Best cell phone carrier for "wandering"?

[Kokopelli]

Time to get a new smart phone and sign a new 2 year contract. Can't decide who to go with, Verizon or AT&T.

Curious what folks experiences have been with these carriers as they "Wander the west". Does one stand out against the other?

Thanks!
-Rick

 

[rotti]

No contest. Verizon

MT, WY, SD, CO are my primary experiences.
Hell, AT&T doesn't even work that well in Denver!
Consumer Reports rates Verizon 1st and AT&Hell last.

 

[Barko1]

We have verizon on the phone through Walmart - Straight Talk. No contract, uses the Verizon network, set price, no surprises, and cheaper than my previous deal with Verizon. We also have an IPad that is on AT&T. We have had pretty good success with AT&T, often can get a signal with it when we have nothing on the verizon cell, but at times the opposite has been true. So what has worked best is to have the two different carriers, and of course in a lot of those remote places we have nothing which is OK as well. I know AT&T has a bad rep but I have been pleasantly surprised accessing the web when way out in the sticks.

 

[highz]

Where I am, Verizon is really the only choice. By the way, I cut down my phone bill by getting rid of the cell plan and got a MiFi wireless hub and Verizon data plan instead. I use Skype or TextFree on my iPod Touch to turn it into an "iPhony". The only drawbacks to this are having to power up the MiFi, and you don't have 911 with most VOIP. For 911, I have my SPOT.

 

[Barko1]

Where I am, Verizon is really the only choice. By the way, I cut down my phone bill by getting rid of the cell plan and got a MiFi wireless hub and Verizon data plan instead. I use Skype or TextFree on my iPod Touch to turn it into an "iPhony". The only drawbacks to this are having to power up the MiFi, and you don't have 911 with most VOIP. For 911, I have my SPOT.


What does the data plan cost?

 

[Overland Hadley]

Verizon.

 

[highz]

What does the data plan cost?


Varies depending on the data plan, which always seem to be changing. If you only need email, sending/receiving calls and updates to WtW, with some websurfing you can get by with the lower GB download plans. Mine costs $40 per month after all the hidden fees. It was part of a MiFi/iPad bundle plan.

If you plan on streaming movies, it might not be very cheap...

 

[MakersTeleMark]

Verizon in Colorado. Or a sat phone in the fun places.

 

[Lighthawk]

Verizon in Nor Cal.

Use an Android phone and you can use your annotated google maps (I even copied spots and info from WTW ) and it's accessible on your phone. Go one step farther with BackCountry Nav Pro ($10 app) and you can have GPS capability even without cell signal. It's even possible to take data from google maps and download a klm file which you will have on your BC Nav maps, again without any cell signal.

 

[leadsled9]

Verizon in CA, CO and AZ.

 

[natjwest]

Verizon in eastern WA and eastern OR and the east side of CA. I had ATT for a number of years, then switched to Verizon and every one of my regular locations has better service with Verizon.

 

[MarkBC]

I'm in Gerlach, NV, posting this via Verizon.
Cheeseburger at Bruno's!

 

[Overland Hadley]

I'm in Gerlach, NV, posting this via Verizon.
Cheeseburger at Bruno's!



I'm in Gerlach, NV, posting this via Verizon.
Cheeseburger at Bruno's!




That happens to me as well when I try and post from my iPhony.

 

[orion]

Verizon seems to reach a lot farther into the fringe areas (mountains and coast line). I dropped AT&T for Verizon a while back.

 

[White Dog]

I admit I have limited experience with cell phones but when we travel in the southwest during the winter, we use TracFone. The local cost is a bit high but the international rates are the same. Its cheap when we call back to Canada. We have never had a problem with connection right from Arizona through to North Dakota. My brother hasn't had any problem us the west coast either. Don't know about the east. Of course, as soon as we hit the Canadian border, service stops.

The problem for Americans visiting Canada and Canadians visiting the US is lack of cellular cooperation (whatever happened to Free Trade!). Once you cross the border, the cost gets pretty high if you get service from your provider at all. I saw one poor American couple in an electronics store in Alberta trying to figure out why their service didn't work when they had been 'guaranteed' it would. Our border my be long and friendly but it seems to be largely a cellular wall.

 

[Barko1]

I'm on the banks of the San Juan in S UT and am on an ATT connected IPad and have no signal on my Verizon network.

 

[craig333]

Well I finally entered the 20th century. Got my first smartphone. Htc inspire. Spent two days so far skimming the manual. By the time I get it figured out it should be obsolete

Stayed with ATT because they gave me the phone for free and I still have my insanely cheap calling plan. Besides one of these days you verizon guys will have no signal and i will and I'll gloat mercilessly. And I'll never admit I have no signal

 

[MarkBC]

Well I finally entered the 20th century. Got my first smartphone. Htc inspire. Spent two days so far skimming the manual. By the time I get it figured out it should be obsolete

The important thing, Craig, is getting http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/ bookmarked on the browser on your phone so you can keep up with what's happening in the greater camping world while camping.

 

[craig333]

Yeah, haven't figured out how to set favorites yet. Browsing on a phone is definitely different. I was surprised to find the thing comes with a pretty good map. Even has some dirt roads on it. Might have to look for camping apps.

 

[Barko1]

Yeah, haven't figured out how to set favorites yet. Browsing on a phone is definitely different. I was surprised to find the thing comes with a pretty good map. Even has some dirt roads on it. Might have to look for camping apps.


Campwhere seems to be a good app.