<p>Does one provider stand out from the others around AU? I have found Verizon’s coverage is really good around DC, but AU’s neighborhood seems to be an area of relative weakness for VZW. </p>
<p>Is there a carrier that folks around AU particularly like (or particularly loathe), either for coverage or for customer service?</p>
<p>I had heard rumors that Verizon had weak coverage on AU’s campus. However, as a Verizon user myself, that is just simply not the case. The only reason for this is because there isn’t a Verizon tower near AU. The only times I don’t get coverage is in the middle of the dorms sometimes. Either way, you’ll be fine, but I have noticed a lot of others on campus like AT&T as the preferred choice over Verizon if it’s really a concern. You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>As an AU student, I can say that Verizon is fine. It’s only weak in the dorms. It can be a pain to be dropped in the middle of a call in the residence hall hallways, but outside and in many academic buildings, you’re good.</p>
<p>OK, perhaps this is a naive question, and I’m asking it only because I’m old, but here goes: don’t you want to be able to use your cell phone in the dorms? Isn’t that where you–you know–live?</p>
<p>I ask because my daughter’s commitment to VZW is up, and we could drop her from our family plan painlessly. (We’d probably be willing to let her stay in the actual family, though. That’s a completely different matter.) If it would be painless to switch from VZW to AT&T, T-Mo or Sprint, would you advise switching, and if so, which one would you choose?</p>
<p>I have AT&T and when I went on a tour, they took us into the dorms, and I specifically remember checking and having 4 bars in the hallway if that says anything.</p>
<p>@Sikorsky - You start to lose signal only in the middle of the dorms and hallways like seanrmilligan said. Because the dorms are on the edge, no matter what carrier you have, you always have signal in the dorms. For a second if you step into the hallway or go down a long bridge you might lose signal. If it’s painless to switch to another carrier, AT&T seems like the preferred choice as I said above. However, Verizon is really fine in your dorms. The inconvenience of having Verizon is negligible.</p>
<p>Ah, now I understand.</p>
<p>Thanks, all.</p>
<p>If it provides no inconvenience, and you want to try out a new carrier, give AT&T a shot. Coming from an area where AT&T is known for poor local coverage, I personally would stick with Verizon. Losing a call in the inner part of the hall isn’t really a worry for me. But to concede, while Verizon is fine, AT&T is probably better at AU.</p>
<p>Bonus option: I use an Android cell phone with Google Voice and GrooveIP (both are apps from the Google Play store) and make calls over the wifi using VoIP. Wifi is all over campus and so that takes care of that last spotty area. If you feel you’re mildly tech-savvy and want to try to set that up, go for it. It works well for me. If none of that made sense, disregard this paragraph.</p>