<p>Anyone had any luck getting a microcell to work in Parkside Arts & Humanities? I can't seem to get 3G.</p>
<p>OR what have some of your solutions been for the dismal AT&T reception in parkside. I really don't want to switch carriers. Thanks in advance for any advice!</p>
<p>my son had NO reception last year 3rd floor Parkside with AT&T. Skype is an option, but we ended up paying for a land line, although then you need a calling card to call out anywhere off campus (or maybe just out of the local area). It’s absurd that Parkside doesn’t fix this.</p>
<p>For me, reception was better when I was closer to my window or at the seating area near the elevator.</p>
<p>I’m on Verizon and when I go see my friends in Parkside my reception sucks unless I get near a window.</p>
<p>My son is on the 3rd floor of Parkside A&H and has limited or no cell coverage though T-Mobile. When we spoke with T-mobile they said that if their were any type of satelites dishes in the area it would affect cell reception.</p>
<p>I was unaware that this was a general problem in Parkside. Has anyone from USC addressed this issue? Our concern is that if there is a family emergency and we need to get a hold of our son, he would find out after he left Parkside and received the voice mails.</p>
<p>Regarding microtowers, I have heard only ATT has microcell tower but I am unsure how that works when you are tying the microsell into the USC network.</p>
<p>^we put in a land line for a small fee for just that reason. While he needed a calling card to make non-213 calls, anyone could call him. I think it was about $50 a semester. Or year? Based on the cell reception, I think they should’ve waived the fee, but we didn’t press the issue.</p>
<p>My son was 3rd floor and AT&T. His roomie had a different carrier, and both had no reception unless right at the window, then one bar.</p>
<p>I have noticed that the cellphone reception at USC is unusually terrible this semester. I attended USC for four years and NEVER had any trouble getting reception with Sprint, no matter where I was on campus; I even got great service in my dorm room.</p>
<p>Now that I’m back, I can barely get reception anywhere (still with Sprint). The worst area is in between PSA all the way to Trousdale, although I can also only get spotty service in the Annenberg building. I assume, since it’s nearby PSA, the weird reception issue must also be affecting Parkside. It’s really inconvenient and I have to turn my phone off on campus or else my battery will drain! Very frustrating.</p>
<p>Zelda, reception on 3rd floor Parkside was terrible all last year (when my son was there), and as he heard from previous residents, the year before as well. The issue the OP is referring to is not new this semester.</p>
<p>If a land line becomes necessary, would VoIP be an option? I wonder if you can use a Vonage with USC network? For unlimited calls to US and Canada is $14.99 a month.</p>
<p>no idea about that, sorry!</p>
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<p>I know, I was just commenting that these bad service issues have now spread to other areas on campus. It’s something that friends of mine have noticed as well; hard to get service in and around the West side of campus these days.</p>
<p>Gmail still offers free calls to the US with Google Voice (I think though the end of 2011) so that’s an option, too. You can use it through your USC Google email if you have that set up, too! You can sign up so that you have a Google Voice phone number so that parents can call you instead of you needing to call out all the time. (Click “CALL PHONE” where the Gmail chat module is…)</p>
<p>My son had a major laptop issue last night that required him to have to call customer support. He was unable to make a call because of no cell signal. I just ordered Vonage for him so I will see if this is going to work on the USC network.</p>
<p>IMHO, the lack of cell signal creates an inherent safety risk for the dorm residents. If there is a emergency within the building, how can residents contact authorities if they have no cell signal. Also, if DPS issues campus wide emergency alerts, how can students be notified immediately if they can’t receive the text messages. </p>
<p>Just my 2 cents…</p>
<p>Can someone whose child is experiencing this problem contact the Housing Office? I agree that it is a potentially dangerous situation and should be fixed for that dorm, but my son is in Birnkrant and doesn’t have any issues.</p>
<p>I am waiting for the Vonage set-up to arrive to see if it works before I reach out to USC Housing. If the phone works, I will still express my concern for other students since I have now solved my son’s situation and go on the record about the situation . If Vonage doesn’t work on USC’s network, well then the phone call and follow-up email will have a different tone and requirement that there be some immediate resolution.</p>
<p>My son has set up the Vonage modem and phone in less than threee minutes and now has telephone service on his room. He picked a 213 area code that he can use where ever moves next year.</p>
<p>I will do some research and see which USC VP I need to contact to go on the record with the cell phone connectivity at Parkside.</p>
<p>My daughter has Verizon and has great coverage everywhere on campus. She is at Annenberg and says coverage is also great there. When I visit I also have Verizon and have never had a problem in dorms or anywhere on campus.</p>