Tired of Poor Mobile Phone Service at PVL? Here are some Possible Solutions.
Posted September 18, 2017
WiFi Calling Enabled on Android Phone. Note the circled icon in the upper left of a hand receiver and wireless icon showing the phone in WiFi calling mode
As most of you know, we have generally spotty mobile phone service here at PVL. In researching coverages and alternatives, I wanted to provide you with the following information on how to possibly overcome this issue. In researching coverage maps for the major carriers (see images above for coverages for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon). According to www.whistleout.com it appears that only AT&T and T-Mobile have some level of coverage in PVL. Sprint and Verizon have virtually no coverage in PVL. US Cellular has generally good voice service over most of PVL and 4G LTE data coverage over the entire development.
If you’ve got one of the prepaid plans, those services usually run on one of the big 4 networks. For example, Cricket is owned by AT&T and runs on their network. Boost Mobile runs on Sprint’s network. Walmart’s Straight Talk buys time on all of the big 4 networks, where their Family Plan runs on T-Mobile’s network.
So, if you’ve got bad cell phone coverage, there are some alternatives, and it depends on whether or not you have internet access your house. If you have internet, there are three ways to extend your service.
If you already have wireless internet (WiFi), the first (and cheapest) way to improve your calling experience is that many smart phones come equipped with the capability to make phone calls via WiFi. This works by converting your cell signal into an internet-compatible format and uses the connectivity to route calls. If your phone is so equipped, you can enable this on Android phones by going to Settings>Wireless & Networks>WiFi Calling and click or slide to enable (see image on right). On iPhones (5c or newer), go to Settings>Phone>Turn on WiFi Calling. The upside is that it works and costs nothing more if you already have (1) WiFi in your house, (2) the feature’s already installed on your phone and (3) your carrier allows it--the big 4 and US Cellular allow this. The downside is that voice quality may suffer and you may have some anomalies such as callers going to voicemail because your phone may or may not ring when they call.
If you have internet but no WiFi, a more expensive method is to get a WiFi router, either from the carriers themselves or just buy one and set your house up for wireless. Many of the carriers provide routers that “enhance” the WiFi calling capability. Costs for these can run up to over $200.
The third internet-based alternative is just slightly more expensive than method 1 and depends on the carrier and coverage. T-Mobile has what’s called a Personal Cell Spot. This is an antenna that connects to your internet router and transmits and receives regular cell phone signals, then converts them into an internet-compatible signal to complete the call. What makes this different from the WiFi solutions mentioned above is that any 3G or 4G mobile phone will work with this solution. Put another way, you can use this solution if you have a phone that isn’t equipped with the WiFi calling capability, meaning that many flip phones and older iPhones and Android devices will work on this system. The only downside is that since it’s a bonafide cell signal with a range of up to 3000 square feet, anyone in close proximity to the antenna will have access to make calls over the antenna and your internet. This means that you could have uninvited users on your network, which won’t cause any cybersecurity issues, but may use some of your internet bandwidth. Most of the big 4 carriers offer this capability, but the cost varies significantly. T-Mobile only requires a $25 deposit and the device must be returned, while other carriers may have similar programs or they make you purchase the device at higher costs.
So, what if you don’t have internet? There are still a few options. Most carriers offer a signal booster or extender that basically grabs what signal there is and amplifies it to a stronger signal then boosts it through the house. Most of them work with a signal receiver that either sits near a window or is installed outside. It’s coupled with an interior device that receives and transmits the boosted signal to/from your phone. The biggest challenge is that you need at least some signal to be boosted, which may be an issue with Sprint and Verizon.
The links below provide additional details from the big 4 carriers about how to improve your service.
https://www.sprint.com/landings/airave/
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-24795
https://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/signal-boosters/
https://www.att.com/att/microcell/?source=IC2Y0H0000000000L&wtExtndSource=learn-about-microcell
Editor’s note: We currently have service with T-Mobile, and previously subscribed to Sprint and US Cellular. US Cellular had great service at PVL but sold their St. Louis market to Sprint in late 2012. We switched to Sprint for a brief time but their service at PVL was spotty at best and since we had a family plan with most family members outside of US Cellular’s coverage area, we switched to T-Mobile and have been happy with them for the last 4 years. Although I use my experience with T-Mobile to provide examples of how to overcome spotty cell coverage at PVL in the story above, it’s not meant to be an endorsement of T-Mobile in particular. Each of the other 3 of the “big 4” carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon) have similar programs and devices so check out your carrier for details.
