Goodbye iPhone 4s

[Wildfire]

Great suggestion but here's what I found on the AT&T page:

Connects to your broadband Internet service to create a strong, secure, sharable 3G signal in your home. Up to four AT&T 3G or 4G phones can be used at the same time.

Where I live there is NO broadband by anyone. That's why I use a Virgin mobile BB modem which uses Sprint. Even that has only one bar, on and off

You guys need to read up on AT&T Microcell. I'm sure Verizon and Sprint have similar services to battle poor coverage in their home.

 

[Wildfire]

I know the feeling! One bar with Virgin Mobile BB modem (Sprint) on and off.
My nearest wifi is the public library about 10 miles from my home. That means whatever you do has to be "soundless"!

Is I wrote before in other forums. I purchased a Sprint iPhone 4s. I only can use on WIFI because of an known issue with the ESN.

Anyway if I did have Sprint my signal would be like the first bar being ok and the others being like barely visible.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

 

[OneMarcil]

I know the feeling! One bar with Virgin Mobile BB modem (Sprint) on and off.
My nearest wifi is the public library about 10 miles from my home. That means whatever you do has to be "soundless"!

I wonder if there will ever be a day where everyone no matter where they live will have a perfect signal.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

 

[pianoman]

Great suggestion but here's what I found on the AT&T page:

Connects to your broadband Internet service to create a strong, secure, sharable 3G signal in your home. Up to four AT&T 3G or 4G phones can be used at the same time.

Where I live there is NO broadband by anyone. That's why I use a Virgin mobile BB modem which uses Sprint. Even that has only one bar, on and off

I think you're misunderstanding what you're reading, Wildfire. Broadband is a term that also applies to internet coming into your home. The AT&T Microcell was designed to take your CableModem in your house and create a "full 5 bars of signal" signal to your cell phone. The Microcell unit hooks up to your router from your cable modem and creates a strong cell signal to 4 different phones in your house. Make sense?

 

[Wildfire]

Sure it makes sense. What I was pointing out was that the AT&T Microcell is no help to me since I can't have cable either. It ends a few miles down the road from me. I have a DirecTV dish on my roof which is fine for TV as long as it doesn't rain too hard which is not a problem in TX. We have a drought as you know.

So I'm stuck until AT&T either puts up another tower or I go and buy a repeater for a few hundred bucks as suggested by another poster on this thread.

Didn't someone in our government promise to bring BB to all of rural America? I hope I live that long!

I think you're misunderstanding what you're reading, Wildfire. Broadband is a term that also applies to internet coming into your home. The AT&T Microcell was designed to take your CableModem in your house and create a "full 5 bars of signal" signal to your cell phone. The Microcell unit hooks up to your router from your cable modem and creates a strong cell signal to 4 different phones in your house. Make sense?

 

[Wildfire]

Don't hold your breath!

I wonder if there will ever be a day where everyone no matter where they live will have a perfect signal.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

 

[Wildfire]

Maybe if they nationalize the telecoms and add a million bureaucrats...

Happens the same in Australia. Because it is so vast and only 90% of the population lives in 10% of the country. My in laws live 1 hour out of Sydney and I get no phone coverage at all..

Hopefully there will be a way to get coverage to everyone at a later date.....

 

[OneMarcil]

Instead of all these new inventions the invention of a perfect signal everywhere should be looked into.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

 

[iHolophyte]

Instead of all these new inventions the invention of a perfect signal everywhere should be looked into.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

If you invent that put my name on it with you. We'd never have to work again lol


iHolophyte

 

[OneMarcil]

If you invent that put my name on it with you. We'd never have to work again lol

iHolophyte

Not me I have not a clue anything about this. I meant some technologies geek.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

 

[Skull One]

Instead of all these new inventions the invention of a perfect signal everywhere should be looked into.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

It has been. There are several factors involved. First is the frequency issue. The lower the frequency, the greater the penetration thru buildings. Sadly, TV channels are sitting on most of those frequencies. Which means you have to use power to overcome the higher frequencies. While the tower can have as much power as needed, doesn't do the end user with the cell phone any good. A cell phone can only pump out about 1 watt of power and still have a respectable battery life.

The next solution was CAP (Combat Air Patrol) based cell towers. There would be orbiting unmanned drones with overlapping patterns that would provide full coverage. Issue is of course the air traffic and cost. They then explored using weather balloons that would be tethered to the ground. While MUCH cheaper and actually cost effective for the hardware, the issue was again air traffic safety and the need to have overlapping coverage as each balloon deflated and had to be replaced. That human element to do the replace is the issue when doing it large scale.

Now they have designed and started using small cell towers that go in street lights. Issue here is not cost or frequency. It is having light poles to actually work with. Great in cities. Lousy out in the sticks.

 

[iHolophyte]

I was going to say all that but I thought I'd leave it to skull 😉


iHolophyte

 

[Wildfire]

Let's contact NASA. With no more Shuttle to spend money on, they should have the money left over and surplus staff to do it...

Instead of all these new inventions the invention of a perfect signal everywhere should be looked into.

Sent from my 64gb iPad 1

 

[Wildfire]

Very informative post. So instead of trying to improve signals in the cities where practically everbody is covered, why not start with what you so aptly called "the sticks" where I live... I know the answer, not enough people to make it worthwhile for the telecoms. Government funds that are squandered in places like Iraq and Afghanistan would be better applied to doing improvements here. BTW I should have said Taxpayers' money...

It has been. There are several factors involved. First is the frequency issue. The lower the frequency, the greater the penetration thru buildings. Sadly, TV channels are sitting on most of those frequencies. Which means you have to use power to overcome the higher frequencies. While the tower can have as much power as needed, doesn't do the end user with the cell phone any good. A cell phone can only pump out about 1 watt of power and still have a respectable battery life.

The next solution was CAP (Combat Air Patrol) based cell towers. There would be orbiting unmanned drones with overlapping patterns that would provide full coverage. Issue is of course the air traffic and cost. They then explored using weather balloons that would be tethered to the ground. While MUCH cheaper and actually cost effective for the hardware, the issue was again air traffic safety and the need to have overlapping coverage as each balloon deflated and had to be replaced. That human element to do the replace is the issue when doing it large scale.

Now they have designed and started using small cell towers that go in street lights. Issue here is not cost or frequency. It is having light poles to actually work with. Great in cities. Lousy out in the sticks.

 

[Yakuzagang5]

Go to Verizon and ask for a loaner phone to test signal coverage. Most will lend you a phone for a day or two with a deposit. That's what we did, as we live out in rural TX too lol they most likely won give you an iPhone, but any 3G Verizon smartphone will work to test signal coverage.

I'm guessing same would apply for sprint too.