how-to block ads
|
»next review in page
 Review by a333 
UPDATED: 48 days ago
member for 2.4 years, 913 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
 Rego Park,Queens,NY
 $110 per month (24 month contract)
 "Decent 3G, good call quality, some very nice phones"
 "Branded firmware is a pain in the *ss until you debrand.. see below"
 "Good service overall"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I've had AT&T Wireless since June 2008, so I thought it is about time I reviewed it. My first phone was a Sony Ericsson z750a, on an individual plan. It was a good phone, and also doubled as a nice mp3 player, coupled with a headset and memory card. Call quality has always been fairly decent here in the NYC metro area. I don't remember the last time I got a dropped call, although I have occasionally gotten "network busy" messages down in the lower Manhattan/Greenwitch Village area. However, they are few and far in between.
Fast forward to end of August 2009, I got a new phone when the rest of the family switched to AT&T (My old Sony Ericsson had been stolen in May, and I was using a GoPhone activated on my account in the meantime). This time it was a Sony Ericsson w518a. It has a host of good specs/features, including camera, bluetooth, aGPS, Tri-band 3G, accelerometer, and gesture control. I also got the $15/month Data Unlimited package (discounted to $10 with a bit of social engineering). However, it became apparent that AT&T's default firmware was just too crippling for my needs. For example, the default email client couldn't be configured with push email. Unsigned Java apps were a pain to run, as they asked for permission to use data every few seconds. I therefore "debranded" the phone (i.e. reflashed it to Sony Ericsson's default firmware). However, since the only available non-branded firmware for this phone is the non-aGPS European w508 firmware, I lost GPS functionality. However, the phone is now significantly more responsive. I can get RSS feeds scrolling across the home screen. There are a host of actually useful apps, like a nifty little Youtube app that also allows uploading of videos. The email client can send picture and video attachments. Also, the push email is a big feature for me, along with the ability to install unsigned Java apps without headaches. Along with that, I can finally choose between GSM-only, and GSM/3G modes (this really helps battery life FYI), and also force my phone to roam on different GSM networks. Finally, I appreciate an interface that isn't cluttered with useless AT&T walled garden applications.
As to the 3G service itself, occasional tethering via bluetooth has yielded speeds of about 800-900 Kbit downstream and about 160 Kbit upstream, with latencies hovering around 200-350 ms. (Note: Do this only sparingly, as tethering is technically against the TOS on the Data Unlimited plan.) Speed tests from the default mobile browser usually return roughly 400-700 Kbit download. I am sure the tethering numbers improve a LOT when using USB, but haven't configured USB tethering yet.
Coverage-wise, 3G coverage is pretty much everywhere in the aggressively built out NYC area, although I might occasionally drop 3G for a moment of two. Youtube videos stream pretty smoothly, and downloads/page loads are very good for a mobile connection.
To sum it up: If you're an AT&T customer who owns a Sony Ericsson phone and actually wants to use the data plan they're paying for, DEBRAND!! The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. However, proceed carefully, as flashing the wrong files may very well turn your phone into a very expensive brick. These links are a good start for those interested:
»www.howardforums.com/showthread.···10136377
The files I used for my w518a:
1) W508_R1EA030_FS_APAC-ANZ_RED53.fbn
2) W508_R1EA030_MAIN_GENERIC_BR_RED53.mbn
3) C905_1209-4780_R7A_GENERIC_APAC-ANZ
A Google search for these files should lead you to the appropriate instructions/sources of said files.
-a333
Speed tests done on USB (finally):
»www.speedtest.net/result/583631792.png
Attachments:
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
 | »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by BUGZILLA 57
UPDATED: 102 days ago
member for 5.4 years, 1741 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Pflugerville,Travis,TX
$60 per month (24 month contract)
"High speeds in remote areas when I can get 3G. Beats dial-up or satellite."
"EDGE is no where as good as 3G"
"If you need it, it can be useful."
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I've used it all around Central and East Texas with reasonable stability.
device: Option 3G Max 3.6 Express
UPDATED 5-31-09
I have been getting steadfast 3G out at my remote lake house. High speed makes streaming music easy.
