Using Cingular network at my home

I checked the coverage map in T-Mobile website, and found out that generally the signal strength is great (green) in my area (Atlanta, GA). Unfortunately, the signal strength at my apartment shown on the map is just good (yellow), but not great. Most of the time I get 1 bar or none for signal strength on my phone (Motorola V330).

I viewed the Network Settings on my phone and saw 1 T-Mobile and 2 Cingulars as available networks. I am thinking of choosing a Cingular network while I am at home, but still not sure if I will be charged for roaming.

I am using T-Mobile FamilyTime Basic plan. I think it is a national plan which should have no roaming charge (I am still not so sure about this). If you are familiar with this plan, could you please answer me the following questions?

1. Will I be charged for roaming when I set my phone to use Cingular network while I am at home?

2. If I will not be charged for roaming, am I using Whenever minutes (500 shared minutes/mo.) everytime I use Cingular network? In other words, can I still use Weekend, Weeknight, and Mobile-to-Mobile minutes (all unlimited minutes) when I use Cingular network at home?

Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately, since T-Mobile Services the region, you won't be able to select either Cingular (one is former AT&T) network, and vice versa for Cingular Customers. Crappy, yes, but that's business for ya.

You can only roam on cingular when you have no tmobile service. You have gotten service in your appartment so you can not roam to another network. Roaming in the united states is free, but mobile 2 mobile minutes can not be used if one of the parties is roaming.

Not true anymore, T-Mobile did and update to their billing system so whether you are roaming or not M2M works now.

Now if they would allow unfettered access to Cingular... T-Mo has the best access on lower base (by the ships) but on upper base (barracks, etc) Cingular gets the best reception

You can only use towers with them if they have roaming agreements, you can manually select other carriers if there is an agreements to use their tower. Phone will only automatically select another carrier if there is no T-Mobile service available.

I had some guts to try it last night. I manually selected the networks. Here are the results (they are reproducible, I tried several times).

1. T-Mobile: after selected it, the phone took a while to register, then showed T-Mobile on top left.

2. First Cingular: the same result as the T-Mobile. There was no roaming indicator shown. The signal strength is a bit better than T-Mobile.

3. Second Cingular: the phone took a while trying to register, then showed nothing on top left for few seconds. After waiting for a while, it finally showed T-Mobile on top left. There was no roaming indicator shown as well.

Here are what I am guessing.

For the second Cingular, T-Mobile might not have roaming agreement on this tower with Cingular (or it is an old AT&T tower). I cannot register to it so the phone showed nothing for a while before it automatically registered to T-Mobile network.

For the first Cingular, T-Mobile might have roaming agreement on this tower. So after trying to register my phone to it, it immediately showed T-Mobile (unlike for the second Cingular which my phone showed nothing for a while)

The thing that makes me confused whether my phone was roaming or not is that there was no roaming indicator shown at all in any cases, and my phone showed only either T-Mobile or nothing after trying to register.

I have never been in the area that has no T-Mobile signal at all. So, I do not know whether my phone will definitely show the roaming indicator or other network name on screen while roaming. All I said above about no roaming indicator shown is just from the phone manual.

Could anybody confirms that I guess it right that I can register to the first Cingular tower at my home? And also, should my phone show roaming indicator or other network name while roaming?

Thanks

I have the same problem. I have zero reception at home with t-mobile. But I do have cingular signal. I could register to cingular network. I am not sure if I would be charged for that. I called t-mobile, they seems reluctant to answer my question and do nothing but put a service request (which will eventually lead to a new tower built several years later).

Please share your experience. Thanks a lot.

You will not get charged for using there tower, worst case scenario you get late billables (calls from previous cycle incorporated in current cycle).

What type of phone do you people have? I found that on phones with external antennas like my moto v300 I purchased a telescoping antenna from ebay for a few bucks and it improved my reception in areas I was getting low signal.

Downside you have to pull the antenna out, and I guess it doesn't look that "cool" LOL but hey it worked for me.

Using Cingular network at my home

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