Go Back   Winnipesaukee Forum > Winnipesaukee Forums > General Discussion
Home Forums Gallery Webcams Blogs YouTube Channel Classifieds Calendar Register FAQDonate Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-18-2014, 07:43 PM   #1
MGWillia
Senior Member
 
MGWillia's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Alton Bay!
Posts: 165
Thanks: 116
Thanked 128 Times in 46 Posts
Default Updated Cell Phone Suggestions???

Hi there. Did some searching and I know the subject has been covered, but it's been a few months and people were talking about new towers etc that had yet to come on line. My contract is coming up soon. Before I sign up for another hitch with Verizon, I wanted to ask.. What's the current best carrier at the lake. Particularly the Bay area. Thanks
Marty
MGWillia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2014, 10:18 PM   #2
VitaBene
Senior Member
 
VitaBene's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Moultonborough
Posts: 3,527
Thanks: 1,561
Thanked 1,599 Times in 820 Posts
Default

Verizon for Moultonborough
VitaBene is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2014, 07:35 AM   #3
ishoot308
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island
Posts: 5,907
Thanks: 2,279
Thanked 4,924 Times in 1,906 Posts
Default

Verizon and AT&T seems to have the best coverage on the lake.

I have AT&T and am very pleased with them. Alton Bay is the only place where service is spotty, therefore if that's the "bay" you are referring to, you may want to get Verizon. I am not certain of where Verizon's spotty areas are...

Good luck!

Dan
__________________
It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!
ishoot308 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2014, 08:25 AM   #4
BroadHopper
Senior Member
 
BroadHopper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Laconia NH
Posts: 5,504
Thanks: 3,113
Thanked 1,089 Times in 783 Posts
Default Glidden Cove area

Cell phone reception is very spotty. You would need to walk up to the road to get reception. Also the west side of Sleepers is spotty.
__________________
Someday may never be an actual day.
BroadHopper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2014, 06:01 PM   #5
garysanfran
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: San Francisco/Meredith
Posts: 1,489
Thanks: 602
Thanked 629 Times in 320 Posts
Default Verizon in Meredith...

Brother has AT&T. Uses the land-line 50% of the time.
__________________
Gary
~~~~_/) ~~~
~~~~~~~~
garysanfran is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Old 10-20-2014, 07:47 PM   #6
DesertDweller
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Las Vegas, NV and Moultonborough, NH
Posts: 361
Thanks: 24
Thanked 84 Times in 70 Posts
Default

I am on AT&T and my reception at the house (Moultonborough) is spotty. We also have a Verizon hotspot for internet access and that always seems to have a good signal.
DesertDweller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2014, 09:44 PM   #7
AB_Monterey
Senior Member
 
AB_Monterey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Alton Bay
Posts: 291
Thanks: 86
Thanked 78 Times in 49 Posts
Default

I just switched from Verizon to Straight Talk using Verizon towers.

I noticed no difference in connectivity in and around Alton.

$45, unlimited everything. No other fees.
AB_Monterey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2014, 05:05 AM   #8
Slickcraft
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Welch Island and West Alton
Posts: 3,211
Thanks: 1,167
Thanked 1,999 Times in 913 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by AB_Monterey View Post
I just switched from Verizon to Straight Talk using Verizon towers.

I noticed no difference in connectivity in and around Alton.

$45, unlimited everything. No other fees.
Looks like a good deal provided that: you don't use more than 3 Gb/month of data and you don't want a current year top end phone.

