OT: network extenders

[Retired711]

My house has increasingly become a dead zone for my iphone. So Verizon's representative advised me to upgrade from my 5c (yes, I am way behind on my iphones) to an SE (yes, I am cheap when it comes to cellphones.) In that way, I'd be able, the rep said, to activate internet calling and that, Verizon said, would help because my house has wi-fi.

I asked what I should do if the SE does not solve the problem. The rep said I would then need a network extender, and quoted a cool $250 as the price. (Again, I'm cheap when it comes to cellphones) It seems to me there's got to be a cheaper way to do this if necessary. Advice? Thanks!

 

[Rhuarc]

My house has increasingly become a dead zone for my iphone. So Verizon's representative advised me to upgrade from my 5c (yes, I am way behind on my iphones) to an SE (yes, I am cheap when it comes to cellphones.) In that way, I'd be able, the rep said, to activate internet calling and that, Verizon said, would help because my house has wi-fi.

I asked what I should do if the SE does not solve the problem. The rep said I would then need a network extender, and quoted a cool $250 as the price. (Again, I'm cheap when it comes to cellphones) It seems to me there's got to be a cheaper way to do this if necessary. Advice? Thanks!

I bought this thing for my house. It uses your existing wiring to run off of. I also set up a cheap router in my bedroom so my phone/computer picks it up when I enter because it's a previous dead zone. Works like a charm. The Verizon price they are quoting you sounds crazy.

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

All you need to do is download WhatsApp to your 5c. Connect your 5c to your home WiFi network, and voila. You can call over the internet using WhatsApp for free.

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

Here are the directions to connect you 5c to WiFi


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202639

 

[Upstream]

The $250 network extender is for a 4G LTE network extender, not a wifi network extender. $250 is not an unreasonable price.

I'm guessing the rep is telling you to update your iPhone because your old phone uses 1G or 3G voice, not 4G. You can see if upgrading the phone to one that uses 4G voice will work without the network extender by inviting someone with a new Verizon phone to your house and seeing if they have the same deadzone issues.

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

Try the WiFi first. It’s free, and as you said, you’re cheap.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

All you need to do is download WhatsApp to your 5c. Connect your 5c to your home WiFi network, and voila. You can call over the internet using WhatsApp for free.

Wouldn't that only be WhatsApp to WhatsApp calls? Meaning the party you're calling also has to have the app on their phone (which they could of course). Viber is similar as well as far as I know. I'm not sure if you were calling a landline or cell without the app downloaded it would be free with either app.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

My house has increasingly become a dead zone for my iphone. So Verizon's representative advised me to upgrade from my 5c (yes, I am way behind on my iphones) to an SE (yes, I am cheap when it comes to cellphones.) In that way, I'd be able, the rep said, to activate internet calling and that, Verizon said, would help because my house has wi-fi.

I asked what I should do if the SE does not solve the problem. The rep said I would then need a network extender, and quoted a cool $250 as the price. (Again, I'm cheap when it comes to cellphones) It seems to me there's got to be a cheaper way to do this if necessary. Advice? Thanks!

I've been using WiFi calling in my house for as long as it's been available. As soon as any member of my family's phone enters the house it will automatically join the home network...which is really what anyone should be defaulted to doing..saves data while you're at home.

I've had ATT and now have Verizon and they both had issues, rarely get problems now using WiFi calling in the house. What rutgersal said is right with WhatsApp and Viber is another one but as far as I know the party you're calling has to have the app one their phone too...but they're both quite ubiquitous so it's possible many people will have it on their phones.

They're both just another form of WiFi calling but just using apps instead of the built in WiFi calling feature on your phone but has the limit of only calling others with the app on their phones to my knowledge.

The reason WiFi calling wouldn't work is if the signal from your router doesn't reach all areas for your home (hence the reason for a network extender)...otherwise I think you'd be fine. If you have a laptop or just your cell see what the signal strength is in various parts of your especially the furthest away from your router. Get the members of your family to download WhatsApp/Viber and then test it and see and you'll find out how well it works from your home to them outside of your home.

One caveat though just like with any technology the older it is the less likely it will be supported by the tech companies/apps. So I don't know what iOS your phone is running but if it's too old then it might not be supported by the apps mentioned so eventually you will grudgingly have to update at least somewhat because things you may run on your phone now may not in the future or be very very slow.

 

[iReC89]

Staying on the cheap theme- WiFi calling is available on iPhone 6. No need to splurge on SE!

It actually works well.

