<p>Anyone have any suggestions or caveats about cell phone companies and reception in Northfield? We currently have Sprint and that worked fine for my son at accepted students weekend and--important--works fine in our hometown. Still, I thought it worth asking about various companies. We're not under a contract right now, so we're free to move around.</p>
<p>D has Verizon on family plan with me. Reception everywhere on campus, in town, and on the back roads' drives to MSP or down to Rochester (to catch I-90 for Madison & Chicago drive). On one trip to Chicago, we drove through Iowa Amish area to Dubuque. Worked fine through there too. Join the Carleton Parents Email Group <a href="https://lists.carleton.edu/info/CarletonParents%5B/url%5D">https://lists.carleton.edu/info/CarletonParents</a> and skim through last year's May - September archives for parents' ratings of other companies.</p>
<p>D has Sprint, and only has reception problems in the dining hall. Fine with me, I don't want to hear her talking with her mouth full.</p>
<p>Thanks, Maize&Blue! I've subscribed and looked at the cell phone threads--there were things on there that I hadn't thought of.</p>
<p>I must be stupid. I tried and tried to subscribe to the Carleton Parents Email group, but kept running into one dead-end after another. Once I finally set my password, I was unable to access any lists. I realize I'm a computer incompetent, but this seemed extraordinarily difficult to me!</p>
<p>The interface isn't too friendly. Haven't a clue why not since the student access point is very easy to navigate (the one time only that my D let me look). You might try sending the <em>owners</em> <a href="mailto:bcolwell@acs.carleton.edu">bcolwell@acs.carleton.edu</a> an email for help.</p>
<p>Hindoo, click on the link above again, and then login (if your software doesn't do it automatically). Then you can click on the "archive" button on the left to see previous posts.</p>
<p>M&B is right; it's not particularly intuitive. And firefly, I, too, can live with not being able to talk to my son while he's eating. :)</p>
<p>My son uses Verizon. It works like a peach, when he chooses to dial our home cell or land line. :p</p>
<p>Yeah, ttmom; what's that they say about horses and water? :)</p>
<p>Still, if he's not calling you, that probably means he's happy and busy--or at least the latter!</p>
<p>Happy, busy, or flush. Amazing how passport and SIT application fees will net several emails and phone calls! But you are right limner, I'd rather have news in fits and starts, knowing he is happy and busy.</p>
<p>Do not send your kid here with Cingular, the service area is very spotty and he/she will probably have to stand outside in the cold in the winter just to get a usable signal, makes those rollover minutes pretty useless. Verizon works well on campus, I think other providers are fine.</p>
<p>Thanks, dietcokewithlime. I'm checking out several providers (including our current one), so that's very helpful. We're not all on the same plan, but I think it definitely makes sense to do that now.</p>
<p>My daughter uses Cingular and manages just fine. She had a little trouble at first but solved it with a better phone.</p>
<p>does anyone know how the service from T-Mobile is?</p>
<p>No idea ... but Sprint seems to work pretty well.</p>
<p>T-Mobile works really well... better than Verizon in some spots.</p>
<p>Awesome! Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I've got Sprint and it's never been a problem anywhere in Northfield/at Carleton except in the basement of the Center for Math & Computing.</p>
<p>That's good to know about T-Mobile, because when our Sprint contract is up in another year (yes, I'm counting), I think that's the company we'll go with.</p>
<p>limner, I'm with you on Sprint. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, D's Sprint service goes dark in the LDC. Otherwise, the service is fine.</p>