I was wondering if anybody who's on T-Mobile/EE has noticed a drop in service over the recent months? I only live about 20 miles from London and yet I don't get a very good signal in my home and it's only until I get to work in Croydon that it picks up and I receive any kind of 3G signal.
BUT over the last few months things have become far worse, now I get a 'No Service' while at home (I'm guessing that this is using my battery up looking for a base station?) and once I get to work my 3G signal is now replaced by the 'E' sign which I think is Edge? So at work I could listen to internet radio but now that option has gone because E doesn't seem to work as the phone is constantly either losing signal or buffering.
As far as I know nothing else has changed to affect this in such a way, at one point I thought it could be my iPhone (I've had good reception of a low signal with it) but my kids have other makes and they are suffering at home just like me although my daughter Blackberry seems to come out the best at picking up a low quality signal.
Any ideas or help because this is making it not worth having the contract I'm on if I can't use the phone while at home (WiFi is OK for iPlayer).
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Totally unconnected (geddit) but my Freeview signal is dire, as is my DAB radio signal, didn't used to be though,
it's only gorn like it fairly recently for some reason.
I've got Freesat so that's okay, and I'm fed up with the ads on BBC radio, so I've decided to cut myself from 'civilisation'
(even more!) and contemplate my navel.
Ommmmmm
Last edited by: Dog on Thu 4 Jul 13 at 16:16
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I know this isn't helpful, but you should try living in rural France. In almost every village you will see people walking up and down with phones held to their ears in a bid to get a signal.
Mine works in one spot inside the house but if it rings and I pick it up the signal vanishes instantly. All I can get is texts and sometimes they take days to appear.
Oddly enough, if I turn on my UK PAYG mobile it gets a perfect signal on any one of a number of French networks.
As for internet, don't get me started...
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Is it the more modern phones?
I'm convinced my old Nokia was better than my i-phone.
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I am with O2 and signal often drops randomly!
It is not the phone, happens with other phones too.
Wife has vodafone. Much better signal.
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I recently replaced my Nokia steam powered phone with a Samsung Android contraption. The signal strength is much reduced on the new phone. It uses the same provider Virgin, (T mobile / Orange) system.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 4 Jul 13 at 17:04
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>> Is it the more modern phones?
>> I'm convinced my old Nokia was better than my i-phone.
My 'droid is less sensitive than SWMBO's old Nokia: hers will work as a phone in places where mine says "no service" on the same network.
I can improve the 'droid's apparent sensitivity a bit by turning off wifi, and Bluetooth, but the old Nokia is still better.
The improvement makes sense if you consider what's happening in terms of transmitters and receivers operating more or less simultaneously in the same small package.
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Thu 4 Jul 13 at 18:55
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>> Is it the more modern phones?
>>
>> I'm convinced my old Nokia was better than my i-phone.
All the Iphones are notoriously deaf. Nothing ever comes close to a Nokia 6310, it even worked in a faraday cage in a computer room once. (yes I know, fortunately I didnt sell or commission the cage)
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>Mine works in one spot inside the house but if it rings and I pick it up the signal vanishes instantly.
I suspect that it's the capacitance of your body degrading the signal.
Have you tried standing on one leg wearing wellington boots and welding gloves?
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>> >Mine works in one spot inside the house but if it rings and I pick
>> it up the signal vanishes instantly.
>>
>> I suspect that it's the capacitance of your body degrading the signal.
you need to eat more beans.
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Makes me wonder if this is an iPhone 4.
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Well I'm using an iPhone 4s, at the moment I'm in a love/hate relationship with it and when my contract runs out in 2 months I'm seriously thinking about returning to a Blackberry (maybe the Z10?)
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If it was an iPhone 4 then unless you had fitted a rubber bumper or case, holding it wrong would partly explain poor signal. Probably cause is reduced signal strength from base station etc.
