With Verizon I have never really seen my signal go below 2 bars and can always make clear calls wherever I am. I would have loved to switch my service from Verizon and get the Nexus 4 but I need a phone to work first and foremost. So I will continue to take it up the tailpipe and stay with Verizon.

I would try testing the service yourself before switching, don't go by what the coverage maps say.

Exactly. I'm getting conflicting messages based on what the coverage maps say and based on what other stores say. I got like a mini notebook lol and am gonna record what speeds, signal strength and all those things for different locations in my area for both sprint and t-mobile to see how they compare. Even if its a little worse than sprint I probably will still switch.
 

bobjohnson201

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I also currently have Sprint. They get a lot of flak from everybody for speed and whatnot, but I've never had a problem with coverage.

With the N4, I'd really like to get the T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan. That would be perfect for me. But the coverage map around me (Pittsburgh area) shows good coverage in the metro area but quickly degrading in the suburbs and then just nothing in the rurals if I leave the highway. So it will probably be a no-go.

AT&T finished their LTE rollout in Pittsburgh a few months ago (they've got a billboard about it everywhere you go around here) and the map makes it look like LTE is just about everywhere. I have a hard time believing that's the reality, though.

I'll likely get StraightTalk sims for both AT&T and T-Mobile so I can compare the two. Hopefully I'll found out T-Mobile's map is a bit out of date. For as much as I'd like to have that measely $30 T-Mobile plan, I have the feeling I'll have to go with AT&T. Too bad they don't offer a cheap plan similar to Tmobile.

Yea I got the t-mobile SIM for that $30 prepaid plan. I might try Straight Talk AT&T also, but they have really vague data limit policies. I tried to contact them but got nothing but BS answers.
 

bobjohnson201

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I left Verizon last Friday for T-Mobile Pre-paid.
I had been with Verizon since 2003 and they offered me a discount but i refused.

In my area, T-Mobile coverage isn't very consistent. At home I get 3G and around town I get HSPA+.
At work, I get voice/text coverage, no data at all.

so you gonna stick with it or try something else?

- - - Updated - - -

There are also projects like Sensorly and OpenSignalMaps that have signal strength maps that get their data from other android users. While not as complete as carrier maps, they tend to be more realistic. The carriers can sometimes be a tad "optimistic" in their own maps.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

I'll check those out, thanks
 

natehoy

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I should've mentioned this earlier. I have checked the coverage map for both t-mobile and att and tmobile looks pretty decent with "Good" data coverage in most areas and "excellent" data coverage where I live. The thing that kinda concerns me is my local best buy does not carry t-mobile as they say the coverage is not very good and my local walmart says that t-mo isn't very good either. the only thing i can do is wait and then try for myself.

You could also buy an inexpensive Straight Talk phone (most are AT&T) and try it out. A lot of the simpler phones are free or a few bucks, and you can get the $30 limited plan. Drive around for a couple of days checking signal strength, then donate it to a local women's shelter or something.

Worst case, keep your current phone for a few weeks. You won't take to much of a loss reselling a nexus 4 anytime soon. :)

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums
 

fredwardnelson

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I also currently have Sprint. They get a lot of flak from everybody for speed and whatnot, but I've never had a problem with coverage.

With the N4, I'd really like to get the T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan. That would be perfect for me. But the coverage map around me (Pittsburgh area) shows good coverage in the metro area but quickly degrading in the suburbs and then just nothing in the rurals if I leave the highway. So it will probably be a no-go.

AT&T finished their LTE rollout in Pittsburgh a few months ago (they've got a billboard about it everywhere you go around here) and the map makes it look like LTE is just about everywhere. I have a hard time believing that's the reality, though.

I'll likely get StraightTalk sims for both AT&T and T-Mobile so I can compare the two. Hopefully I'll found out T-Mobile's map is a bit out of date. For as much as I'd like to have that measely $30 T-Mobile plan, I have the feeling I'll have to go with AT&T. Too bad they don't offer a cheap plan similar to Tmobile.


