Mobile phone reception
Discussion
LHRFlightman said:
Has anyone else noticed that mobile coverage has gotten worse these last couple of months?
We're on different networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone and we're all experiencing really slow speeds and timeouts in various locations in the South East.
Anyone else?
I made a thread about this recently (I think). It's largely due to fact they have all turned off the 3G network, so now If there isn't 4G or 5G, you basically get no useable connection.We're on different networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone and we're all experiencing really slow speeds and timeouts in various locations in the South East.
Anyone else?
The 3g switch off has made mobile data unusable where I live.
We've got a mobile router so that we can still get on the Internet during power cuts. It used to work OK for general browsing and social media. It's a 4g device on 3. Looking at coverage maps, the 3 network is 4g "outdoors only", so it must've been dropping back to 3g. Won't work at all now that 3g is off.
Did some research of all the network operators' coverage, and O2 was the only one that showed indoor coverage on 4g. There's no 5g at all.
Ordered a Netgear mobile router on O2. It works, but download speed maxxes out at 0.46mbps, with a 220ms ping! Unusable, so returned for a refund.
Not sure why they were allowed to switch off 3g without providing decent 4g coverage?
What worries me is we will have no comms, apart from dodgy 2g mobile voice, during power cuts when VOIP replaces analogue land lines.
We've got a mobile router so that we can still get on the Internet during power cuts. It used to work OK for general browsing and social media. It's a 4g device on 3. Looking at coverage maps, the 3 network is 4g "outdoors only", so it must've been dropping back to 3g. Won't work at all now that 3g is off.
Did some research of all the network operators' coverage, and O2 was the only one that showed indoor coverage on 4g. There's no 5g at all.
Ordered a Netgear mobile router on O2. It works, but download speed maxxes out at 0.46mbps, with a 220ms ping! Unusable, so returned for a refund.
Not sure why they were allowed to switch off 3g without providing decent 4g coverage?
What worries me is we will have no comms, apart from dodgy 2g mobile voice, during power cuts when VOIP replaces analogue land lines.
It’s absolutely diabolical where I am in Shropshire but seems to be the case everywhere.
I moved networks back to Voda after being on EE for two years, prior to that I had reliable Voda signal generally in the area and at my home I have line of sight to the mast 1/2 mile away, so solid 4G everywhere in the house and local area as you would expect.
It’s now as if they have decommissioned that tower and I’m connecting to the next one 5 miles away. 1 bar everywhere… wants to use Wifi calling if I let it… in the car the phone is completely unusable
What I find baffling is that this problem doesn’t appear to exist over the channel. I just drove to Greece and back through umpteen countries and all sorts of remote terrains with a family heavily using devices (how else to cover that distance with kids) and reception was never a problem.
I don’t buy the roaming network argument because I’ve had several dual sim phones and devices on other networks (like 4g routers) and they are all (1) consistently s
t in the UK and (2) consistently good elsewhere.
What are providers doing in other territories that they can’t do here?
Austria is the most impressive as I have had a Whatsapp based phone call from for 120 miles right through the Alps and dozens and dozens of tunnels without dropping the call. I can’t drive 5 miles through benign English countryside whilst doing that.
I moved networks back to Voda after being on EE for two years, prior to that I had reliable Voda signal generally in the area and at my home I have line of sight to the mast 1/2 mile away, so solid 4G everywhere in the house and local area as you would expect.
It’s now as if they have decommissioned that tower and I’m connecting to the next one 5 miles away. 1 bar everywhere… wants to use Wifi calling if I let it… in the car the phone is completely unusable
What I find baffling is that this problem doesn’t appear to exist over the channel. I just drove to Greece and back through umpteen countries and all sorts of remote terrains with a family heavily using devices (how else to cover that distance with kids) and reception was never a problem.
I don’t buy the roaming network argument because I’ve had several dual sim phones and devices on other networks (like 4g routers) and they are all (1) consistently s
t in the UK and (2) consistently good elsewhere.What are providers doing in other territories that they can’t do here?
Austria is the most impressive as I have had a Whatsapp based phone call from for 120 miles right through the Alps and dozens and dozens of tunnels without dropping the call. I can’t drive 5 miles through benign English countryside whilst doing that.
I don't think it's been only recently.
How can we have decent conversations with people in space but parts of the M6 you have no chance?
