Coverage in Southwest Florida

[palumbobuilders]

I recently moved to Southwest, Florida, Naples area. Could anyone tell me who has the best reception? Thank You.

[Gamer03]

I recently moved to Southwest, Florida, Naples area. Could anyone tell me who has the best reception? Thank You.

Wow...

I live in the same area close to Naples (actually a couple of miles from the "city" limits).

What major intersection do you live by? Airport Pulling Road? Pine Ridge Road, etc.?

We used to have Sprint, and Sprint worked mostly everywhere in the city of Naples itself, but we switched due to Sprint having problems in our neighborhood.

We bought two Verizon phones on Saturday and we couldn't be happier with the quality and clarity of Verizon.

We haven't tried out Cingular GSM, so I don't know how they are. T-Mobile works well if you are pretty close to towers.

But imho, Verizon and Alltel probably have the best coverage in the area....and Verizon roams on Alltel for free.

Keep in mind that Verizon will be 1900 Mhz both inside and outside in Florida, so your reception will depend on how close to a tower you are.

If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Welcome to WA palumbobuilders.

[Gamer03]

Verizon is also planning on spending a big chunk of their money upgrading the five county area this year:

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=6241 (Verizon Plans to Spend More on Southwest Florida)

[Andy]

Also, Verizon's Flordia network is said to be one of the best built out markets in the nation.

[Gamer03]

Also, Verizon's Flordia network is said to be one of the best built out markets in the nation.

Well from my experience so far......that statement is correct.

And we couldn't be happier with Verizon.

[Andy]

Well from my experience so far......that statement is correct.

And we couldn't be happier with Verizon.

Glad to hear it, hope it stays that way.
BTW, I felt the same after leaving Sprint in 2003.

[Gamer03]

Most of the major roads around here like Airport Pulling Road, Pine Ridge Road, US 41, Golden Gate Parkway, Goodlette, etc. have a very strong signal with Verizon.

So that is why we switched to Verizon and our neighborhood now has a strong signal in our house (both inside and outside).

[palumbobuilders]

Thanks for the quick reply. Right now Im in Bonita Springs, but we will be moving to Naples, To Valencia Lakes area, East on Immokolee to Randall, I will have a job wher I will be riding aground Naples, Bonita Springs

Wow...

I live in the same area close to Naples (actually a couple of miles from the "city" limits).

What major intersection do you live by? Airport Pulling Road? Pine Ridge Road, etc.?

We used to have Sprint, and Sprint worked mostly everywhere in the city of Naples itself, but we switched due to Sprint having problems in our neighborhood.

We bought two Verizon phones on Saturday and we couldn't be happier with the quality and clarity of Verizon.

We haven't tried out Cingular GSM, so I don't know how they are. T-Mobile works well if you are pretty close to towers.

But imho, Verizon and Alltel probably have the best coverage in the area....and Verizon roams on Alltel for free.

Keep in mind that Verizon will be 1900 Mhz both inside and outside in Florida, so your reception will depend on how close to a tower you are.

If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Welcome to WA palumbobuilders.

[Gamer03]

Thanks for the quick reply. Right now Im in Bonita Springs, but we will be moving to Naples, To Valencia Lakes area, East on Immokolee to Randall, I will have a job wher I will be riding aground Naples, Bonita Springs

Your welcome.

Ok.

Hmm.....that area is pretty far out (at least I think it is since I haven't been out that way in the past couple of years).

Do you know the exact area that you will be moving to (house, condo, etc.)? If you do, then I would suggest you take a drive out their once you choose your new cell phone and test out the signal and quality.

Do you know how far Valencia Lakes is from I-75 at Immokolee?

I suggest either looking at Verizon or Alltel.

Let us know what carrier you try out. Remember to go to the places that you will be using your phone the most, and try out the coverage within their 15 day trial.

But like I said, Verizon or Alltel would probably work the best for you.

I hope this information helps.

[Andy]

You can also check out Verizon's coverage locator if you'd like:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/C...ype=NEWREQUEST

Looks like they have your area pretty well covered; Gamer, judging by the cov.locator, looks like some areas are still analog Extended...

[Gamer03]

Gamer, judging by the cov.locator, looks like some areas are still analog Extended...

There are still some areas that are Extended Analog, but those areas are extreme SE Collier County (approx. 40-50 miles as the crow flies....so since I live approx. 2.5 miles from the Gulf, I will be safe.

Also, the area that is depicted as "Extended Analog" is part of the Big Cypress National Preserve (northern tip of it) and Alligator Alley where there is nothing along it for 70 miles.....so actually Verizon covering the area even with parts of Analog is actually good.

So like I said, I will be safe with Verizon.

[azcellphonejunkie]

I know it may not be an option for him, but it's worth noting that Nextel has one of thier best network's in the state of Florida. They have invested a lot in Florida, and the state is covered very well by them.

[Andy]

I know it may not be an option for him, but it's worth noting that Nextel has one of thier best network's in the state of Florida. They have invested a lot in Florida, and the state is covered very well by them.

Verizon's coverage is overall still more built out and larger

[azcellphonejunkie]

Verizon's coverage is overall still more built out and larger

I'll agree with that, just noting that Nextel is very good in Florida. Then again, Sprint typically has good coverage too, but we all know the problems Gamer had with them!

[Andy]

I know what you ment Nothin against Nextel, I might still want to try them out myself sometime

[azcellphonejunkie]

I know what you ment Nothin against Nextel, I might still want to try them out myself sometime

If you are looking for the best Walkie Talkie features, then Nextel is a great bet. The others have them, but we both know they aren't up to the same standards that Nextel has built.

