Best Iphone for Rural Coverage

[subterran]

Hi there!
I was looking for some advice here. One of my hobbies whilst out camping is "DXing" for cell signals. My rig has a Wilson Sleek 4G booster in it. For several years, I carried a Verizon iphone 4. The coverage of this phone was superb. Especially when paired with the Wilson Sleek. It was amazing where I could get decent data coverage (we love to listen to internet radio in the middle of nowhere). Last year, I "upgraded" to an iphone 5s. I quickly noticed that my coverage was much worse with this new phone. Even the booster does not help.

I started off life on ATT, but it didnt take me long to see people chatting away on thier phones while I had no signal. After asking those folks who they were on, it was obvious that Verizon has far better coverage overall, so I switched to Verizon about 6 years back, and have not looked back. My wife stayed on ATT for some time after I left, and I was able to consistently prove that ATT and TMO coverage is not even in the same league as Verizon's

From some google-foo, I have found that an Australian provider call Telstra does some sort of rural coverage testing for their sets, and if it meets their signal strength standards at specifed testing points, they will give the phone a "Blue Tick" certification. The Iphone 4, 4S, and 5C has been given this designation, but not the 5S or either of the 6 models. That said, my wife has a 6-plus, and it's coverage is a good bit better than my 5S. I wonder if the US model of the Iphone 5c is the same model as the Australian model? Anyone know? (I just got my hands on a 5C USA phone. It says "Model A1532" on it..)

So, my question is: can anyone rank the iphones in terms of coverage?


So far for me, it's been:
1. Iphone 4
2. Iphone 6 Plus

I'm going to try out this 5C I have and see what happens, but testing it takes a while. I really would hate going back to a 4 or 4s and losing the 4G capability, but at the end of the trail, maximum coverage is what I want.

Thanks!

 

[doug720]

My experience with Iphone models and reception has been the complete opposite? We all have ATT - at least equal comparison between phones this way.

I have a 4s, daughter is 5s and wife is 6+. Both wife and daughter had 4s before upgrades.

The 4s's have the worst reception in our area, and anywhere we have traveled. The 5s is better, and 6+ works anywhere we travel. We don't use boosters, just side by side comparisons.

Interesting.

 

[IdaSHO]

My 6 does seem to have better reception than my old 4s

 

[mep1811]

ATT has less bars in more places. ATT is GSM network which is NOT the standard in the States. ATT does work really well OCONUS.

The best cellular service nationwide is Verizon.

 

[mallthus]

There's a few things to keep in mind.

Verizon uses CDMA, which often appears to provide better coverage than GSM networks like AT&T, because it's more tolerant of poor signal (i.e. Verizon will work poorly where ATT won't work at all).

GSM devices are able to do high speed data and voice concurrently, while most CDMA variations cannot.

CDMA can handle more traffic, but range suffers. GSM can max out, but if you've got signal, you've got signal.

GSM tends to work more reliably than CDMA in flat areas. The opposite is true in mountainous areas.

 

[haven]

"GSM network which is NOT the standard in the States"

There is no "standard" for cell phone voice or data service in USA. ATT and T-Mobile (and their MVNOs) use GSM and UMTS. Verizon and Sprint and MVNOs use CDMA and CDMA2000. All are moving to LTE for data, and eventually Voice over IP. Here's a summary article
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp

 

[craig333]

A phone that did both would be amazing. While verizon does have better overall coverage I've been in spots where my att phone works and the verizon guys are sol. I'm thinking of finding a phone with the worst coverage. That way my boss will be less likely to interrupt my trip (yes its happened, I'd turn the thing off but with elderly parents...).

 

[subterran]

"A phone that did both would be amazing."
Actually, Verizon iPhones from 5 up all have SIM card slots. They will work on GSM networks, too. If you unlock one (and due to recent FCC requirements, all US carriers will unlock your phone for free provided you own the handset free and clear)

So, as I understand it, you can do that with a Verizon phone. You can't have both ATT / TMO and Verizon all at the same time, but one phone can work for all, with a proper SIM card.

Now, you can't do the same with an unlocked ATT iphone, as those will not have a CDMA radio, but the Verizon version does have both, to be a "world phone" as it is true that GSM is much more popular in Europe.

 

[mpinco]

Comparing coverage maps, AT&T has the best coverage West of the Colorado front range. (personal Verizon vs. AT&T experience as of 2 weeks ago)

Verizon might be better East of the Rockies but might be questionable. Be careful of Verizon coverage maps. They are not accurate, more marketing than reality.

 

[AlbanyTom]

Be careful of Verizon coverage maps. They are not accurate, more marketing than reality.

I agree. They spend a lot of time marketing their coverage, which to me is a sign of damage control. You don't have to put marketing effort into things that are self-evident. It's spin. Around here, I find AT&T better. That's from carrying one phone on each for a while. Maybe somewhere Verizon is better...but I think it's more likely that people think it's better because they've heard it's better, from an ad.

Years ago a friend of mine was shopping for a 1/4 ton class pickup truck. At that time, one manufacturer was bragging non-stop about their payload and towing capacity being the best. My friend, who is a numbers guy, compared all of the big three, in base model and fully loaded w/ the heaviest suspension available. In all cases, the brand that bragged the most had the *worst* towing capacity, both combined gross weight and tongue weight. The lesson stuck with me. TV ads are written by thieving lying bastards. Believe the opposite.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Comparing coverage maps, AT&T has the best coverage West of the Colorado front range. (personal Verizon vs. AT&T experience as of 2 weeks ago)

Verizon might be better East of the Rockies but might be questionable. Be careful of Verizon coverage maps. They are not accurate, more marketing than reality.

