Difference between revisions of "Cellphone Access"

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== Cellphones at Evergreen ==
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Considering the Evergreen campus' remote location and cement buildings, cellular reception is notoriously unreliable.  There are many areas with little-to-no service; especially inside buildings (this applies for both upper campus and in housing). 
  
*Different cell phone carriers work better or worse on the Oly campus.
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Additionally, all carriers are not created equal.  AT&T is generally considered to have the best reception, with Sprint in a close second.  T-Mobile's reception is relatively poor and is the least reliable of the big four cellular carriers. Verizon is somewhere in between Sprint and T-Mobile.  Most small and pre-paid carriers (such as Virgin Mobile and TracFone) use Sprint or AT&T's towers and as such have similar reception.  That said, differences between carriers are not as drastic as this comparison implies; no carrier is superior or inferior enough to recommend switching when attending Evergreen.  Reception for all carriers has been steadily improving over the last few years and should continue to do so.
  
    Verizon and T-Mobile don't work very well on campus - it's difficult to get a reliable signal.
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Finally, there is one more issue for users of CDMA carriers (Sprint and Verizon, or anything without a SIM card).  Because of the way that CDMA operates, going in and out of areas with reception will drain a phone's battery faster than staying in an area with continuous or no reception. The difference isn't massive but is very noticeable.
    Nextel/AT&T have been said to have the best service.
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      Most carriers work well outside buildings.
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*Like many spaces, it is considered proper decorum to turn off your cell phone in the library, computer center, and other work spaces.  Cell service can be found by most windows though sometimes it is just simpler to go outside -- it's important to keep in mind that in the quiet school setting your conversations can be overheard and often be thought of as disruptive.
 
  
 
[[Category:Telephones]]
 
[[Category:Telephones]]

Revision as of 10:55, 16 July 2009

Considering the Evergreen campus' remote location and cement buildings, cellular reception is notoriously unreliable. There are many areas with little-to-no service; especially inside buildings (this applies for both upper campus and in housing).

Additionally, all carriers are not created equal. AT&T is generally considered to have the best reception, with Sprint in a close second. T-Mobile's reception is relatively poor and is the least reliable of the big four cellular carriers. Verizon is somewhere in between Sprint and T-Mobile. Most small and pre-paid carriers (such as Virgin Mobile and TracFone) use Sprint or AT&T's towers and as such have similar reception. That said, differences between carriers are not as drastic as this comparison implies; no carrier is superior or inferior enough to recommend switching when attending Evergreen. Reception for all carriers has been steadily improving over the last few years and should continue to do so.

Finally, there is one more issue for users of CDMA carriers (Sprint and Verizon, or anything without a SIM card). Because of the way that CDMA operates, going in and out of areas with reception will drain a phone's battery faster than staying in an area with continuous or no reception. The difference isn't massive but is very noticeable.