FINALLY found a negative about TV -AT&T Cellular Reception
 

I just returned from my trip to TV to start the build process of my Iris. Closing will be 8/31. Wow!

There isn't enough room in this forum to tell you all the wonderful things I've experienced in TV. There are hundreds and hundreds of positive remarks I could make about TV. I've been looking for a negative......and after this trip, I found it! It's AT&T cellular reception and coverage in TV. I had a VERY difficult time with the AT&T coverage....often it would go out on me if I got it. Coverage was the worse I've ever experienced.

I did hear from many others while I was down there that they have the same problem. How about it if all of you with AT&T contact them and ask for a new cell tower close to or in TV? I live in a booming area in WNY and when the people in our area bombarded AT&T for requests to put a new tower in, they sure put one up pronto.

That's my only negative up to this point. TV........a wonderful place to live. I'm so fortunate.

Seems to me that it is not fair to say this is a negative about The Villages. Definitely a negative for AT&T as there are plenty of cell towers around for AT&T to rent space on to improve their performance in the area.

we live in the historic district and our at&t service is just fine - both inside and outside of the house!

I spoke with AT&T about the weak cell phone reception we get when we're in Duval. Apparently, there are towers in Wildwood, to the east along 27/441, and to the north on up 27/441. So there seems to be a gap along 466A that I'd guess will be addressed with the evolution of more homes being built to the south.

But in the meantime, I agree with swimdawg as we experience the same issues as well. My understanding is that there's an AT&T/Cingular business/corp office (not one of the stores) of some sort in Lake Mary which is responsible for (or at least knowledgeable of) where upcoming cell tower sites will be and when they might come on-line. I have no other info than that at this point...........but it's on my lengthy to-do list to pursue it at some point to see what I can find out.

Bill :)

We are newbie frogs in buttonwood with a son in college who needs to be able to reach us if necessary....I was concerned enough to go to the AT&T store up on 27 and was told that it was the villages that prohibited them from putting a tower out in the new section... they have since reconsidered and there will be one up by the end of this year....they do have some kind of a booster thing that goes thru your Internet to give better coverage but it is $200 to buy one...bottom line, if you can hang in there, help is on the way...

Verizon

for sure! Have NEVER had any problems using their service!

I have had AT&T for the past 4 years and do not have a problem. My spouse has Verizon and we will have minor issues with that, but overall both work fine. I have to believe the phone is a big component of who has problems.

Location, location, location. I have never had a problem with AT&T reception but a lot depends on where one is within The Villages. Choose a service that works in your location.

we have att. wife has a motorola and always has a signal. my samsung not so good. so your phone has a lot to do with your success.

Here's the deal. I have the latest iPhone. I have used it from coast to coast...Calif to NY.......Kansas City.....Carolina's, etc. I have NEVER had a problem with reception.......until using it in TV. So it isn't the phone. When I was in TV the past 5 days, reception was just terrible. I was trying to use the cell phone, text, e-mail, etc. and the bars on the top of the iPhone came in very weak.....perhaps one or two bars showing poor cell reception..and sometimes no bars were showing. I had a friend who I was trying to reach and she was trying to reach me during that heavy rain storm on Monday. We were down in the LSL Square area and neither one of us could connect via AT&T. While mentioning it various residents who have AT&T, they ALL complained of poor reception in certain areas of TV. Even the sales reps said that AT&T reception depends on the area you are in. The sales reps all have AT&T iPads...& they have periodic problems with reception. I have never experienced this poor reception before....in any part of our wonderful country and in Canada as well....and I've been a customer of AT&T for MANY years. My purpose for writing about this AT&T situation is to try to get as many residents as possible to call AT&T and wake them up to the fact that they need to build a new tower in TV area. Hopefully, you AT&T customers will give them a nudge......and voila....we'll get a new AT&T cell tower in TV! Can't hurt.......might help.

Dearest Miss Dawg,

I agree with you as I always do. Sweetie has to walk outside in Hadley and conduct phone business as he is still working. I have sit, sat, sitted on the lanai in the cold to talk to my grandchildren at times. This is all hocus pocus to me. Sweetie says they fiddled with his phone, no help. Mine is an old phone, I use a chisel and carve in the numbers so it could be the equipment. I think whereas everyone else in the family have smart phones, mine is dumb.

I think we need for ATT@T to rent space or build a tower and someone is going to find the email address of the foot we need to stand on and publish it here and we will overwhelm them with SENIOR POWER. It has to be someone real south in TV who is affected like we are..........

Someone?

I am really busy right now. Will tell you about it later.

Gracie.

Towers = Reception Ability
 

I wouldn't say this is a negative for TV but a negative for AT&T's coverage network.

Many years ago, I had my service with Sprint and I could not get or make a phone call along the Merritt Parkway in CT. I couldn't make or receive a phone call from my home. I found out that Sprint did not have any towers along the parkway as the towns would not allow them to construct them.:(

I switched to Verizon, problem solve. As everyone knows, the reception is directly proportional to how many towers populate the area and a newer phone helps if one's old phone is really outdated.

