What's the best cell phone service?

[Cogs]

I'm mostly wanting better service in the woods! Still, must be reliable all around the OR & WA areas. I see Verizon is rated #1, with T-Mobile on their heals, but how are they when you're in the forest hunting or cleaning up your favorite shooting sites?

On another related note, is there a cell phone booster that help you get out of a low-to-no cell phone area?

Anyone have any experience with the Comcast cell program? I believe they use the Verizon network.

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[2ndtimer]

Verizon has the best coverage, fortunately my Straight Talk iPhone SE uses the Verizon network. Runs about $50 per month with 10 gb of data. If you do any traveling in Montana or Wyoming you almost have to be able to access Verizon towers if you want coverage.

 

[that guy]

Verizon by far. I switched specifically because it works better in the boonies.

 

[Cerberus Group]

I see it more as , what's best where you live. For me ATT. No DSL here, so have to use HotSpot on the phone for the 'puter.

 

[partsed]

For years we had Verizon and loved it. Seemed like everywhere we went in the US we had cell service. We are on Sprint thru my wife's work now.

 

[Stomper]

Verizon on my employer supplied work phone (the one I'm using now), gets the best service reception. About three years ago I was just above Timothy Lake hunting in the middle of the forest and I get a call from the CC fraud dept asking if I made two back to back transactions at a Walmart in Athens, TN.... HUZZAH!! Nope!


I've also had a T-Mobile account with 5 lines (our home phone is T-Mobile VOIP) for the last 17years with no complaints, HOWEVER during our anniversary trip through Hell's Canyon my Verizon phone had more (and stronger) reception more often than my wife's T-Mobile.

Both services also work quite well when we're in Australia as well.

One of those two would be my initial "go to" services.

 

[slimmer13]

I have Verizon, and while it is probably best, coverage is still spotty in rural areas (barely have service at my house), let alone the boonies.

Im in the market for a Garmin Inreach for backcountry excursions. It lets you text on the sat network and you can start and stop your service monthly. Seems like the way to go for a dedicated backcountry comms device.

 

[tourproto]

Verizon is the best in Portland area hands down. Unfortunately I have AT&T and they pretty much suck, just not as badly as Sprint.

I have to have a cell repeater in my home to be able to use my iPhone 7. Coverage is terrible.

I seriously need to consider jumping to Verizon on my next phone upgrade. The downside is my company has a killer plan for AT&T and not so good with Verizon. Nationwide most employees use AT&T so the discount is better.

It used to be that if you did international business travel, it was easier to use a GSM (AT&T or T-Mobile) phone when travelling, and you could swap SIM cards if you wanted. CDMA phones (Verizon) were a pain internationally. But with LTE, that isn't supposed to be an issue anymore.

 

[Cogs]

I see it more as , what's best where you live. For me ATT. No DSL here, so have to use HotSpot on the phone for the 'puter.

It used to be AT&T was the best around the Portland area, but I've been having a tough time out in the woods and often wonder if someone else provides better coverage around town (signal often weak and doesn't always connect with the internet). I still see they are rated in the third spot. Since I need to get a new phone, I thought I'd investigate some other providers.

 

[Kruel J]

Verizon. And I have Sprint.

 

[Cogs]

I have Verizon, and while it is probably best, coverage is still spotty in rural areas (barely have service at my house), let alone the boonies.

Im in the market for a Garmin Inreach for backcountry excursions. It lets you text on the sat network and you can start and stop your service monthly. Seems like the way to go for a dedicated backcountry comms device.

Cool idea! Good tip! But can you broadcast Live on social media with that? (That's my other reason for wanting good service in the woods... just in case!).

 

[CountryGent]

I need to preface this by saying that I positively loathe all things phone, cellular or otherwise, so am not up on the latest on all things mobile. That caveat aside, and considering the original question involves coverage in the sticks, we've used US Cellular since mid-2004, and it has generally be solid in the places we've lived and resided. We first acquired said out in the middle of nowhere in Gilliam County, though we are now on rural acreage in the southern part of the state. I was surprised to find that service worked in some of the places I've hiked as well. Are there better options? Probably, I honestly don't know. But the service we have had with them has been "good enuf".

Parenthetically, we played with satellite phones back in the day. The GlobalStar stuff was disappointing, to put it mildly. The offerings on this front likely has changed over the years though.

 

[Kruel J]

I need to preface this by saying that I positively loathe all things phone, cellular or otherwise, so am not up on the latest on all things mobile. That caveat aside, and considering the original question involves coverage in the sticks, we've used US Cellular since mid-2004, and it has generally be solid in the places we've lived and resided. We first acquired said out in the middle of nowhere in Gilliam County, though we are now on rural acreage in the southern part of the state. I was surprised to find that service worked in some of the places I've hiked as well. Are there better options? Probably, I honestly don't know. But the service we have had with them has been "good enuf".

Why all the hate for cell phones?

 

[Stomper]

Why all the hate for cell phones?

They gave him a tumor and he morphed into a savant.... play us another piano tune @CountryGent !!

 

[SA Shooter]

Verizon here as well. I used to travel all over the PNW, intermountain West and NorCal for work and never had a problem except for up the North Umpqua River canyon. But it wasn't a total fail and with a booster I got enough signal to be 3G in most spots.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Verizon is the best in Portland area hands down. Unfortunately I have AT&T and they pretty much suck, just not as badly as Sprint.

I have to have a cell repeater in my home to be able to use my iPhone 7. Coverage is terrible.

I seriously need to consider jumping to Verizon on my next phone upgrade. The downside is my company has a killer plan for AT&T and not so good with Verizon. Nationwide most employees use AT&T so the discount is better.

It used to be that if you did international business travel, it was easier to use a GSM (AT&T or T-Mobile) phone when travelling, and you could swap SIM cards if you wanted. CDMA phones (Verizon) were a pain internationally. But with LTE, that isn't supposed to be an issue anymore.

I know some of my families plans with other carriers have roaming charges...thought that was a thing of the past...guess not.

ATT doesn't have roaming charges...I would think other carriers wouldn't as well.

 

[No_Regerts]

Why all the hate for cell phones?

Because you're walking around with a trackable gps transponder at all times and you can't get away from anyone anymore.

 

[Member 34319]

I'm on T-Mobile and get cell service in high up places in the woods, not so much when low or in a valley.

 

[Kruel J]

Because you're walking around with a trackable gps transponder at all times and you can't get away from anyone anymore.

Yeah, not too worried about that. I didn't know you wore a tinfoil hat off duty......

 

[CountryGent]

Why all the hate for cell phones?

It isn't cell phones. Or really even phones at all. It is the constant interruptions they so consistently provide. The nature of my work involves the utmost concentration, so the endless deluge of telephonic nonsense, including calls from "Rachael at card services", is maddening. Or the opposite in which I deliberately turn the infernal machine off, or leave the thing in my vehicle, and my family is peeved that they can't reach me. You can't win.