If you happen to pick up a used 6, apple has a $29 battery replacement program that ends this month. $49 after that.

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

Wouldn't that only be WhatsApp to WhatsApp calls? Meaning the party you're calling also has to have the app on their phone (which they could of course). Viber is similar as well as far as I know. I'm not sure if you were calling a landline or cell without the app downloaded it would be free with either app.

Yes. The other party has to have WhatsApp, as most mobile phone users in my peer group do. For non WhatsApp calls, you would use your landline.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

Yes. The other party has to have WhatsApp, as most mobile phone users in my peer group do. For non WhatsApp calls, you would use your landline.

Yea lot of people have it (I have both), especially globally but I can't just assume that for anyone or that he'd know that it has to be app to app calling.

It's a possible solution but I also don't know if it's supported for older iOS still so that's something he'd have to find out.

 

[RUfinal4]

I would suggest the 4g extender

I have found with my family and friends that everyone has a different preferred wifi communications preference. The Iphone people like facetime, some like Viber, some like Whats App, and some are old school and barely use the smart features on their phone. With the 4g extender you would have phone service throughout your house. This way you can call your friend / family member that still uses a flip phone or their landline.

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

Yea lot of people have it (I have both), especially globally but I can't just assume that for anyone or that he'd know that it has to be app to app calling.

It's a possible solution but I also don't know if it's supported for older iOS still so that's something he'd have to find out.

It’s supported. Just need to have IOS 8 on his 5c

 

[Scarlet16e2]

I used a Verizon network extender for several years, until cell service improved at my home and it was no longer needed.
I don't know if it's changed, but here is my experience.

The extender plugs into your router via ethernet cable, and also has a small GPS antenna, which is required for 911 service to work (911 legally requires that your location is known). It basically creates your own local micro-cell on Verizon's network. The extender works for voice cell service only. For data you would be using your own wifi anyway, so that's not a problem.

When you place a call or answer a call from your cell phone while in the local micro-cell, you hear a short beep telling you that you are using the extender.

I needed mine for work, as I often work from home and have a company-provided cell phone.
It worked great when I used it.

Verizon will not sell you one unless they verify that your address is in a location with poor network coverage.
At some point the regular cell network was improved where I live, and at that time the extender began causing more problems than it solved. It was competing with the real cell network and this caused lots of dropped calls, until I simply unplugged it and stopped using it.

 

[RUfinal4]

I used a Verizon network extender for several years, until cell service improved at my home and it was no longer needed.
I don't know if it's changed, but here is my experience.

The extender plugs into your router via ethernet cable, and also has a small GPS antenna, which is required for 911 service to work (911 legally requires that your location is known). It basically creates your own local micro-cell on Verizon's network. The extender works for voice cell service only. For data you would be using your own wifi anyway, so that's not a problem.

When you place a call or answer a call from your cell phone while in the local micro-cell, you hear a short beep telling you that you are using the extender.

I needed mine for work, as I often work from home and have a company-provided cell phone.
It worked great when I used it.

Verizon will not sell you one unless they verify that your address is in a location with poor network coverage.
At some point the regular cell network was improved where I live, and at that time the extender began causing more problems than it solved. It was competing with the real cell network and this caused lots of dropped calls, until I simply unplugged it and stopped using it.

Do these work well if you are in a structure that has poor cell service? For example maybe a basement or possibly a higher rise building where the inner parts get poor service? I know I have dealt with this in office buildings where some spaces away from the windows got poor or no service.

 

[Scarlet16e2]

Do these work well if you are in a structure that has poor cell service? For example maybe a basement or possibly a higher rise building where the inner parts get poor service? I know I have dealt with this in office buildings where some spaces away from the windows got poor or no service.

I don't know.

The micro-cell it creates covered my entire home including the basement. I had the extender next to my router on the second floor.
It also covered my yard and driveway. So it may be too strong to just make a basement have better coverage.
I would imagine they would work well in office buildings, though there probably is a much more sophisticated solution with multiple antennas that would work better.

 

[SouthJerseyRU]

The $250 network extender is for a 4G LTE network extender, not a wifi network extender. $250 is not an unreasonable price.

I'm guessing the rep is telling you to update your iPhone because your old phone uses 1G or 3G voice, not 4G. You can see if upgrading the phone to one that uses 4G voice will work without the network extender by inviting someone with a new Verizon phone to your house and seeing if they have the same deadzone issues.

Good post, as Upstream stated, we are talking about 2 different things in this thread. First extending Verizon's network in your home, and secondly updating your phone to make calls over WiFi and/or extending your own WiFi network.

