Mobile phone signals

[otherclive]

I’ve read numerous posts about how to improve mobile phone signals when on site, with lots of recommendations on options to improve them. But this morning I was in the dentists and had quite a wait between my two appointments only to find the mobile signal was 1 bar or No Service. This was on the first floor within 50 m of the main Bristol road and 100 m of the A350 trunk route. Woeful would be an under statement

The last couple of weeks we were staying in the South Lakes on a camp site and our pitch was in an elevated position above the Rusland Valley. Again zilch although if I went to a higher point it could send and receive calls/texts etc but no internet.

When we arrive in a new area I tend to put in the POI for supermarkets and hospitals with A&E. But consistently when starting the car it would tell me that it could not communicate with the Toyota servers. Its own satnav holds precious few POI apart from fuel stations and parking. So for example I could not input Aldi or Booths in Ulverston. If I knew their postcodes then I could input it. But normal search using “Google search” required a mobile signal to the cars system. Even in Ulverston outside Aldi with a weak signal I did a search and it offered one in Peterhead. 🙁 The system is great when on the move and picks up delays, offers detours, alerts to cameras etc and even shows Street View if required but in out of the way places my own Garmin beats it hands down.

Even Apple Airplay didn’t do much better due to the weak or non existent signals.
Put it bluntly I’ve had better mobile reception travelling down the eastern borderlands of Turkey, and in Bhutan. Another aspect where we talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

 

[JTQ]

It can certainly be both disappoint and surprise where an adequate phone signal can't be found.

I counter this to an extent by having SIMs with Three & EE. The marriage of Three and Vodaphone hints there will be better coverage coming.

A home broadband EE contract adds a very useful ability to add in using WiFi from their extensive hotspots, the ex BT hotspots. Quite often find that is the route I have to go.

 

[Dustydog]

Interesting Clive. Just proves how hit and miss phone signals are

Fred Drift

The VW is the worst I've had. It chooses routes that are ridiculously stupid.
VW want £800 to update 😡
So thinking about Waze on the i phone or a state of the art Tom Tom.
The Waze uses phone signals. The Tom Tom satellites.
Which overall is my best bet??

 

[Sam Vimes]

There's a new Ofcom web site that is supposed to be more accurate in giving the signal coverage across the, currently 4, networks.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/mobile

Of course if you have no signal on your phone you wont be able to use it

 

[Tobes]

Interesting Clive. Just proves how hit and miss phone signals are

Fred Drift

The VW is the worst I've had. It chooses routes that are ridiculously stupid.
VW want £800 to update 😡
So thinking about Waze on the i phone or a state of the art Tom Tom.
The Waze uses phone signals. The Tom Tom satellites.
Which overall is my best bet??

Google maps. You can have it download the mapping for the area you are going to before you leave while on a decent data connection. Even if you are off line, it can then generate routing to anywhere in the downloaded area by business name, street, postcode or any other Google searchable thing. Clearly you wont get traffic data for that route, until you get back on line, but you will get a route.

 

[Sam Vimes]

While it's true that Google Maps can be used to calculate a route that's usable off line with a pre-downloaded map area, I've found it can't calculate an alternate route if you hit a road closure on that route. It needed to go online again....no signal, no alternate route.

My TomTom app won't start each day unless it first connects online. Presumably it's checking that my subscription is valid. Once done I can use it with or with a connection for the rest of the day. The maps cover the whole of the UK or wherever you are and alternate routes calculated if necessary.

 

[otherclive]

It can certainly be both disappoint and surprise where an adequate phone signal can't be found.

I counter this to an extent by having SIMs with Three & EE. The marriage of Three and Vodaphone hints there will be better coverage coming.

A home broadband EE contract adds a very useful ability to add in using WiFi from their extensive hotspots, the ex BT hotspots. Quite often find that is the route I have to go.

Our phones are on different providers but neither of us could receive signals, plus the car’s sim(s) couldn’t connect to the Toyota servers either. And the dog’s tracker was similarly affected. Although once underway into areas where mobile signals improve everything comes good. But as our son said
“ you have always gone to obscure locations”.

 

[Sam Vimes]

Your dogs tracker will only be Bluetooth. It does need a nearby phone with a connection to be able to track it though.

 

[otherclive]

Interesting Clive. Just proves how hit and miss phone signals are

Fred Drift

The VW is the worst I've had. It chooses routes that are ridiculously stupid.
VW want £800 to update 😡
So thinking about Waze on the i phone or a state of the art Tom Tom.
The Waze uses phone signals. The Tom Tom satellites.
Which overall is my best bet??

My grandson uses our Garmin when he borrows the Rio and he rates it very highly. Very clear screen, quarterly updates, lots of installed POI and the information supporting the POI. For example when travelling back through Germany we tended to rely on the Garmin and about 50 miles from Düsseldorf decided to arrange an overnight stopover. So my wife hit POI Accomodation around Düsseldorf and found an Ibis budget and its telephone number. Using its Bluetooth she contacted the hotel, gave a credit card details and booked it. Then all we had to do was hit GO and the z Garmin took us there. It’s also capable of picking up delays in real time etc and offering alternative routes too.
The only problem installing the Garmin is that the cars own tv screen sits central and high on the dash and that’s where I favour its location as driver and passenger can then use it. Our Volvo had its satnav screen within the dashboard and had a servo motor to raise it so I could put the Garmin central. Same with my Subarus too there was a central flat recess and their nav screens were stupidly low in the dash, so didn’t clash.

 

[otherclive]

Your dogs tracker will only be Bluetooth. It does need a nearby phone with a connection to be able to track it though.

No it’s not Bluetooth. It has its own sims. Finds its location via GPS then phones it to PITPAT who then relay it to my phone and wife’s phone. However zilch all use where we go on Salisbury Plain MTA even with clear 360 degree views still no signal. But generally the Mk1 eyeballs can track her at distance.

PitPat Dog GPS Tracker

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www.pitpat.com

 

[JTQ]

We have also found our 2013 VW Golf's sat nav the worst interpretation of this technology we have come across, compared to the LR Discos or Garmin its pants. Then they only allowed us updates for a few years, adding to its near uselessness.
Effectively it forced the purchase of a Garmin, up dates for Lifetime[ not quite sure who's].
How such a big main major world player can get it so wrong amazes me, can't even input Lat Long coordinates, IMO a fundamental short coming in any navigation kit.

 

[Hutch]

The worst Sat Nav, I have found have been the old built in Navteqh, in Vauxhall's and in the 2014 Hyundai. They will take you from UK to Switzerland, via Strasbourg, but slow down on a motorway, and it will take you off at a junction around it and back on again.

 

[Dustydog]

Literally outside the Lost Gardens of Heligan VW said drive past and take a left hand fork in one mile, double back on a parallel dirt track lane and then enter the Gardens. An extra 1.9 miles!

The two Clubs sell caravan friendly Garmin / Tom Tom units. Will investigate further but thanks all for your valuable inputs.

 

[Hutch]

I had a very good Snooper 2000, caravan and Motorhome Sat Nav, all Clubs site's, cl / CS, Europe sites Bord, Archie's , Acsi. Fantastic. Snooper stopped updates for it so bought new one with £150 discount, Good but not willing to recommend it. Also small 5 inch screen.

 

[Beardy]

I had a Garmin U2 satnav for a while. Worst satnav ever, all the streets had no names. One time I spent three hours driving round town and I still hadn't found what I was looking for.