Mobile signal dropping out at home

[Panamax]

We've always had weak mobile signal at home but now it's become useless with frequent drop-outs. Checking the signal levels they're rarely better than -100 dBm, often -120 dBm and can drop to zero. My network is O2 but other networks seem to be just as poor around here.

Questions:

1. If wi-fi calls are made at home on a mobile, do they get charged as normal mobile calls or would they get charged as home landline calls?

2. Are mobile phone signal boosters (c.£360) any good?

[Sheepshanks]

Panamax said:

1. If wi-fi calls are made at home on a mobile, do they get charged as normal mobile calls or would they get charged as home landline calls?

I use wifi calling with O2 and your normal mobile tariff applies - for our (work) contract all UK calls are included.

I don't make / receive a huge number of calls and find the whole thing a bit iffy - I'm not aware of being able to tell if in or out calls are over wifi or mobile network and I quite often get a ping that I've missed an incoming call when everything looks fine but the phone didn't ring.

[Panamax]

Thanks for that. I just checked my contract which seems to say Wi-Fi calling allows you to make and receive calls over a wireless
internet connection (for example, your home broadband, work broadband or public Wi-Fi) within the normal mobile contract without additional charges.

So do you just switch on wi-fi calling and then make sure wi-fi is never switched off on the phone? Or do you switch off w--fi to conserve battery when you're out and about?

[mike_e]

I'm with O2 and had to turn on Wi-Fi calling as the signal at the Brother-in-Laws is almost non-existent like yours. Phone now says O2 Wi-Fi Call, instead of O2. It only uses the Wi-Fi if the normal 3G/4G/5G signal is poor, once in a good signal area it reverts to normal. No extra monthly cost to use the facility.

[anonymous-user]

I'm on O2, and my house is absolutely filled with insulation and foil, and is like a bloody faraday cage. O2 is 5 bars of 4G outside, and 1-2 (at best) inside.

I called O2 and asked them to activate my wifi calling, which they did right away. I leave it turned on all the time and it works perfectly, at home and from any wifi network that my phone connects to.

Just turn it on and forget about it. If it won't turn on, or you get a message saying it isn't activated, just call O2 and they will turn it on for free.

[Sheepshanks]

Panamax said:

So do you just switch on wi-fi calling and then make sure wi-fi is never switched off on the phone? Or do you switch off w--fi to conserve battery when you're out and about?

I had to call O2 and get them to activate it. Then I just leave it on.

[Panamax]

Thanks people, that's great guidance from PH!

[Panamax]

Aaaaagh! But there's a catch.

Phones will only use wi-fi calling if there's NO phone signal.

BUT if there's a phone signal the phone will ALWAYS start the call in 4G or whatever, and when the 4G signal drops out you lose the call! The phone DOESN'T automatically switch to the good wi-fi connection.

I've read that airplane mode can force the phone onto wi-fi so that's the next port of call.
Not tried it yet but apparently the trick is to turn on airplane mode, which switches off wi-fi, and then turn the wi-fi back on.

I shall report back....


















and then

[Griffith4ever]

Panamax said:

We've always had weak mobile signal at home but now it's become useless with frequent drop-outs. Checking the signal levels they're rarely better than -100 dBm, often -120 dBm and can drop to zero. My network is O2 but other networks seem to be just as poor around here.

Questions:

1. If wi-fi calls are made at home on a mobile, do they get charged as normal mobile calls or would they get charged as home landline calls?

2. Are mobile phone signal boosters (c.£360) any good?

1) They just use your (usually unlimited) inclusive minutes.
2) Yes - I have one. As long as you are able to put the antenna on your roof. I've gone from no signal/maybe 1 bar to 5 bars full signal full data. (ground floor apartment with a 4 floor listed building all around and above me)

I had mixed experiences with wifi calling, and, using a network supplied FEMTO. Sometimes I found I was "unavailable" on the network. I run my own businesses and that's not good. Hence I went for a proper signal amp(booster repeater)

[sociopath]

Panamax said:

Aaaaagh! But there's a catch.

Phones will only use wi-fi calling if there's NO phone signal.

BUT if there's a phone signal the phone will ALWAYS start the call in 4G or whatever, and when the 4G signal drops out you lose the call! The phone DOESN'T automatically switch to the good wi-fi connection.

I've read that airplane mode can force the phone onto wi-fi so that's the next port of call.
Not tried it yet but apparently the trick is to turn on airplane mode, which switches off wi-fi, and then turn the wi-fi back on.

I shall report back....



and then

Yep that works, we do that as our mobile signal is ste, but strong enough for the phone to hold onto it like a tory holding onto power

[NDA]

Panamax said:

Aaaaagh! But there's a catch.

Phones will only use wi-fi calling if there's NO phone signal.

BUT if there's a phone signal the phone will ALWAYS start the call in 4G or whatever, and when the 4G signal drops out you lose the call! The phone DOESN'T automatically switch to the good wi-fi connection.

I've read that airplane mode can force the phone onto wi-fi so that's the next port of call.
Not tried it yet but apparently the trick is to turn on airplane mode, which switches off wi-fi, and then turn the wi-fi back on.

It might be the case that different phones and different providers might give different results... but in my case...

I have an iPhone 14 and am with EE. Broadband is BT. At home I have around 1 bar of 4G signal in a couple of rooms, otherwise nothing - so I've used wifi calling on iPhones and EE for around 3 years or so (previously used a signal device thing). It works faultlessly, it does not hang on to the weak EE 4G signal, but uses the wifi. It always uses the wifi.

I don't think you'll need to force the phone to use the wifi signal - I don't.

[MikeM6]

I use WiFi calling on my Pixel 7 Pro and have done for years on my old Huawei (Three) as well as work iPhone 6s and now 13 (Vodafone).

On all these it seamlessly transitions to WiFi calling when I am home, regardless of signal strength, which suits me as our signal is poor.