2torial #0639:
Learn2 Choose a Pager

Are we on the same page?

Once upon a time, pagers were just for doctors, computer technicians, and, um, pharmaceutical entrepreneurs. No more. Cheaper, smaller, and easier to use than wireless phones or digital organizers, pagers have become the people's wireless device of choice.

These little beepboxes are evolving rapidly--which makes for a dizzying array of choices for would-be users. Though rate plans, features, and coverage areas may baffle you, there's a pager out there (somewhere) that's right for you. With a little thought and patience, you can sift through the possibilities and get connected with confidence.

You probably already use a regular phone with voicemail or an answering machine. You may also use a wireless phone, email, and faxes to stay connected to other people. How can a pager supplement or replace what you already use?

Any pager will let you:

• Stay accessible to family, friends, or coworkers

• Avoid giving out your phone number

• Receive messages without having to answer or dial a phone

Many people use a pager to lower wireless phone costs: Pager batteries last much longer, and receiving pages rather than incoming calls lets you choose how much you use your wireless phone. Most service providers also offer voicemail, message storage, and other perks for an additional monthly charge.

Understand pager types

There are three basic kinds of pagers, categorized by the sort of messaging they use:

Numeric. These are what most people imagine when they think of a pager. Numeric pagers can receive only numeric messages of less than 20 characters--usually, the phone number of the person paging you. From a touch-tone phone, callers dial your pager's number and are connected with the pager terminal. They hear a tone, enter their numeric message, and hang up. The pager then displays the number the person enters.

Alphanumeric. These devices can receive both numeric and text messages. Depending on their capacity and features, they can also let you send pages and receive emails, faxes, Internet-based information updates, and even voice messages. There are several means by which people can send you text messages:

• By calling a live operator who transcribes the message and transmits it to your pager

• By email

• By fax

• Through your paging company's website

• Through a modem and paging software on the sender's computer

Two-way. Two-way pagers offer all the options of alphanumeric pages, but also let you send emails and faxes.

Naturally, the more your pager can do, and the more advanced services you buy with it, the more you pay. Some high-end pagers with plush service plans can rival wireless phones and palmtop devices in price. The next few steps should help you decide which kind of pager and plan will serve you best.

Consider what you'll use it for

Ask yourself these questions about your probable pager usage to help clarify what features and services you'll want:

Who needs to reach you? Will you be using the pager primarily for business or personal reasons? Think about how your spouse, kids (or parents), friends, clients, or coworkers will reach your pager. Will they be phoning, emailing, faxing, paging, or using the Internet or paging software? If everyone in your work group will have a pager that's connected through shared software, your needs will be different than if you simply need to locate your daughter after school.

What sort of information do you need? Do your clients or friends need you to call them back so you can have a conversation? Numeric paging should serve you adequately. Does your boss need to send you detailed messages? Do you need to reply to them? An alphanumeric or two-way pager may be more appropriate.

What's your communication style? You may just want to get the information you need without having to actually talk to people. Or you may not want to read long messages on a little screen (or peck out replies on a tiny keyboard) when you can just pick up the phone and settle matters.

Decide where you'll use it

Service plans connect you within all or part of the area their antenna or satellite system covers. The extent of your provider's network and the choices you make about what part of that network you want to use determine your "coverage." As with wireless phones, coverage tends to be best around major population centers (where antennae are clustered), and worse to nonexistent in rural or remote areas.

Note that the pager itself has to be within the service area to receive messages; your callers can be anywhere. So determining your coverage needs means determining where you'll be while you use your pager. You can then choose a paging company partially based on how well it can match your desired coverage area.

Most paging companies offer three to five coverage choices:

Local. The least expensive option, local coverage works within a metropolitan area and usually also takes in all or part of the state or province where your town is located. This is a good choice if you'll mostly be using the pager in or near your hometown.

Regional. In the U.S., for instance, paging companies break the country up into five or six regions, each consisting of several states. If you travel a lot within a certain territory--for instance, on sales calls--this could be a good choice.

National. Useful mainly for the frequent traveler, this service covers the major population centers of a whole country. In the U.S., it tends to cost about three or four times as much per month as local service.

Global. A few of the larger wireless companies offer global coverage, through satellite transmission. It's most suitable for diehard international road warriors.

Roaming. If you travel out of your coverage area occasionally and still want to use your pager, many companies offer roaming. For an additional monthly service fee, you can transfer your pager's coverage area to wherever you are (as long as your pager service has antennae there). Some companies offer "roaming on demand": the choice to change your local coverage area temporarily. Ask providers if this is an option, and request prices on activation, service, messaging, and per-call costs.

