<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>Does anyone know if there's a cellphone service provider preferred over others at Swarthmore (for purposes of better reception)? I keenly remember my DiscoSwat host and his roommate agreeing that Verizon is an inferior network for use on Swarthmore's campus. This may just be a rumor, though.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>My daughter has Verizon. This year, she has not had a problem. (she is in ML) Last year, she had poor reception in Mertz, but as long as she went outside to make a call, she was fine.</p>
<p>My daughter had AT&T, and it worked fine at most places, including dorms.</p>
<p>D & S1 have Verizon. Reception is much better outdoors than inside, but overall it’s not bad.</p>
<p>D has Verizon and has not had problems. Infrequently she does go outside for better reception but this is not a recurring problem. </p>
<p>The rest of the family also has Verizon and we have found that when we travel or go in and out of elevators, we have better reception than friends with other providers.</p>
<p>Verizon just doesn’t work, period, in the new dorms (AP and DK), and is generally spotty “down the hill”. People deal with it, but it is sort of a pain (not being able to make or receive calls without leaving your dorm building is inconvenient!).</p>
<p>Cingular/AT&T has a cell tower literally across the street from campus. It’s on top of an apartment building on Chester Road, about a block from the train station. When that tower was put into service (in 2006 or so), their service became very good on campus.</p>
<p>Yep, I think Cingular is known to be the best on campus. I have T-Mobile, and it’s manageable (reception outside, in all dorms but ML, and next to windows in McCabe and most academic buildings) but not the best.</p>
<p>Sounds like cell phone reception is challenging unless you’re on Cingular/AT&T. Do the same problems apply to text messaging?</p>
<p>I think that text messages go through without much problem, unless you are in a basement area such as the bookstore. (at least that is my D’s experience) She has verizon.</p>
<p>At&T by far the best, having used all 3 providers. Also, since AT&T phones have sim cards, if you go abroad & by a cheap replacement sim card for your phone, you can save $$$ on your international usage.</p>
<p>I have Tracfone and I have never had any problems with reception anywhere on campus. My friends with Verizon have had a lot of trouble, especially in Mertz (where I live). One friend actually ended up switching providers because she was having so much trouble.</p>