New DROID -- Please talk some sense into me...

[Droidmaniac]

Well, after reading these forums for a month, I broke down Tuesday and grabbed myself a DROID! On the plus side, it's EVERYTHING you guys said it would be and more...

On the minus side, even though the Verizon rep, according to their map, shows A+ service in my area, I get nothing.
Zero. Zilch. Notta.

Fortunately, Verizon is about 6 minutes from my home, so a rep (props to Verizon!), came out to verify. He confirmed, no service.

They sold me an Extender at half price ($125 total -- but ok, why not free?), and that seems to work for the phone service. Went from no bars to 4 bars, and I'm using my wifi for web surfing.

I used the phone at work and showed it off like a proud daddy with a newborn baby.

On Friday our home internet was out, so that meant that we had no Droid phone and no Droid web over wifi, since the extender works only with broadband. That was an eye-opener. Almost scary. It's weird how disconnected and quiet it feels when you don't have that "connected" feeling to the outside world, even though we are less than 10 minutes from the big city!

Fortunately, my wife has a cellphone through another carrier, so at least we had something to use in case of emergency.

Bottom line, I've grown to respect you guy's opinion. If this situation was happening with you, would you keep the Droid or look for something else that you knew would always have reception in your home without depending on your home wireless provider or relying on an extender?

 

[brad03]

If you're like me, and don't have a house phone but just your cell phone, I would definitely switch. I mean, what if your wife isn't home one of the times the internet is down and there is an emergency?

If you have a house phone, it could be less of an issue. But even then, I still think I would very heavily lean towards switching.

While I love my Droid, I would have to pick reliability over the phone itself.

So really, its either have a phone that works all the time (and can do pretty much all the same stuff, if you go with another Android phone on a different network), or have a phone that works if your internet works but does some pretty cool stuff.

 

[messenger13]

I live in a rural area, and in the snow belt east of Cleveland, Ohio. With those negative factors against me, I've lost my internet 2 times in the past 6 years. The question for you is, how often do you lose your internet at home? If it's too often for your liking, then I'd say you need to look at other options. But if this was a fluke incident, treat it as such and carry on.

I guess I'm blessed with really good service here in my rural community. 3G ALL of the time, and never dropped calls.

 

[ultra50]

You should always pick the best provider for your area first and the phone next that you insure happiness...

 

[Barbara]

As much as I love this phone, if it was me I would have to find another carrier that worked. Although it was REALLY nice to have service (and I mean GOOD service) on my recent trip. There is something to be said about being with the most reliable carrier in the country if you are going to be doing any travelling. Is your yard big enough for a cell tower to fit in there? Or some other place nearby?

One of the cell companies put up a tower on our local high school football field. They put it in place of one of the light poles and attached the set of lights to the tower. They put up a privacy type fence and landscaping all around it and you can't really tell it's a cell tower unless you really look. Maybe you can see if an area high school would be interested. (Oh, and the cell phone company PAID the school! Win/win.)

 

[CRPercodani]

I once was setting up a few PC's at a farm, and noticed he had a cell tower in the back corner of his field. I asked him about it and he was telling me he gets a $1,100 check every month between Verizon and AT&T (they both use this tower) and he got $5,000 when they first installed it. His farm is located right next to I-91 in Massachusetts and is a perfect spot for a tower, so he had contacted both carriers through the web and he said it ended up taking about 2 weeks for them to install (but about 8 months before they could even start) everything. Also he gets free service from both of them.

 

[Crude]

Service first, phone second. This is the mistake all these Apple people make and the reason they want the iphone on Verizons network. If you're 10 min from the city you would think they'd have service....seems like this might be an oversight on Verizons part. DO they have plans to fix the coverage hole?

 

[droidosis]

You can and should call verizon and report it. They will send someone out to check and fix, or at least give you a reason. Gotta call main 1800 verizon# not the store. Make sure to write down your ticket # so you can follow up.

-droidosis-

 

[meekrab]

Some excellent responses so far. Here are some questions:

What service does your wife use?

Is verizon your wired internet provider?

The first thing I would do is speak to verizon through the main channel as droidosis suggested. It couldn't hurt, especially if verizon is also your internet provider, as they would be ultimately responsible for your ability to use your phone. If you live in a densely populated area, there is some chance that they may want to put up a new tower. This is, however, a best case scenario, and even in this best case, it would likely be a year until such a tower were completed.

