| Author |
Message |
    
Travis
Citizen
Username: Travis
Post Number: 391
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 3:01 pm: | 
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Got a T-mobile To Go phone for occasional use....access is iffy but there as I walk up the stoop, and terminates as I enter the front door.....is there any gizmo I can pick up at Radio Shack that can boost the receiving range of the phone so I can take calls in my house? |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 1136
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 3:54 pm: |
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I have the same problem with T-Mobile and my home. It works until I enter the house. I am in Maplewood. My solution is that soon I will no longer have T-Mobile. |
Boomie
Citizen
Username: Boomie
Post Number: 273
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 7:01 pm: |
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I have T Mobile phone service on my handheld PC (HP Ipaq) and I call from all over the country with no problems. Odd. |
ril
Citizen
Username: Ril
Post Number: 517
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 7:36 pm: |
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T-Mobile works in my place, too (in South Orange). I did get much better reception when I upgraded the phone. (maybe you could borrow a friend's to see if it works better?) |
moving soon
Citizen
Username: Movingsoon
Post Number: 91
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 8:42 pm: |
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I've found that the specific phone you have can make a difference in reception. Also, lots of places sell these flat things that you can stick in the battery compartment that supposedly improve reception. They only cost a few bucks, I have no idea if they work. |
las
Citizen
Username: Las
Post Number: 1527
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 9:00 pm: |
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I'm with Travis and the Mayor: no T-Mobile once I get inside. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13541
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 9:27 am: |
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Most phones don't have a hookup for an external antenna. I think the demand isn't big enough because people don't understand how much it would help and they wouldn't want to carry their phones around with two hands.
I agree with moving soon. We've had many model phones (with T-Mobile) and they vary a lot with reception. Interestingly, my daughter's Sidekick II gets the best reception. I would have thought that since it's an all-in-one device, they wouldn't have done the basics as well, but they are superior.
The signal in our house has gone from impossible to spotty, which might mean they intend to improve it further.
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LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 1484
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 9:33 am: |
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I could never get service in my home with T-Mobile either. I had the same solution as Mayor - I switched from T-Mobile to Verizon - it's much better service in my home and Penn Station. I know that the T-Mobile service varies in the area, so some people do get service in their homes in Maplewood, but we were not one of the lucky ones (T-Mobile is cheaper than Verizon). |
Amateur Night
Citizen
Username: Deborahg
Post Number: 1815
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 5:20 pm: |
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Just switched from TMobile to Verizon yesterday, for the same reason. I went to the Short hills mall store and they did the whole thing in 15 minutes, plus ported my number and gave me a new phone. Ask for Ed. |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 1519
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 4:58 pm: |
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If you want to shell out a lot of money you could get something like this:
http://www.4cellular.com/search/accessory_detail.cfm?ID=111&CFID=5628041&CFTOKEN =80561636
It claims to do just what you are looking for. Don't know how good it works, though. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13583
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:02 pm: |
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Hey, it's less than $600. The last time I looked, they were $800.
A person must be desparate to be willing to pay that.
Maybe I should print this thread out to complain to T-Mobile. It shows actual lost customers, and they say which competitor they went to.
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CLK
Supporter
Username: Clkelley
Post Number: 2169
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:10 pm: |
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I posted about cheap cell phone access not long ago, and the real cheapie was T-Mobile (you can get a prepaid plan for very cheap with T-Mobile). That sounds great for occasional use, but given all of these concerns, is it really?
Is there really any good way to get inexpensive cell phone access for occasional use? |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13588
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 12:05 am: |
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It depends. Look at the T-Mobile coverage map which someone posted here in the last few days. We all concurred that it is accurate. And decide if you need service in the marginal areas.
Oddly enough, I've tolerated bad service in my home since I moved to Maplewood. It would be nice to pressure T-Mobile to improve it more than they already have. I like everything else about the company. The rates keep going down and always beat the competition. The customer service is really excellent, and I use it often. They give me cheap replacements for phones every year, even when they don't fail.
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Travis
Citizen
Username: Travis
Post Number: 392
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 12:00 am: |
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Thanks all for the feedback. For the record, I've got the cheapest phone that T-mobile offers for To Go service, I just don't expect to use it often. I suspect I'm being naive....
Earlster, nice toy  . |
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