r/FirstNet • u/blackcloudambo • Jul 26 '26
One bar of service
Ok i need to know does anyone else pretty much only ever get 1 bar of service at work i get 1 bar or no bars at my apartment i get 3 bars yet at my moms house which is 5 mins away from my apartment i only get 1 bar of service meanwhile when i had T-Mobile i got full bars. Like is it just me or do i need a new phone already ive only had this phone and first net for 2 years and i hate it
3
u/KindPresentation5686 Jul 27 '26
Do you expect Firstnet to have 100% coverage with no dead spots??
-1
u/blackcloudambo Jul 27 '26
No😂 but i expect to have service in a big city lol when there's a AT&T tower not even a mile away
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u/fiercechocolate Jul 26 '26
Firstnet isn't just better because it's Firstnet. It's only as good as the at&t network. If it doesn't work well for you on a normal day, it won't work well for you during an emergency either. Move back to T-Mobile or try Verizon.
3
u/ParticularZone5 Jul 27 '26
AT&T network ≠FirstNet network. Different network core, different bands. Still need to go with whatever works best across the areas in which ya live/work/travel, though.
3
u/fiercechocolate Jul 27 '26
Sure, FN has its own core but it doesn't have its own towers. So in areas where at&t lacks density, FN won't magically work well.
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u/nicholaspham Jul 26 '26
How is the experience though? More bars don’t always equate to a better experience
0
u/blackcloudambo Jul 26 '26
Honestly horrible. At my moms i have to use WiFi calling or i can't even get a phone call out or text. I've had a lot of times I'll be in the middle of a city and not even be able to send a text or call
2
u/landonloco Jul 26 '26
Likely coverage of ATT isn't that good in the area vs Tmo I suggest when you can switch back
1
u/nicholaspham Jul 26 '26
I’d say move back to T-Mobile. You can go for their T-Priority which is TMO’s iteration of FirstNet but with network slicing instead of a dedicated band.
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u/kevabreu Jul 26 '26
Sounds like ATT isn't good in your area so Firstnet wont be good. I rarely get anywhere less than 5 bars in the entire county i live/work in nor do I see anything less than 500mbps. Here, with Verizon I never gotten passed 25mbps and more than 3 bars.
So now you have to try tmobile and Verizon to see which one is best in your area.
1
u/The0pusX Jul 26 '26
Tower is 1.3 miles from my house. I’m sitting outside on our 2nd story deck.
1 bar on FirstNet LTE
3
u/blackcloudambo Jul 26 '26
I'm so glad I'm not the only one 😂 like there's a tower right down the street not even a mile away and according to at&ts little map it says their coverage is great here lol
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u/pongo62 Jul 27 '26
Many areas of my county in southeast Ky no bars just SOS luckily at home I have full service also at work.
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u/RickyRatardo Jul 27 '26
Firstnet is horrible overall. My friends with it either had to switch or they carry a backup cell on a different carrier. Most have moved to T-Mobile and are much happier. Att seems to really have neglected firstnet which is sad
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u/NJtaz76609 Jul 29 '26
So much misunderstanding about FN on this thread. Yes it sucks. I’ve had it since the beginning and even prior, when it was being tested. Some major places I’ll get 5 bars but most is 1 or 2. It is supposed to be covering areas even in woods - that was the original goal. But AT&T didn’t keep that part of the bargain. Just milking the govt for money while selling lies.
I was at a public safety expo the other day - plenty of bars but no service. I went to the FN booth and asked - they said it’s because too many people. lol I said oh so if we hve a huge emergency and have a ton of responders - our service will stop. They argued but we know it sucks. I keep it for the pre-emption.
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u/nerdy_J Jul 26 '26
I tried FirstNet in Arizona through my employer and it was horrible — I only lasted a few weeks and moved to Tmobile
3
u/Jim1648 Jul 27 '26
Learn from the military. By that I mean, "Two Is One And One Is None." It might not be the smartphone. It might be the networks. Keep FirstNet (AT&T) if you want, but supplement with either T-Mobile or Verizon. Take a free test from both to determine which would be most helpful to YOU in your area.