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Mom needs a phone that can pick up a signal!

xra7en

xra7en

Newbie
OK hopefully I can post this here.
This is the situation:

  1. Mom lives in a valley (so to speak, no way out of town but up), and to make matters worse, she lives in a trailer.
  2. Currently she is with IWireless, using an 2007 nokia phone that gets great reception.
  3. I put her on my account to help with money issues (I'm on cricket)
  4. Before that, dad got her a Q-Link service - gov phones for the disabled. I don't remember but it is a n817? some old android. But loves it, because now she can talk-text (which is great for us, since she' cant spell so texting was awful)
  5. So what she does is talk-text on the android, and makes calls on the nokia - this is because the QLink only gives her 500min a month as per her free service with them, but unlimited texting.
  6. I live out of state, and I have sent every unlocked phone I can that I own to her, and she cannot get a signal - according to cricket she is a half a mile from a tower!!! Even sent a few flip phones as those have better luck usually, and nothing.
My question is - what phone out there that will barrel through her trailer and the valley she is in. I find it hard to belive that old qlink phone gets through albeit with 2bars at max, and her signal sit around -107db.

This has been going on for 2 months since I put her on my plan and she has yet to be able to get to use it. Cricket is no help.

I'm out of state, so this makes it doubly difficult to negotiate info from her (ex. I ahd to call her to explain what "AWW" mean on text LOL)

She likes flip phones but I'll take anything that will work on the network.

Thanks guys!!
 
Since your Mom lives in what's essentially a 'dead zone', it might not be a matter of what phone to get her. If there's no signal, there's just no signal. That valley apparently just isn't getting coverage by a cellular signal even if there is a cell tower within a half mile.

I realize this a conditional suggestion but if she has any kind of landline-based broadband (or maybe a neighbor does) there are a couple of options. One is to switch to using WiFi Calling or the other is to get her a femtocell (different manufacturers rename them so it could be call a cell extender, or microcell, or cell spot, etc.).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_Access_Network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femtocell
WiFi Calling is pretty much what it's name states, phone calls work off of WiFi connectivity rather than cellular connectivity. If the carrier she's using doesn't include it in her plan, there are plenty of third-party apps that work out well.
A femtocell is more or less its own low-power, mini cell tower. It gets its signal from a broadband connection and puts out a limited-range cellular signal (more than enough to cover her trailer).
If she's going to stay with iWireless, that's a service tied to T-Mobile's cellular network:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-24795
If with Cricket, that's a MVNO tied to AT&T:
https://www.att.com/att/microcell/
 
svim said:
Since your Mom lives in what's essentially a 'dead zone', it might not be a matter of what phone to get her. If there's no signal, there's just no signal. That valley apparently just isn't getting coverage by a cellular signal even if there is a cell tower within a half mile.
... SNIP ...
Click to expand...
Hi,
Thanks for the replay. am aware of al gory details LOL. Been at this for 2 months. There are a couple things that make me scratch my head:
  1. She has an old (original) Nokia 1208,she loves - they actually just brought that design back - and it gets good signal (iwireless). this is just the basic phone
  2. Her government phone - QLINK - get about one to three bars (-107 dBm avg) and that's an android
she likes the android because she can voice text, but they only give her 500min a month. and the Nokia has unlimited talk and text, but that's the old fashion numpad text method (kinda like what people do today on their "smart phones " LOL). So I put her on my cricket plan which only cost me $10 extra a month, this way she can dump the other phones and have just one, but I am stuck with a reception issue.

So she does get service in her trailer that's in the valley, just not with any phone I send to her. I was thinking of just getting her an UNLOCKED 817n phone and see if that works. If not, then wouldn't it stand to reason it is a cricket issue?


cheers!
Thanks
 
Last edited:
Fox Mulder said:
You should check whatever phone you are considering to make sure it is fully compatible with the carrier. If it isn't you may get poor or no signal.
willmyphonework.net/
Click to expand...

