topic Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE in Archived Posts

No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 15:24:27 GMT

Just spent a frustrating couple of hours on the phone to EE. Started out with them calling me to sell me further products/ services. I said pointless as I can’t get a signal without using my own wifi . They suggested I complain to 150 as that wasn’t good enough and I should at the very least be getting a discount for my poor service.!!!

Long story short after two hours plus on the phone - EE suggestion to correct my phone signal problems is as follows

I purchase me a 4g router at £40 per month

plus an external antenna with an instal cost of £100

plus £6.95 to post the router to me

All the above will then enable them to provide me with the service I am currently paying £56 per month for !!!!!

Am I missing something here , I don’t get that I have to pay an extra £ 580 on top of the £672 I already pay them

How is that value for money

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

BrendonH — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 15:28:40 GMT

No network guarantee signal indoors. As buildings can interfere with the signal.

What does the EE coverage checker say for your home location.

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 16:19:53 GMT

The EE coverage checker says excellent 4g coverage indoors & outdoors !!

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

bristolian — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 16:31:52 GMT

Hi @Doriseck

There's a few possibilities here. Firstly what phone do you have? Most current smartphones do support EE's 4G-calling service, which enables access to certain parts of EE's 4G network, but it's worth checking that you do meet the criteria for this.

Secondly, is there anything showing on the faults checker for your area?

EE's WiFi-calling service is an excellent way of being able to continue using your phone anywhere that there's little to no mobile coverage.

Ultimately, as @BrendonH has said, no network guarantees coverage everywhere, and testing out your coverage is part of the reason for the 14day returns policy.

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 18:01:29 GMT

I have an iPhone XR

No faults found in my area

I currently have to use WiFi calling , however, it’s not perfect and calls often breakdown .

Also no power , no internet, no WiFi

In short what am I actually paying £56 per month for , if I’m using my own internet

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 18:03:51 GMT

Forgot to say I tried using the 4G calling today as per the advice from EE and the technician couldn’t hear me as the call kept breaking up. I had to switch back to WiFi calling .

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

bristolian — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 18:10:46 GMT

Something doesn't sound right here. WiFi-calling is designed to only kick in when you have low or minimal mobile coverage, and it sounds like you have sufficient mobile signal for the phone to try using 4G-calling in preference. In other words, you are probably hovering right on the handover criteria and your phone is flip-flopping.

If you are happy that your WiFi network is strong and stable, then you can try enabling flight mode as an experiment in forcing WiFi-calling, and at least prove that the service is capable of stable, crystal-clear calls. (which it is).

However... you've then said "no power, no internet, no WiFi", what do you mean by this?

Your EE subscription includes access to the EE network nationally, and WiFi-calling is intended to complement the mobile network, and ensure that anywhere you don't have mobile coverage, you can still use your phone entirely as normal.

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 19:31:40 GMT

I don’t have sufficient signal for 4g ( according to EE I should have ) to be stable .In fact I don’t usually have any signal at all.

I am only able to use my phone at home using WiFi calling , which also isn’t stable and often cuts in & out during a call.

I end up having to stand out in the road to make a call

I have tried the airplane mode scenario previously and it makes no difference , still intermittently cuts in & out.
when I said no power, no internet, no WiFi , I was referring to power cuts and therefore I have no internet and consequently no WiFi calling.

thank you

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Christopher_G — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 07:36:34 GMT

Hi @Doriseck

If your phone works out in the street, it could be something within the structure of your building that is stopping the mobile signal from coming through.

It's hard to pin-point where the problem is with the WiFi calling. Have you tried this service when connected to a different WiFi source anywhere?

Chris

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:25:54 GMT

Yes I have and it seems to work better than at home !
The signal out in the street isn’t particularly strong either and yet EE are adamant that 4g signal is excellent , it’s so frustrating.

im not particularly tech savvy , so it’s all a bit of trial and error.

I’m nervous about investing in 4g router and antenna only to find I am no better off signal wise & end up wasting a shed load more money with EE.

I have been a loyal customer for over 25 years but I don’t see any of that loyalty being repaid in the form of assistance etc from EE .

I would have thought companies would be looking to help as much as possible to hang onto their customer base in these very uncertain times.

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

bristolian — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:44:26 GMT

If your home broadband/WiFi is poor, then (unless it's provided by EE) then that's another issue entirely.

Is your poor coverage at home, a recent problem or has it always been the case?

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:55:11 GMT

it has always been the same, in fact it seems to be getting worse when it should be improving as technology advances.

I have always had to have a signal booster but EE advised me yesterday that it’s pointless using it now as it no longer serves a purpose.

For example - today with WiFi calling switched off I currently have one bar signal but no 4g or 3G just EE and that is likely to disappear at any moment. I wouldn't be able to make a call with the current signal status.

thank you

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Leanne_T — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 13:43:55 GMT

Hi @Doriseck

Thanks for coming back to us.

Do you have EE Broadband or are you with another broadband provider?

Do you have any other devices connected to WiFi, if so, do they disconnect?

Leanne.

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

bristolian — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 13:51:38 GMT

@Doriseck wrote:

Hi

it has always been the same, in fact it seems to be getting worse when it should be improving as technology advances.

I have always had to have a signal booster but EE advised me yesterday that it’s pointless using it now as it no longer serves a purpose.

EE used to offer Signal Boxes as a poor coverage solution, and providing your box has been registered, it's a perfectly valid solution and acts as a mini-3G cell. What is true is that EE no longer promote these devices and don't supply new ones, WiFi-calling has superceded this and offers improved service for several reasons. But if you have one, there's nothing to be lost by trying it.

@Doriseck wrote:

Hi

For example - today with WiFi calling switched off I currently have one bar signal but no 4g or 3G just EE and that is likely to disappear at any moment. I wouldn't be able to make a call with the current signal status.

thank you

I'd recommend you leave WiFi-calling switched on, by design it will only kick-in when you have insufficient mobile coverage so there's nothing to lose.

Are you saying that your one-bar of signal is 2G then? Putting marketing terms aside, EE as a network operator provide service on 2G, 3G & 4G. It's increasingly rare to find somewhere that 2G is the last technology standing, but once in a while it happens!!

Where are you, out of interest? (roughly)

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 21:45:26 GMT

I’m in Kent not far from Sevenoaks , one of the highest points in Kent in fact.

However, you would think I was in the middle of the Kalahari desert , but then again they probably get a better signal.

We have no fibre options available , or any other modern day technology.

What is so frustrating is EE advertising superb 4g coverage , which is blatantly untrue , even outside the property.

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

Doriseck — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 21:49:31 GMT

No EE broadband (another provider) as I am worried about wasting any more money with EE for a rubbish service.

Yesother devices connected and yes they disconnect .

Re: No signal indoors at home - frustrating 2 hours with EE

bristolian — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 22:27:33 GMT

@Doriseck

It's only fair to point out a couple of things here..

1: EE broadband is delivered over a different network infrastructure to the mobile network, so you can't say that problems with one will be replicated with the other. My home fixed-line services are with another provider who have an excellent broadband network, but whose mobile offering doesn't interest me in the slightest.

2: It sounds like the computer predictions for your locality are that excellent coverage is available, but that local geographical issues mean this doesn't translate into good service for you. Unfortunately sometimes these things happen, it's the nature of the beast with radio technology.