Going to Get New Cell Phones And Need Help

[CKN]

Originally Posted by alarmguy
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by alarmguy
I dont agree with you discounting LTE service. My ATT LTE could not possibly be any more reliable then it currently is so I dont understand your statement regarding that.
My ATT simply works wherever I am and no one will be able to tell me how I will be better off having a 5G phone at this time there is no use for it at this time and will not be for the next 5 years.
My personal experience with AT&T's 4g LTE service is that the performance/throughput drops precipitously at lower signal strengths. I need two bars or better to get any kind of reasonable performance. 1 bar? Forget any Internet use. VoLTE calls? Forget it. This is what I consider unreliable. I have an old 3g flip phone that I have to use at my country house if I want to make any calls.


I can agree with you, we all know, with any cell service, it is possible you might be one of the unlucky ones where coverage, no matter what cell company, is not ideal.
That happens to all carriers. I am an expert on this subject, as I connected alarm systems to cell service providers for close to the last 8 years and have extensive experience with ATT and Verizon, which depending on the area one might be better then the other.

Another problem sometimes is people blame the carrier but its also possible its the phone itself.
Blows my mind that people get google phones, but that is another subject. A lot of people could care less about privacy anymore, never thought I would see the day, but people will feel their privacy to the best buyer AKA Google.


Privacy-in today's world you have none-unless you go out of your way to prevent it. Don't use a VPN (I don't), drive a late model car with a "black box" I do. Use a disguise so the prevalent ring doorbells on every house in my neighborhood, in addition to all the security cameras in just about every establishment you patronage,-don't know who I am-I don't. NOW-how about the Insurance companies (you do have insurance-don't you?) that sell your information, or how about the credit card companies and Equifax selling your buying history?

Dude....a google phone doesn't provide any info that I haven't listed above.

As an "expert" you should know this.

BTW-as someone who has traveled EXTENSIVELY around this beautiful country of ours-Verizon has the best coverage-no one else compares.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by CKN
as someone who has traveled EXTENSIVELY around this beautiful country of ours-Verizon has the best coverage-no one else compares.
You are correct, however, this is about to change now that Verizon lost the Federal Government agency's cell phone service provider contract to AT&T. The contract stipulates that there is coverage to virtually every square inch of the country, which is why Verizon is so good.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by CKN
Originally Posted by alarmguy
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by alarmguy
I dont agree with you discounting LTE service. My ATT LTE could not possibly be any more reliable then it currently is so I dont understand your statement regarding that.
My ATT simply works wherever I am and no one will be able to tell me how I will be better off having a 5G phone at this time there is no use for it at this time and will not be for the next 5 years.
My personal experience with AT&T's 4g LTE service is that the performance/throughput drops precipitously at lower signal strengths. I need two bars or better to get any kind of reasonable performance. 1 bar? Forget any Internet use. VoLTE calls? Forget it. This is what I consider unreliable. I have an old 3g flip phone that I have to use at my country house if I want to make any calls.


I can agree with you, we all know, with any cell service, it is possible you might be one of the unlucky ones where coverage, no matter what cell company, is not ideal.
That happens to all carriers. I am an expert on this subject, as I connected alarm systems to cell service providers for close to the last 8 years and have extensive experience with ATT and Verizon, which depending on the area one might be better then the other.

Another problem sometimes is people blame the carrier but its also possible its the phone itself.
Blows my mind that people get google phones, but that is another subject. A lot of people could care less about privacy anymore, never thought I would see the day, but people will feel their privacy to the best buyer AKA Google.


Privacy-in today's world you have none-unless you go out of your way to prevent it. Don't use a VPN (I don't), drive a late model car with a "black box" I do. Use a disguise so the prevalent ring doorbells on every house in my neighborhood, in addition to all the security cameras in just about every establishment you patronage,-don't know who I am-I don't. NOW-how about the Insurance companies (you do have insurance-don't you?) that sell your information, or how about the credit card companies and Equifax selling your buying history?

Dude....a google phone doesn't provide any info that I haven't listed above.

As an "expert" you should know this.

BTW-as someone who has traveled EXTENSIVELY around this beautiful country of ours-Verizon has the best coverage-no one else compares.



Hey man,
Your first sentence says it all. "Privacy-in today's world you have none-unless you go out of your way to prevent it."

Just saying this for the benefit of others who do care about privacy and without question they will never get it with a google/andriod device.
If they do care, Apple is a starting point.

Wont get into this with you, because you do not care or go out of your way to secure your privacy, just pointing out your attitude is an attitude you are completely free to have without being disparaged just as those who do wish for privacy are not disparaged, whatever floats ones boat but dont say its pointless or I could go into a thousand reasons why it is perfectly sensible.

