Help with cell phone reception??

10 years ago

Sorry: this isn't a computer question but you are the folks I think might know something about this. We are out in the country but at least have decent DSL. However, our cell phone signal is weak to none at home. Fortunately, our cell phone needs at home are not necessary. We are in our 60's and have a good deal thru Consumer Cellular: essentially $40/month for two cell phones and shared 700 minutes (and some data that we aren't really using with old basic phones). Consumer Cellular uses ATT towers. We used to have Verizon, that Was totally no signal, but recent visitors now have decent coverage in our house. However Verizon is still a lot more expensive.

So: my wife is getting tired of her old phone. She would like to have an i-phone or at least a smart phone. Obviously she doesn't really need it and won't use it nearly to capacity, but it would be cool (if it worked). A couple months ago I was talking to a Consumer Cellular rep. and she said that newer phones than our old (2 years plus probably old models then) Moto. Razor phones now have better reception. I believe the theory might have been that companies are upgrading 3 or 4G service rather than the 2G of the old razors.

Does anyone know if the newer phones receive better? Consumer cellular apparently has some refurbashed i-phone 3's that might be about our speed (and expense) rather than the latest thing that would be too much for C. Cellular anyway (they cater specifically to old folks like us).

Comments (8)

Elmer J Fudd
10 years ago
I think as the carriers have added "Gs" the biggest impact has been on data speed (smartphone use) and not so much call quality. There's no industry standard for Gs as between different systems, so one carrier's 4 G isn't necessarily faster than another's 3 G.

Other than people who need smart phones for work (and many do), I'm not sure that too many people truly need a smartphone. But once you have one, you never want to be without it, that's for sure!

All smartphones can be used on Wifi for data, so most people do that when home and at work to economize on data charges.

As far as carriers go, I'm a longtime (like >25 years) Verizon Mobile customer but I live in an suburban area well served by towers. The only areas around me with weak signals are in the more remote hills and valleys and a few coastal areas. Unless your house is situated differently from those around you, check with neighbors to see what carriers they use and how strong their signal is.

Good luck.
PKponder TX Z7B
10 years ago
My old Razor has served me well, but it doesn't have half the signal as my hubby's basic LG phone. There are spots inside my house that I get zero signal and others have no issue with signal.

It's time to upgrade, at least for me.
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I started off something is changing or about to and then you answered that question later in your post -- the providers are outsourcing the towers. It is a cost saving measure -- not only do they put maintenance in the hands of specialists who can work on any provider's towers, they are moving to combining towers so the hardware cost, the land rents, the need for number of people and locations are all reduced as well. Why can you not do the deals directly? Economics. You have one tower. You are inexperienced and are going to be in over your head. They won't want to deal with you on solo terms, They either have to stop and explain everything or you will be run over. It will take them far more time to deal with you than it is worth to them. It is also likely to cost you more time than it is worth to you. A good attorney in a specialized area would be cheap at $500-600/hr and could be $1000/hr or more (top guy -- who probably has associates and paralegals at a lesser rate doing some of the work and also billing). Every time you talk to them, they talk to the tower lawyer, read documents or do any work, you get billed. You would likely burn up years of the rent you are currently getting and it may outweigh the increases they would be offering for years to come. And that's not only the original deal, but wth any questions or problems down the road. My DH was involved in some licensing deals 7 or 8 years ago and they are still dealing with disputes on those. Not using experienced, specialized lawyers who know what issues to spot and forsee would be against your interests. Stupid in laymans terms. But again, it would cost them more money to deal with you as someone outside the game and they might not even talk to you. They have likely set up a system to have all their contracts the same and want to keep it that way for simplicity and efficiency. My guess is that you would get nowhere. They will wait for you to give up and come to them or find another spot and leave you out of the deal. What I would look at is whether you are willing to have the tower on your property for as many years as they need it? Does it limit your use, interfere with anything? Would it prevent you from leasing or selling the property down the road (a buyer might like the income, but depending on their purpose, the tower could get in the way and nix the deal -- but the income might also lessen the interest you have in selling the property). I get the frustration -- you don't seem to know enough to understand what is happening and what it should be worth to you. You want to make sure you get a fair deal. Your negotiation position is limited. I just entered cell tower lease in google and the first hit is for a group that says it works with property owners, government agencies, etc in negotiating leases (steelintheair - I know nothing about them, so proceed with some caution). I'm sure the will want to sign you up and claim a fee or possibly a percentage of the rents you would recieve. You could start with talking to someone there or a similar group. I would expect a strong sell and some pressure to sign up -- not unlike the personal injury lawyers on TV. But stand your ground and get questions answered first and make sure you understand what the will and won't do for you. Read carefully any contract they offer and consider having another attorney look it over to make sure you don't sign away something without realizing it. Know exactly what it is going to cost you to have them represent you and why it would be a benefit over not using them. Perhaps this group or another had contacted you or your neighbor. Compare notes. Your taller tower is likely worth more, so don't focus on dollars so much as concepts and rights in the deal (how add-ons are treated, whether rents increase over the years or with inflation, etc.). Don't be rushed into signing anything. Make sure you understand everything before you sign. Sleep on it, get away from it and make sure you don't have any forgotten or unrealized questions (you probably will at some point -- the pros get into years of disputes because what they thought was clear isn't so clear years later, but you want to minimize those issues). The values aren't likely to decrease in the short term. There is sometimes a premium for the last folks who sign -- but you risk them finding a way to go around you and having nothing at the end of your current term (maybe sooner if there is an out under the current lease). I've just scratched the surface and this is long. Haven't seen or read anything -- can you see why it could cost a small fortune to try to go it alone? On the other hand, for no real time or effort on your part, you could wind up with a nice stream of income -- but it isn't likely to replace your day job. Enjoy it, don't be run over, but don't get thinking greedy if you want to stay in the game. And that's about all I can tell you -- keep in mind I know nothing about any particulars and my answers are intended to be common sense replies to general questions, not particular legal advise. As my mom always said, it may be worth exactly what you paid for it. But I hope it helps at least a bit.
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ilmbg
10 years ago
I am now using Verizon- not willingly, but I need to use it when I am up in northern Wyoming for some volunteer work there also.
In San Antonio the signal is zip! Dropped calls . I have to stand at the window for a good connection.
In the boonies of Northern Rocky Mountains I get a better signal-BUT...I have noticed if I pull my blinds down in either place, the signal is much worse! I think the metal of the blinds interferes with the signal.
I have used a few different phones. The sensitivity of the 4g android does much worse than a plin ol simple phone.
The maps, Gps, do not work in the 3g area, which is all of Wyoming/Montana.
If you are thinking of getting a more expensive phone I would make certain you can bring it back. ..
Elmer J Fudd
10 years ago
In my experience (Verizon and ATT), carriers are pretty quick to add capacity and coverage where they have customers and logjams. In a small town or in remote areas (other than on an interstate highway), it's a different story.

