Verizon vs. AT&T in SF Bay Area

[spunk]

I'm finally signing up for service! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Live in Los Altos (94024, Palo Alto area), travel up to San Francisco, sometimes San Jose. Travel nationally from time to time (CO, TX, MA, NY, DC, etc), so probably getting a national network plan (like ATT's nat'l network or VZ's america's choice). Family has Cingular, but CING has poor reception in our house (0-1 bar). Coverage and clarity are crucial for me. Any tips? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] CDMA or GSM/TDMA?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Thanks!

[northform]

Verizon, generally, has the best coverage, but is lacking in some parts of Texas where they are PCS. Check out the Verizon map at http://www.verizonwireless.com/ics/plsql/coverage_maps.map_popup?p_mkt_code=New%20England&p _name=Verizon%20Wireless%20PREPAY%20Package:%20Mot orola%20V120cpp%20with%20$15%20Setup%20Card

The light green is PCS coverage, the blue is 800MHz coverage, and the dark green is analog coverage.

GSM and CDMA are close in voice quality (the GSM EFR codec has a slight edge). Just make sure that if you go with CDMA that you get a phone that is 1xRTT voice compatable (much better voice quality than regular old CDMA).

If you need more coverage you should probably go with Verizon, but the minutes that ATT is offering make them a tempting package. Compare Verizon's ACTUAL map above (their other maps are rate areas not coverage areas and although you can roam a lot of companies are blocking roaming so that they don't have to pay the roaming fees for customers who have no roaming plans) with ATT's map and see which one suits you. Remember that with Verizon you can roam on to analog. You can't do that with most GSM phones (you could get ATT's multi-band service).

Personally, I would go with ATT's GSM charter plans. If you need multi-band, the Siemens S46 is a nice phone. I wouldn't go with just TDMA. Verizon phones get terrable battery life. Verizon doesn't offer a lot of minutes.

[ILUVSOCAL]

http://www.verizonwireless.com/ics/plsql/coverage_maps.map_popup?p_mkt_code=New%20England&p _name=Verizon%20Wireless%20PREPAY%20Package:%20Mot orola%20V120cpp%20with%20$15%20Setup%20Card

That map is very innacurate, showing areas as being covered that aren't, and showing areas that are covered as not being covered(my area of Northern California for example)

[northform]

Your area isn't covered by Verizon. They are simply footing the bill for another carrier in that area.

[ILUVSOCAL]

Yes, we are covered by Verizon. We are 100% Verizon digital thank you very much [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[grendal]

I don't live out that way, but when I visited there for work I had no problems driving all the way up and down Hwy 1 and into San Fransisco with no loss of coverage the entire time I was there. I don't even remember it going into analog at all.

Good luck,

Michael

[ILUVSOCAL]

Hit Hwy.1 north into Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, there are several dead spots, though to be fair all the wireless carriers in those areas are lacking.

[CommuteMan]

Originally posted by: spunk
I'm finally signing up for service! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Live in Los Altos (94024, Palo Alto area), travel up to San Francisco, sometimes San Jose. Travel nationally from time to time (CO, TX, MA, NY, DC, etc), so probably getting a national network plan (like ATT's nat'l network or VZ's america's choice). Family has Cingular, but CING has poor reception in our house (0-1 bar). Coverage and clarity are crucial for me. Any tips? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] CDMA or GSM/TDMA?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Thanks!

I've been happy enough with ATT in the Bay Area to stick with it for at least the last 7-8 years, and I have used ATT TDMA in all of the states listed above. Moved from TDMA to GSM in October, with S46/Multi-band as insurance for national travel. Works flawlessly.

CM

[jayc]

As far as texas is concerned... VZW has that market on top agenda as far as expanding coverage. Several towers have been added recently (in the 100's).

[ILUVSOCAL]

Being pretty flat, Texas is easy to cover too [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[wookie]

I was in the same situation you're in a month ago. I just switched over to Att's tdma after using Sprint.
What a difference ! Used to get 0-1 bars at my house, lousy call quality, and dropped calls. With Att so far, No problems at all, and constatly get 4-5 bars. I've also tried using Verizon for a couple of weeks before I signed up for Att. But for some reason, my reception was very poor, often switching from digital, analog, and extended network (which I found out was Sprint). It switched so often one night, after a full charge, the battery died out overnight. It's probably just the location of my house (walnut creek) and I'm guessing Att's tower's a little closer. While traveling I couldn't really tell the difference in signal strength between the two carriers.
I really did not need web browsing and other features, and just wanted reliable, clear, and strong connection, so I just signed up for the Tdma.
I would recommend trying both carriers and testing them out, especially at your house where you had poor reception before, and cancel one of them after deciding. I didn't mind paying a few dollars to help me decide before signing up on a year contract.

[Ozzman]

my analog comes in sometimes when i go up into the mountains, which is nice since i see my brother's phone (cingular) and his friends (att) and my friend's (sprint) all cut off leaving me with the only phone that can make a call. analog is outdated as hell and its sound is not great but it does come in handy, as for roaming, i dont have to worry about it with Verizon, ive gone into roaming once or twice, (switchs over to ATT the one time i can remember, basicly just says something ATT and makes the call) cool thing was i didnt really see a big bill for it, only about a buck i think or less. which is worth it for me cause i know i can make the call when i need 2. Verizon is just awsome, i love them and would not go with anyone else.. but the main reason u should get them is because of the TECH, if ur going to be traveling u want to know u have tech 24/7 and they KNOW what they are talkin about, not just some morons that got a temp job, like most companys i know. i have a wait time of about a min MAX, and they get all my questions answered and over with, and if they cant they figure out who can (like last night when i needed to see if getting online with my phone hooked up to my laptop costs me extra-which btw doesnt :-D ) oh yeah i dont know if ATT offers this, but i can go online with my cell at about 19,200 speeds (between 14.4 and 28.8) which isnt too fast but is fast enough, connected to my laptop, so thats always cool. well dont know if any of my info helped but hope it does.

[Merlyn3D]

Was that whole thing just one big sentence? I got lost halfway through it. Anywho, I cast my vote for verizon cuz my roommate had ATT and I have VZW. Don't get me wrong, BOTH are good, but we've made the drive on highway 1 to half moon bay and those areas, and VZW seemed to have more coverage than ATT's TDMA networks.

On the tech support issue (I assume that's what the above poster meant with "TECH"), Verizon's good, yes, but they have their fair share of problems. Definitely far ahead of any other cellular company except for maybe ATT. I've heard really good things about ATT's tech support, but I can't speak for them. Having experienced VZW's tech support first hand, I much say I'm very pleased. All you do is dial *611 from your phone (a free call) and for me, it's never been more than 15 seconds until I was answered by a customer service rep.

I'd say try both out. VZW has a 15-day worry free policy so get their phone, try it, and if you like it keep it. If not, return it without losing anything.