I found a USB dongle and dB gain antenna, and use it through a desktop unit for my 'home away from home' network.
It's 3G signal is more reliable than my wife's iPhone.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by NetFixer
UPDATED: 187 days ago
member for 5.4 years, 3055 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Murfreesboro,Rutherford,TN
$150 per month (24 month contract)
"Good coverage most places, and 3G is now available here."
"3G coverage needs to be expanded."
"Reliable service, and the rollover minutes make it almost affordable."
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I am not a new AT&T/Cingular user, I have used their cell phone service (and prior to that their pager service) since they were called BellSouth Mobility in this part of the country.
I had not previously done a review because the GPRS data service I had was for emergency use only if I could not find a WiFi hotspot when on the road (and I did not use it very often). Several weeks ago, I traded in my GSM/GPRS handsets for a pair of GSM/UMTS/HSDPA/EDGE handsets, so at least in the three cities where 3G is available in this area, I no longer have to search for a hotspot if I need to do something more than just check email status. Even the EDGE service is better than I expected in the (large) areas where 3G is not available than I had expected it to be.
I typically seem to get ~250-300 kbps down in 3G areas, and ~80-100 kbps down in EDGE areas. Definitely better than the ~20-24 kbps I used to get with GPRS.
3G Update:
I had to go to Huntsville today, and I forgot my external Bluetooth adapter, so I had to use the USB direct connect cable to connect to my notebook. I discovered that with the direct connection, I got ~1.3-1.4 mbps down. Guess I will need to start looking for a new USB Bluetooth adaptor.
Update 05/18/2009:
I recently added another 3G phone to my plan to take over a business number that I had to port from AT&T CallVantage since they are shutting down that service. The only problem was with CallVantage initially refusing to allow the number port, and then dragging their feet even after an AT&T Wireless manager raised hell and forced them to release the number.
Recent upgrades to the service here now provides me with good connectivity in my home/office and that has allowed me to now use only cell phones. No "landlines" at all, not even VoIP. That will likely change for financial reasons (unlimited calling from my home/office will mean that I can cut back on the minutes in my calling plan) if/when AT&T Wireless actually starts marketing their MicroCell service, but for now everything is over the air and working great.
Followup comments:  
bobjohnson
Premium
join:2007-02-03
Titusville, FL | Bluetooth adapter I can't get over 700kb dn with my Bluetooth adapter that's built in to my laptop or my external adapter, but if I plug it in directly I get 1.0 to 1.5mb with sprint | |
| | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO | Re: Bluetooth adapter Bluetooth if I remember correctly is limited to 700 kb/s for that sorta thing. Technical limitation. My Sprint phone is similar on that sorta thing. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by jlp09550
Posted: 284 days ago
member for 2.8 years, 152 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Abbeville,Vermilion,LA
$107 per month (24 month contract)
 about 5 days
"Excellent coverage, excellent speed, and incredible online interface."
"Customer support is slow."
"Best wireless company out there!"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I was with Cingular for a few years before AT&T merged. Now, service is still great, but not AS great.
Pros:
+ Excellent coverage (I get AT&T nearly EVERYWHERE I go!)
+ Incredible wireless Internet speeds (ever on EXTENDED! [because we don't have 3G here..])
+ Easy to use online interface for managing your account
+ Convenient billing process
+ Getting better everyday..
Cons:
- Customer service is terrible!
- We can't get 3G service.. and they said they are not planning 3G in our area.
My review:
The only bad things I do not like about our new service is the pricing plans and the customer service, as well as the fact they don't want to offer 3G in our area. Anyways, ever since AT&T merged with Cingular, customer service has gone downhill, while my bill was going uphill instead. I used to pay $70/month for an individual line.. now I pay nearly $110/month because they raised the data and text messaging pricing plans.
The good points are the coverage, wireless Internet speeds, and the easy-to-use online interface. This is what has kept me from switching to Verizon. (aside from my contract..) I can get service nearly anywhere in our area, (just ONE spot is a dead zone, but we're in a rural area) which is a MAJOR gain for AT&T. Additionally, the wireless Internet speeds (counting the extended, since that's all I can get here) are quite incredible for what I'm paying for.
