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Nickels
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# Posted: 12 Dec 2019 04:16pm
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Question for anyone with knowledge.
My property is off grid so I have NOTHING at this time. I also have no cell service. I have had many people up at my property and many different phones, the latest and greatest but still zero service. My wife has a cheap Samsung J3 and it gets spotty service at times. (When she stands on one foot and is under the picnic tables umbrella at 4pm.)  Nothing reliable.... So I invested in a car cell booster. "WEBOOST" It really made no difference. I would hate to break down in the snow and have to hoof it.
But then I hooked the vehicles cell booster to a wide ban directional antenna and got some success. But its not practical. You have to be outside, run the generator, hook up the cradle and then place your phone in the cradle. Then Last week end I had a visitor that had a Kyocera DuraXV Plus (Verizon) FLIP PHONE and had no problem making calls. HUH! I also have Verizon! Suppose to be the best network in that area...
So my question is this... There is a smart phone called Kyocera DuraForce Pro 2. Do you think it has the same power as their flip phone? Does anyone have that phone? In the future when the cabin is all set up I will get the internal cell booster for in the cabin. But it would be nice to have service everywhere. Maybe 5g will work when it is launched. I am always concern that if there is a emergency I will be a step behind.
Thanks all!
Come follow my build!
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 12 Dec 2019 05:44pm
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I don't have an answer about the Kyocera question.
But I just wanted to say don't hold your breath thinking 5G will solve the problem. 5G operates at higher frequencies and the signal does not travel as far. Good 5G service needs more towers. Being out in the boondocks with lousy 4G or 3G I believe we will be lucky to see 5G at any time in the near future.
If you are very concerned about being out there and not having communication in an emergency look into SPOT.
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cspot
Member
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# Posted: 12 Dec 2019 06:38pm
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Another one to look at besides SPOT is the Garmin Inreach. I think the monthly service may be cheaper than Spot but the initial cost is more.
I have the Weboost and it works great for me. However you do need some signal for it to be effective. It can't fix no signal.
One thing is at our cabin the service without the Weboost usually improved in the winter without foliage. Do you think that could be having an effect?
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hueyjazz
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# Posted: 12 Dec 2019 07:23pm
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There's a website call TVfool that you can enter your GPS coordinates into and it will tell you closest cell tower, sometimes the carrier and direction from you.
Carrier does make a difference. Some phones allow you to enter a code to enter "field test mode". This is the best way to gauge signal strength. Those bars are useless.
Are you using a yagi antenna for your weboost? That will give you best signal if you aim it at tower provided there aren't too many obstructions between you and closest tower
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ArtifactJack
Member
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# Posted: 12 Dec 2019 10:19pm
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I get cell service at my cabin with my flip phone........while everyone with the big phones get nothing but a message here and there.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 06:53am
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You may be decades away from getting 5g. I'm 2hrs feom NYC and prob won't see 5g for many many more years.
Cell boosters really need height to work well. Have you tried standing on a tall ladder with your phone? They are also expensive and take power to run.
At our place I get more service fall-winter. Seams like the leaf on the trees block what little service I have there. It's enough service for me. I can be on my phone at home. Phone time at the property isn't really needed short of a 911 call.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 08:25am
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Have you tried a hotspot.... I know you are wanting phone service but for some reason hotspots often seem to work where a phone just can't pick up a decent signal. See if a friend has one to try. If that works then you could enable wifi calling on your phone.
Brettny is right.... height will increase your chances of getting a signal. A small antenna tower, a tall tree, if your booster antenna can have some height you may find you can get 4g LTE if others are picking up signals there.
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JDH83VT
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 11:40am
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Nickels- I think I recall seeing that you are in Southern VT (our property is too). Do you know if anyone you've had visiting the property has AT&T? In my experience, generally AT&T's coverage seems to be a lot better than Verizon's through most of that part of the state (my work phone is Verizon and personal is AT&T). Might be worth asking your neighbors about.
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Eddy G
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 04:31pm
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5G may not be that far away.
A 5G antenna is going up in Antrim, NH which is in south western NH just east of VT.
We get very little cell coverage in that area..zero at our place in the next town over...
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NorthRick
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 04:40pm
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At our cabin, AT&T has a much stronger signal than Verizon. We use a booster and that helps a lot. The antenna is mounted on a 10ft pole that in turn is mounted to the peak of the cabin. That puts it over 20ft off the ground.
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Houska
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 05:42pm - Edited by: Houska
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Sometimes older phones work better, since they're not trying to connect with fancy higher-generation protocols which are more and more finicky, and at newer frequencies that may have less reach than old ones.
At our property, cell signal is marginal at best. But we've had great luck with a powerful cell booster, with a directional Yagi antenna mounted 40' high on a tree, carefully pointed at the direction of the nearest cell tower.
Since I'm in Canada and I think you're in the US, I don't have a link for you, but find how you can get the GPS coordinates of your closeby cell towers, and figure out which direction they lie in. You may need to try a couple of towers (if there's hills in between) or even change providers if your current providers' tower is far away or shadowed and some other provider has one nearby.
However, the fact that someone had marginal reception on some phone on your property is powerful evidence that you can get some sort of reliable signal if you're willing to invest enough time and $ to boost it well.
