Comments on: Would you pay for better cell voice/data coverage at home?

By: mellie smith

mellie smith — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:04:51 +0000

I agree with others, that AT&T customers shouldn’t have to pay extra for something we are already supposed to be getting – good 3G signal! so, the microcell is just another rip-off of theirs. I pay a lot each month for my iPhone service and am tired of waiting for 3G signal to reach my area!

By: Femtocell market update for week of 23 November 2009 « 3G In The Home

Femtocell market update for week of 23 November 2009 « 3G In The Home — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:41:51 +0000

[...] Survey: would you pay for better cell voice/data coverage at home? [...]

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:15:06 +0000

You don’t need to waste money and buy any 3G microcell. All you need is WiFi, an iPhone or iPod Touch for now and download an app called Vonage Mobile from the same company.

http://www.vonagemobile.com/phones_iPhone-info.html?lid=fom_iphone

http://www.vonagemobile.com/phones_Touch-info.html?lid=fom_ipod_touch

When you call using the Vonage app and you are in an WiFi zone, the app automatically uses WiFi to make the call for you and you can talk for free within the U.S. without using any cell minutes. You can also make call internationally and Vonage rate is lower than even Skype and Truphone. But calls within the U.S. are free and nobody has this but Vonage. Currently, the company does not advertise this WiFi feature widely yet because I am guessing they are preparing some infrastructure behind the scene before launching at a larger scale and so it is not well known. Currently you can only make outgoing calls but in the near future around Dec 09 – Jan 10 time frame, Vonage will release a new update to the app which will allow incoming calls as well. Since it will be SIP and VOIP, I think that incoming calls will not use you cell minutes in a WiFi zone either. The call quality is superb, at least on a par with 3G or almost as good as landline. Oh also the app is available for the iPod Touch as well. When the new app will be released that allows incoming calls then the iPod Touch will act like a “poor man” cell phone that does not require any phone contract. You buy an iPod Touch to listen to MP3 and then it will double as a wireless phone as well while at home or in an WiFi zone. So if you have poor 3G reception at your home, get an iPhone or iPod Touch equipped with a microphone and then download the Vonage app and then you can yap for free for hours without having to worry about missed and dropped calls. Vonage said that it will release this app for other smart phones in the future but it is currently available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The version for the Blackberry can only be used for the moment for low rate international calls but it does not work with WiFi yet.

By: Pol Pot Pie

Pol Pot Pie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:13:42 +0000

I wanted to use the TMob service for my 2G iPhone (running on TMob), and was informed that I needed one of their crappy phones and would need to extend my contract for 2 more years in order to get one. Ummm, Pass.

By: Jay B

Jay B — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:42:53 +0000

How on earth can AT&T, or any of the carriers for that matter offer to charge you more for something you are already paying for. Let Verizon and everybody else sell the iPhone and let’s see who cares about providing the best service.

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:07:32 +0000

Here in the greater Portland, OR area, I use Clear — a WiMax service — and I get unlimited internet (minimum 3mb/s) plus unlimited phone for $64/month including all taxes.

It’s a great deal.

Alan

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:04:31 +0000

Actually – i would not purchase one of these devices from a carrier – rather – I would purchase a device based on the square footage and band(s) needed to be covered. There are a bunch of devices that are good.
Many, many office buildings, various gov’t agencies, create their own repeated networks to improve and boost coverage.
For $250 or so, you can get a great cell repeater.

By: Rita

Rita — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:54:30 +0000

I would pay.

I work from home and coverage is patchy. I frequently leave my study to get a cup of coffee – and when I get into the kitchen (where there is coverage) I get voicemails and missed calls.

How many of those missed calls might have been projects? Customers who didn’t leave a message?

I suppose I could forward all calls – but I never remember…

So yes, I’d be happy to pay to get my cell to work perfectly. Indeed, if I got unlimitted calls I’d dump the landline.

Of course I would love it if they gave better coverage: but at the end of the day, we pay for that anyway… And all attempts to put in new tower in my neighbourhood get blocked, so it ain’t happening.

So, yes, I think they ought to give it to me as part of the contract.

But if they don’t, well, I’ll pay for it.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:43:17 +0000

Like one of the other posters, AT&T doesn’t even have 3G in my town and the “E” coverage is like having dial-up. I do, however, have a wireless router (not even Apple) in my home and the iPhone uses that signal to give me service at least as fast as 3G, if not better. I’m not a techie, but why not use your wireless router for no extra charge (assuming you have broadband cable)? Seems like AT&T had the golden egg handed to them with the iPhone and has just sat on their profits as opposed to actively addressing their coverage issues.

By: Terry White

Terry White — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:41:58 +0000

AARON,
Like people, companies fight and makeup all the time. When it comes to making a buck, I think they will put aside their differences. Look at how many years Apple has openly advertised against Microsoft (even to this day with the I’m a Mac campaign) and no one would have taken the bet that Bill Gates would be on stage (via satellite ) behind Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple, but it happened.
So while we may not see a Verizon iPhone next month, I do believe that Apple (in order to continue to grow) will have to have more than one US carrier and most likely it will be Verizon.

By: AARON

AARON — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:32:21 +0000

Not to hijack this topic, but now that Apple has joined the advertising campaign against Verizon. Does this mean the end of a possible Verizon Iphone anytime soon? Thoughts?

By: azureblue

azureblue — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:25:04 +0000

Why pay extra for something you’re suppose to be getting in the first place?

By: T-Bone

T-Bone — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:06:48 +0000

I have a Blackberry, but would really like to have an iPhone. The problem is AT&T has crappy coverage where my son goes to college, so we are on a Verizon family plan.I would not “help” out AT&T. I would switch services even if it meant I could not have an iPhone, which I did.

By: AARON

AARON — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:51:53 +0000

Don’t get me started on AT&T’s 3G coverage. I have had the iphone from day one and there is still not 3G coverage in my home town…they should charge me less….anyway
That is some craziness….especially if you’re an iphone user and have a wireless network in your home. Why pay ATT even more money, I’ll just stick to skype on my iphone if I really need to make an important call. Bottom line….Apple is the ONLY reason keeping me with AT&T.

By: D. Burns

D. Burns — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:24:51 +0000

For all the reasons you pointed out in this article is precisely why femtocells have not taken off here in the US. In fact rollout of femtocell devices in Europe has slowed because providers are not seeing much financial reward compared to the cost to manage the devices. For most consumers adding a femtocell solution doesn’t make financial sense. If you want to keep your cell phone but you have limited coverage you might consider using Skype as an alternative.