See I find it opposite. With Verizon I have better coverage than I could ever hope for with att. This is even more apparent on army installations.


"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

[subterran]

Well fellows, I can assure you I am no thieving liar, and I do have both a father and mother who were married at the time, so that is also out. I too have carried all three phones simultaneously: ATT, Verizon, and TMO, and I can tell you without question, without spin, and without bias (as Verizon is the most expensive of all carriers) that Verizon works much better in the East. I was also able to maintain a signal and stream Pandora throughout MOST of Utah with verizon also, so it works well for me in the West as well.

All that aside, we are not discussing carriers so much as Iphone Models and their reception. This is intended to be a hardware discussion. On that note, having had the Iphone 5C now for about 6 weeks, I can attest that it's reception is much better than the Iphone 5S. We were in the Okefenokee swamp, which is one of the bleakest coverage areas in the US (where are you going to put a cell tower?) and I was able to maintain Data for most of the trip in the actual backcountry. Oddly, I lost dependable data only when we were at Stephen Foster Park (where most of the tourists are).

Last weekend, we were again in the South Georgia swamp area on a paddling trip, and I was again able to maintain strong data for the whole trip, only once falling back to 3G.

We have also taken several trips to the North Georgia mountians, and again I have had positive reception results.

My Revised list will thus be:

1.Iphone 5C
2.Iphone 6 Plus
3.iphone 4 / 4S

If I have not listed a model, it means that it has poor reception (and I have not tested an Iphone6) and I would look toward another model if you want dependable backcountry service.

I would love to hear reception feedback from other manufacturers and OS's, as I am sure that reception for other makes may be even better. I think I will begin establishing some known poor reception points to measure from to make it more objective. Perhaps someone else out West could do the same, measuring signal strength in out of the way places, like Goblin Valley, Death Valley, etc.

 

[mpinco]

First criteria is location (Have the service providers even invested in infrastructure for an area). Second is hardware/antenna technology selected. Third is device design (ask Apple).

Verizon is more of a east coast network. AT&T is more of a west coast network. Review their coverage maps and that is obvious.

 

[subterran]

ATT must have recently changed their map graphic. It used to be more realistic and more accurately show their coverage. Now, they have made it all one color to hide crappy coverage areas. Read the fine print about what those hashed lines mean on your maps. Don't drink the Kool-Aid. ATT has NOT dropped billions into more infrastructure in the last 4 years. That map is a crock, and if you depend on it for emergencies, you're going to be in trouble. I don't ever refer to coveragae maps any more. I test the coverage where I need it to work in real life. Although since determining the clear winner as Verizon about 3 years back, I dumped all of my other carrier's phones, so I am no longer able to be objective.

Anyway - I guess the real point is: Don't depend on having coverage until you have tested it and know it works, carrier agnostic.

There is a site for tracking such things by unbiased user-crowdsourcing, and Verizon is the clear winner across the USA:
ATT map: http://www.sensorly.com/map/2G-3G/US/USA/ATandT-Mobility/gsm_310410#|coverage
Verizon Map: http://www.sensorly.com/map/2G-3G/US/USA/Verizon/cdma_310verizon#|coverage

I used 2G / 3G coverage as a benchmark, since those bands have better coverage, but the 4G maps show the same - Verizon works better.

But really, you are welcome to your opinion - I'm just telling you you're drinking ATT flavored Kool-Aid.

 

[mpinco]

So the kool-aid must be why my Sister-in-Law's AT&T phone worked and my Verizon had NO service while in the middle of an area shown on the Verizon coverage map as 4GLTE? Oh, and it wasn't just a dead zone, unless you can define dead zones as 3 to 5 miles in size.

Point is, many of the carrier claims are generalized for a reason. It is the advantage of the marketing department. Upon closer inspection:

Report: AT&T named best of ‘Big 4′ mobile carriers in Colorado

DENVER — AT&T was named the best mobile carrier in Colorado, according to a historic statewide report from an independent mobile network researcher.

Calling the study “the most comprehensive mobile performance study ever undertaken,” RootMetrics reported collecting 4.6 million test samples from across the country. The surveyor indicated that 6,300 locations were tested and that 218,000 miles were driven to collect the data and compile the final scores.

The surveyors also claim this is the first report in mobile data history to offer state-by-state findings. In Colorado, RootMetrics reporting driving 3,646 miles, checking the quality of each carrier's network in 79 different locations throughout the state.......

.....AT&T won outright for “Overall Performance,” logging a score of 77.5 to Verizon's 70.3. .....Though AT&T did win the battle in overall performance in Colorado, it did not run a clean sweep through all of RootMetrics' categories. For instance, Verizon just edged out AT&T in terms of “Speed Index,” with a final score of 83.4 to 82.3............However, when it came to RootMetrics' other categories in Colorado, AT&T was on top, posting the winning scores for “Reliability Index,” “Data Performance,” “Call Performance” and “Text Performance.”..........."

Wondering if the categories are weighted. What's the "Speed Index" of no service?


AT&T and Verizon are tier 1. T-Mobile and Sprint are tier 2. AT&T has better coverage in the West, Verizon in the East.

All companies manage the marketing message to their advantage. Verizon's "Best Coverage" speaks to the highest population densities, East of the Mississippi. AT&T appears to cover more square miles.