By the way, for all of us who mount our antennas high: be thoughtful about whether you're carefully building a great attraction point for lightning....
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2019 07:32pm - Edited by: bobrok
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If I may bounce off some of the above posts I'd like to add this. Choosing a remote mobile service provider and a compatible phone can be an expensive and frustrating nightmare, but need not be.
One of the best ways to decide is by talking to others in the area and seeing what works for them.
If that isn't possible see if you can determine which carriers offer service in the area by using the above referenced search site(s).
One thing important to know about any carrier you're considering is which bands the carrier is using in your area. You'll have to dig into their tech support or go to a place like Howard Forums and read up.
Not all phones support all bands even within the same service carrier. And not all carriers use all bands on all towers. You can have a nice phone but if it isn't connecting to the tower you need where you need it you will get nothing.
You need to use due diligence in matching up a phone's tech specs to the carriers.
It doesn't need to be a very difficult endeavor, and it could save you a ton of frustration, not to mention money.
Example: I could save money by switching from At&T to T-Mobile at my camp. But my phone won't pick up the T-Mobile band they use here.
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Nickels
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# Posted: 14 Dec 2019 08:37am - Edited by: Nickels
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Thanks for all the replies. I have many options to try. I think I am going to try to get that phone. Kyocera DuraForce 2 (because I need a new one anyway) When the cabin is finished I will get a decent indoor cell booster package and mount a good wide ban directional antenna high up in a tree. I was really just hoping the phone will solve the problem.
The service that works the best is AT&T (I am told.) Its not much better then Verizon but I am told a little better. I have had Verizon for years and have a real good deal right now that I don't want to change. But it is an options and going to visit both carriers today to see who can help me the best.
The tower in my area was put up a while ago and was a project funded by a school to try to get cell service out to the rural areas. I think most carriers don't care because there is much population in VT specially in my area.
When I called Verizon they said this problem would allow me out of my contract. (but at this time I am no longer under a contract.) They told me 5g should be in that area in 2020 and that should solve my issue... I won't hold my breath and I would need a new phone then anyway.
I will try to put up a video on my end result in a few months. So much going on during the holidays I haven't had time to get back up to the property. So I am sure the driveway is plowed in. I was able to get the roof button up just in the nick of time. But not able to get the wood burning stove in. Follow my build! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdpMRxStj6vSqZ_jqkjxZZA
Happy holidays!
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 14 Dec 2019 08:48am
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Any hills you can drive to a short distance from your cabin?
That’s what we had to do in the past and some still do.
It’s the highest point around right off the road no trees. All bars on the phone.
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jhp
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# Posted: 15 Dec 2019 11:18am
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Before you do anything, download an app for your phone that gives you the actual signal strength and information about what tower you're talking to. The amount of bars on the phone is about as useful as a fuel tank gauge with "full" and "empty" with nothing in between.
If you have Android check out "Network Cell Info Lite" or "OpenSignal."
They will actually show you how good or bad of a signal you have in terms of decibels and will allow you to walk around and see the realtime increase or decrease in strength. You might be surprised to find a spot where the tree cover and line of sight is just right to actually get a text or call through - and yes tree cover and leaf cover does matter. Signal strength in the winter can often be higher because of less signal loss to foliage.
These apps also tell you what tower(s) you may be talking to, where they are on a map and which provider owns them. You might find some surprises here that a tower you thought was closer is not actually the one you're talking to because it has a lower power transmitter.
Once you get a better understanding of what your actual signal strength is, buying a booster or a new phone might not fix anything.
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Nickels
Member
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# Posted: 24 Dec 2019 11:53am
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Do you need to have internet or wifi to use this app? I downloaded three different apps during the summer and all three didn't work do to lack of service. When I hooked up my WebBoost mobile vehicle device to my external high gain antenna that I put up in a tree and aimed it towards my local experimental tower. I had to used my laptop at home and find the tower from my property and map it out. Then used a compass once I got to the property to aim the antenna. I did pick up another phone but nothing expensive. Next time I go up I will make a video of my problem. Thanks for all the help. Will keep everyone updated. Happy Holidays and keep warm.
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hueyjazz
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2019 03:01pm
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For an iPhone you don't need an app. You can go into Field Test Mode which shows signal strength in db. Numbers are negative but a -80 is stronger than a -90.
Go into the Phone app and switch to the Keypad, as you would do to dial a phone number. Dial *3001#12345#* and press the Call button. This will launch the Field Test Mode app and where the bars/dots were in the top left corner of the screen, you'll now see a negative number.
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jhp
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2019 10:54am
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Quoting: Nickels Do you need to have internet or wifi to use this app?
The last one I used was "Network Cell Info Lite" and it shows both your wireless and carrier signals in the graph section. You do not need any service or Internet access for these to work, they simply work based on reading back whatever strength signals are being received by the two antennas inside your phone.
If you want the directional mapping to work, yes you do need some signal on 3G or better network. If you have a signal and let it sit long enough it will eventually update the map after several minutes - keep in mind in the background your phone is also trying to update all the other applications, download your email and texts, update Facebook, whatever.
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