If you want to extend Verizon's network you have to get the adapter from them and plug that into your router. Once that is up and running, it basically acts as a mini cell phone tower in your home to propagate Verizon's signal through your home.

If you update your phone so it can place calls over WiFi, you may not have to do anything else depending on your current WiFi coverage in your home. If you have WiFi dead spots you might have to upgrade your router or use a mesh network to extend your WiFi range.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

Good post, as Upstream stated, we are talking about 2 different things in this thread. First extending Verizon's network in your home, and secondly updating your phone to make calls over WiFi and/or extending your own WiFi network.

If you want to extend Verizon's network you have to get the adapter from them and plug that into your router. Once that is up and running, it basically acts as a mini cell phone tower in your home to propagate Verizon's signal through your home.

If you update your phone so it can place calls over WiFi, you may not have to do anything else depending on your current WiFi coverage in your home. If you have WiFi dead spots you might have to upgrade your router or use a mesh network to extend your WiFi range.

Is there a reason one would want to extend/strengthen a cell carrier's LTE coverage in one's home as opposed to just using your home's own WiFi network? I'm guessing you'd still be charged for data if you're still on their LTE so why not use the WiFi network of your home.

 

[Scarlet16e2]

Is there a reason one would want to extend cell carrier's LTE coverage in one's home as opposed to just using your home's own WiFi network? I'm guessing you'd still be charged for data if you're still on their LTE so why not use the WiFi network of your home.

First the extender does not provide data coverage, only voice.
For data you would still use your wifi.

I had my extender before wifi calling on the cell phone was a thing, so there is that.

Another reason I can think of is that you can move into and out of the extender's cell while a call is underway. So if I placed a cell call from my house I could remain on the call while getting into my car and driving away from my house.

Still, with current tech, I probably would have just used wifi calling.

 

[RULoyal]

My house has increasingly become a dead zone for my iphone. So Verizon's representative advised me to upgrade from my 5c (yes, I am way behind on my iphones) to an SE (yes, I am cheap when it comes to cellphones.) In that way, I'd be able, the rep said, to activate internet calling and that, Verizon said, would help because my house has wi-fi.

I asked what I should do if the SE does not solve the problem. The rep said I would then need a network extender, and quoted a cool $250 as the price. (Again, I'm cheap when it comes to cellphones) It seems to me there's got to be a cheaper way to do this if necessary. Advice? Thanks!

I have AT&T and had similar circumstances. They kept adjusting their towers over the years and I ended up in their Bermuda Triangle, basically a dead zone for our phones. I called them up and they ran me through all these fixes, none of which worked. They then said I could purchase a “Micro Cell” ($200) which plugs into my router and allows your cell phone to use the WiFi. After another half hour of bitching, telling them this was no way to treat a long time customer and working my way up the food chain, I got them to pay for the device. It works great.

 

[Rufaninga]

I have AT&T and had similar circumstances. They kept adjusting their towers over the years and I ended up in their Bermuda Triangle, basically a dead zone for our phones. I called them up and they ran me through all these fixes, none of which worked. They then said I could purchase a “Micro Cell” ($200) which plugs into my router and allows your cell phone to use the WiFi. After another half hour of bitching, telling them this was no way to treat a long time customer and working my way up the food chain, I got them to pay for the device. It works great.

I had same with AT&T, had phones paid for and said iIf I couldnt rely on call quality i was taking 4 lines to vzw. At the store rep gave me extender for free to keep my account. works great

 

[apgoosebumps]

I required an extender in my old house. Verizon tried to make me pay for it but gave it for free when I threatened to switch providers

 

[Retired711]

Thanks, everyone. My SE has arrived. After a half-hour on the phone with Verizon, internet calling is now working, and it seems to be resolving the problem. But I'll be back here if dead zones recur. Again, thanks everyone, and enjoy the holiday season!

 

[Rutgers8086_rivals]

Thanks, everyone. My SE has arrived. After a half-hour on the phone with Verizon, internet calling is now working, and it seems to be resolving the problem. But I'll be back here if dead zones recur. Again, thanks everyone, and enjoy the holiday season!

Good article in Wall Street Journal about equipment to cover WiFi dead spots.

 

[Retired711]

Good article in Wall Street Journal about equipment to cover WiFi dead spots.

Do you mean the article about sticky Wi-FI -- that is, about the phone trying to connect with wi-fi services when outside the home? Is the solution simply to turn off internet calling whenever leaving the house? Or will that cause problems when turning on internet calling again?