Hi
These phones are test here in my state first before I send them out. The last one I sent her WAS a cricket phone. So should have been a no brainer! :-)
 
svim said:
Since your Mom lives in what's essentially a 'dead zone', it might not be a matter of what phone to get her. If there's no signal, there's just no signal. That valley apparently just isn't getting coverage by a cellular signal even if there is a cell tower within a half mile.

I realize this a conditional suggestion but if she has any kind of landline-based broadband (or maybe a neighbor does) there are a couple of options. One is to switch to using WiFi Calling or the other is to get her a femtocell (different manufacturers rename them so it could be call a cell extender, or microcell, or cell spot, etc.).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_Access_Network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femtocell
WiFi Calling is pretty much what it's name states, phone calls work off of WiFi connectivity rather than cellular connectivity. If the carrier she's using doesn't include it in her plan, there are plenty of third-party apps that work out well.
A femtocell is more or less its own low-power, mini cell tower. It gets its signal from a broadband connection and puts out a limited-range cellular signal (more than enough to cover her trailer).
If she's going to stay with iWireless, that's a service tied to T-Mobile's cellular network:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-24795
If with Cricket, that's a MVNO tied to AT&T:
https://www.att.com/att/microcell/
Click to expand...


WIFI calling is not supported by Cricket (an AT&T MNVO). AT&T's femtocell (3G Microcell) requires it be activted with AT&T post paid account and the Microcell is being phased out this year.
 
rjniles said:
WIFI calling is not supported by Cricket (an AT&T MNVO). AT&T's femtocell (3G Microcell) requires it be activted with AT&T post paid account and the Microcell is being phased out this year.
Click to expand...


My mom would not have the FOGGIEST idea how to do a VOIP LOL. I was already entertaining that option in the beginning, but that would only confuse her more.. This is a mom that was curious as to what "AWW" meant, and why there were too many "W's" LOL - Lets keep it simple hehehe
 
Sounds like a carrier issue, not a matter of sending different phones. It appears AT&T (Cricket) doesn't have reception at her home and T-mobile does.

Based on that I'd try a T-mobile MVNO carrier, MetroPCS is probably the most popular:
https://www.metropcs.com/shop/plans

As for phones they are giving many away for free when you port your number:
https://www.metropcs.com/best-free-phone-event-ever.html

It's also possible that her local tower is owned by iWireless and not T-Mobile since iWireless has their own local network. If that's the case you might want to check if any T-Mobile MVNO you switch to considers that roaming. Looks like it's not roaming for native T-Mobile customers, but I'm not sure about their MVNOs.

Since she also gets a signal with QLINK, they use Sprint.
 
kate said:
Sounds like a carrier issue, not a matter of sending different phones. It appears AT&T (Cricket) doesn't have reception at her home and T-mobile does.

Based on that I'd try a T-mobile MVNO carrier, MetroPCS is probably the most popular:
https://www.metropcs.com/shop/plans

As for phones they are giving many away for free when you port your number:
https://www.metropcs.com/best-free-phone-event-ever.html

It's also possible that her local tower is owned by iWireless and not T-Mobile since iWireless has their own local network. If that's the case you might want to check if any T-Mobile MVNO you switch to considers that roaming. Looks like it's not roaming for native T-Mobile customers, but I'm not sure about their MVNOs.

Since she also gets a signal with QLINK, they use Sprint.
Click to expand...


Agreed, but here is the issue:

I called cricket who said that they have a tower half mile from her. Very odd when I sent a cricket phone to her, it failed to see it - she said it came in intermittantly and the dBm was at -120 - kinda high for half mile.

and I wanted her on my account so it would take the financial burden off her.
So its not a matter of trying companies that she would have better luck with, it is that fact I need to put her on my plan so I can cover the costs. Cricket normally has great coverage. this one is just a weird situation.
 
As you and @Clementine_3 mentioned above Motorola is known for good antennas. Moto G5 Plus, Moto G4, Moto E4.

But it really depends on location and signal from the tower, if she's in an AT&T dead zone it might not matter what phone is used.
 
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