Att or Verizon 4G in NYC & Long Island Area?

[harleymhs]

Can anyone give me a hint of which 4G service is better in the NYC and Long Island area ( nassau and suffolk ) I want to buy a NEW Ipad with 4G but im torn between the Verizon and Att 4G coverage in my area.. Anyone that has a 4G phone in these areas please respond here! I know ATT is worldwide, but I will never travel outside the US .. I currently have an ATT iphone and other than the frequent dropped calls all is ok... Thanks!

 

[audiofx]

i dont go to the island much but in NYC , verizon is king. I love gsm and wish to have it but I just can't living in NYC. If you have at&t for your phone already then a data only device (ipad), verizon without question. Their LTE is fast and coverage is much better then at&t. AT&T LTE is NOT faster then verizon in NYC, basing this on numerous speedtests with my verizon LTE devices next to at&t LTE devices at many different stores. Latency was also better. - Just my input

 

[balzmcfearson]

take this with a grain of salt but, from what i have seen on the site maps, verizon lte goes out till about the end of nassau, att lte goes out to about the end of queens (although att will say that they have 4G across the island = hspa+)

 

[solidsnake32292]

I got the Verizon LTE iPad... There is no LTE for AT&T on long island so no point at all lol

 

[harleymhs]

I kinda figured to go with the Verizon one... For my needs!GSM isnt really important to me I dont travel too much! Plus I have the ATT iphone which I can use for a 3g hotspot if the Verizon isnt good where I am.. So Ill have both if I go with Verizon.. Ipad and stay with ATT with the iphone and hot spot the ipad to the iphone.. Thanks guys!

 

[DTphonehome]

I live near the Queens/Nassau border near JFK, and just barely get LTE signal on my new AT&T iPad when outdoors (no LTE in my home). I work in NYC though, and get blazing LTE there. I would have gotten the verizon one, but I still have an unlimited AT&T iPad plan from 2 years ago, so I'm keeping that for the unlimited LTE. LTE is being phased in on Long Island from west to east starting mid-2012, so I should get it as soon as they start rolling it out on the island.

 

[KPOM]

I don't have an AT&T LTE device (only an iPhone 4S) but I do have a Verizon LTE iPad and am getting LTE coverage in Midtown, albeit it is getting HSPA-like speeds (I ranged from about 3.5 to 9.0Mpbs down and only about 0.2Mbps up). Granted, I usually struggle to get any HSPA+ data in Midtown on AT&T during the week.

At my apartment in the Upper West Side, I was getting about 15Mbps download speeds and 12Mbps up over the weekend.

 

[DTphonehome]

I don't have an AT&T LTE device (only an iPhone 4S) but I do have a Verizon LTE iPad and am getting LTE coverage in Midtown, albeit it is getting HSPA-like speeds (I ranged from about 3.5 to 9.0Mpbs down and only about 0.2Mbps up). Granted, I usually struggle to get any HSPA+ data in Midtown on AT&T during the week.

At my apartment in the Upper West Side, I was getting about 15Mbps download speeds and 12Mbps up over the weekend.

I'm getting between 18-20 down, 15-20 up on AT&T in Brooklyn.

EDIT: just tested "4G" HSPA+, and it's about a tenth the speed of LTE.

 

[PhoneI]

Definitely Verizon for NYC and LI

 

[dstar]

Wow. I think i need to ditch AT&T

I remember late summer/fall of last year AT&T sending me an email about the great improvements they had done to the network here in Suffolk county long island (I'm in the Brookhaven township).

I've always gotten a hit and miss signal at my house for 3G, but the 4G map looks to cover everything. I also have a grandfathered unlimited plan from my original iPad. I loved it because of the travel I do for work.

Granted 4G is not LTE but I expected something functional at my house for a backup in case my cable goes out.

I did a test outside my house this morning. With LTE turned on in the settings I was getting (I don't know how that impacts 4G though):

.06 down
.02 up

With LTE turned off I get around:

1.65 Down
0.45 UP

Everything about this iPad I love so far but these speeds are a Joke for 4G.

Verizon looks to be on the move with LTE heading into Suffolk. Maybe It's time for me to sell my grandfathered SIM and move the iPad to Verizon.

I have no idea what type of speed I can expect even for 3G on Verizon right now though.

I bought at Best Buy and have a premiere silver account (or whatever it's called) so I should have 45 days to make my decision.

Can anyone comment on Verizon in Brookhaven?

 

[DTphonehome]

I remember late summer/fall of last year AT&T sending me an email about the great improvements they had done to the network here in Suffolk county long island (I'm in the Brookhaven township).

I've always gotten a hit and miss signal at my house for 3G, but the 4G map looks to cover everything. I also have a grandfathered unlimited plan from my original iPad. I loved it because of the travel I do for work.

Granted 4G is not LTE but I expected something functional at my house for a backup in case my cable goes out.

I did a test outside my house this morning. With LTE turned on in the settings I was getting (I don't know how that impacts 4G though):

.06 down
.02 up

With LTE turned off I get around:

1.65 Down
0.45 UP

Everything about this iPad I love so far but these speeds are a Joke for 4G.

Verizon looks to be on the move with LTE heading into Suffolk. Maybe It's time for me to sell my grandfathered SIM and move the iPad to Verizon.

I have no idea what type of speed I can expect even for 3G on Verizon right now though.

I bought at Best Buy and have a premiere silver account (or whatever it's called) so I should have 45 days to make my decision.

Can anyone comment on Verizon in Brookhaven?

Not sure I can explain your LTE-enabled low speeds, but your "4G" speed is about right for HSPA.

Now, I wouldn't be so quick to sell that unlimited sim. Verizon's non-LTE 3G speeds are supposedly rather slow, so unless you get reliable, strong LTE signal where you are, you may end up with slower speeds than on AT&T "4G". Also, consider how much more you're gonna pay without unlimited LTE. I went through 500MB just today, without any streaming audio, and just a couple of YouTube clips. When AT&T LTE does come to your town later this year, it'll be lightning fast and unlimited. I would just turn off LTE for now when you're home, use it when you travel, and wait for AT&T to build it out to you in a few months.

 

[dstar]

Not sure I can explain your LTE-enabled low speeds, but your "4G" speed is about right for HSPA.

Now, I wouldn't be so quick to sell that unlimited sim. Verizon's non-LTE 3G speeds are supposedly rather slow, so unless you get reliable, strong LTE signal where you are, you may end up with slower speeds than on AT&T "4G". Also, consider how much more you're gonna pay without unlimited LTE. I went through 500MB just today, without any streaming audio, and just a couple of YouTube clips. When AT&T LTE does come to your town later this year, it'll be lightning fast and unlimited. I would just turn off LTE for now when you're home, use it when you travel, and wait for AT&T to build it out to you in a few months.

I guess it's a crap shoot! Verizon has the edge moving into Suffolk County already with LTE. AT&T should start moving into Nassau County later this year.

I have no idea how long it'll take to get to my area.

I do know I'll have opportunity on the road with either. Just really disappointed with the speed at home with it right now.