I know there's lots of cell phone threads, but I didn't see one about this. Sorry if it's a repeat!

I'm considering getting a Wind phone, but I'm worried about reception. I'll need it to call and text all over Canada, from here to Quebec to Newfoundland (and maybe later Alberta). Does anyone have experience with Wind? Is their long distance reception any good?

(I would go with Rogers because I know their reception is the best, but Wind has better plans)

Thanks!!

Check out this forum for official answers regarding Wind Mobile: http://community.windmobile. ca/windmobile

Your questions will be answered by A Wind Employee.

Originally Posted by xFLY

Your questions will be answered by A Wind Employee.

Lol... that seems a bit like going into the Apple store and asking whether one should get a Mac or a PC... -_____-

Originally Posted by InvisoBill

Lol... that seems a bit like going into the Apple store and asking whether one should get a Mac or a PC... -_____-

... your analogy would only make sense if they were asking which provider to go with. In this case, they are asking what the reception is like so a better analogy would be going to the Apple store and asking something like how long does the iPhone 4 battery last...

Plus, there are wind customers that answer questions on the forums as well.

Originally Posted by InvisoBill

Lol... that seems a bit like going into the Apple store and asking whether one should get a Mac or a PC... -_____-

Its not sales representatives answering the questions you may have, they aren't trying to sell you anything. Its more like customer service and it's not like they know if you already have Wind service.

I've been with Wind for about a year and a half now. I'd say their reception is decent for the price. I pay $25 a month for pretty much everything (3-way calling, voice mail, unlimited minutes, unlimited texts ect.) minus data. The only thing is that their reception is NOT amazing. In lecture halls (especially in basements) there is no reception. There is no contract so you can try them out and see how it goes and if you don't like the reception just drop them. As long as you use less than 30 minutes or something, they'll give you a full refund in the first 15 days or something. You should double check that.

Originally Posted by ginaj

The only thing is that their reception is NOT amazing. In lecture halls (especially in basements) there is no reception.

Keep in mind, this happens with all wireless carriers. Wireless phone reception of any kind at McMaster is generally horrible.

Thanks for all your replies! I do plan on talking to someone at Wind before buying the phone, but I'm worried that they will give me whatever answer just so I will give them my money.
I'm not too worried about stuff like lecture halls. I just want to make sure I can call from Hamilton to Quebec and it will go through.
Thanks for letting me know about the return policy, ginaj. I'll definitely bring that up when I talk to them.

Wind has pretty good reception on campus itself. However it can be spotty in the communities surrounding campus. Of ALL campus I have only had problems 3rd floor MDCL (cell blockers), basement ITB (common accross all carriers) and parts of ETB (unfortunate). Due to the higher frequency they use the penetration of signal through materials is less than that of robellus.

However my student house is a different story. I cannot text from my room in the basement and sometimes have to walk outside the house to make a clear call. Due to this Ill soon be switching to (likely bell). My phone being crappy and the galaxys2 coming out is a nice bonus...

Since many of the posts in this thread seem to mention problems with Wind, I would just like to add another perspective. I've been with Wind for a year now (using Samsung Gravity 2) and I haven't had any problems. Sure, I don't get reception in elevators or sometimes the basement, but I never really use my phone in those areas to begin with. Other than that, reception has been great on campus and in my house. People mentioned they had problems in 3rd floor MDCL, but I spent a lot of my time there this past year and I didn't notice reception problems.

I honestly think the phone itself is an important factor. My friend was using a HTC Maple and she had problems with receiving texts. So yeah, research the phone before you buy it.

I've owned a BlackBerry Bold 9780 since January, and in terms of plans; you can't beat Wind. Unlimited LD Minutes + Global Texting comes in really handy when you have friends all over the place. Around campus the service is fantastic, I haven't had any issues with missed / dropped calls or even text messages. I didn't have any problems on residence either, I had 5 bars in most places.

The ETB was an issue for me, while other providers barely get 1 - 2 bars, Wind gets virtually nothing.

It is up and coming, so you can't expect perfect signal all over the place, but for the price I think it's definitely worth it. The phone you use also has a lot to do with it, a few people I know have had problems with the Nexus S on the network, but personally my BlackBerry has given me no issues.

If you're travelling to Mississauga / Toronto too, along the highway you're good, and in Mississauga I've had no issues, and again nothing in Toronto.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by InvisoBill

Lol... that seems a bit like going into the Apple store and asking whether one should get a Mac or a PC... -_____-

Lol, someone should totally do that and record it and then put up on youtube... I want t see the unique reasons Apple employee's will give :p

Originally Posted by blackdragon

Lol, someone should totally do that and record it and then put up on youtube... I want t see the unique reasons Apple employee's will give :p

That would be so much funnier if they recorded it using FaceTime on one of the laptops they had there

cell coverage was hell last year. me and my friends from rogers/fido kept getting delays in texts (like 8 hour delay) and calls would drop too. i dont remember if there was an issue during those times but apparently mcmaster has stuff that jams signals

Don't get the motorola xt720. I was in a store the other day and there was a reallly displeased person with the new LG phone (not sure why).. the samsung one (galaxy s or something?) is really good from what I've heard.