Poor reception in basement

[Kennyp]

I have had excellent reception in the basement since I've been with Public Mobile(over a year). Suddenly, in the last couple of days, people tell me that I keep cutting out. The phone signal is strong. Any suggestions?

[hTideGnow]

---

@keepasa wrote:

Yes I agree 3G won't be there for long, but at least we can force phone to use it for the time being to have better reception in places like basement.  By the time 3G will be shutdown, the 4G will and should be more powerful and have less issues.

---

Less hope so.  I remember someone posted something saying PM might start moving onto 4G in around 18 months .  Exciting!!

[keepasa]

Yes I agree 3G won't be there for long, but at least we can force phone to use it for the time being to have better reception in places like basement.  By the time 3G will be shutdown, the 4G will and should be more powerful and have less issues.

[BKNS27]

@og2 

In Canada 3G will be removed by 2025 and 2022 in the USA.

[hTideGnow]

no problem @computergeek541 .  just want to give OP our best advise for his situation and hope to help.  The other off topic discussion could happen in the lounge 🙂

[computergeek541]

---

@darlicious wrote:

@computergeek541 

Of course the other problem with moving threads is that the OP has no idea that this gets done and updates their thread with what worked for them but here it is languishing in the lounge. Do I need to ask the obvious?😃

---

The off topic discussion that I moved did not belong in the support area and was more about personal arguments than helping the OP of the original thread.

[darlicious]

@computergeek541 

Of course the other problem with moving threads is that the OP has no idea that this gets done and updates their thread with what worked for them but here it is languishing in the lounge. Do I need to ask the obvious?😃

[Kennyp]

• I tried the 3 easiest suggestions...reboot the phone, toggle airplane mode on/off, and toggle speaker on/off. The problem then disappeared. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not sure which, or if any of those actions was responsible for the fix, but they are very easy to try, and the result was great for me

[gpixel]

You probably don't want to try reset network yet.  On some phones, the APN settings will need to be entered manually after a reset and hence your data might stop working althogether.

i would have to assume they know how since they've done it before in order to first set up the device. The only data removed from a network reset is wifi passwords. 

Also, not sure about changing to 3G will helps.   Usually changing to 3G is for issue like you phone cannot change from LTE network to 3G and hence calls dropped.  Since your calls already established and just cutting out, I am afraid this might not address your issue.

the OP is probably assuming that the LTE signal showing on their device is going to be the same signal when switched to 3g(HSPA). this is not the case and even though LTE is strong, 3g most likely isn't... so switching to 3g to see the true reception is a good idea. 

we need to first rule out any anomalies. we know the customer had good reception a few days ago. what has changed since then? did they install something new in their basement? what were the weather conditions like? a sim removal and network reset will be my suggestion

when you reinsert your sim, you are in essence deleting your old sim from the 'system' this in turn forces your carriers network to force an update to the network, making cell towers 'aware' of the new sim, this can improve reception as any new agreements between carriers and their cell towers and any new cell towers since your last sim will be 'aware' of the new sim, allowing it to access them.
in turn 'improving' your reception, in areas you previously had bad reception

[og2]

Telus has started decommissioning 3g. Your phone maybe connecting to a further tower.

[darlicious]

@t_p 

In those two threads your suggestion worked but those are two completely different issues. The OP here has been and still is receiving and able to make calls so switching to 3G only makes no difference the phone already does that automatically in order to answer or make a call.

A network reset could work for the OP and I didn't say it wouldn't....so could a factory reset for that matter but it's not the first thing you do its the last. All @hTideGnow  was doing was pointing out that the OP may want to wait and try a few other troubleshooting tricks or supply a little more info before doing a network reset.

Like the basics : Reboot the phone and toggle airplane mode on/off. Then move on to clearing the app 's cache, then try a network reset if they don't have another phone to test the sim card in or even research their device's common glitches with calling reception. 

I am not saying your wrong.....but you were a little snippety with your fellow member....🤔!

[esjliv]

@t_p @hTideGnow @darlicious 

I am an advocate of Resetting Network Settings, it can be like clearing cache on your device and can help with a multitude of network, or other weird issues.

Just sayin'

EDIT: yes, I understand APN settings may be affected and have to be reset again manually on some devices, but there are sources here to do that. So, all covered, for the most part.

[darlicious]

@Kennyp

 Since everyone including myself has missed the first troubleshooting step....try rebooting your phone as well.

It could be a device issue so try flipping on/off your speakerphone.

@t_p 

Actually @hTideGnow  makes a good point. A network reset is usually the last resort because of the implications and inconvenience it can cause and they are bang on with switching to 3G this is very unlikely to cause reception issues. 

[hTideGnow]

@t_p for the network reset advise, it was a warning from one of the Oracles earlier this week. I just don't want to see OP to loss data as well.

We are here to share knowledge and try to help. Try not to take it personal.

[softech]

Yes, using VoIP could be a workaround.  You can forward if no answer to your VoIP number

Another possible workaround is to use a bluetooth headset.  Leave your phone on the main floor and talk on bluetooth.  If you are going with this solution and don't mind some investment, you can also get one of those Panasonic bluetooth wireless cordless phones.

But, I suggest to wait another week or two and see if the situation gets better.  It could be just a network tower issue and Telus or Bell just need time to fix it.  

[EricPellerin]

I had the same problem. To remedy the situation, I installed an IP telephony application (Textnow). Calls are made via WIFI and in my case, it solved my phone cut-off problems. 

The only disadvantage to this solution is that you can't use your PM number. Another number is assigned to you. 

It may not be the best solution, but it is effective and solves the problem. This would save you from spending hours looking for a solution by opening a ticket. 

[Anonymous]

@Kennyp 

all company has bad Poor reception in basement,
Plans with 3G data may reach download speeds of up to 3 Mbps, with the coverage and reliability of the LTE network. Speed and signal strength may vary with your device, configuration, Internet traffic, environmental conditions, applicable network management and other factors.

[darlicious]

@Kennyp 

You may just have a poor connection to the network. Toggle airplane mode on/off. See if that fixes your poor reception.

[hTideGnow]

@Kennyp   You probably don't want to try reset network yet.  On some phones, the APN settings will need to be entered manually after a reset and hence your data might stop working althogether.

Also, not sure about changing to 3G will helps.   Usually changing to 3G is for issue like you phone cannot change from LTE network to 3G and hence calls dropped.  Since your calls already established and just cutting out, I am afraid this might not address your issue.

[t_p]

@Kennyp 

Try resetting Network settings.

Or switch to 3G to see if it makes a difference.

[softech]

@Kennyp  do you get good signal and strong, reliable reception when you are on the main floor?     Do you see any difference in signal bars when you are on the main floor and basement?

Do you have another phone around that you can put your PM SIM in and try ? 

[pkaraa]

Any new equipment installed recently?

Once I had installed a cellphone signal booster in my vacation cabin where the tower was far away, did wonders to my cell signals.

Now I dont use it as there is another tower installed nearby.