The unlimited data throttles down to an undefined low speed after 3 Gb in any given month. The available phones are either reconditioned, low end or prior year high end phones. Looks like you pay full price up front for phones.
Slickcraft is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2014, 06:48 AM   #9
Phantom
Senior Member
 
Phantom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Berlin, Ma / Gilford
Posts: 1,931
Thanks: 445
Thanked 604 Times in 340 Posts
Default

Again -- if you are referring to Alton area

My daughter & I both have AT&T ... she is at WAM with horrid spotty coverage (when at the Marina she actually has to rely on WiFi)

I am up in Saunders Bay area and have no issues

Overall, cruising the Lake I see little difference between my former Vz coverage and the current AT&T... there is always areas that are spotty. But it is EXTREMELY frustrating if your home/base area is one of them. Thus the warning of AT&T in the general Alton area


.
__________________
A bad day on the Big Lake (although I've never had one) - Still beats a day at the office!!
Phantom is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Phantom For This Useful Post:
upthesaukee (10-21-2014)
Old 10-21-2014, 07:21 AM   #10
B-Laps
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 15
Thanks: 2
Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom View Post
Again -- if you are referring to Alton area

My daughter & I both have AT&T ... she is at WAM with horrid spotty coverage (when at the Marina she actually has to rely on WiFi)

I am up in Saunders Bay area and have no issues

Overall, cruising the Lake I see little difference between my former Vz coverage and the current AT&T... there is always areas that are spotty. But it is EXTREMELY frustrating if your home/base area is one of them. Thus the warning of AT&T in the general Alton area


.

Verizon has terrible coverage at WAM as well.
B-Laps is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to B-Laps For This Useful Post:
upthesaukee (10-21-2014)
Old 10-21-2014, 07:25 AM   #11
upthesaukee
Senior Member
 
upthesaukee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Alton Bay
Posts: 5,545
Blog Entries: 2
Thanks: 2,393
Thanked 1,918 Times in 1,061 Posts
Default Actually improved in Alton, just not at West Alton Marina

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom View Post
Again -- if you are referring to Alton area

My daughter & I both have AT&T ... she is at WAM with horrid spotty coverage (when at the Marina she actually has to rely on WiFi)

I am up in Saunders Bay area and have no issues

Overall, cruising the Lake I see little difference between my former Vz coverage and the current AT&T... there is always areas that are spotty. But it is EXTREMELY frustrating if your home/base area is one of them. Thus the warning of AT&T in the general Alton area


.
The new tower in Alton just off Rte 28 and approximately above Echo Point is active for AT&T, and has been for almost a year. Where before the tower, my daughter and son-in-law had spotty coverage at our house just outside Sandy Point and about a half mile off the lake, they now enjoy four to five bars at our house, including in the middle of our house which is solid walls toward the antenna.

Verizon, which is also on the tower, has yet to turn on their equipment, although it has been there for almost the same amount of time as ATT . When in sight of the tower at Prospect Mt south of the Alton Circle, coverage for Verizon is good, and also is good going out the bay and out on this end of the lake, overall. We hang out in Robert's Cove on occasion, and always have good coverage down there out on the water.

I keep my boat at WAM as well, and unfortunately you are correct, Phantom; the coverage in the Marina is somewhere between slim and non-existent.

I am ready to upgrade my phone, but if Verizon doesn't get that tower up soon, I may switch over to AT&T. I would like to pare down my Metrocast business, including phone, but can't do that without good cell coverage.

Verizon in Alton Bay right now...Depends on where you are. ATT in Alton Bay...much improved with some spotty areas still a problem. Of course, in rural hilly, mountainous areas, coverage can be expected to be spotty.
__________________
I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!
upthesaukee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2014, 11:23 AM   #12
Highlander
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Alton Bay
Posts: 74
Thanks: 1
Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts
Default

We live near Echo Point and had Straight Talk via Verizon for a few years. The service was spotty at best and very poor at our house. We waited for the new tower to go online only to find out that AT&T will be the only cell carrier on that tower and that Verizon will only have data available from that tower. We switched over to AT&T in the spring and now have great service at the house. Both carriers have their dead zones around the Lake and between here and Concord. Overall I would say that AT&T has as good or better service overall than Verizon and is much better in the Alton Bay area.
Highlander is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2014, 03:59 PM   #13
patman
Senior Member
 
patman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NH
Posts: 374
Thanks: 56
Thanked 152 Times in 76 Posts
Default

If you have Verizon...and your house is in a dead spot...call customer service and make noise about switching and then ask about a femtocell, or "network extender" It's a gizmo that plugs into your home internet, and acts as a tiny ("femto") cell tower in your house. Retail was about $150, some reps will give it to you for free, others will give a deep discount. It depends on who you talk to and how good a story you can tell. That doesn't help on the road or on the lake, but it works great at home. Other providers may have similar deals, I only know about Verizon.
patman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2014, 09:45 PM   #14
upthesaukee
Senior Member
 
upthesaukee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Alton Bay
Posts: 5,545
Blog Entries: 2
Thanks: 2,393
Thanked 1,918 Times in 1,061 Posts
Default Tried it...

