Rural area, awful mobile reception, what options?

[Deleted User]

d123 wrote: »

EE has had a signal box for years, unfortunately it seems their company policy is they don't give them to normal customers under almost any circumstances.

It's not well known, but O2 also have a similar policy. They've got a nearly identical box to the Voda SureSignal booster, but it's only for business customers

System

The 3 'In touch' app is much better than O2s 'To Go' app.

Rural coverage tends to be slightly better with Vodafone & O2 as their 2G signal is at a lower frequency than EE (3 use EE in rural areas)

The signal boxes are good but have their disadvantages with distance and cost. They are also 3G only so don't work with old phones and some networks such as Vodafone don't allow any non-registered phones use it e.g. guests.

d123

ringo_24601 wrote: »

It's not well known, but O2 also have a similar policy. They've got a nearly identical box to the Voda SureSignal booster, but it's only for business customers

It's a strange (could really be described as stupid) policy, you have customers willing to buy the box and the network just refuses to take their money and sell them one.

kittykat17

d123 wrote: »

EE has had a signal box for years, unfortunately it seems their company policy is they don't give them to normal customers under almost any circumstances.

Sorry, you're incorrect here. I work for EE and if somebody needs a signal box due to very poor signal we will supply one to them. The only time we haven't done recently is when we changed the signal box suppliers and had to wait for stock to come in. However, anyone promised a signal box while we were waiting has now been supplied.


I had a Vodafone sure signal and it worked brilliantly with my sky broadband so have a word with them - I also live in a quite rural area with appalling signal.

J_B

I have the 3 'in touch' app - I think it's *very* poor

longwalks1

ringo_24601 wrote: »

The Vodaphone Sure signal box does a pretty great job. I've got a vodaphone work phone, and they bought me a box.. i've got very fast virgin media broadband and I can use my phone as if we had a full, perfect mobile signal.

I've also got an O2 phone.. TuGo is a poor excuse for a solution. It barely works (oddly enough, it has worked better when i've used it abroad).

Three do a booster box, and I believe EE has plans for one.

Thanks Ringo, so is it basically a plug and play booster that connects to your wifi, and maximises mobile phone signal within a certain range?

grumbler

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-network-and-coverage/what-affects-your-coverage/sure-signal/
http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/accessories/SKU75375-white

Retrogamer

d123 wrote: »

It's a strange (could really be described as stupid) policy, you have customers willing to buy the box and the network just refuses to take their money and sell them one.

The problem is most business' have IT specific staff who are much more tech savvy than the average customer. They usually also have better WiFi in offices and other business' than most residential connections.

Thus, there are far less calls coming in from people needing tech support on the product.

As soon as regular consumers get it, the flood gates open and then tech support is queued up with people wanting refunds / replacements because it they don't know how to use it properly or because their broadband sucks and they blame the box.

diamonds

d123 wrote: »

EE has had a signal box for years, unfortunately it seems their company policy is they don't give them to normal customers under almost any circumstances.

True.


They had a wifi app in the pipeline for a 4th quarter launch, but Kineto Wireless the company begind it just merged with a rival so the delay could be that, however being a EE customer many years I'd say its their delay.


The Vodafone Sure Signal box is £99 even on contract for the 3rd version, try ebay for one of the other two versions till your contract completes.


Long term:
3 box is great in the sense you can open it up to any 3 customer, (you can ask them to lock it down to specific handsets) - perhaps you and assuming a few neighbours close by could all go on 3 and contribute to the broadband ? 3 also are rolling out 800MHZ spectrum which really will make them on a level with o2 and Vodafone coverage, currently they are at the other end.




o2's 2G coverage beats all nationally, being apart of BT originally it bought land for base stations all over, that sadly might change and degrade over time as they close down sites with the Vodafone backhaul merger.


Telefonica o2 is still tens of billions in debt and selling assets off - o2 broadband, o2 Ireland etc so if you go to o2 beware like EE Orange/T-Mobile merger you might suddenly have issues . I'm fortunate in this city my closest o2 base station is all being upgraded, seems 2G/3G/4G coverage will be better.


Orange has got worse for me since EE, but at least I get the old T-Mobile 3G, which when I try to access my account on the handset thinks I'm still on wifi!! That's the pathetic nature of EE, allow access to old T-Mobile signal but want you to go find a non existent Orange signal to log in to your account - you couldn't make it up LOL


Check www.samknows.com for your estimated broadband speed, my UMA (handset with dedicated chip for wifi calling) with Orange struggles to upload the voice data at broadband capped 350kbps upload speed, the download is excellent so I hear them fine but theu sometimes haves issues hearing me. This will apply to a wifi calling app or signal box.




Moving your mobile 1mm in any direction can yield results, coverage on maps does not mean coverage - its a guess you can access the service with a suitable signal for use.




Check your estimated broadband download and upload speeds as signal boxes may not even be a option.

diamonds

kittykat17 wrote: »

Sorry, you're incorrect here. I work for EE and if somebody needs a signal box due to very poor signal we will supply one to them. The only time we haven't done recently is when we changed the signal box suppliers and had to wait for stock to come in. However, anyone promised a signal box while we were waiting has now been supplied.


I had a Vodafone sure signal and it worked brilliantly with my sky broadband so have a word with them - I also live in a quite rural area with appalling signal.

EE DO NOT WILLING GIVE THEM OUT


I asked on and off for 13 months, EE do not give them out, even when they know the customers other Orange account uses UMA/SignalBoost that shows HomeZone billing on their account.


I had to PAC out mid contract and currently have a £350+ bill I am taking to CISAS, EE knew my signal issues before I took 4G but point blank would not send me a EE box for my 4G contract or return the handset, just saying a upcoming Android release would sort all the issues - it didn't it made them worse.




EE also tried to increase the price of my Orange and EE account whilst I am providing the Orange signal via broadband, and EE broadband then refusing to budge when they wanted to increase my broadband costs, for providing my own signal!!!


Shocking company, was bad enough as Orange then T-Mobile poor standards became EE standards.