[goldbergs]

I have a Tmobile 7100t - but the coverage is lousy. T-mobile has no signal in my home.
I have an option to switch to either CincinattiBell (who uses Cingular towers) or Cingular directly, both using 7100g. The Cingular towers provide about 10 dbm more signal in my home.

Are there any disadvanatges to Cingular service or the 7100g vs. the 7100t?
Anyone have experience with CinciBell?

Thanks

[hariswaminathan]

I have a similar issue with my Tmobile signal in the Mason area. Virtually no-existant signal. I have to stand against my north East living room window to talk to anyone.
I have called Tmobile several times about this and they seem really concerned to try and solve the issue (they even replaced my unit) but nothing has worked. The only option for me is to buy one of those signal boosters ($500) and i dont feel like doing that.
Unfortunately i cant switch plans for another year so i would be curious when you do make the switch about cincinnati Bell feedback on service !

[jpsilvashy]

no, go with cingular, since their merger with ATT they are awsome, serious, i have them and all most always have full bars, there plans are so so but they have killer service.

[kjason]

Cingular service in Cincinnati is outstanding. Even in my house way out on the east side in Amelia, I get full bars in my basement. But then Cingular service is expensive. I think I pay about $25/month more compared to the same plans with T-Mobile.

T-Mobile in Cincinnati, it's the absolute worst. You go in and out of coverage and calls are dropped constantly.

As for the 7100t vs 7100g, I tend to like the 7100g better just because the keys are a little further apart. The keys on the 7100t are scrunched together and I find myself hitting the wrong key more often.

So if you are not on a budget, then I would highly recommend Cingular and the 7100g.

[goldbergs]

I bought one of the signal boosters. ($500) does not work.
PowerMaxTM DA4000SBR

I called the company and they said you need decent signal outside then their unit can bring it inside. Weak signals outside are not enough to excite the amplifier. Save your money.

Originally Posted by hariswaminathan

I have a similar issue with my Tmobile signal in the Mason area. Virtually no-existant signal. I have to stand against my north East living room window to talk to anyone.
I have called Tmobile several times about this and they seem really concerned to try and solve the issue (they even replaced my unit) but nothing has worked. The only option for me is to buy one of those signal boosters ($500) and i dont feel like doing that.
Unfortunately i cant switch plans for another year so i would be curious when you do make the switch about cincinnati Bell feedback on service !

[liv2wrshp]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7100/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

I love my 7100t buy tmo service is less than stellar. What did you have to do to get them to give you a new one?

[hariswaminathan]

Originally Posted by goldbergs

I bought one of the signal boosters. ($500) does not work.
PowerMaxTM DA4000SBR

I called the company and they said you need decent signal outside then their unit can bring it inside. Weak signals outside are not enough to excite the amplifier. Save your money.

If you still have the booster and are not using it- any chance you would let me to try it at my home? I still have a signal even though its weak.

[lalainohio]

I don't know about either Cingular or CincyBell but I can tell you... TMO SUCKS in Ohio in general. I have it in Columbus and it is awful.

[alexcellent]

A few things...

I live in Cincinnati. Grew up in Mason. My T-Mobile coverage in Mason was great. My only service issue was when I pass Pfeiffer Rd on I-71, my calls would drop. This has since changed when I got my Nokia and traded in my Sony Ericsson T610.

T-Mobile service in Cincinnati is great. I've never had any major issues. A lot of people seem to like it, too. I think we're forgetting that the 7100t/7105t's RF is less than stellar. And I agree, the coverage should be solid enough to where something like that is only a slight issue, but it's not a perfect world. No provider is perfect. Cingular has great coverage here, yes, but I know where they don't have coverage here as well. Everyone has their issues. Cingular may have less, but you're going to be paying a heck of a lot more for your BlackBerry service there.

And as for Cincinnati Bell, that should never be an option. They do NOT use Cingular's towers here. They use their own Cincinnati Bell towers. The common misconception was that they have become the same company, since Cincinnati Bell was basically a regional AT&T carrier. Their situation is that Cincinnati Bell runs their towers here and Cingular runs as it had been. No change with service.

PHEW!