Blackberry is still making phones in two months and not out of business yet :-)
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I could have a free upgrade to the latest all dancing iphone but I'm reluctant to part with my BlackBerry. It just works and appears to get a much better signal than my colleague's iphone GTi or whatever it is on the same network in the same locations.
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Fri 5 Jul 13 at 10:41
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So a move back to Blackberry would be a bad idea??
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Suppose it depends what Blackberry you get. You mentioned the Z10 - isn't that the one with a touch only interface. What are your problems with an iPhone? Might they partly be down to the interface or just it being a poor phone?
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I'm happy using a touch interface but I was just so used being able to completely configure all parts of the phone when I had a BB, but with the iPhone I feel I'm being 'told' what I can change and what I can't i.e. the ringer and alert volume are set together and can't be adjusted independently, also I just don't like the way it only will try sending a text once and with such a doggy signal it can mean that I think a text has gone but later find out it's still sitting unsent, whereas you can set the BB to keep trying to send a text for 'X' number of times.
The major down side if I change back will be the lack of apps, I don't use that many but I know that only about half of my 'essential' ones are in BB world at the moment.
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Sounds like you should check out an Android device. But I'd say not a Samsung - I hate the Touchwize overlay they impose.
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Different networks are different in different places, so its often better to choose a network by the service in the areas that you use.
As for the change in performance it is one of two things;
Summer brings leaves and growing trees. If you live rurally then that can be an issue.
T-Mobile/EE are doing a lot of network changes at the moment, you may have been caught in that.
In either case there's not much you can do except change networks or get a Femtocell or similar at home.
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Virgin are doing an upgrade to their broadband and landline phone equipment in our area on the 23rd, the systems will be down briefly (up to a couple of hours). Aye right. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 4 Jul 13 at 17:29
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When I first joined T-Mobile (about 7-8 years ago) my postcode rated my home as above average for a standard signal (2G), but when I checked it now they've knocked it right down to below even the Poor bottom rating! I've done nothing to make it change so I would definitely have second thoughts if I were joining today.
Can anyone confirm that my iPhone is using a lot of juice even if it's displaying 'No Service' which it seems to increasingly be doing.
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Yes its using as much juice as a poor signal.
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If the phone has a weak signal (or no signal) it will up transmit power to try and establish a connection. Obvious what that does to a battery.
Isn't some of this simple physics and you need more base stations for higher frequencies, like that used by 3G (at the moment) and GSM1900? Vodafone and O2 have most of the 900MHz range for 2G and are being given permission to reuse this for 4G (LTE).
With the higher frequencies you need more base stations to cover a given area. And the signals are blocked more easily too.
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After the problems I had with the mobile broadband, I did some digging about.
Here, the 2G networks are being downgraded to make way for 3 and 4G. It also appears that some networks are being run on reduced power to save money/problems with other networks/interference etc. I had to splash out on a 3G phone to replace one of my 6310i just to get an acceptable signal outside, where the Nokia would have a great signal anywhere, including the cellar.
Of course, if I have a look at the coverage maps, I'm slap bang in the middle of a 4G area.
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>>>> >Mine works in one spot inside the house but if it rings and I pick
>> it up the signal vanishes instantly.
>>
>> I suspect that it's the capacitance of your body degrading the signal.
you need to eat more beans.<<
My capacitance is legendary. Just ask in any local bar.
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>> If the phone has a weak signal (or no signal) it will up transmit power
>> to try and establish a connection. Obvious what that does to a battery.
>>
>> Isn't some of this simple physics and you need more base stations for higher frequencies,
>> like that used by 3G (at the moment) and GSM1900? Vodafone and O2 have most
>> of the 900MHz range for 2G and are being given permission to reuse this for
>> 4G (LTE).
>>
>> With the higher frequencies you need more base stations to cover a given area. And
>> the signals are blocked more easily too.
>>
Correct.
I think we have a number of issues going on here, most of which have been covered, but to sumamrise:-
Yes I suspect modern small, thin smartphones have worse radio performance than decent older 'dumb' phones, for starters the very thin form factor makes antenna design even more challenging and hence compromised than 10 years ago. Unfortunatley I no longer have direct access to the test gear to prove this.