First and foremost is letting google know your every thought and desire, then advertise to you, by knowing what the triggers are in your brain, to sell you stuff that you never would have bought in the first place.
There is no such thing as free and if you think for one minute all the free stuff and programs and ad free email from google isnt making them a TON of money by knowing how your brain works better then you do, then I got a bridge to sell you.

Its all good man but dude, respect others desires to not share their brains, deepest thoughts and desires with google.
You can have privacy and you can fight back or you can lay down and let them have your body and mind and give you free stuff in exchange, its all good.
Your just kidding yourself if you think you have no choice but to share your deepest thoughts and desires with google and all the apps on android..

This is for the benefit of others =

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/24/18017842/tim-cook-data-privacy-laws-us-speech-brussels

For the challanged, click here )
But dont take his word for it, no way, do your own research and prove him wrong.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by CKN
as someone who has traveled EXTENSIVELY around this beautiful country of ours-Verizon has the best coverage-no one else compares.
You are correct, however, this is about to change now that Verizon lost the Federal Government agency's cell phone service provider contract to AT&T. The contract stipulates that there is coverage to virtually every square inch of the country, which is why Verizon is so good.


If you travel around the country maybe you have a point.
But I have to question you, ummm ... do you carry both an ATT phone and Verizon phone to confirm your statement?
If you dont, how can you make these comments? (its almost like saying what the best motor oil is).

I have covered every inch of South Carolina, including border states, darn close to 700 miles a week for years. During this time I DID carry and use two phones, every day, every corner of this state.
One phone ATT, the other phone Verizon. depending what remote area I might find myself, it was pretty darn close to a draw as to which phone may not have coverage in some scary remote area.
Add to that, I connected security systems and commercial fire systems to ATT and Verizon networks so I certainly have experience enough to make these comments. You can have a home at the bottom or a hill with no coverage and the homes at the top of a hill and again, its possible that one or the other might work.
So why I say, choose a phone service that is good for your area, yet with that said, your pretty darn safe choosing either one.

Best part is with a no contract phone you can switch to ATT or Verizon at any time of the day or month. Its truly a thoughtless process and one where the debate is almost as pointless as to which brand motor oil to use or which brand of gas to put in your vehicle.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by alarmguy
Originally Posted by wag123
You are correct, however, this is about to change now that Verizon lost the Federal Government agency's cell phone service provider contract to AT&T. The contract stipulates that there is coverage to virtually every square inch of the country, which is why Verizon is so good.


If you travel around the country maybe you have a point.
But I have to question you, ummm ... do you carry both an ATT phone and Verizon phone to confirm your statement?
If you dont, how can you make these comments? (its almost like saying what the best motor oil is).

I have covered every inch of South Carolina, including border states, darn close to 700 miles a week for years. During this time I DID carry and use two phones, every day, every corner of this state.
One phone ATT, the other phone Verizon. depending what remote area I might find myself, it was pretty darn close to a draw as to which phone may not have coverage in some scary remote area.
Add to that, I connected security systems and commercial fire systems to ATT and Verizon networks so I certainly have experience enough to make these comments. You can have a home at the bottom or a hill with no coverage and the homes at the top of a hill and again, its possible that one or the other might work.
So why I say, choose a phone service that is good for your area, yet with that said, your pretty darn safe choosing either one.

Best part is with a no contract phone you can switch to ATT or Verizon at any time of the day or month. Its truly a thoughtless process and one where the debate is almost as pointless as to which brand motor oil to use or which brand of gas to put in your vehicle.

I don't question your experience alarmguy.
I used to have Verizon before I retired. As I needed to cut my expenses, I switched to AT&T. I immediately noticed that I could not get coverage on AT&T in some areas where I used to get coverage with Verizon, like many rural parts of Texas for example. My brother and I went on a vacation together a couple of years ago, he has Verizon. His phone worked in some areas where mine would not, like many rural areas and in the mountains for example. Granted that my GSM phone itself may have been part of the problem, but there is no denying the fact that Verizon had the Federal Government contract and AT&T did not, or that AT&T has now won the Federal contract, or that the contract stipulates nearly coast-to-coast and border-to-border service.

 

[alarmguy]

It's all good WAG123 and I certainly respect your experience regarding Verizon in your area. Maybe the LTE difference was a factor and maybe it wasn't.
I myself would even be willing to say that Verizon has an edge in many areas and I was just commenting that in some areas AT&T might have an edge maybe to a lesser degree I don't know.
It's interesting what you brought up about the government contracts.
I can say it's great being able to have a cordial conversation in these forums!

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted by alarmguy
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by CKN
as someone who has traveled EXTENSIVELY around this beautiful country of ours-Verizon has the best coverage-no one else compares.
You are correct, however, this is about to change now that Verizon lost the Federal Government agency's cell phone service provider contract to AT&T. The contract stipulates that there is coverage to virtually every square inch of the country, which is why Verizon is so good.