Quote:
Originally Posted by patman View Post
If you have Verizon...and your house is in a dead spot...call customer service and make noise about switching and then ask about a femtocell, or "network extender" It's a gizmo that plugs into your home internet, and acts as a tiny ("femto") cell tower in your house. Retail was about $150, some reps will give it to you for free, others will give a deep discount. It depends on who you talk to and how good a story you can tell. That doesn't help on the road or on the lake, but it works great at home. Other providers may have similar deals, I only know about Verizon.
A friend has one. I borrowed it. If I remember the specs, it is good for an area of approximately 5000 sq ft. Sounds great, until you figure out that is about 40 foot radius from the antenna. From the most central place in my house, I could not be on my cell over at my detached garage, or standing across the street talking to my neighbor. My friend uses his at "the lakehouse" and it is just barely effective sitting on the beach with the unit sitting in the window of the cottage. In range, it worked quite well. I just don't want to spend the money on a gizmo when if the antenna was active on that tower, I would have great service on my phone anywhere in my 1.6 acres!

Thanks for the suggestion, Patman...can be a good solution for some folks, but just won't work in mine.
__________________
I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!
upthesaukee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2014, 10:10 PM   #15
goldengirl
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 16
Thanks: 29
Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Default No luck with Sprint!

This subject has come up many times at our lake house. We are in Meredith and have Sprint and the service is terrible and got worse this year since they removed a tower in the Weirs area (we were told). Like some have said, "spotty" at best or no service at all. Most of our visitors have had good luck with Verizon. We plan to change providers and hope for better luck. Last weekend our landlines weren't working either so we had no phones at all! Ugggh
goldengirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-23-2014, 11:49 AM   #16
glennsteely
Senior Member
 
glennsteely's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Mantua, N.J.
Posts: 472
Thanks: 90
Thanked 111 Times in 38 Posts
Default Really funny....

I have a sprint unlimited plan here in new jersey, 5 phones, unlimited everything, have had the same main number on the plan (mine) for almost 15 years. I come up to the lake 2-3 times a year, (on a good year) and i never have any issues at all.....besides the up and down the mountains and hills normal reception issues, my service ia always very good at the lake.
__________________
You have to go out on a limb sometimes, cause that is where the fruit is. You can't get to the fruit from that nice safe spot, clinging to the trunk of the tree......
glennsteely is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2014, 11:19 PM   #17
Misha888
Senior Member
 
Misha888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Gilford, NH
Posts: 340
Thanks: 280
Thanked 90 Times in 62 Posts
Default You should look into Page Plus

they are a VMNO (Verizon Mobile Network Operator). They don't offer 4G, but it's a month to month contract and who really needs more than 3G anywho? We can still check our investments, make trades, deposit checks, download e-mail and surf the web.
I pay $31. per month which certainly beats paying $90.

My husband uses his for his company as do I. Neither of us have had any problems over the past 18 months.

I have a 4G phone and had it "flashed" in Rochester, NH so you don't even need to buy a new phone if you don't want to.

All the best.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MGWillia View Post
Hi there. Did some searching and I know the subject has been covered, but it's been a few months and people were talking about new towers etc that had yet to come on line. My contract is coming up soon. Before I sign up for another hitch with Verizon, I wanted to ask.. What's the current best carrier at the lake. Particularly the Bay area. Thanks
Marty
__________________
☮ _/♥\_ & (✿ˆ◡ˆ✿)

Last edited by Misha888; 10-28-2014 at 11:22 PM. Reason: Forgot to add information regarding 3G.
Misha888 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

This page was generated in 0.18792 seconds