The whole way network coverage is provided has changed radically in the UK** over the last 5 years - Operators are sharing/combining networks, leading to removal of base stations and reduced coverage for some areas, for example the O2 base station in the centre of Ringwood has gone. They use extremely expensive, complex software to predict phone coverage and capacity* but it can't be 100% accurate, the RF environment is constantly changing. So even if the intention is for a combined network to offer 100% the same coverage it may well not do in practise - particularly indoors.
* providing increased data capacity as smartphone use increases is another major/expensive issue in itself.
Edit ** also happening in Sweden and other countries.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Fri 5 Jul 13 at 12:39
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>>They use extremely expensive, complex software to predict phone coverage and capacity* but it can't be 100% accurate
100% accurate? Its awful accuracy.
And in any case, the surrounding areas, population, usage profile and demographic change all the time.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 19 Jul 13 at 01:16
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I can be sat at home in my office with the phone in GSM/UMTS mode and have 4 or 5 bars of signal (on UMTS/3G even)... another time (not long later even) it can be down to one bar. The phone is clearly roaming between base stations without moving!
I used to think it better to leave on 2G but sometimes this means it's off network completely.
I assume Vodafone is testing increasing the power of 3G at times because I get a really good signal. It can't help when we're on a bit of a hill so 'see' lots of other base stations. I have an app to see which I am using.
If I was that bothered I'd get a pico cell from Vodafone but that's another device I'd be paying electricity for.
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>>
>> I assume Vodafone is testing increasing the power of 3G at times because I get
>> a really good signal. It can't help when we're on a bit of a hill
>> so 'see' lots of other base stations. I have an app to see which I
>> am using.
>>
A tricky situation, with 2G you're generally trying to blast the signals far and wide, whereas with 3G you're trying to stop base stations 'seeing' other base stations.
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If you ring T-Mobile (or Orange) and have a whinge they should tell you if they've made network changes recently. I noticed exactly the same degradation over the last year and they denied everything, but sufficient moaning convinced them to send me one of these:
business.ee.co.uk/public-sector/products/coverage-solutions/signal-box
It's absolutely fantastic. No more dropped calls, missed texts, missed calls etc. The signal was patchy enough that the phone might show one bar, but rejected incoming calls and this sorted it out nicely.
I think if you just want to buy one they're about £100.
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The Vodafone Sure Signal is £100 too. Focus on here probably had a hand in the software for that.
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>> The Vodafone Sure Signal is £100 too. Focus on here probably had a hand in
>> the software for that.
>>
I whinged to Vodafone about my coverage a couple of years back and they sent me one for free - I'm on 15 ppm contract so hardly a big spender.
Its worked most of the time, but since I sidewaysgraded my HTC Wildfire S to a Samsung Galaxy Ace my phone can't see the Femtocell. :-/
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>>
>> Its worked most of the time, but since I sidewaysgraded my HTC Wildfire S to
>> a Samsung Galaxy Ace my phone can't see the Femtocell. :-/
>>
Just fixed this issue by the less than obvious method of changing the postcode my SureSignal is registered at to a random one, and then changing it back to my proper one. Bizzare.
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I'm still running old style simple phones and shall continue, almost never have signal problems.
Unlike friends who have the all signing dancing things, two bean cans tied by a length of twine would give better results.
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Remember the phone bit (including the important antennas) in an old style phone was able to take up a fair bit of the case. The rest for the battery, screen, keyboard, SIM etc.
Modern smartphones are having to cram a lot more in, leaving little room for the antennas and innovative designs are called for. And being smartphones you want them to connect to at least 3G and 2G and now 4G/LTE as well. So multiple antennas etc.
The iPhone 4 with it's aerials made up of the surrounding metal must have seemed like a good idea. Until you held it and joined the two and lost the signal :-) Fixed/improved for the iPhone 4S.
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Poor phone signal driving me mad! - Dog
