Unlocking the answer to no AT&T reception?

[carlgo]

I consulted the AT&T coverage map, it showed coverage here and I bought the
$250 refurb iPhone. Turns out there is no coverage here at all.

So, I don't have any guilt about unlocking from AT&T since they can't deliver what they promised. People with other plans and phones do get reception here, so I know at least one other provider is represented in this area.

Do you think unlocking is the cure for my problem, that I could then find a carrier that actually worked here and use them instead of AT&T? Is this something unlocking can deliver?

Your guidance is appreciated.

 

[Bad Ash]

If another carrier offered service in your area yeah it would be worth doing. I would just make sure that you can actually get service in your area before unlocking it.

 

[TEG]

Use this chart to find a GSM provider in your area http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_us.shtml

I use at&t, but have little to no coverage at my home, however, I use it everywhere else, and have had no problems.

TEG

 

[eagle6611]

might be a bad iPhone

I also purchased a refurb iPhone from AT&T last week. After I activated it I got "no service" at my house where the coverage maps say I should have good coverage (my neighbors get 3 to 4 bars) and poor coverage all around town. I called AT&T tech support and they told me I should have good signal in my area and that it might just be the way my phone takes up the signal. Not satisfied I called Apple and they had me reset the network settings and restore but that did not help. Eventually, Apple said I could send it in for repair (there is no Apple store where I live). However, I thought I would try my local AT&T store to see if I could exchange it there. Well they don't deal with refurbs at my store but a couple of the tech's had iPhones. We went outside and sure enough I had one bar and they had four. Obviously I have a bad unit. So they call AT&T tech support and told them I needed to send my phone back, AT&T transferred me to Apple who offered to exchange it if I drove the 2 hours to the nearest Apple store otherwise I would need to send in to them for repair/replacement. I decided to return it or exchange it next week when I am in Atlanta but also purchased a new iPhone from the store. The new phone at my house gets four to five bars. I compared them at the AT&T store where signal was excellent - signal strength broke refurb -98db; new iPhone -57 db (they have a repeater or the like in store).

So I would recommend that you compare it to other AT&T customers in the area and if possible other iPhones in your town as you might just have a bad radio and need to get a replacement/repair. I think some of these "refurb" from AT&T are just returns from customers who bought the phone and returned it due to no coverage in their area when in reality they phone was not working properly.

hope this helps