It's the Murphy's Law of cell phones: The phone works everywhere -- except, of course, in your home.

There are ways to find out in advance if that will happen -- and to figure out which carrier is telling the truth when it brags about having the best network.

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Watch Aaron Saykin's Report

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Call 4 Action reporter Aaron Saykin said Consumer Reports put the leading cell phone networks to the test in 20 areas across the country.

According to that magazine, the top performer is Verizon Wireless. Right alongside Verizon is Alltel Wireless.

The magazine also gives T-Mobile a good grade in metro areas.

Cingular -- which is changing its name to AT&T -- gets a middle- to low-level rating from Consumer Reports, and the magazine calls Sprint one of the poorest performers.

These are nationwide averages. What may matter most is knowing which wireless provider works well where we live and work.

Sandra Willingham wishes she had that information when she signed a contract with Sprint.

"After this one didn't work in my home, I went and got a T-Mobile phone and it worked," Willingham said.

"But now, you have two," Saykin said.

"Right," Willingham said. "Two phones, two bills."

Dan Shaffer, of Wireless Solutions on Pittsburgh's South Side, said you're not as stuck as you might think if you act quickly.

"With each of the carriers, we do have an evaluation period, so if they do take it home and it doesn't work in their game room, they can bring it back and we can move to another carrier," Shaffer said.

Most carriers give you about two weeks. Just make sure you return everything exactly as it came.

Deadcellzones.com tells you specifically where service is poor or non-existent. The Web site relies on cell phone users to post locations based on their experiences.

Now that you know how to pick a wireless provider, it's time to find the right cell phone.

According to most reports, the razor-thin Motorola Razr is one of the top-selling phones in the United States. It's inexpensive, it has a large screen and it comes in almost every color.

But the smaller the phone, the smaller the battery.

"A heavy user, they may get a little frustrated with charging the battery every day or even intermittently throughout the day," Shaffer said.

Which phones perform the best overall?

According to Consumer Reports, Samsung and LG phones are recommended for Verizon customers. For Sprint customers, Samsung and Sprint PCS phones are recommended. For T-Mobile and Cingular customers, the magazine recommends going with Motorola.

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