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ATT vs Sprint
- Thread starter Fthree
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Check your area first.
Look at rootmetrics and sensorly. Do not rely on Sprint's maps.
Sprint coverage is very good where they finally have fixed their issues. But where issues remain you may find slow speeds.
My iPhone 5 typically gets about 1.5-5mbps down on LTE. But it's Band 25 only. Spark, which is Band 25, 26 and 41 will improve things but you have to be in the areas where it's improved.
Customer service has also improved, but pick an avenue to deal with Sprint. If online, stick with online. If in person, stick with that. Customer service has not improved so much that both call centers, in person and online know what the other is doing.
Be prepared for your first bill to be prorated for the portion of the current month within the billing period. New customers always get surprised when they find their first bill higher than they expected.
I've been with Sprint since 1999, so if there's any specific questions - ask.
Look at rootmetrics and sensorly. Do not rely on Sprint's maps.
Sprint coverage is very good where they finally have fixed their issues. But where issues remain you may find slow speeds.
My iPhone 5 typically gets about 1.5-5mbps down on LTE. But it's Band 25 only. Spark, which is Band 25, 26 and 41 will improve things but you have to be in the areas where it's improved.
Customer service has also improved, but pick an avenue to deal with Sprint. If online, stick with online. If in person, stick with that. Customer service has not improved so much that both call centers, in person and online know what the other is doing.
Be prepared for your first bill to be prorated for the portion of the current month within the billing period. New customers always get surprised when they find their first bill higher than they expected.
I've been with Sprint since 1999, so if there's any specific questions - ask.
Cheaper is not always better.
You get what you pay for.
Sprint doesn't compare on coverage, reliability and data speeds to AT&T.
You get what you pay for.
Sprint doesn't compare on coverage, reliability and data speeds to AT&T.
Ask around coworkers/neighbors, and see what they have, don't rely on maps on their site.
For my area, Sprint network speed is slower than a dial up, even though there's a tower about a mile from here. I was in South San Francisco, the voice cuts out with **** network speed on Sprint.
yeah, cause you really "need" that kind of speed on a phone
IMO there is more to service then bragging rights of "who has the fastest speeds"
yeah, cause you really "need" that kind of speed on a phone
IMO there is more to service then bragging rights of "who has the fastest speeds"
Of course, you are correct.!
But AT&T actually works when I need it to. Sprint doesn't. Still the slowest network nationwide. We've been hearing about improvements and them turning to a VZW killer for years and nothing has changed. They've been deploying LTE for years around here and there are still holes all over my major city.
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As I agree with you that they are nowhere near as reliable as some of the others. Take it from someone that has had them for 12+ year (what a roller coaster)
They went from awesome service (back when they partnered with Altel and had half their towers.
To losing all of them and having garbage service
To being the VERY LAST in my area to offer LTE.
To finally (last few years) being a very reliable "decently fast/reliable" service again.
Heck they are one of only TWO US companies currently offering wifi calling. (which is a very nice service)
Correct, local area coverage will vary.
But in the general scheme of things Sprint falls way short behind on coverage, reliability and speed compared to the 2 big carriers.
I've been with Sprint for 16 years (1999) so I've been on the same ride as you.
I find it hilarious that now they are pushing WiFi. OK. Sprint HAS gotten better in a lot of places (they finally got backhaul to the second LTE tower here at work) but to push people off on to WiFi to compensate for lack of coverage - IDK.
There was a trend a while back and it continues today where people are ditching their home phones and strictly using their cell phones. My wife and I did that ages ago and we have always expected our cellular service to work at home.
Now, Sprint wants you to get off the network when you're at home. Hence pushing WiFi calling (most people have home networks and most of those have WiFi). Sprint will even send you a router optimized for WiFi calling free (thanks, Sprint, I turned mine into a second access point).
I've pretty much been forced on to WiFi in the last three years simply because it was the only way to get data. But before then 3G on our old phones worked and I never had to be on WiFi (which is good, because those phones ate battery on WiFi).
My wife has the 6 now and by Friday I'll have the 6+ so hopefully we can finally ditch WiFi for connecting at home and be back on Sprint's network.
I pay them for cellular after all. Not WiFi.
Well I love the wifi calling, both my parents live out in the boonies, heck on of them (parents are divorced) lives so far out that he gets "no signal" or close to no signal with VzN so imagine how good Sprint service is there. Luckily I do everything off wifi, and of course now I can call off of it as well.
Don't get me wrong. I'd rather have the ability to make a call over WiFi than not at all, but if I am going to do that I will just finally break down and get a VOIP phone from my cable provider - they are always trying to sell me one anyway.
I should be so lucky to be able to offer a service that everyone wants and get paid to give it to them while those customers all go off and use someone else's service to do what my service does.
That's what it comes down to. I pay Sprint and I pay Cox. But Cox provides the service I pay Sprint for in this instance.
I'm not trashing Sprint here, it's the same complaint I've had since September 2012. And other carriers (including T-Mobile) do the same thing so Sprint isn't the only one. I just don't believe in false promotion.
Now, historically, Sprint has always had pretty good service in the sticks. Their roaming deals which makes it look like you are on native service (when you aren't) and their actual coverage. But I'm not in the sticks. I'm in a city of over 6 million people and Sprint struggles.