If you’ve got one of the prepaid plans, those services usually run on one of the big 4 networks. For example, Cricket is owned by AT&T and runs on their network. Boost Mobile runs on Sprint’s network. Walmart’s Straight Talk buys time on all of the big 4 networks, where their Family Plan runs on T-Mobile’s network.
So, if you’ve got bad cell phone coverage, there are some alternatives, and it depends on whether or not you have internet access your house. If you have internet, there are three ways to extend your service.
If you already have wireless internet (WiFi), the first (and cheapest) way to improve your calling experience is that many smart phones come equipped with the capability to make phone calls via WiFi. This works by converting your cell signal into an internet-compatible format and uses the connectivity to route calls. If your phone is so equipped, you can enable this on Android phones by going to Settings>Wireless & Networks>WiFi Calling and click or slide to enable (see image on right). On iPhones (5c or newer), go to Settings>Phone>Turn on WiFi Calling. The upside is that it works and costs nothing more if you already have (1) WiFi in your house, (2) the feature’s already installed on your phone and (3) your carrier allows it--the big 4 and US Cellular allow this. The downside is that voice quality may suffer and you may have some anomalies such as callers going to voicemail because your phone may or may not ring when they call.
If you have internet but no WiFi, a more expensive method is to get a WiFi router, either from the carriers themselves or just buy one and set your house up for wireless. Many of the carriers provide routers that “enhance” the WiFi calling capability. Costs for these can run up to over $200.
The third internet-based alternative is just slightly more expensive than method 1 and depends on the carrier and coverage. T-Mobile has what’s called a Personal Cell Spot. This is an antenna that connects to your internet router and transmits and receives regular cell phone signals, then converts them into an internet-compatible signal to complete the call. What makes this different from the WiFi solutions mentioned above is that any 3G or 4G mobile phone will work with this solution. Put another way, you can use this solution if you have a phone that isn’t equipped with the WiFi calling capability, meaning that many flip phones and older iPhones and Android devices will work on this system. The only downside is that since it’s a bonafide cell signal with a range of up to 3000 square feet, anyone in close proximity to the antenna will have access to make calls over the antenna and your internet. This means that you could have uninvited users on your network, which won’t cause any cybersecurity issues, but may use some of your internet bandwidth. Most of the big 4 carriers offer this capability, but the cost varies significantly. T-Mobile only requires a $25 deposit and the device must be returned, while other carriers may have similar programs or they make you purchase the device at higher costs.
So, what if you don’t have internet? There are still a few options. Most carriers offer a signal booster or extender that basically grabs what signal there is and amplifies it to a stronger signal then boosts it through the house. Most of them work with a signal receiver that either sits near a window or is installed outside. It’s coupled with an interior device that receives and transmits the boosted signal to/from your phone. The biggest challenge is that you need at least some signal to be boosted, which may be an issue with Sprint and Verizon.
The links below provide additional details from the big 4 carriers about how to improve your service.
https://www.sprint.com/landings/airave/
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-24795
https://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/signal-boosters/
https://www.att.com/att/microcell/?source=IC2Y0H0000000000L&wtExtndSource=learn-about-microcell
Editor’s note: We currently have service with T-Mobile, and previously subscribed to Sprint and US Cellular. US Cellular had great service at PVL but sold their St. Louis market to Sprint in late 2012. We switched to Sprint for a brief time but their service at PVL was spotty at best and since we had a family plan with most family members outside of US Cellular’s coverage area, we switched to T-Mobile and have been happy with them for the last 4 years. Although I use my experience with T-Mobile to provide examples of how to overcome spotty cell coverage at PVL in the story above, it’s not meant to be an endorsement of T-Mobile in particular. Each of the other 3 of the “big 4” carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon) have similar programs and devices so check out your carrier for details.