Walmart and cell phones - restrictive on purpose?

[Tab]

First, let's PLEASE not make this a thread about how evil Walmart is. But we do have one nearby and sometimes it's the only place to buy certain things, as unenjoyable as it might be.

I noticed something weird. Our WM is organized so that the electronics dept is in the far back. I was trying to get a certain item, and called home. Now, I successfully called home when I entered the store. In electronics, however, my phone said there was no service. Fair enough, I'm deep into the store, although I wonder, because that's where they sell THEIR cell phones.

So I start walking to the front. A little bit foward (I'm about 2/3rds deep now), placing a call gives me a message along the lines of "Unable to place call EXCEPT IN EMERGENCY". Now this makes me wonder. I either have a tower signal or I don't. I've never heard of being able to make emergency calls and not regular calls (except if you haven't paid your bill). Plus, a woman is coming to me from the front of the store yakking on her phone so happily.

So I go to the front foyer, where I made my first call, and could make a call just fine, and it sustained it while I walked toward the back (although I didn't go all the way).

I know there are construction materials that block cell phone transmission. They are controversial in their use, but that aside, they exist and could be used. So, no tin foil hat controversy on the technical ability for all this. The real questions are: (1) Are they actually doing it, and (2) why? My only guess is that, particularly since they sell iPhones (which suffer from traffic problems) is that they are suppressing all cell phone activity to the front of their store (except calls in progress) so their product will not suffer in demonstration.

Next time you're in a Walmart, can you test this theory and report back? And if you worked in the electronics department of one, do you know the story?

Thanks

- Tab

[ProdigalJunkMail]

1. no suppression in the three or four stores in my area of N ATL... n/t

[liberal N proud]

I doubt it is intentional

There is probably some overhead mechanicals that are interfering or the front of the store may be on the edge of a tower range and the back out.

[crikkett]

2. Where is the wal-mart you're talking about?

thanks

[Richard D]

3. Sounds like simple signal block

My phone will often read "emergency only" when I'm in a very weak signal area.

[PeaceNikki]

4. You probably have your phone set to only make emergency calls when in "roam"

Which means you were connected, just not to your "home" provider,

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. identical symptoms in a local Hannaford's supermarket...

...here in ME, but one that's on the fringe of a service area. I expect the further in you go, the weaker the signal, until the only tower I can 'see' is out-of-network. Hence the emergency exception.

[ddeclue]

6. Get rid of ATT and get Verizon.

[Dr.Phool]

8. Actually, buy a Walmart "Straight Talk" phone.

I haven't been in a Walmart in 15 years, but I had to do it. And it's on the Verizon network. You get Verizons best plan for 1/3 the cost.

No contract or activation fees.

$30 for 1000 min and 1000 texts and 30 Mb of data.
$45 for unlimited everything.

Decent LG, Samsung, and Motorola phones at reasonable prices.

http://www.straighttalk.com/

[ddeclue]

10. Umm.. NO... I don't buy anything in WallyWorld.

[Better Today]

7. Depends on whose service you use and the construction materials. For example,

my home is wrapped in steel siding, I am also up against some foothills. There is only one service that seems reasonably usable in my home, and it's hit and miss at best. We can seem to receive texts with nearly any service, but the calls don't ring through and sending texts or calling/maintaining a clear connection out is nearly impossible.

I doubt that Walmart is trying to subvert your phone calls.

[pipi_k]

My situation too...

I'm about 1300 feet up on the side of a hill on the east, and there are hills to the west.

The only place in my home I can get any type of signal at all is on the second floor, although if I drive up the hill in the car, there's no signal till near the top, which is about 1500 ft elevation.

Service out here is spotty, at best.

[CatholicEdHead]

9. It is probably just the steel in the building

and when you go back you also have huge metal storage shelves just behind the back of the store filled with goods. This also blocks signal when the nearest tower is behind the store. You also have an convergence of lines above the tiles, both for the security cameras but also the registers up front to the servers in the back of the store connected to the home office.

[yodoobo]

11. Doesn't sound nefarious at all

Its a bit ridiculous to think that wallmart is now illegally manipulating RF signals in order to sell the best selling phone in America.

This is probably what happenbed:

You cell phone was picking up a signal, but it wasn't your own carriers. It was also a carrier that you can't roam onto. This is very normal. Carriers have lots of roaming agreement, but they generally don't use them in areas where they both have a strong signal. You can make a 911 call on the other carrier, but thats it. (and that is because they are required by law to accept any 911 call regardless of contract or subscription)

Odds are that you carrier uses 1900mhz in that locality. The woman you saw talking probably used the other carrier which uses 850mhz.


Since 850mhz has much better building penetration, she got a signal, you didn't and you weren't allowed to roam.

No conspiracy. Just the way radio frequencies work.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. WalMart planted a chip in your phone

that allows them to control your mind and lead you to the hot sale items in the store.

[L0oniX]

13. Fear.