Cell Phone Service
 

I will be moving back the States and the TV within the next few months and will be faced with acquiring a new cell phone service. Since I will be relocating to TV, I'd like opinions on the best service for that area. Previously, I used Verizon and Sprint in the Chicago area and had great service.

What would you recommend for TV ??

Thanks!

Pure Talk
 

Here is a link to a thread where I previously shared our experience with Pure Talk (an advertiser on this site). There is a lot of other cell phone discussion in the thread so you may find it helpful.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...t=26183&page=3

So far we are very satisfied with Pure Talk (in Pennsylvania) and they are a fraction of the cost of what we were paying with Verizon. I can't say what their service is like in TV, but the coverage map looks good, and I understand that they use the AT&T Network which I assume would give you a good signal there as well.
.

My wife and I have Verizon.We don't have a land line we each have our own cell.We've been here since september and haven"t had one problem with verizon. Welcome to the villages...enjoy!!:pepper2::beer3::pepper2:

Pure Talk
 

Another satisfied customer. Have had Pure Talk for about a year now and use it in both FL and MA with no trouble at all. No dropped calls, no dead spaces. Price is terrific and no contract; prepay and the minutes carry over each month. Worth a try.....barb

Had Sprint-Nextel for ahwile. Changed up and went with AT&T and the I-Phone. For us, can not beat it. Calls are much better than on the Sprint-Nextel set up. Just my Opinion, have been told that it isnt worth much, but thought I would throw it in the pit.

iPhone's a possibility
 

I didn't mention that I might use an iPhone. Currently, it requires that you have AT&T, since they are the only GSM network you can use. I have an iPhone, in Germany and it's on the T-Mobile network, which is fantastic in Europe...not so much in the the US. Although, I can't imagine not having an iPhone again...most amazing cell phone I've ever owned, including my ex-Blackberry.

With your iPhone, do you get good reception throughout TV or do you have dead zones, etc. ? I read a few posts, where cell phones work if your standing in specific spots in the home or on the lanai, but not everywhere. Would like to avoid this situation, if a all possible. How about the 3G network?

For sure, I will not have a land line; only cell phones...

Scratch Pure Talk off your list if you are using an iPhone. Pure Talk is basic service for people who don't use the phone all that much.
~

Havent had no problems with reception at all. Very impressed!! And I agree, What A deal that Iphone!!

no service
 

I have PURE TALK USA and usually have no reception at home here in Mallory Square. AT&T is the service provider. and the phone is a RIZR G3

Up until this year, we were very happy with our cell phone reception using Verizon. We have purchased iPhones and now are experiencing many, many dropped calls while in The Villages. It seems to occur in our vinyl sided villa, not outdoors. Also, we do not have these dropped calls at our home in CO. Anyone else having this problem? We love the iPhones but not the dropped calls!

I thought that AT&T was the sole provider for the iPhones.
My understanding is that Verizon won't have them until June or July 2010..if the deal with Apple goes through.

iPhone at TV
 

Hi Memason,
So far, when we have come down, we have not experienced any reception problems or dropped calls in TV with the iPhone/ AT&T. We have a home with vinyl siding, and have not experienced dropped calls. We also use cell phone exclusively. We are not there full time yet.

I am excited for you that you are moving to TV in a few months!
:welcome:

Whew.... That's a relief...
 

Thanks P! It's reassuring that AT&T has good reception in TV. With all the bad press they've received over the last year, I've been skeptical about hooking up with them.

I don't think I can live without an iPhone and now, maybe the iPad... :icon_wink:

I have used Verizon for MANY years and get good reception. For a few months last Fall, after Verizon and another company merged, there were a LOT of problems with dropped calls because some cell towers had not been reactivated after the conversion. They promised it would be remedied and it has been

I need to clarify my earlier post. We used Verizon with our old cell phones but when we purchased iPhones, we had to switch to AT&T. Once we started using AT&T, we have had many, many dropped calls. We live in the Winifred area --- perhaps that's an area with poor AT&T reception.

We have used Verizon in TV. Reception has always been very good for me. The only dropped calls I ever had were from Nonie.

You should have been nicer to her. ;)

Verizon

From what I've been told, all towers in TV are Verizon towers. So, if there's an emergency or heavy usage, non-Verizon phones will be the first to have calls dropped, etc. It's the ONLY reason I feel compelled to stick with them.

