3g Connection - Are There Problems In Ch2 3hr Area?

[Aikendrum]

Hello, it seems that the 3G in my area is down again (Postcode is CH2 3HR )

I'm just curious if anyone here would know when this problem is likely to be fixed please ?

[Ben_H]

Hi Aiken,

Thanks for getting in touch! Out of interest how long has the 3G been down in your area? I've had a quick check of our faults register which is also updated in our Faults Board but I couldn't see anything reported for Chester. There's a 3G site just north of you (#45159) which appears to be operating fine and a good cluster of sites towards the town centre due south west #32925) which all seem to function fine too.

So that we can test the hardware would you be able to try the SIM in another device to see if it improves? Does the problem persist if you move away from the postcode say at work or when visiting friends? Also how old is the SIM as they can age after 2-3 years and need updating.

Once I have more info I'm positive I can unearth some answers for you If anyone else in the Chester area is having hiccups please shout up with your own post code too!

Cheers, Ben
eForum Team

[Aikendrum]

Hi, thanks for the reply. Seems the connection has been on the fritz since Sunday evening (first I noticed it then as I was away for days previous to that). I had a brief 30mins on an extremely low signal just about 15mins ago from this post, but that didn't last long & has since dropped completley, so now i' stuck on the extremely slow & unstable GPRS connection.
- I am unable to test the SIM in another phone as my current or even an old mobile I have won't accept the card.
- 3G connection is still 'down' when I visit family at the CH2 1EP postcode.
- SIM card was taken into the shop just a few months ago when the 3G was down again in my area (something about SIM settings etc which even after being taken into the store & fiddled with there was still faulty until something on the repeaters was fixed.
- I doubt i'll still be using this connection after 2-3 years as it's just not reliable or stable enough imo. Just fyi

Hi Aiken,

Thanks for getting in touch! Out of interest how long has the 3G been down in your area? I've had a quick check of our faults register which is also updated in our Faults Board but I couldn't see anything reported for Chester. There's a 3G site just north of you (#45159) which appears to be operating fine and a good cluster of sites towards the town centre due south west #32925) which all seem to function fine too.

So that we can test the hardware would you be able to try the SIM in another device to see if it improves? Does the problem persist if you move away from the postcode say at work or when visiting friends? Also how old is the SIM as they can age after 2-3 years and need updating.

Once I have more info I'm positive I can unearth some answers for you If anyone else in the Chester area is having hiccups please shout up with your own post code too!

Cheers, Ben
eForum Team

[Retired-Lee]

Hi Aiken,

Thanks for coming back to us.

The only thing I can suggest is for you to try another SIM in your handset that appears to be working ok in another handset. If the problem persists, then I think the handset may need looking at. If the problem goes away, then your SIM, although recently checked out, may have developed a fault and will need replacing.

If the handset appears to be the problme, then check out our repairs thread for more info.

If you suspect the SIM, then a trip to your local store may be in order.

Do let us know how you get on.

Cheers,

LeeH
eForum Team

[Aikendrum]

Small update today. Seems I can connect to the 3G network again today, albeit on an extremely low signal strength & rather slow connection.
So it does indeed seem there has been 'issue' with the local transmitters. If someone is able to shed a little light on that, i'd be grateful.

I'll be sure to post back with any further updates.

Hi Aiken,

Thanks for coming back to us.

The only thing I can suggest is for you to try another SIM in your handset that appears to be working ok in another handset. If the problem persists, then I think the handset may need looking at. If the problem goes away, then your SIM, although recently checked out, may have developed a fault and will need replacing.

If the handset appears to be the problme, then check out our repairs thread for more info.

If you suspect the SIM, then a trip to your local store may be in order.

Do let us know how you get on.

Cheers,

LeeH
eForum Team

[DPH]

3G cells "breath", meaning they expand and contract with the load - the higher the load the smaller the area of coverage. It sounds like you may be experiencing this in your location if the 3G connection is there sometimes and not others.

[Aikendrum]

It seems now that I can actually 'see' the 3g connection, with a very low signal (1bar) but 9/10 attempts for me to connect just fail, giving any number of various error codes. It seems in the last two days I've been able to connect briefly in the early afternoon, but never in the evenings at all. It's certainly not stable & drops out frequently.

[Aikendrum]

So I managed to get connected to 3g for about 2hours today. Signal strength was 1 bar, with frequent drops.
It has just dropped out again and i'm unable to connect at all - so i'm back using less than dialup speeds.

This really is not what i'm paying this company for.....If I wanted dialup speeds, I could get those for free.

[DPH]

It certainly sounds like you are on the edge of a 3G cell, as the load increases and the cell shrinks you are losing out with being at the edge of the cells serving area. Afternoons are generally less busy in residential areas as people are at work, come the evening when they are all at home using their phones, dongles etc the load on the cell increases and could be the cause of your problem. All is not lost, have you seen the Vodafone Sure Signal? it's a new product launched by Vodafone that gives you your very own 3G cell in your own home by utillising your broadband connection.

[Retired-Dave]

Hi Aiken,

DPH is correct about the cell breathing - as demand rises and falls cells will either contract or expand their coverage area respectively so if you're on the border then it will mean the signal will be up and down as coverage beciomes available.

Going off your postcode here you are in an area with outdoor coverage, and arindeed at the border of a couple of cells' coverage areas, but at the same time none of these cells show any issues, nothing has been reported and you're saying it's the same in a different location.

Just to check - at the second postcode, is the signal generally poor, or has this only been the case since the problem occurred at the main location? If it's onlty occurred at the same time, this again would point towards something being wrong with the hardware at your end of the connection - the SIM or dongle - or something on the laptop such as a corruption of the software or something in the security settings. If you have a second computer you can try it on this would help to rule the last possibilities out.

TYhe isseu with the SIM in a handset does again lean towards an issue with the SIM connecting, so have you tried out Lee's suggestion? A SIM will generall last a few years at least, but it's possible that you may have one which is failing sooner.

I look forward to hearing from you.

DaveN

eForum Team