I made an observation about network performance on my Droid. I purchased my Droid at Best Buy and they activated it on my Alltel 1200 plan. I had a rock solid 3G connection for about three weeks and didn't notice any switching to 1x in the Newton/Wichita/Hutchinson Kansas area, where I regularly commute.
Then I switched to the Family Share Select Plan with Verizon, because when I went to buy my wife a Droid online, it demanded that I switch to a Verizon plan first. The Family Share Select Plan looked like a good deal and I'd saved a few bucks, so I went for it. The first thing I noticed right after I changed the plan was that it said Verizon Wireless on the lock screen and notification panel. And I also noticed that it was on 1x almost constantly. 3G was a rarity at that point.
A few days later, my wife's Droid came in and I tried to activate it, and it refused to activate over the phone or on the website. So I called 611 and talked to a rep, who advised me that I screwed up my account by switching to Verizon's plan, due to the fact that I have a third line with an Alltel phone, and put me back on the Alltel plan. Immediately upon hanging up I noticed that the Verizon Wireless tag on my lock screen and notification panel disappeared and my 3G was back to being rock solid on.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this. I find it curious, because I was under the impression that Verizon and Alltel were operating on the same network now, so there really shouldn't be such a difference. At either rate, I'll shell out a couple more bucks to stay on the Alltel 1200 plan and keep my 3G.
Then I switched to the Family Share Select Plan with Verizon, because when I went to buy my wife a Droid online, it demanded that I switch to a Verizon plan first. The Family Share Select Plan looked like a good deal and I'd saved a few bucks, so I went for it. The first thing I noticed right after I changed the plan was that it said Verizon Wireless on the lock screen and notification panel. And I also noticed that it was on 1x almost constantly. 3G was a rarity at that point.
A few days later, my wife's Droid came in and I tried to activate it, and it refused to activate over the phone or on the website. So I called 611 and talked to a rep, who advised me that I screwed up my account by switching to Verizon's plan, due to the fact that I have a third line with an Alltel phone, and put me back on the Alltel plan. Immediately upon hanging up I noticed that the Verizon Wireless tag on my lock screen and notification panel disappeared and my 3G was back to being rock solid on.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this. I find it curious, because I was under the impression that Verizon and Alltel were operating on the same network now, so there really shouldn't be such a difference. At either rate, I'll shell out a couple more bucks to stay on the Alltel 1200 plan and keep my 3G.