I don't have much to review now.. maybe I'll add more when 3G is finally activated in our area.
Thanks for reading.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by lastmile
UPDATED: 306 days ago
member for 2.2 years, 530 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Robertsville,Franklin,MO
$65 per month (24 month contract)
"Cost, good improvement over Dial-Up and Satellite, especially for VPN's. Cost is fair"
"None"
"Beats pants off Satellite / Dial-up. Can't wait for next-gen 3G/4G improvements"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
AT&T (cingular) 3G wireless is a good improvement over Satellite Internet. 3G wireless also improves IPSec VPN performance as compared to Satellite which was a primary motivator for me
The latency seems relatively consistent around 100-200ms but sometimes drops into sub-100's and at times, peaks over 1000ms. It would appear that some games may run over 3G that don't require twitch reflexes, i.e. Quake-like games, i.e. Quake 3 tested in 200ms+ range with some latency-spikes. The only sour-point would be latency-spikes as it would be great to have a consistent sub-100ms ping.
Signal stability has improved since 3G was originally turned-up in the area. Initially experienced occasional dropped connections but as of January 2009 it is maintaining good stability with very few dropped calls -- hope it remains this way.
60.00 is cheaper than some Satellite packages so cost seems fair for customers' with no alternatives. Hopefully the cost will also keep the bandwidth / network utilization at fair levels so they don't get overwhelmed with too many customers.
Interestingly, my upload speed consistently seems to be better than my download speeds with and without VPN -- see below. Have not ran into issues with 5GB monthly cap yet.
I'm currently using an AT&T Mercury USB (Sierra Wireless Compass 885U) for the USB ubiquity, an available external antenna jack and the modem's upgradeability. Sierra indicates prospective download speed up to 7.2 Mbps and upload to 2 Mbps (upgradeable to 5.76 Mbps) so hopefully with firmware and 3G network updates, the card will have upgradeable throughput for awhile.
Also using a Cradlepoint MBR1000 Wireless-N router which is a tad pricey ($239.00) but works well as a mobile broadband router to share the connection for several computers. It is equipped with two USB ports, one Express Slot, one 10/100 WAN, and four 10/100 LAN ports.
The router has many configurable options, WAN failover, logging, SNMP and several firmware updates to support newer broadband modems. It also appears to have pretty good reviews over a few sites.
Some tests during Internet prime-time:
Normal ISP test
:::.. testmy.net test results ..:::
Download Connection is:: 1128 Kbps about 1.13 Mbps (tested with 1024 kB)
Download Speed is:: 138 kB/s
Upload Connection is:: 1495 Kbps about 1.5 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB)
Upload Speed is:: 182 kB/s
Tested From:: »testmy.net (Main)
Test Time:: 2008/12/09 - 9:04pm
D-Validation Link:: »testmy.net/stats/id-9WX32TOFE
U-Validation Link:: »testmy.net/stats/id-JMLPCNAB4
User Agent:: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1) [!]
IPSec VPN tests:
:::.. testmy.net test results ..:::
Download Connection is:: 147 Kbps about 0.15 Mbps (tested with 512 kB)
Download Speed is:: 18 kB/s
Upload Connection is:: 362 Kbps about 0.4 Mbps (tested with 748 kB)
Upload Speed is:: 44 kB/s
Tested From:: »testmy.net (Main)
Test Time:: 2008/12/09 - 9:02pm
D-Validation Link:: »testmy.net/stats/id-Q4K719LAY
U-Validation Link:: »testmy.net/stats/id-FNVCJIH6Z
User Agent:: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; InfoPath.1) [!]
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by tm2924
UPDATED: 1 year ago
member for 1.9 years, 69 visits, last login: 1 year ago
Labadie,Franklin,MO
$68 per month (24 month contract)
"Great Service!"
"none yet"
"3G is speed is great option."
