Cell phone plans and coverage

[undecided]

I'll be starting training at Millis on Monday, and switched cell phone plans to Cricket about a month ago. Their coverage sucks in Chicagoland using the phone I'd been using before without any problems using Verizon, but seems to be a lot better with the crappy "free" phone I got when I switched. I can't switch back to Verizon for 5 more months without changing phone numbers, and don't know if I have to stay with Cricket for another 5 months to keep my number or not. Which leads me to these questions:
1) is anyone able to tell me their experience using Cricket while driving OTR?
2) what companies/plans would people recommend for good coverage?
3) can I get mobile data without a phone plan? I don't use the phone much for calling or texting but mobile data would be a necessity while driving from what I can see.

 

[mndriver]

Suck it up and go get a Verizon phone

 

[r3gulator3]

1 had boost not cricket it sucked really bad outside of any major metropolitan area. I would assume cricket to be about the same as with most prepaid phones.

2 Verizon and AT&T have the best mobile coverage. Sprint frequently will drop calls or not have data as will TMobile

3 yes

 

[undecided]

I've got a Verizon phone. Are you trying to say the coverage with Cricket is that bad?

 

[r3gulator3]

I've got a Verizon phone. Are you trying to say the coverage with Cricket is that bad?

Yes

 

[Nomad1]

At&t is ok. Verizon is the best. The rest of them are only ok in major metropolitan areas. Verizon is the only one worth spending money on in my opinion.

 

[undecided]

1 had boost not cricket it sucked really bad outside of any major metropolitan area. I would assume cricket to be about the same as with most prepaid phones.

2 Verizon and AT&T have the best mobile coverage. Sprint frequently will drop calls or not have data as will TMobile

3 yes

I had AT&T for a couple of years and had to go outside to use my phone, and even then calls would get dropped. Where can I get mobile data without a phone plan?

 

[r3gulator3]

I had AT&T for a couple of years and had to go outside to use my phone, and even then calls would get dropped. Where can I get mobile data without a phone plan?

You can buy a tablet from Verizon and have just a data plan set up on it.

 

[mndriver]

Actually got two Verizon devices in the truck. One is my cell phone and the other is a tablet which is also my hotspot and eld.

I started with Verizon, went to AT&t, went to T-Mobile, and said the hell with the rest and went back to Verizon

 

[Electric Chicken]

@krelithous

 

[krelithous]

@krelithous

what i agree with mndriver about verizon being the best service and it just works no matter where you are!!! i had ATT go into a store or a place to eat no service and now there hiring in third world countries verizon reps are based in the usa. i'll pay for that as i always get my problems fixed because the person on the other end knows what in the hell i am talking about. and att's mobile plans are moronic now!!! who in the hell needs 5 streaming plans for your device when they still cap you at 22 GB and throttle your ass!!! and yes they will be capping there 5G service to at 22 GB'S verizon don't cap there 5G service at all!!! t-mobile is shit to in rual areas no service or your roaming even out here you go around a corner and you still will get no service!!! and there over selling there network it's so congested i couldn't even hit 1 MB download speeds. and t mo has other hidden fee's that they don't tell you. like if you file an ins claim you pay the deductable but yet they want you to pay them 20 smackers for shipping the replacement device on top of that. and they will only ship your replacement device to the store if you live 35 miles close to one they will not ship a device to your home if you live 35 miles to a store. is it really worth saving the 10 or 20 a month to me no it's not!!!

 

[krelithous]

i think i would much rather be with a company that sells me more data as i like to be put first in line to connect to the internets. ever drove down the 405 in 4g lte it's congested. ill pay to be put first in line it's a better experience than being throttled all the god damm time

 

[itruckertransforming]

Well, I think

Verizon is the best mobile coverage and it just works no matter where you are!!

AT&T is also strong coverage and also for tv benefits.

T-Mobile is reliable for coverage and best speeds.

But in the end, I went back to Verizon.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Verizon coverage is great but their call quality sucks, or at least used to.

 

[r3gulator3]

Verizon coverage is great but their call quality sucks, or at least used to.

I have no problems with call quality.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I have no problems with call quality.

I've had different phones and carriers so I know it wasn't my end, but they always sounded like they were underwater. People on AT&T, Sprint, etc were always clear.

 

[r3gulator3]

I've had different phones and carriers so I know it wasn't my end, but they always sounded like they were underwater. People on AT&T, Sprint, etc were always clear.

As I said I have never had that issue. Maybe it’s your neck of the woods back when.

 

[Electric Chicken]

As I said I have never had that issue. Maybe it’s your neck of the woods back when.

Maybe. It's possible they've improved lately. They used to use a low frequency for distance, which sacrifices quality.

 

[Mike]

AT&T or Verizon. Those are your best options. Don’t waste your time with deciding if one is better than the other for OTR because they both have their good and bad locations.

My last company job, I had my AT&T phone, and the company provided me with a phone from Verizon. There were places where one would work and the other one wouldn’t. Neither showed themselves to be in any way better than the other.

 

[undecided]

This is a little off topic, but do you guys use your phones for calling much while working? I can see using it for directions and that, but not much more. I'd rather not talk on the phone if I can text or use the internet, and I bet there a lot of others out there like me.