What it comes down to, really, is how much do you like your droid? Is it enough to, say, buy an inexpensive throw-away prepaid phone or add another line to your wife's service? If you have you heart set on keeping the droid, these seem like viable solutions. This way you would be practically guaranteed a working cell phone in case of emergency.

If you would like to ditch verizon and the droid altogether, there are certainly good alternatives on other carriers (namely the nexus one).

Bottom line, imho, do not risk safety for the sake of a cool phone.

 

[alostpacket]

I once was setting up a few PC's at a farm, and noticed he had a cell tower in the back corner of his field. I asked him about it and he was telling me he gets a $1,100 check every month between Verizon and AT&T (they both use this tower) and he got $5,000 when they first installed it. His farm is located right next to I-91 in Massachusetts and is a perfect spot for a tower, so he had contacted both carriers through the web and he said it ended up taking about 2 weeks for them to install (but about 8 months before they could even start) everything. Also he gets free service from both of them.

That's awesome heh

 

[Geezer Squid]

I totally agree with the post telling you to contact Verizon directly. There may be something that can be done.

Also, I don't remember all the details, you'll have to search this and other forums, but wasn't there an "Update your PRL" thread that was supposed to help with cell tower selection by your phone? I don't remember the details, but I remember people responding after doing the "update" saying their at home signal strength had gone up. Did it invovle dialing *228? or 228* or something like that? My old brain is tired. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's worth a search. (excuse the rambling of an old man, I've been up since 5 am.)

 

[kbayer]

I've been in the same boat (and yes, Geezer Squid, you are right about the *228). It works if you can get a signal, but I can attest that even with no signal, an extender is also a miracle. It took me from 0 bars straight to 4 bars.

The downside? An extender works with your existing wifi and needs a GPS signal -- therefore, it's only as good as your home internet service (at least, in my experience).

In my case, just like DroidManiac's, Verizon showed super coverage in my area. We got the phone, got it home, flipped it on, and no coverage.

They sent a tech out to verify for us as well. We bought an extender and as I mentioned, it works, but our home internet service is crap (Internet America -- how's .05 mb/s sound?) Sometimes, like now, it hits 0.8 and I'll strap myself into the chair for safety's sake. Sadly, moreoften than not, we have to hold a mirror up the router every now and then to check if it's still breathing.

I noticed that when our wireless service is having a "good" day, the phone works great. If our wireless service is slow or patchy, then the conversations on the phone are patchy, where you get maybe every other word.

Anyway, we pulled the plug on the Verizon lifeline a few hours ago. The red Droid eye will soon flicker out. (Verizon said it should be totally disconnected in about 5 hours.)

I don't know what I'll miss more -- the Droid, or the commeraderie here at the forum. You guys have been soooooooo great and helpful.

Good luck in your decision, DroidManiac... I know it ain't easy.

 

[jamo]

I would say Provider>Phone. I would've used the iPhone a long time ago, except that I hate AT&T's service. I'm happy I didn't though, I'll take the black brick anyday.

 

[Droidmaniac]

Some excellent responses so far. Here are some questions:

What service does your wife use?

Is verizon your wired internet provider?

The first thing I would do is speak to verizon through the main channel as droidosis suggested. It couldn't hurt, especially if verizon is also your internet provider, as they would be ultimately responsible for your ability to use your phone. If you live in a densely populated area, there is some chance that they may want to put up a new tower.

Bottom line, imho, do not risk safety for the sake of a cool phone.

Good points... wife is ATT iPhone (ATT actually rocks out here, who knew?)

Internet provider is through a local satellite network.

Verizon said that they usually put towers wherever they need to, so our area made the list. Unfortunately, it will be 6-12 months.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Droidmaniac]

Anyway, we pulled the plug on the Verizon lifeline a few hours ago. The red Droid eye will soon flicker out. (Verizon said it should be totally disconnected in about 5 hours.)

I don't know what I'll miss more -- the Droid, or the commeraderie here at the forum. You guys have been soooooooo great and helpful.

Good luck in your decision, DroidManiac... I know it ain't easy.