Dead spots and signal shadow areas in particular areas are unavoidable, that comes with the technology.

The current issue of Consumer Reports compares phones and carriers. Verizon comes out first nationwide and also in most markets. I used to have two phones, Verizon and ATT, and it was not unusual to have a strong signal on the V phone and little or no signal on the ATT one. This was in different parts of the SF Bay area, not out in the boonies.

Edit -
The place to place signal variability issue was why I suggested this user check with neighbors to see if one carrier works better or worse than others.

This post was edited by snidely on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 1:50
kudzu9
10 years ago
There are phones out there that will give you better reception, but it's impossible to say which ones without trying them. You could buy the most expensive phone on the market and it might not perform well in your location. I suggest you find out what models your friends use that get better reception, regardless of who their carrier is, and try one of them out. As ilmbg pointed out, make sure you get one that you can bring back if it doesn't perform better than what you have now.
DA_Mccoy
10 years ago
No offense to anyone, but I suggest you focus mostly on the responses you get from members who live in like circumstances. Remember topography, natural surroundings, and distance are your enemies.

In my case I live in in rural America in a terrain depression equi-distant from three distant towers. The original local network was poor. Through the years along came 3G which was an improvement. Finally, Verizon partnered with the local provider and the 4G LTE arrived with vast improvement.

In some instances there is nothing that can be done as the signal is finite, and doesn't bend.

I wish you luck as I know how frustrating it can be.

DA

This post was edited by damccoy on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 19:34
cat_ky
10 years ago
You cant go by brand of phones either. My daughter used to get excellent reception when she visited me, but, her hubby didnt. They both got new phones, and both got the brand, they previously had, but, now it has switched, and she cant get any reception here, and his is excellent. I do have close towers, and have full bars all the time on both my last phone and this new one. Wish my last phone would have lasted a couple more years. I did get 5 yrs out of it, but, I really liked that phone. I really dont like this new one, not even a tiny bit.
jane__ny
10 years ago
When I lived in NY I had a Blackberry through Verizon and I never lost a call. Moved to Florida, Blackberry worked well but I noticed lower bars. Bought the new I Phone with Verizon and it is terrible. I can't make any calls inside my house or back yard. Most time the phone goes to voice mail and I don't even realize I missed a call.

This is Florida - flat as a dime! Phone is terrible.
NYC is surrounded with huge buildings, hills, etc. Blackberry worked like a dream.

I think its the fault of the phone so I agree you should speak to people in your area and find out how their phones work and what carrier is best.

Jane

This post was edited by jane__ny on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 23:47

Help with cell phone reception??

Comments (8)

Elmer J Fudd

PKponder TX Z7B

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