But again, coverage has gotten better. It took three years, but the following screenshot shows you where I am now. It's no poster child for Sprint, but if you consider that my speeds since late 2012 were under 0.25kbps this is a very good improvement (and, I might add what Sprint originally advertised for LTE on 1900mhz).
Attachments
Again though, if you stop comparing the speeds to others who have "faster" speeds, 6mps is plenty fast for anything you want to do (Streaming audio/video, web surfing).
That is how I look at it.
My point on the screenshot was how much Sprint had improved, not to put them down. I could post 1001 screenshots that I've done in the last three years showing subpar speeds and time outs if I wanted to do that.
I totally agree with you. Streaming music, which is the single biggest bandwith use I make of Sprint, only needs about 1mbps or so. So, this speed is pretty decent. But that's not what I've been getting over the last three years. Hence my screenshot to show the improvement.
Now, with our new phones I am expecting better speeds but I don't need 100mbps down to load Facebook or check my email.
My complaint with Sprint for the last few years has mainly just been over it's inability to deliver even 1mbps on LTE, let alone 3G. Now that it's improving I squawk less.
I just wish I could get at least this speed at home.
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Went to Sprint here in Dunedin, Florida from Verizon and returned to Verizon same day because I only got less than a few kb of download in my area or none at all. What a joke, so even if I have to pay a bit more, Verizon was much better. Yes, I looked at rootmetrics but the download speed on that site with Sprint did not come close, not to mention the sales Rep said I would be very please with the speeds. He was wrong.
Sprint sales reps have long been conditioned to speak any combination of lies and truth in order to sell you anything. Part of their job security is based on how much they sell each month and Sprint rarely bothers with HOW the sales were made.
One of the things that has put Sprint in the bad spot it's in.
Lies and broken promises... Which oddly enough turns into a lie... I agree 100%...
I am glad you're getting yourself a 6+ now... However I assume that black iPhone 5 won't be far away from you...
Lol
What kind of logic is that?
6mb is plenty fast?
Hello and welcome to 2015 and say bye to 2009.
In today's tech if broadband speeds are plenty fast at 6mbps then you should go back down to 56k dialup. It would be plenty fast to open a web page
Old 3G tech gets you those types of speeds and you're content with that?
Stop making excuses for poor speed and terrible coverage and a joke of a carrier. You want to stick and put up with bad service and crappy speeds go for it but don't try to present it like who needs fast 60-80mbps speed?
We all want faster speeds and for carriers to improve, not stay in the dust like Sprint.
It's all about location. You can try sprint out for 14 days and return. Here in NYC sprint has widebsnd LTE. I regularly get 40mbs down. Att is actually pretty slow now in NYC compared to everyone else. My cousin almost never gets above 5mbs anymore.
I think what he was trying to say is that these speeds are fast and consistent enough for his use (and mine I might say) and that they are sufficient for the kinds of things one expects from a carrier, not that he thinks it should be applicable for everyone.Lol
What kind of logic is that?
6mb is plenty fast?
Hello and welcome to 2015 and say bye to 2009.
In today's tech if broadband speeds are plenty fast at 6mbps then you should go back down to 56k dialup. It would be plenty fast to open a web page
Old 3G tech gets you those types of speeds and you're content with that?
Stop making excuses for poor speed and terrible coverage and a joke of a carrier. You want to stick and put up with bad service and crappy speeds go for it but don't try to present it like who needs fast 60-80mbps speed?
We all want faster speeds and for carriers to improve, not stay in the dust like Sprint.
While those speeds are sufficient he isn't suggesting that that is all everyone should need.
That said, I believe he and everyone else on Sprint would love to see the kinds of speeds everyone else gets. But when you've been down so far sor so long just getting speeds you can actually use is welcome. The fact that we can actually do now what Sprint has always advertised we could makes speed comparisons somewhat less relevant to our situation.
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LOL, no, no it won't. I like my black iPhone 5.
I think what he was trying to say is that these speeds are fast and consistent enough for his use (and mine I might say) and that they are sufficient for the kinds of things one expects from a carrier, not that he thinks it should be applicable for everyone.
While those speeds are sufficient he isn't suggesting that that is all everyone should need.
That said, I believe he and everyone else on Sprint would love to see the kinds of speeds everyone else gets. But when you've been down so far sor so long just getting speeds you can actually use is welcome. The fact that we can actually do now what Sprint has always advertised we could makes speed comparisons somewhat less relevant to our situation.
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LOL, no, no it won't. I like my black iPhone 5.
yes, that is exactly what i meant!
My brother and I were in an ATT store. (I have ATT and he just recently switched to sprint) we were talking about this in front of the ATT rep. The ATT rep said "there isn't lte on sprint" my bro whipped out his iPhone 6 and had lte coverage as well as 4 bars to my 3. Shut the rep up quickly. I need to get him to run the speed tests just to see truly how fast it is in comparison.
Before you go with Sprint, have you considered T-Mobile? Give the Test Drive a try. They're comparable in what they'll save you in terms of money, will buy out your contract, and have none of the awfulness of Sprint.