Best wishes on getting a tower that will increase reception capabiity.

Go with Verizon....excellent coverage everywhere in TV. There are many BAD spots in TV for AT&T coverage. Two years ago the folks at the AT&T retail store said they had no complaints and that servive was excellent in all areas of TV...not true. They do not have good cell coverage in many areas south of 466. In fact, we were in contact with the engineers regarding our coverage in Pennecamp and after a 30 day study they said our signal was weak because of the AT&T tower was too far away...so we went with Verizon and perfect service. This was after being an AT&T customer for 12 years.

Last year we were also having problems with AT&T service in the Pennecamp area. Dropped calls, no calls, calls cutting out. Very frustrating. Switched to Verizon and it was a little better but did have some problems in the house at times. Bought a booster for the Verizon and it's great now. No problems.

Actually, I have found Verizon to be weakest in and around Colony Plaza for whatever reason. Signal is almost non existent inside Publix if you need to call home to check on some shopping item. Otherwise, no problem in and around the rest of TV.

We have ATT and are in the far corner of Hadley. Reception has been horrible. We are seasonal and do not change carriers as our reception is great at our other home in Ohio. I figure when south of 446A gets built out ATT will address the issue.

Cell Phone Towers
 

Take a look at the cell phone towers in Hawaii. You rarely notice that they are cell phone towers as they blend in with the other palm trees. May be a great idea for TV in areas where a normal tower would be an eye sore.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/808talk/2443949639/

May need to copy and paste the link into your browser.

Cell Phone Towers
 

Forgot to mention that the whole palm tree is metal and plastic. It is not a real palm with antennas attached.

Yes......and they have the same thing in Calif. You'd never know they are cell towers. I AM in the process of contacting AT&T as we speak. Anyone else out there????:wave:

I just finished speaking to AT&T. They say I have been a "valued customer since 1998" and they don't want to lose me...blah, blah, blah. I told them I would be closing on my home on 8/31 of this year and I would like new cell towers in by that time. Sometimes one has to be a "little" forceful. She says two new cell towers should be in place on 8/30.........one day before my closing! How 'bout that? I'll believe it when I see it.....or hear it.:icon_wink:

Since I have been such a long-standing customer, I do have a phenomenal plan that I don't want to lose as I'm grandfathered in.

The location of the new cell towers will be in the 32162 zip code area. She said one will be on County Hwy. 25 and another in Lake Ella Road. I am a newbie and have NO idea where they are. Later I'll look on my map.

She did fill out a "Network Ticket" to get things speeded up. I did ask her if the number I dialed could be used by anyone in the country. She said yes. I'd implore anyone with AT&T to call and ask to fill out a "Network Ticket" to get the new towers.....the sooner, the better.
Thank you.
The numbers to call:
1-800-331-0500 or 611 from your AT&T cell phone.
Deaf or Hard of hearing customers: 1-866-241-6567

Oh........I just received a text from AT&T: "Thank you for reporting your issue. This will be extremely valuable as we continue to enhance our network and improve your experience."

Sometimes the squeaky wheel............

We live in Bonita which is just off 466A and Canal St. I have AT&T on my cell phone and in the last four and half years we have lived here, I have never had an issue with my AT&T phone. My wife just got a I PAD 2 and it uses AT&T cellular for the 3G connection. We have found when she uses the I PAD 2 in the car she gets adequate connection except when we come off Canal St. onto 466A and head west to Wildwood. It only comes back after we pass Buena Vista near the county annex. Then it comes in very strong the closer we get to the cellular tower in Wildwood. It appears there is a dead spot along 466A. I get a strong enough signal in most of the other areas in The Villages.

Good for you for being pro-active.

My Att cell service dropped so many calls I did the same thing and called them. They told me a new antenna was going to be turned on the beginning of june and another the beginning of august. I too was told they were going to do a "report", that was in may.

I called again june 8th and was told "I see no new antennas were set to be turned on in june"

They also had me go thru my phone and they tested my phone, nothing helped, untill I switched to verizon, and I havent had a dropped call yet and talk where ever I want. Problem solved.

Seems right to me. We don't have a problem with AT&T cell reception. Our home is on the north side.

We have AT&T too, Hubby for 2 years me for 1. We live in Duval and i had NOTHING but trouble with Sprint before I changed. Friends have trouble with verizon and others. Part of the problems in housing in Duval is the metal studs in the homes, for Hurricane standards, so I am told by contractors. We have had good service form AT&T in Duval and the rest of The Villages since changing, I get good service in rec centers and restaurants too. I got occassional dropped calls in the house.

Last month we installed the AT&T Microcell and it has dropped our dropped calls to maybe one or two a week. We paid about $100 and it also boosts our internet wifi strength too. It was the best money we spent in a while.

ATT Service in Belvedere?
 

I will be renting a house in Belvedere near Churchill Downs for a working vacation next month. What kind of cell service should I expect on my ATT iphone?

Thanks.