And as for my final two questions,
1. goldbergs, what part of Cincinnati do you live in?
2. harisw, what phone are you using in Mason? Your 7100t?

[dslam1]

brother in law works for cincinnati bell and they dont use cingular towers... first cell ever had with cingular 97-00' didnt like service switched to cinbel 00-05' then in may of 05' switched to tmobile and will never turn back... i do mostly inner 275 loop with some west chester, mason, nothern kentucky. I never have a problem with signal. The only problem i have is in my house which was built in 1904 but then again i had even less signal with cincinnati bell and i live on the west side in western hills next to glenway and work...

anyways thats just my two cents.


goto tmobile website to check ur coverage lol

[hariswaminathan]

Originally Posted by alexcellent

A few things...

I live in Cincinnati. Grew up in Mason. My T-Mobile coverage in Mason was great. My only service issue was when I pass Pfeiffer Rd on I-71, my calls would drop. This has since changed when I got my Nokia and traded in my Sony Ericsson T610.

T-Mobile service in Cincinnati is great. I've never had any major issues. A lot of people seem to like it, too. I think we're forgetting that the 7100t/7105t's RF is less than stellar. And I agree, the coverage should be solid enough to where something like that is only a slight issue, but it's not a perfect world. No provider is perfect. Cingular has great coverage here, yes, but I know where they don't have coverage here as well. Everyone has their issues. Cingular may have less, but you're going to be paying a heck of a lot more for your BlackBerry service there.

And as for Cincinnati Bell, that should never be an option. They do NOT use Cingular's towers here. They use their own Cincinnati Bell towers. The common misconception was that they have become the same company, since Cincinnati Bell was basically a regional AT&T carrier. Their situation is that Cincinnati Bell runs their towers here and Cingular runs as it had been. No change with service.

PHEW!

And as for my final two questions,
1. goldbergs, what part of Cincinnati do you live in?
2. harisw, what phone are you using in Mason? Your 7100t?

I use my 7100t in Mason. Actually the problem is that my house happens to be in a very low signal area (1-2 Bar MAX squashed against my N/E wall and nothing anywhere else in the house). The moment i reach S-741 im fine all the way down to Blue Ash on I-71 until the same exit on Pfeiffer.
My wife's phone (Samsung) is fine throught the house (4 Bars). I suspected what you have mentioned above about weak RF on 7100t.

[goldbergs]

I live in Dayton. The T-Mobile coverage is awful. Their online coverage map shows spotty coverage mostly along the highways. However driving from Dayton to Chicago I couldn't keep a call going more than 10 minutes without dropping.
We are told by the Cinti-bell reps that they roam on Cingular and do not have their own network. Still confused...........
Is the 7105t any better???????????

[R Pearson]

I live in Miamisburg, a suburb of Dayton and I get good reception almost everywhere within my region with the one exception being my work. I work at a television station and we have transmission towers all around us, although verizon still manages to provide a signal inside and outside of my building. If I want to use my 7100t at work I have to go out side and walk away from the building, I usually just forward my cell to my desk phone while I'm at work.

I don't think I have ever gotten full bars with T-mobile, but as mentioned by a few of the others I believe that some of the problem is most definately with the 7100t rf.

I'm torn at the moment because I could continue paying around $65 for T-mobile data and voice on my current blackberry, or pay $104 for the same data and less voice on a verizon blackberry... is paying that much more worth recieving signal inside one building? I don't know at this point, but I'm going to say no.

FYI, I am (read: was) a Pocket PC Devotee! However, I recently tried out the verizon i730 as a replacement for my t-mobile blackberry and non-wireless PDA, but the e-mail input experience was miserable no matter whether you use the small treo-like QWERTY keyboard, or the inaccurate Transcriber software. There is nothing as user friendly, real time, or accurate as a blackberry... and this is a statement coming from a man actively looking for a means to leave blackberry and use a PDA/Phone hybrid. Blackberry is king, I just wish they had a touch screen.

[goldbergs]

I live in Centerville - not far from you. The reception east of rt 48 (Far Hills) drops off terribly. I save a bindle with t-mobile - but it's because I can't make calls......