I have noticed that when my phone shows 4G it quite often does nothing, you can't rely on the signal indicator as an... indicator of signal, is my experience.
How can we have decent conversations with people in space but parts of the M6 you have no chance?
I have noticed that when my phone shows 4G it quite often does nothing, you can't rely on the signal indicator as an... indicator of signal, is my experience.
It's terrible where I am in South East. Often moving between areas or leaving wifi and then trying to join the mobile network it just doesn't work and needs an airplane mode on and off to make it work.
Tried to speak to Vodafone about it and was told it's not us it's your phone. But I don't believe that.
Tried to speak to Vodafone about it and was told it's not us it's your phone. But I don't believe that.
AB said:
I don't think it's been only recently.
How can we have decent conversations with people in space but parts of the M6 you have no chance?
I have noticed that when my phone shows 4G it quite often does nothing, you can't rely on the signal indicator as an... indicator of signal, is my experience.
I think its got worse recently.How can we have decent conversations with people in space but parts of the M6 you have no chance?
I have noticed that when my phone shows 4G it quite often does nothing, you can't rely on the signal indicator as an... indicator of signal, is my experience.
I’ve been using cars built-in 4G/5G with roof antenna for some time which has worked perfectly to overcome poor signal, but even that seems flakey now as well. In Europe I don’t have this and rely on handsets and modems, but without any issues.
It is shocking in the uk now.
My own guess - because this is what happens with everything else here - is that we are getting the usual uk model of being charged but there being pretty well zero investment back in to the network, while they’ll be paying honking great dividends and bonuses.
Just a theory but I bet I’m right.
My own guess - because this is what happens with everything else here - is that we are getting the usual uk model of being charged but there being pretty well zero investment back in to the network, while they’ll be paying honking great dividends and bonuses.
Just a theory but I bet I’m right.
Using a phone as a phone is now as hit and miss as using a two way radio in the 80s whilst working as a motorcycle dispatch rider whilst sharing the frequency with 40 other riders from my own company, another courier firm, a minicab company and an Irish building firm.
I too have a 4g router with a 3 sim which might be able to deliver me a film on Disney Plus but whoa betide if anyone else in the house tries to browse on their phone.
Despite all the 'wonderful' tech around these days, things seem to take longer or don't work at all.
Personally I'm hoping that the Russians lob an EMP our way so we can all go back to pre-internet days.
I'll not be wasting all my time on here
and I can go back to earning £500 a week as an 'essential' motorcycle courier.
I too have a 4g router with a 3 sim which might be able to deliver me a film on Disney Plus but whoa betide if anyone else in the house tries to browse on their phone.
Despite all the 'wonderful' tech around these days, things seem to take longer or don't work at all.
Personally I'm hoping that the Russians lob an EMP our way so we can all go back to pre-internet days.
I'll not be wasting all my time on here
and I can go back to earning £500 a week as an 'essential' motorcycle courier.Been finding the same here in and around Liverpool. Certain parts have big black spots where you get no signal or so low that it’s useless.
Considering how long phones have been around now and the costs have been going up with inflation plus so many percent networks are sh#te.
Worse now than it ever has and I’d say that goes back to when phones were relatively new. I never expect to have a full conversation anymore without having to ring someone back.
Considering how long phones have been around now and the costs have been going up with inflation plus so many percent networks are sh#te.
Worse now than it ever has and I’d say that goes back to when phones were relatively new. I never expect to have a full conversation anymore without having to ring someone back.
Dog Star said:
It is shocking in the uk now.
My own guess - because this is what happens with everything else here - is that we are getting the usual uk model of being charged but there being pretty well zero investment back in to the network, while they’ll be paying honking great dividends and bonuses.
Just a theory but I bet I’m right.
The networks are paying squillions for spectrum licences.My own guess - because this is what happens with everything else here - is that we are getting the usual uk model of being charged but there being pretty well zero investment back in to the network, while they’ll be paying honking great dividends and bonuses.
Just a theory but I bet I’m right.
A large number of the punters are getting cheap deals such as Lyca.
A lot of the other punters want 5G and are paying a lot for it, so this is where the networks invest.
You could fix mobile reception in our side of our little town by adding a couple of small base stations.
But who's paying for that? How badly do we want it?
It's a mess because there's no real money in sorting the last 0.1% of population coverage, or deep rural coverage, what the market mostly wants is fast service in urban areas. And the UK market has to work with the rest of the world, phones are designed around what sells well in Korea and China, and people in Hampshire can't wait to buy them.
