Help! Which is the best provider?? signal strength etc

[morse]

Hi,

T Mobile is th cheapest at the moment £29.95 for 3GB per month
Vodaphone £45 for 1 GB per month
O2 not sure


I went into a T-mobile shop who stated there was no difference in strengths of signal between T-mobile,vodaphone or o2. When I went into the Vodaphone shop they said that is not correct they say Vodaphone and O2 have a far stronger signal then T-mobile or any of the others and they said you can try it for yourself for 14 days..Can anyone tell me is this true??

[DaveC]

Signal strength and quality depends on where you are at the time. Sometimes I work in an area where the only signal is O2. Another location only has T-Mobile.

You need to look at the coverage maps on the various telcos websites and compare.

[3G-Londoner]

I find in rural areas or in buildings you are more likely to get a better signal on the 900Mhz operators - O2 and Voda than on the others. However thats for 2G - GPRS. Ive found the operators 3G coverage to be as good or as bad as each other. It really depends on where abouts you will be using it.

I use a T-mobile web and walk card in and around London where the coverage is fine.

[morse]

Hi,

Thanks for your input,

I was told by the Sales guy in Voda that the true download speed on T-mobile is far less then what they say it is, also if your on the move ie Train T-mobile lets you down thats why they have intoduced hotspots for T-mobile to boost the signal on Southern trains..any comments...

Also does anyone know if you use your mobile as the modem link to your laptop, does this give a poorer signal?

[DaveC]

Theoretically, dowload speeds on Voda and T-Mobile should be the same in similar circumstances. T-Mobile use wifi hotspots as another means of connecting. For example, I can connect my PDA via a Hotspot without having to make a blutooth connection to my phone.

Most modern mobiles will link to a laptop - particularly those of the 3G variety. However, you must make sure the data package you buy allows this - some don't and data is only for use on the phone.

I suggest you do some more investigations before you commit yourself to signing up to any package. Mistakes can be expensive.

[morse]

The most important thing that concerns me is reception I have 2 mobile phones one is on the o2 network the other T-mobile, the only reason I use the T-mobile network is that I get loads more free minutes, If I had a choice I would use O2 all the time as the reception is far better and I very rearly drop calls in mid flow unlike T-mobile, I have used both providers for over a year both in London and around the UK. I need a provider that doesn't drop connection when travelling.

Regarding the mobile phone to use as a modem I believe the vario2 can be used for this purpose and it has the hsdpa protocol, is there anyone out there who links their mobile to the laptop and if so are there any problems with reception/download speeds...Thanks

[Quaver]

also if your on the move ie Train T-mobile lets you down

I find that too:tired:
But it all depends on where you want to use it. At home where I live, T-mobile is the strongest, while I have patchy coverage on Voda, O2 & Orange (only near the windows).
While in most other areas, Voda & O2 are the best. Especially in the basements and in heavy concrete buildings, as 900Mhz travels better than 1800mhz.

[a_ukboy]

Signal is a funny thing, it all depends on where you are, im in London so basically have no problems with any provider, even Three.. LOL

No seriously, at home i have no issues, but when i go to my parents which is only in Surrey i have major network issues, Orange and T-mobile offer superb coverage, Voda is very patchy but usable and that also goes for Three, but try and get a signal for o2, forget it..
For me, from personal experiance Orange by far outshines everyone, followed very closely by Voda, then T-Mobile, Three, but very bottom, remember this is my experiance only.. is o2

Alot of people will strongly disagree, but then it all goes by the area in which you're in...