Hey I'm in Pittsburgh too! I'm out by the waterfront, they have an att sign on the bridge but att isn't as cheap as Sprint. Small world. I'm on Sprint currently and besides the horrible speeds I have coverage everywhere. I even went on vacation to Hawaii and I had coverage everywhere I went. Sprint coverage is great imo. I'm also scared to switch, the coverage map showed good coverage here but I don't know if it's 4g or not... not enough detail in the map. My brother has t mobile and he says it's good until you get inside a building then all hope is lost.
 

bobjohnson201

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You could also buy an inexpensive Straight Talk phone (most are AT&T) and try it out. A lot of the simpler phones are free or a few bucks, and you can get the $30 limited plan. Drive around for a couple of days checking signal strength, then donate it to a local women's shelter or something.

Worst case, keep your current phone for a few weeks. You won't take to much of a loss reselling a nexus 4 anytime soon. :)

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

yea i was actually thinking of trying a cheap tmobile prepaid monthly 4g phone to see how the coverage is but I thought that things might vary with the n4 since its not the same device (different CPU's, so different speeds). idk. and if i return the n4 back to google they slap on a hefty 15% restocking fee i believe, so maybe it would be better to resell on ebay...? never used ebay though...
 
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Mellimel22

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Hey I'm in Pittsburgh too! I'm out by the waterfront, they have an att sign on the bridge but att isn't as cheap as Sprint. Small world. I'm on Sprint currently and besides the horrible speeds I have coverage everywhere. I even went on vacation to Hawaii and I had coverage everywhere I went. Sprint coverage is great imo. I'm also scared to switch, the coverage map showed good coverage here but I don't know if it's 4g or not... not enough detail in the map. My brother has t mobile and he says it's good until you get inside a building then all hope is lost.

That's how T-Mobile is here in Chicago where I live real good speeds until u get indoors and hopefully u are by a window lol

Sent from my EPIC WHITE SGS2 Rockin CM10 4.1.2 using Tapatalk 2
 

bobjohnson201

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That's how T-Mobile is here in Chicago where I live real good speeds until u get indoors and hopefully u are by a window lol

Sent from my EPIC WHITE SGS2 Rockin CM10 4.1.2 using Tapatalk 2

lol thats what im afraid of. the walmart dude told me that people were leaving t-mo and att because you had to go outside to make calls..
 

Nonymous666

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Hey I'm in Pittsburgh too! I'm out by the waterfront, they have an att sign on the bridge but att isn't as cheap as Sprint. Small world. I'm on Sprint currently and besides the horrible speeds I have coverage everywhere. I even went on vacation to Hawaii and I had coverage everywhere I went. Sprint coverage is great imo. I'm also scared to switch, the coverage map showed good coverage here but I don't know if it's 4g or not... not enough detail in the map. My brother has t mobile and he says it's good until you get inside a building then all hope is lost.
Yeah, I live up near Cranberry and get to stare at a couple of at&t LTE signs every morning on my way to work out by the old airport. T-Mobile still supposedly has coverage for me up around where I live, but it peters out real quick heading any farther north.
Thanks for mentioning buildings - I'll have to remember that when testing and not just go by signal bars when driving around. I had that problem with Sprint several years ago until they got around to getting some more towers.
The at&t coverage map for Pittsburgh is ridiculous... It claims complete LTE for a about a 30-40 mile radius around downtown with no gaps. I'm having a hard time believing that. Of course that doesn't matter for N4 phone. The map implies that everywhere LTE is, that HPSA+ is supposed to work, too. Wondering how true that is.
 

Mellimel22

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Yeah I've had all four and sprint by far had the best voice quality with vzw second and my sprint speeds aren't all that but I can use my phone comfortably INSIDE my home lol

Sent from my EPIC WHITE SGS2 Rockin CM10 4.1.2 using Tapatalk 2
 

Ticojpunk

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yea i was actually thinking of trying a cheap tmobile prepaid monthly 4g phone to see how the coverage is but I thought that things might vary with the n4 since its not the same device (different CPU's, so different speeds). idk. and if i return the n4 back to google they slap on a hefty 15% restocking fee i believe, so maybe it would be better to resell on ebay...? never used ebay though...

Reselling on eBay, you'd probably actually turn a profit right now. I was looking at Nexus 4's on eBay today and they are bidding up beyond their selling price. The shortage is driving up the prices. If you've decided to let it go, now is a very good time to do it.
 

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