It could be worse, we could have a national plan like for smart meters...
There isn't a proper plan for providing mobile, internet, broadcast etc. There have been plans, but the industry has evolved away from what the committees said would happen.
Some of the problem is not the networks. The phones are hugely compromised, being made with antennas bodged inside metal-backed cases and trying to cover various bands over large swathes of spectrum.
Also some of the problem is content, once upon a time PH was usable on a 2k dial-up modem, now the simplest thing needs Mbits. And you can't just get a forum page from here, your browser is doing loads of stuff with ads, cookies, google and fuknose. It only gets better when hardware speeds outstrip the growth of bloatware. The content is probably designed around the top 75% of paying punters.
You can buy shares in the likes of Vodafone and find the dividends are not that exciting.
You can read their company reports and see the UK is not a specially rich market for them.
thebraketester said:
LHRFlightman said:
Has anyone else noticed that mobile coverage has gotten worse these last couple of months?
We're on different networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone and we're all experiencing really slow speeds and timeouts in various locations in the South East.
Anyone else?
I made a thread about this recently (I think). It's largely due to fact they have all turned off the 3G network, so now If there isn't 4G or 5G, you basically get no useable connection.We're on different networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone and we're all experiencing really slow speeds and timeouts in various locations in the South East.
Anyone else?
I didn't realise how much I'd come to rely on mobile data until it went tits up. f
king annoying.I have been struggling for the last 6 months when moving around for the 4G to suddenly dissapear to 'E' but a full signal strength and essentially become ste / unusable -
from the mudane as podcast / radio streaming to important Teams calls and alike when driving around or even out walking / running.
Full signal / 4g to full signal 'E' in moments.
I've been on to our phone / mobile co. that services our company onshore and offshore and we've reset all the settings, changed the SIM card, and now a handset. the theory above that 3G's death may just fit.
te / unusable - from the mudane as podcast / radio streaming to important Teams calls and alike when driving around or even out walking / running.
Full signal / 4g to full signal 'E' in moments.
I've been on to our phone / mobile co. that services our company onshore and offshore and we've reset all the settings, changed the SIM card, and now a handset. the theory above that 3G's death may just fit.
AC43 said:
The problem I have is with 5G (Vodafone) data. It has simply stopped working for vast amounts of time where I am in NW London. Absolutely infuriating. I suddenly find myself unable to pay for parking. I can't check work emails when I'm out and about. If I'm late I can't book a Lime Bike or an Uber. I can't retrieve emails and/or barcodes I need when I'm picking up purchases or dropping parcels off.
I didn't realise how much I'd come to rely on mobile data until it went tits up. fking annoying.
People have become very dependent on technocrap.I didn't realise how much I'd come to rely on mobile data until it went tits up. f
king annoying.Some of it never worked everywhere.
You get a few people using a system, then a year later lots of people are expecting it to work for everyone everywhere.
We used to use a bit of 4G data, it was really good, quick and reliable.
Now, everyone's trying to use it and it's rubbish slow and dodgy.
Instead of a few people checking their emails on the train, you've got a hundred streaming music or video.
Instead of SMS texts using a handful of bytes, people are using all sorts of advert-heavy inefficient messaging platforms.
We're all expecting a lot more, but for less than we were paying for limited minutes a month 20 years ago.
They put in a 5G system and it's great while it's new and lightly used, but it only starts paying for itself when it's loaded up with the plebs using it.
Or maybe more accurately, google using it to feed adverts to the plebs?
Is it really that different in other countries?
Living in the boondocks, it can be amusing watching tourists' lives fall apart the moment they can't get a signal.
LHRFlightman said:
Has anyone else noticed that mobile coverage has gotten worse these last couple of months?
We're on different networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone and we're all experiencing really slow speeds and timeouts in various locations in the South East.
Anyone else?
A lot of it is due to the removal or usage restriction on the Huawei network equipment, uk mobile companies had until 2023 to remove it but it is delayed they are also restricted to only using existing equipment to 35% of their network. With 5G Huawei also own a large percentage of the patents so a lot of the remaining competitors hardware is inferior but that is what we are stuck with now.We're on different networks, EE, O2 and Vodafone and we're all experiencing really slow speeds and timeouts in various locations in the South East.
Anyone else?
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff