Wifi options

markyboy.1967

markyboy.1967

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Mark Molloy
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im looking at obtaining wifi on various phones and tablets when I'm away to places/cottages etc which don't have wifi. When on North Uist 2 weeks and with the family they got a bit bored as they couldn't get wifi or even 3G. So looking at something we can all connect to which produces its own hotspot and allows us all some sort of wifi. So what's available to suit our needs.
 
Maybe have a look on various network providers' sites to see if any offer 3G/4G coverage in that area?
 
I think this is more of a problem than many people realise. My wife lives in rural SW Scotland, and the best she can hope for is a weak, unreliable, 2G signal on Vodafone or O2. Nothing else is available, and the nearest 3G is about 20 miles away. She's never seen a 4G signal. I believe the network coverage figures are based on population percentages, not area covered, and are skewed towards large towns and cities?
 
You are right martyn. It is worked out on population and not area so 98% coverage is 98% of the population will have access to 2g signal.
 
Does make me giggle how people in the arse end of nowhere moan they can't get 4g, but if any one of the mobile companies tried to install a mast, there would be outrage.
 
MartynK said:
I believe the network coverage figures are based on population percentages, not area covered, and are skewed towards large towns and cities?
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and even then large towns/cities are generally oversubscribed, making the networks slow and unreliable.

best experience is in a medium sized town these days. only place i get fast reliable 4G.
 
andy182 said:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/mobile-coverage

You may find this useful
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Thanks for this. I ran the check against my wife's postal code and O2 shows that 'You may experience some problems', which is a significant understatement. Vodafone claim 'Good coverage for calls and texts likely'. I'll bear that in mind when I see the usual 'searching for network' and 'SOS' displays!

TCR4x4 said:
Does make me giggle how people in the arse end of nowhere moan they can't get 4g, but if any one of the mobile companies tried to install a mast, there would be outrage.
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Knock yourself out. This is a rural area but it's not the 'arse end of nowhere', and I doubt if many people would object if one of the networks erected a mast giving them the same sort of 2G signal that is taken for granted by most of the population, and which they are paying the same rates for.
 
MartynK said:
Thanks for this. I ran the check against my wife's postal code and O2 shows that 'You may experience some problems', which is a significant understatement. Vodafone claim 'Good coverage for calls and texts likely'. I'll bear that in mind when I see the usual 'searching for network' and 'SOS' displays!......
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presumably "sos" does at least mean some signal is available, just not the network you happen to be on - i remember the last holiday i had in scotland i took some payg sims from other networks with me for just that scenario - only takes a few seconds to swap a sim
 
boliston said:
presumably "sos" does at least mean some signal is available, just not the network you happen to be on - i remember the last holiday i had in scotland i took some payg sims from other networks with me for just that scenario - only takes a few seconds to swap a sim
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Sure, I know about swapping SIMs but that doesn't really help. I think 'SOS' just means that the phone is looking for an alternative network so that you can make an emergency call, it doesn't necessarily indicate that one is available. The only other network that offers any coverage here is O2. I'm on Vodafone and my wife uses O2, in the hope that one or the other will have enough signal to connect.
 
MartynK said:
Sure, I know about swapping SIMs but that doesn't really help. I think 'SOS' just means that the phone is looking for an alternative network so that you can make an emergency call, it doesn't necessarily indicate that one is available. The only other network that offers any coverage here is O2. I'm on Vodafone and my wife uses O2, in the hope that one or the other will have enough signal to connect.
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i find that "no network" normally gets displayed when there is no signal at all, as opposed to "emergency only" when there is signal on another network
 
OK, I had an idea that 'SOS' meant that the phone was looking for signal on any network it could find, but I really don't know. It doesn't matter anyway. This is not an option for routine calls however it works, and there is no alternative other than O2, which is even less reliable. None of the other networks cover this area. It's a bit like being in a black hole...
 
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