[Andy]

Yup-I know, only problem i don't know anyone else with Nextel, so that wouldn't be so good. Sooner or later though, I'm sure the competition will get better at PTT as well.

[azcellphonejunkie]

Yup-I know, only problem i don't know anyone else with Nextel, so that wouldn't be so good. Sooner or later though, I'm sure the competition will get better at PTT as well.

It's a nice feature when you are using it for business, but the novelty wears off after a while. I like being able to get in touch with my co-workers quickly, but for personal use, I would stick with a phone that gives you M2M minutes. One thing I don't like about Nextel is they don't have M2M minutes. It's either anytime n/w or Direct Connect. There are times when I want to talk with my co-workers about things that require more than DC access. When we do this we use anytime minutes. That is the one downfall of Nextel's rate plans.

[Gamer03]

Nextel is built out pretty well in Florida......but I remember one day that all of Nextel's towers were out within an area of two counties.

But I don't personally know how their network is....so I can't vouch for it.

[azcellphonejunkie]

Nextel is built out pretty well in Florida......but I remember one day that all of Nextel's towers were out within an area of two counties.

But I don't personally know how their network is....so I can't vouch for it.

I'm looking at a map of their coverage right now and they have pretty much the entire state covered well. At least in all the cities. The only interstate that isn't covered the entire way looks to be 75 from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples. Otherwise, most of the populated areas look to be good.

[Gamer03]

I'm looking at a map of their coverage right now and they have pretty much the entire state covered well. At least in all the cities. The only interstate that isn't covered the entire way looks to be 75 from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples. Otherwise, most of the populated areas look to be good.

That's true.....but you can't use a Nextel phone unless you are receiving a signal since they don't have roaming coverage in the US.....so that is why I like carriers that have roaming agreements to fall back on.....

Also, there are people on my campus that have Nextel, and I heard them say that they don't get a decent signal inside or outside of the buildings.

[azcellphonejunkie]

That's true.....but you can't use a Nextel phone unless you are receiving a signal since they don't have roaming coverage in the US.....so that is why I like carriers that have roaming agreements to fall back on.....

Also, there are people on my campus that have Nextel, and I heard them say that they don't get a decent signal inside or outside of the buildings.

You know what's funny, I just looked at the beginning of this post again and saw that the question came from someone who just moved to Naples. I guess if they were to head to the Eastern Coast of the state they wouldn't want to be on Nextel because of the gaps in coverage that I listed in my previous post.

Also, it doesn't sound like Nextel would be a good option for you or anyone else on your campus if getting calls while in class is important. When I was at ASU here in Tempe, I had all sorts of problems with Sprint inside buildings. Granted, that was in '99.

[Andy]

Also, Verizon is the most prepared for disasters, like Hurricanes and power outages with the most backup batteries/generators in place.

[azcellphonejunkie]

Also, Verizon is the most prepared for disasters, like Hurricanes and power outages with the most backup batteries/generators in place.

But....
When 9/11 happened, most cellular callers were not able to get out when calling on thier phones. However, Nextel users could still Direct Connect each other since it doesn't go through the POTS lines that were so congested. Nextel actually set up on site around the world trade center to offer DC services to the workers out there. Very cool!

[Gamer03]

You know what's funny, I just looked at the beginning of this post again and saw that the question came from someone who just moved to Naples. I guess if they were to head to the Eastern Coast of the state they wouldn't want to be on Nextel because of the gaps in coverage that I listed in my previous post.

Also, it doesn't sound like Nextel would be a good option for you or anyone else on your campus if getting calls while in class is important. When I was at ASU here in Tempe, I had all sorts of problems with Sprint inside buildings. Granted, that was in '99.

Yeah.....I think most if not all of the carriers have coverage gaps along Alligator Alley going east towards the east coast.

Right before you leave the Naples area, it says something this is the last gas station for 70 miles......

So it is "ok" for carriers to have coverage gaps along Alligator Alley.

[azcellphonejunkie]

Yeah.....I think most if not all of the carriers have coverage gaps along Alligator Alley going east towards the east coast.

Right before you leave the Naples area, it says something this is the last gas station for 70 miles......

So it is "ok" for carriers to have coverage gaps along Alligator Alley.

Huh, that is very interesting. I just have a Nextel map in front of me and haven't even looked at the other carriers. Would your Verizon phone work along that strech?

[Andy]

Yeah.....I think most if not all of the carriers have coverage gaps along Alligator Alley going east towards the east coast.

Right before you leave the Naples area, it says something this is the last gas station for 70 miles......

So it is "ok" for carriers to have coverage gaps along Alligator Alley.

Gamer, you should go on a trip to test out your new phones/service

[Andy]

But....
When 9/11 happened, most cellular callers were not able to get out when calling on thier phones. However, Nextel users could still Direct Connect each other since it doesn't go through the POTS lines that were so congested. Nextel actually set up on site around the world trade center to offer DC services to the workers out there. Very cool!

True, I agree with you, but I'm sure other carrier's users were able to use SMS, since it doesn't require a lot of spectrum.

[Gamer03]

Huh, that is very interesting. I just have a Nextel map in front of me and haven't even looked at the other carriers. Would your Verizon phone work along that strech?

I think there would be a few areas that would be little or no signal.

Here are the three different views from the Naples area across Alligator Alley to Ft. Lauderdale (the star is the general area where our house is):

[Gamer03]

Gamer, you should go on a trip to test out your new phones/service

I will.....but not until this July with my family.

I don't have any other free time with the classes I am taking.

In fact, I am taking a break right now from working on my seven page essay.....double-spaced though.