If you travel around the country maybe you have a point.
But I have to question you, ummm ... do you carry both an ATT phone and Verizon phone to confirm your statement?
If you dont, how can you make these comments? (its almost like saying what the best motor oil is).

I have covered every inch of South Carolina, including border states, darn close to 700 miles a week for years. During this time I DID carry and use two phones, every day, every corner of this state.
One phone ATT, the other phone Verizon. depending what remote area I might find myself, it was pretty darn close to a draw as to which phone may not have coverage in some scary remote area.
Add to that, I connected security systems and commercial fire systems to ATT and Verizon networks so I certainly have experience enough to make these comments. You can have a home at the bottom or a hill with no coverage and the homes at the top of a hill and again, its possible that one or the other might work.
So why I say, choose a phone service that is good for your area, yet with that said, your pretty darn safe choosing either one.

Best part is with a no contract phone you can switch to ATT or Verizon at any time of the day or month. Its truly a thoughtless process and one where the debate is almost as pointless as to which brand motor oil to use or which brand of gas to put in your vehicle.



Yes-due to my occupation (since retired) I have had widespread experience with AT&T and Sprint.

 

[PandaBear]

If you know for sure you will get good deal on Verizon service for life go for the Verizon locked one, you can always unlock it after contract expire (or whenever years you need to stay with).

The wait for 5G is not really worth it right now in the US. Roll out takes time and even LTE takes a long evolution to be where it is today, with different categories update and band re-purposes to make it fast and good in coverage. Just stick to what is useful and then upgrade when you need to. You won't be the early adopter and pay the early adopter premium this way.

The only real reason I would put 5G on a must have list is the fixed location broadband substitute (i.e. 5G for home internet), or integration with laptop data plan to make laptop truly useful when you are out without wifi.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by alarmguy
It's all good WAG123 and I certainly respect your experience regarding Verizon in your area. Maybe the LTE difference was a factor and maybe it wasn't.
I myself would even be willing to say that Verizon has an edge in many areas and I was just commenting that in some areas AT&T might have an edge maybe to a lesser degree I don't know.
It's interesting what you brought up about the government contracts.
I can say it's great being able to have a cordial conversation in these forums!
The Federal Government uses a LOT of cell phone voice and data services. There are many federal agencies like the... FBI, ATF, FAA, FCC, DOD, FDA, DOJ, EPA, CIA, ICE, INS, IRS, Secret Service, NSA, NPS, Veterans Administration, DOA, DOE, DOH, DVA, SSA, GSA, NASA, DOL, FTC, FEMA, NOAA, NRC, NTSB, and many many more federal agencies whose employees use cell phone services for government business purposes. Many years ago the Federal Government figured out that they needed to contract the cell phone service out to ONE company so that there wasn't a patchwork of different providers being used by all of these different agencies, and also for simplified billing, payment, and record keeping. When you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. As with all government contracts, there are specifications that must be met by the winning bidder. In this case there is a specification for coverage area (service availability), and this time, 5g service was included in the contract. Verizon has held the contract for many years. Last year AT&T won the contract. AT&T has been given some time to upgrade their coverage area and hardware to meet contract requirements and they have been working furiously to build-out their infrastructure. I have a personal friend that works for a private contractor that builds towers and installs/upgrades/maintains the transponders/microwave/network/power supply hardware for the cell phone companies. He travels all over the country and he is NEVER home! BTW, he uses Verizon now, but he said that he will likely be switching over to AT&T when his contract is up.

I assume that you are in the process of upgrading your customer's equipment to 4g LTE since both AT&T and Verizon are turning of 3g at the end of the year?

 

[alarmguy]

We have been upgrading for about two years, (maybe more I lost track of time)knowing about the sun set of 3G. I'm not sure if there's a correlation but it seems like a lot less communication errors with the LTE units.

With that said I am now as of this year semi retired and working part time for a financial institution in a climate controlled environment which I plan on doing for a long time as I do enjoy working and not really about financial need. The benefits package is fantastic even part time.

LOL

 

[RedJuin]

It's past time for me and Mrs. Sierra048 to get some new cell phones. I've already narrowed down the phone we are getting with the help of my son. My question concerns "unlocked" phones. Up until the other day I had never heard of an "unlocked" phone. I've been a Verizon customer for the past 21 years and don't have any reason to change as I'm happy with their service and coverage. I also get discounted rates due to being a retiree of Verizon. We can definitely find much cheaper phones than what they offer so that is what we plan to do. The phone maker offers two types of phones; One is specifically for Verizon, one is an unlocked version for less money. Would an "unlocked" phone work just as well as the Verizon specific phone on the Verizon network? We mostly place/receive calls, text and use some useful apps. No movies, games, etc... Your opinions would be very helpful and appreciated..

I bought a very cheap unlocked cell phone for my wife from imeshbean. It works well, she loves it.