Thanks everyone! Ya got me leaning towards the advice of "carrier first, phone second", which
makes total sense, but puts Droid out of the running.
So off to Nexus 1, or HTC HD2, or Motoroi, or whatever else is out there.
Damned sure gonna use the trial periods. No bullsh*tting around with
extenders.
Thanks kbayer, gonna miss your wacky humor. Looks like we were going through the same crap together. Where in the US (I assume) are you? Maybe we'll bump into each other in another forum.

 

[Droidmaniac]

I too have a network extender for service at my house. I guess the question would be how often does your home internet service go out?

We've been living in our current home since October 15 last year. The first several weeks was BAD... up, down, up, down -- but it got lined out pretty good after that. It's still feels like we're gambling in front of a slot machine when we log in.... is the net gonna be up or down?

Friday was the first time that it was down in a while, but we still had to ask ourselves if we wanted to have a cell phone that depended on an internet provider that was probably, fairly, 80% reliable?

You are right. We're still strugging with that question.

 

[CRPercodani]

If you have a old AT&T phone, or wouldn't mind using a cheap GSM phone from ebay ($30 bucks) then you could get a prepaid SIM for now and then when they get some Android phones out which should be soon you can sign a contract and get one. I know the Nexus 1 is coming to AT&T and the Moto Backflip.

 

[Droidmaniac]

If you have a old AT&T phone, or wouldn't mind using a cheap GSM phone from ebay ($30 bucks) then you could get a prepaid SIM for now and then when they get some Android phones out which should be soon you can sign a contract and get one. I know the Nexus 1 is coming to AT&T and the Moto Backflip.

Yes, looking at the Nexus 1 as you are suggesting.

Think the Droid will ever get picked up by ATT?
Jeeeeeez.

Breaking up is hard to do...

I could just move.

 

[shadowdude777]

I agree with everyone's points about looking into T-Mo coverage for the Nexus One, and failing that, get a prepaid phone with AT&T. Their prepaid phones are pretty expensive and ugly though. You might try getting a cheap unlocked GSM phone. Some of DealExtreme's phones are... rather interesting.

 

[JoeProcopio]

Yes, looking at the Nexus 1 as you are suggesting.

then you can stay on this wonderful forum!

 

[sooper_droid12]

I would not keep it. That's precisely why I left at&t. I got service every where except my home. And I'm sorry, but there are just too many emergent kind of situations that may happen at the home to risk not having a signal. My buddy, for that very reason, broke down and got a land-line to go with his iPhone. If you want to do that, then keep the DROID it'll serve you well. But if you're going 100% cellular, pick a phone with a carrier that works in and around your home. And that extender for $125? BS. 1/2 price, they got you for $125.

 

[dsmith]

The Droid is one of the worst phones you can get as far as service is concerned, if you like it you may try adding a second line. It only adds 10 bucks to your bill and I would bet you could get a phone that works in your home. I live in a similar situation and have been talking to verizon for years, they keep saying next year, so don't bank on them adding another tower any time soon.

I reactivated an old motorola 325i and now have excellent phone service in my home. When I am heading home now I simple forward my Droid calls to the 325 and it seems to work fine. I haven't tried it lately, but I think I can still tether the 325 to my computer for internet service if it is ever needed.

Just another thought...

 

[raremage]

The Droid is one of the worst phones you can get as far as service is concerned...

Huh? I may have missed something, where does that come from? For example, we've got a Pre and a Droid right now, and the Droid has much better service than the Pre when side by side.

 

[dsmith]

Huh? I may have missed something, where does that come from? For example, we've got a Pre and a Droid right now, and the Droid has much better service than the Pre when side by side.

It comes from years of cell phone use, I did not say it was the worst, just one of the worst. Obviously your pre is bad too. If you don't believe me, bring your Droid on over, my dumb phone will make your smart phone look ******ed.

In case you didn't notice I am still using my Droid, just have to work around it's limits.

 

[meekrab]

It comes from years of cell phone use, I did not say it was the worst, just one of the worst. Obviously your pre is bad too. If you don't believe me, bring your Droid on over, my dumb phone will make your smart phone look ******ed.

In case you didn't notice I am still using my Droid, just have to work around it's limits.

In the bowels of my NMR lab, the droid is the only phone I've seen that is able to maintain signal, dumbphones included. Bberries are practically useless. May be situational.

Back on topic, we're very sorry to see you go. Given your fondness for the droid, the motoroi seems like a logical next step. Let us know what you ultimately decide!