I currently have a Nokia 6015i that has been great at RF. I was wondering what current or upcoming phone will get at least as good or better RF for remote locations. I also desire a Tri-Mode phone and a lower cost. Thank you!
Your best bet would probably be the new Nokia 2865i. It sounds like it meets your requirements perfectly. It's a basic phone that carries with it a lower cost. You'll be going from a Nokia to Nokia so it'll operate about the same. It is tri-mode. Nokias are very tough to beat as far as reception goes. The Motorolas are good but the E815 is not tri-mode, neither is the Razr. The only other option is the Moto W315 but it appears that some people love that phone and others hate it and aren't happy with the RF. All in all, the Nokia 2865i sounds like a very good option for your situation. Although I will also say that I'm not sure how it specifically compares to the 6015i and its reception.
I would tend to agree with UFO's assesment 100%. And I can directly compare the 6015i to the 2865i as far as reception goes. The 6015i got amazing, amazing reception. I hadn't seen -dBs like that since I had a Motorola Timeport. The 2865i is small, sleek and the menu is almost exactly the same as your 6015i, though the screen on the 2865i is much better. Because the phone is smaller, the buttons are smaller and I suffer from FFS (fat finger syndrome) so it's rather hard for me to dial a number without looking at the phone. The reception with the 2865i is not as good as the 6015i but the 2865i is tri-mode and still gets very good reception, maybe a little less than the W315. You have a 15-day period when you can exchange the phone for another model with Alltel. So my suggestion is to try out the Nokia 2865i, since you know you like Nokias, and if you don't like it, try the W315. If you don't like that, you may want to return it to the office and have the contract removed and the phone price refunded to you, then go on eBay and pick up a gently used Alltel Motorola v710. That thing is a reception monster. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you!
I just recently purchased the 2865i and couldn't be happier. I used to have the Nokia 6255 which was a great phone but the 2865i is slightly better reception wise which is very important for me as I travel in very rural areas most of the time. I considered the w315, but there were such conflicting reports on it. It makes you think quality control might not be the best?? I am curently with Midwest Wireless and my wife got the Moto v323 which is also a great phone reception wise (seems comparable to the 2865) but I don't think that is available through Alltel. I highly recommend the 2865, a great size, non-flip, that excells at what a phone is supposed to do, make, receive, and hold calls!
Stay away from the Moto W315. The thing is a lemon! My V262 and V60 were awesome but my new W315 drops calls in my home all the time! Stay away! I hate it so much, I have considered buying a phone retail!
I greatly appreciate the advice! It will be used in making the decision. It's exciting the Nokias are both great phones! I will start with the 2865i and proceed from there if necessary. Thank You VERY much!!
How does one put a Nokia 6015i or 2865i into diagnostics to test RF? How about the Motorola W315 or E815?
http://www.wpsantennas.com/pdf/testmode/FieldTestModes.pdf It should tell you how to get most phones into Field Test Mode so you can see the strength of signal the phone is pulling down.
I did the test mode on three phones at the same time, all using the Verizon SID 528. MotoRAZR -63 dB LG VX8300 -68 dB Nokia 6015i -50 dB The website was incredibly helpful! Thank you for the help. What is the range of -dB, and what are good and poor signals? I will test more phones soon. During testing, the three were within inches of each other. The -dB fluctuated little, but all were consistently within the same range. In a rural town, the Nokia 6015i and a Moto E815 keep calls where two LG 3200's constantly change from digital to analog and also drop or fail to recieve calls. Also, while on an underground airport tram in Las Vegas, the Nokia maintained a call while simultaneously the LG and Moto dropped. We presume all were on the same tower. How interesting this is. A strong signal is important for us in the rural areas, so the phones that are strong for signal are nice. Again, your help is appreciated! Thanks!
The lower the number, the stronger the signal. No suprise here. The Nokia did the best while the LG did the worst! That is about right. -50 is about a full signal, full bars! You are pretty close to that Verizon tower. I get -85 to -95 in my house, about 2, sometimes 3 bars. Over -100 is pretty bad.
I would actually like to keep it. It has about 50000 minutes and locks up for no reason, sometimes while on a call. The buttons will not work at times. To get it going again I remove the battery. Funny thing, it's under warranty until December 17th, but the four times I have brought it to get repaired/replaced, they take the covers off and clean it, fuss with it a bit and send me on the way saying, 'that should do it, these phones are sensitive to dust, etc, etc.' LOL. Or they say I will have to buy a new phone, usually though at a discount. I will press the issue again today. Thank you for all the help!
