louis 27 Jul 05

i am not sure i belive this. when i moved to ny, i had t-mobile and the service SUCKED by my apt. a friend who also had it had the same service. i have since switched. however, t website rates the entire area around my apt as great

Will 27 Jul 05

I checked 4 spots in two different states, and they all seemed pretty accurate in terms of my experience.

Louis - keep in mind that just because the signal strength outside is good, doesn’t always mean that’s true inside a building. The materials used in your apartment can have a big impact on signal strength. I’m in a loft with thick concrete walls and while the signal outside is excellent, the signal inside is mid-range.

David 27 Jul 05

The nice thing about that map is that it probably applies to other GSM carriers as well. For example, I have Cingular, and the area next to my house is “fair” and boy do I know it. So glad I’m moving soon.

Warren 27 Jul 05

I traced my route from home to work on their map, and my experience concurs with what the map indicates.

Overall, I’ve been VERY happy with my service from T-Mobile. I had Sprint previously (still do, but on their Vacation plan until my contract expires) and had nothing but problems with them: signal issues, customer service, billing, you name it, they screwed it up.

My signal isn’t always as clear with T-Mobile as it was with Sprint (to be expected with GSM service, I hear), but UNLIKE Sprint, I have signal just about everywhere. Their customer service has also been outstanding in my experience, and they don’t have Sprint’s habit of renewing your contract every time you fart in the wrong direction.

Rob 27 Jul 05

I’ve stuck with T-Mobile through 3 different regions of the U.S. Coverage isn’t always great, but the plan I’m grandfathered into is more than excellent. This map is accurate down to the half-block marks in the Atlanta suburbs.

Michael Moncur 27 Jul 05

It’s only an “honesty feature” if it’s honest and correct…

T-Mobile shows a “great” signal in my whole neighborhood, but I switched to Sprint a month ago because there’s virtually no signal here.

pwb 27 Jul 05

Would Google Map API support layering this over it?

I’ve seen this but the T-mobile shadings are much better.

Dan H 27 Jul 05

I’m wondering if they should work with real data based on user experience, instead of what their average signal strength is (“coverage”).

It seems to me, if GPS was built into phones (opening a whole can of privacy worms), it would be possible to count the number of dropped calls. T-Mobile should be able to tell if the “End” button was pressed or if the call suddenly stops. This would be interesting, for, if you drop many calls in your house, and it was your lead walls to blame, you would see a grey spot shaped like your house, and possibly bright green next door for your neighbor’s tee-pee.

It’d take a long time to collect enough data for all of this, so maybe your phone’s signal strength indicator could also send feedback to the provider. Heck, if it looked like that, you could have cell signal maps as popular as weather maps. They’ve got to be related somehow, anyway.

P.S. I use Sprint in the Twin Cities. Calls drop from time to time. Life goes on.

Darrel 27 Jul 05

Dan:

Sprint is the absolute worst in the Twin Cities. It’s like swiss cheese here. I could go from one block with 5 bars to the next with absolutely no signal.

At one point we switched to Quest. Onlly to find they’re phones didn’t work AT ALL at our house. Had huge runaround with them to cancel the plan.

Finally went with T-Mobile. Their map is slightly exaggerated IMHO, but not too far off base.

Paul 28 Jul 05

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Gen 13 Sep 05

Friendley advice,

I was in London T-Mobile store on Oxford St. to buy a cell phone. I did pay a deposit and insurance for a cell phone and I was coming back 5 days later to only pick it up. Surprise, nobody ever give me the phone (it was unavalable) and the money I gave them was non refundable after insisting on a note on the receipt say refund within 15 days. After arguing with the manager of that store on Oxford Street, London, report the situation to others managers at the T-Mobile stores nobody could help me.

To conclude, I’ve litteraly been stolen for a service I ever received and if you plan to have any contract with them, buy a phone, it’s to your own risk. I did verify all of my right on this case and nobody seems even to exist at working at the head of the company.

My rate for T-Mobile at least in London it’s a big 0/10 even -10.

swampy 18 Jan 06

if you are thinking of going to t mobile DONT DO IT repeat DONT DO IT tje signal is pants in lots of parts of yhe uk inside most buildings the phone has no signal at all im not one to say i told you so but you have been warned

swampy 18 Jan 06

if you are thinking of going to t mobile DONT DO IT repeat DONT DO IT the signal is pants in lots of parts of the uk. inside most buildings the phone has no signal at all im not one to say i told you so but you have been warned