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
Our area just got 3g and I got my modem within days of it going live. I am getting 1.7 down and 500 up. The ping times are fast. I have coupled the modem with a mobile broadband wireless router. I now have broadband throughout the house. My only other options for internet are dial-up and satellite. This beats both hands down.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by roughstuff99
UPDATED: 1.2 years ago
member for 1.3 years, 41 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago
Springfield,Greene,MO
$60 per month (24 month contract)
about 3 days
"Good speeds for service, more upgrades coming"
"Pricey"
"All I can get here in a rural area for the cost"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I live on the Northern outskirts of Springfield MO, so DSL is not available. I took ATT wireless broadband which uses the USBConnect 881U because it is all I could get for the price. I like it and I understand there are more speed upgrades coming. I usually hit around 2 Mbps down and close to 1Mbps up. I did have to download a firmware upgrade because the speeds were reversed. I get a great signal on my home PC so that makes a big difference too. Over all I enjoy it, and anything is better than dial up.
A few things I forgot to mention were that what I have is an Air Card, it hooks directly into my USB port and it runs off of the 3G network. It is now free after rebate, so you really can't beat the price. I use it on my home pc but it is also mobile, which means I can use it anywhere. I am on the unlimited plan which also means no limit on usage. Also of note is that my throughput is considered exceptional for the area.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by ravensfan55
Posted: 1.4 years ago
member for 1.4 years, 376 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Severna Park,Anne Arundel,MD
$100 per month
"Clear calling, fast broadband"
"None I can think of"
"Great wireless service."
| Pre Sales Information:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
After previous stints with Verizon and Sprint, I have to say that AT&T/Cingular has been the best wireless service I have had. Verizon was reliable, but the horrid software and locking of features drove me crazy. Sprint on the other hand was full of problems and have the most incompetent customer service of any company in any sector. I canceled in 15 days. Cingular has great phones, and great plans. Calls are crystal clear and they have great coverage, it's always 4 or 5 bars for me. 3G speeds are very fast. Our business uses them for mobile broadband and we have no compaints. All the phones I have had with them have been great. I give an A+ for Cingular/AT&T.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by OSUGoose
Posted: 1.8 years ago
member for 1.9 years, 647 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Columbus,Franklin,OH
$80 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Great Speeds When in 3G"
"3G Coverage in Columbus is not fully consistant"
"YMMV depending on area"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I've came back to wireless from AT&T, for 2 reasons, 1 was the Moto Q Global now available (big motorolla fan here) and 2 I discovered that verizon and sprints coverage was no better where i had issues with at&t. My job as a sat installer requires me to be in some "rual" areas, if you call Marysville,Marion,Newark to be rual. And with both a AT&T & verizon phone and a sprint/netel hybrid phone, i had the same or no coveage across the board. So since i prefer the GSM tech, i came back and happy i have. However at&t needs to even out the 3G coverage in columbus, as its hit or miss in some areas. However the speeds are good, and were good as well when i had a laptop a few months ago with a built in aircard, i was getting near express dsl speeds.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
| »next page (previous review)
Review by joe9439
Posted: 1.9 years ago
member for 3.6 years, 42 visits, last login: 325 days ago
Taylors,Greenville,SC
$20 per month
"Good coverage and technology"
"A little slow when not in 3g"
"Good value"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
|
I'm tethering to my computer through my Motorola v3xx on the MediaMax 200 plan for occasional surfing when not at home. Tethering with this plan is against the terms of service so if you're looking at using the connection a lot I would reccomend getting the broadband connect plan for $60 a month which does support tethered use. I've never heard of anyone getting their data plan cancelled due to usage though. I'm getting anywhere from 100 to 210kbps down and 50 to 100kbps up on the EDGE network. Latency in around 500ms. We're getting 3g HSDPA service in Greenville, SC sometime in 2008 which will hopefully improve latency and speed. Coverage with AT&T is better in my experience than any other provider in my area. I've never been in a spot where I haven't had signal and I've had the service for about a year now.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Cingular Wireless |
|
|
Cingular Wireless
(11)
·
·
·
·
·