I-Phone
 

Is anyone using the new iPhone on the lake with ATT service? If so, what is the coverage like?

No.

We checked into getting an iPhone - coverage is not good in our area. We opted to wait until (a) iPhones become less expensive (which they just sorta did) and (b) the service gets better. When you add up the phone, internet, etc. you need to really use that baby the way it's designed to be used, it's about the same as a monthly new car payment. :eek:

AT&T Coverage is Poor Generally Here
 

I had a Blackberry through a previous employer (AT&T network) and the coverage was horrible up here. I have a Verizon phone and the network coverage is quite good....so, you are at risk of having lousy coverage and a cool paperweight. :D

Jetskier:cool:

AT&T service
 

What side of the lake are you on specifically?

I have an Iphone
 

I live in Jersey so coverage here wasn't an issue. I was able to get a phone signal at the lake (Alton area), but no internet unless I was standing in the middle of the road in downtown Wolfeboro. I could get the internet there.

So, I was able, occasionally, to read my e-mail, but I don't think it was enough to make it worth it for anyone who lives there.

If I were you, I would pass.

nj2nh

Laconia Side
 

I am on the Laconia side. I could not get a signal in Laconia, Meredith, Gilford etc...

Jetskier:cool:

My iPhone has pretty bad service in the Lakes Region. Gilford and the eastern side of the lake into Alton are particularly bad. Review the coverage map at the link below. It is fairly accurate.

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/

Verizon Coverage Map
 

Hi all,

I am including the coverage map for Verizon...not that this will help you with the iPhone but it is a basis for comparison.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/C...0LEVEL%20SEVEN

Jetskier:cool:

Sprint
 

I get sprint service all over the place in the lakes region, even on my trek to north conway up rt 25 to 113 to 16. I might turn into roaming service above center harbor but service is still there. Also on the lake I have service that is not roaming. Going towards alton and Wolfboro by car it turns into roaming by about west Alton Marine.

It is tough though it depends on the phone as well, my wife's phone on the same service jumps into roaming more than mine does. She has a sanyo flip phone with camera and picture phone with Internet capabilities and I have the Sanyo Katana, which is like the motorola Razor, and the service and the clarity on it is great from RI all the way up to the place I love the most!

I have some family that has t-mobile and they have service up until meredith and then their phone is constantly searching and they find a oddly named network that have roaming and other charges tacked on.

I wouldn't bother with an iPhone until...

1) The service is carried on better (faster) network; AT&T stinks on ice.
2) The units are equipped with removable batteries. iPhone is just like iPhone. Ridiculous.
3) The price point drops further. It will.

Now -- if you are looking for a smart phone that does a lot and has a really attractive price point, check out Palm's new offerings through Sprint. I have no idea what the coverage is like up in the Lakes region, but the hardware price is hard to beat.

cell phones
 

I found it interesting that I cannot use my att cel phone in Alton, but will pick up signal south of chichester into hookset. But I got it in Wolfeboro last weekend.

Actually, it's gotten much better. Two years ago, there was ZERO signal in Wolfeboro, and basically nothing from midway between Epsom and Alton circles north into Wolfeboro. In Tuftonboro, there was a weak Cingular/AT&T signal coming over from the Weirs area, but nothing decent until last year. Last summer, the Wolfeboro area signal got a good kick in the pants, and now it's decent. But still "crickets" between the two circles.

Before switching a few years ago, I never had a problem getting a signal ANYWHERE in the region using Verizon. Alas, my new work building rendered Verizon's signal useless, forcing many of us to switch to Cingular.

cingular
 

We had cingular and just switched to verizon. Having a summer place in gilford and being up there 4 months during the summer and off and on during the winter I used to many other towers and cingular would never let any of the 4 phones on the same plan upgrade again....Verizon is the way to go around the lake

Cell Phone Coverage
 

I thought they put in new cell towers in Alton to provide much needed cell coverage. There was very heated discussion about the Alton towers some time ago. Did those Alton cell towers go up? I thought they did.

"Can you hear me now?"

When we moved to Alton in 2001 we checked with several natives about which cell phone service they recommended. We had been using US Cellular and were happy with the service but it was a no-go in Alton.

Anyhow, you'd be amazed at how many people swore by TracFone!

(We ended up using TracPhone for several years... and are now shopping for a regular phone because service has improved.)