I live in Poinciana and had AT&T for over 10 years before moving to The Villages. I could not use my cell phone in or near my home in Poinciana I then changed to Verizon and have not had any problems since. With AT&T I also had many droped calls while traveling around The Villages. AT&T was great back in Indiana but for me it was not good here.

So my vote is for Verizon.

At&t
 

AT&T does not work most of the time for me at Mallory square area.

I am beginning to think the issue is the phone more then the service. I have a blackberry with AT&T and my wife has an LG phone with Verizon. At our home in Sunset Pointe, my AT&T service is much better. I will have several bars when she has none. And no dropped calls. In other locations we will both have good service and in a few she will have better service then I do. Ocerall, the AT&T service seems to be better. I am sure the service provider is important, but I think also the phone itself has an impact on how well the service is received.

We have Sprint, anybody have problems with them??

I think with our iPhones, it's the service provider (AT&T) but I'd like to receive more opinions.

AT&T is the one....the ONLY one!
 

If you have iPhones, you have AT&T. They are the only providers for the iPhone in the US. However, if you can unlock your phone, you can get it to work on T-Mobile. The issue with the iPhone is a technical issue. The iPhone only works on GSM networks and only AT&T and T-Mobile have those networks. Verizon has a CDMA network, so the iPhone will not work on their network, no matter what you do.

I also have an iPhone, but I'm living in Germany at the moment. T-Mobile is the provider here, but they have a fantastic network in Europe.

Hopefully, that will change in the future, but I'm holding my breath. Apple just announced the iPad and it too is on the AT&T network...

Lake Miona Shores and AT&T
 

My iPhone works ok on our westward facing lanai but in the house it's risky to move once a call is established. The AT&T signal where I'm sitting now is 4 bars and 3G, but I can't take a call here and expect to walk inside.

So plan to use your iPhone only on nice days if you're moving to this beautiful neighborhood. Maybe the iPad will have a more sensitive receiver? :smiley:

Edit: the portable landline phones do the job everywhere and WiFi is good, too, for the iPhone. Pay fees to everybody that comes along and you'll be always connected. :-(

Had Sprint and service below 466 was spotty and many dropped calls. Have since switched to Verizon.

Thanks MelZ, we will check it out next time down.

My husband and I plan on moving to the Villages next year (cannot wait!) but I wanted to let you know I too have the iPhone, and I use Pure TalkUSA for my service provider. We currently live in NJ and don't get any dropped calls and reception is really clear. We have been able to save an arm and a leg since we switched from AT&T. I pay less on 2 phones than I did for 1 phone!

Pure Talk has a no contract service, and we love that! We both just switched to the Unlimited Plan for $48/mth unlimited talk and text. When we move to Florida, we will probably change to the Flex Plan as most our family/friends are there. The only catch is that I do not have internet on my phone, which is fine for me because I have wifi in my home and go to cafes/malls that have wifi anyway. I hope that helps, and if you have any questions, pm me if you'd like!

Have a great Monday!
-Janice D.

Cell Phones
 

My wife and I had AT&T for several years. New phones every two years with a new 2 year agreement. We recently decided to go with PureTalk USA, and are very satisfied. We still have the same cell phone numbers we had for years, and are saving about $700.00 a year. The reception is great, and their phone prices are very reasonable.

Will look into PureTalk but have ATT for over a year. Hubby has a blackberry and I have an IPhone. I have never had a dropped call here and even get reception in the office I work in (old x-ray building) which I never did with any other provider. All my co-workers who use other providers have to go outside to make or receive calls!
I love my IPhone and love the service and reception I get with ATT. Please note we had regular cells phones with ATT also and also the same great reception. I had the worst service from Sprint. How I wish we could get ATT for phone and cable here in The Villages!

ATT User
 

We get terrible ATT reception in Bonita. It is almost unusable indoors. Several neighbors have similar complaints. We are looking into switching to Verizon.

I'm using AT&T with an iPhone and I'm in Hemingway. I have noticed that the signal strength changes as I walk around the house. And sometimes drops the call. The 3G seems to work well. That said I will stay with the iPhone. If Verizon gets the contract to sell the iPhone I will switch when my AT&T contract is up.
Bob