Cell Phone Service in NH- Verizon or ATT Customers Come In!!! (Bethlehem: prices, store)

[GregW]

We got cell phones so my elderly aunt would have some way to make an emergency call is she fell again. She had fallen and broken a hip and had to wait two hours until somebody found her. We did not want a repeat performance. We use T-mobile on a pay as you go system. It does not cost much because we use a near code that reduces chat time to nothing. T-mobile works most places we can see towers because it piggybacks on other services.

We are now investigating a faster connection as well as a new PC so we can use the home PC for video editing and similar tasks.

[GotBackHome]

Thanks, how long do your minutes last before they expire (if youhaven't rolled them over)? I see long stretches between uses and it can mount up pretty fast.

[GotBackHome]

[quote=GregW;7387047]We use T-mobile on a pay as you go system. T-mobile works most places we can see towers because it piggybacks on other services.


Hope your aunt is doing ok! T-mobile pay as you go is what I currently have. and the coverage is fine over on your side of the state. Unfortunately it $^($ west of Nashua. I went to the T-mobile store at Pheasant Lane and the guy showed me their coverage map: huge blank area west of Nashua until I think you get to Keene. I can get 1 bar in Hollis, but if I turn around it drops the call. a couple places in Milford and Brookline I can get 1 bar, but I know for a fact that it's completely dead in Greenville and New Ipswich (which is where we absolutely need it) because I've checked. Have to have something different, T-mobile won't work for us. But it's great east of Nashua!

[BF66389]

The problem with the area west of Nashua is based around 2 issues (that you'll find with most cell carriers):
1) The topography is not very conducive to good signal coverage not only will one tower's signal get blocked by the land itself...but it also results in a high number of multi-paths (where signals reflect off objects from a far away town) that confuse the heck out of your phone (the phone sees it as switching towers rapidly...something cellular networks can only do so fast before they drop it).
2) The population density is so low that putting in a very expensive answer to this "problem" isn't worth it. In a place like NYC (where the buildings cause the issue) its worth putting in thousands of small cells because you have a ton of consumers...west of NH- you might spend hundreds of thousands- to basically help maybe 100 people.

[BF66389]

Another option I forgot to mention (and this would only work in your home) is that you can setup your own mini-cell using a repeater. Basically the setup is this:
1) You place a directional antenna somewhere "locked" onto the best signal you have. Obviously you need to find *a* signal in some direction...but once you do the better reception of the directional antenna vs. the little omni-directional in your phone will improve that connection.
2) That gets plugged into a repeater.
3) Which is connected to an omni-directional antenna in your home...which broadcasts the "signal" your phone locks into. Generally its only powerful enough to broadcast within the home...and even then you may have issues if you're many walls away somewhere else in the house.

I think total setup cost is around $500 or so...

[maxxoccupancy]

I got a contract with Cingular, only to watch them be taken over by AT&T, which has the worst service known, especially in New England. People would laugh as my calls got dropped--standing still. They also try to charge you for countless services that you haven't used, or hit you with fees out of nowhere.

[Merjolie8]

I only know as far as Wilton, but we have had problems with both Verizon and T-Mobile. Just waiting for the Verizon contract to end to drop them. Bad customer service, dropped calls, bad coverage. T-Mobile at least has good customer service. BTW T-Mobile to go coverage is different (less) that their regular service.

A solution that might work for you it's a landline with measured service. You'll pay around $15/month and there are different plans. The one we have allows you 30 message units (calls of less than 5 minutes) per month. Incoming calls are unlimited.

[GotBackHome]

Thanks, Merjolie! really? the coverage on to-go is different? wow.
You're right about the measured service - I just talked with Fairpoint, and they said an unlimited local phone would be about $13 (plus taxes - maybe $10???) a month, and as far as long distance, it would be .12min whenever we used it (and heck, we could get a calling card if we needed to for cheaper). that's not nearly as bad as I thought! and it would let me have dialup for my laptop if the service is better than at my parents in Hollis )

So.... we might not have to go the cellphone route after all - which would make DH very happy.

But good to know that Verizon is that bad out there.

[BF66389]

You also may have the VOIP option...not sure if you're only going to want dial-up; but pretty much any other connection will support it.

[GotBackHome]

Considering that we'll probably only be at the house maybe 3-4 times a year, and not for any longer than a week (more likely less).. we're way too cheap to pay for anything more expensive than the dialup we already have. But once we move up.... then I want faster!