Calculate how much you'll use it

Most of the time, pager service plans extend over a period of a few months to a year. They usually include a certain number of pages per month, measured either in terms of actual pages or blocks of characters (or both). Once you exceed that amount, you're charged for additional usage.

While pager overcharges don't tend to add up as alarmingly as those for wireless phones, it's still a good idea to estimate the number of pages you expect to receive in a month (and their length, if you want text messaging). Service providers usually offer several plans, with varying numbers of messages permitted. Ask if you're allowed to switch plans or add messages: If so, and the price to change is low, start out with a conservative number of pages.

Prepaid pages. Some companies offer prepaid blocks of pages or characters that are usable over a period of several months. If you haven't used a pager before and really have no idea what your use patterns will be, this more flexible option may help you get your feet wet--but per-page costs are considerably higher. If you choose this method, make sure the provider has contract plans, too, so you can switch later if you want to.

Shop for a provider

Big national companies tend to offer better coverage and more service options; smaller, regional, or local companies tend to charge less. Call around, and go online if you like, to compare providers and plans.

Here are some things you should look for in any provider:

Reputation. Does the provider have a good reputation among its users for coverage, customer service, technical support, and uptime? Ask your pager-using friends for their picks and pans, and don't hesitate to raise these issues with your salesperson.

Reliability. Is the paging company a stable entity or a fly-by-night operation? If you'll be paying your contract up front, you need to know whether the company will still exist 6 months or a year from now. Proceed with caution if a provider is new, seems to focus on recruiting new users (through too-good-to-be-true promotions), and has a temporary-looking or ill-stocked storefront, or no store at all.

Quality of equipment. It's likely you'll be buying or leasing your pager from your provider. Pagers are configured to work only for the service provider who carries them, and it can be prohibitively expensive to "recrystal," or reconfigure, your existing pager if you switch providers.

That said, do your prospective providers offer high-end, reliable pagers, or Brand X? Ask to see the warranty agreement on the pager itself. This is usually granted through the pager manufacturer, not the provider, but the provider should be able to show you the standard warranty on any pager it offers.

Flexibility. How easy is it to change your service if some aspects of your plan don't suit you, and how much will changes cost? Will the pager company offer you incentives if you need to upgrade or change your equipment?

Price. See Step 6 for a summary of what you can be charged for.

Pick a plan

When you're comparing two or more plans, crunch a few numbers. If it helps, make a chart listing the services you know you want, and use it to compare the plans. These are the standard components of a plan:

Equipment. How much does the type of pager you want cost? Can you rent or lease the pager? Are any specials offered, such as pager trade-ins or discounts?

Service charge. This is the monthly or other prepaid cost for coverage and connection, according to your contract. It usually contains a "usage allowance" of several hundred messages, or several thousand characters, per month. Contracts typically require you to commit to 6 to 12 months of service.

Activation. This is a one-time fee when you start your service. Other activation fees may accrue when you change your service: Ask up front what and how much they are.

Overcalls. This is the per-message or per-character charge once you exceed your usage allowance.

Termination. Providers routinely charge rather hefty fees if you break your contract before it's expired. Ask if this fee is waived if you back out during the first 30 days of the contract--it should be.

Extras. Pager companies are eager to sell you any number of products and services at additional per-month and/or per-message rates. The list of such services never stops growing, but here are some of the more common ones:

• Voicemail and other message storage

• Roaming

• Operator dispatch

• Personal toll-free phone number

• Guaranteed message delivery (your pages are retransmitted until you receive them)

• Fax, email, and software support

• Group messaging (sending the same page to several people at once)

• Internet information services (such as stock quotes, sports scores, and weather and news reports)

Hidden costs. Ask to see the service agreement (separate from the equipment warranty) while you're still weighing several plans. Read it carefully and ask your salesperson about any parts that aren't clear.

Make your decision

Once you've picked your provider and plan, choosing a pager is pretty easy. You're usually limited to what the provider has, but most will offer you a range of pagers at different prices that will fit your needs. Price, color, and cool design aside, consider these features when deciding:

Display size and quality. The size of the display is more important for alphanumeric pagers, especially if you're planning to receive a lot of long text messages. Clarity and readability of the display are important in any case.

Battery life. Long battery life is one of the benefits pagers have over phones and digital assistants. One-way pagers in near-constant use should use one small (AA or AAA) battery every month or so. Two-way pagers use more power, and often have special, rechargeable batteries (you'll have to buy both battery and charger).

Weight and size. Again, portability is a pager's advantage. Heft each pager under consideration, and ask yourself if you can imagine carrying it around all the time.

As with any new gadget you're incorporating into your life, pagers require a bit of thinking and shopping around before you commit. If you do the legwork, though, you should be rewarded with a device that earns its keep by making your life a little smoother.

-end-