Phone camps on to local cell and not VSS

[asinclai]

I have been experiencing poor call success using my local network so I recently purchased a VSS 3. It is correctly set up and I have been able to make a few calls. The problem is that the phone constantly camps on to the local cell and ignores the VSS.

Emma from Vodafone's 3 Network 3rd Line Technical team (TRAC) said that I should have been told that the VSS is only really for use where there is no signal as opposed to a poor signal. How can the phone camp on to the local cell (giving 2 or 2 bar reception) when the VSS gives a 5 bar reception.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Regards

Andrew

[asinclai]

Hello Ben_H,

Thanks for your response, how is it a different scenario?  My iPhone will not automtically conenct to my VSS 3 when I return home EVEN THOUGH the VSS signal is far stronger.  

I have spoken to Live Help as you can see from the thread above and they (Helen from your Tech Team) simply says that the VSS will only work if there is NO cellular signal which is clarely absurd, there must be a threshold or XdB above which the the phone will camp on to the VSS.

Please don't tell me your Tech Team support offering is simply a matter or asking the customer to go round and round the same process until they give up?

What actully are they going to do that is different from what they have done on the last 3 occasions I went on Live Chat.

I will go on to Live Chat for the 4th time and report back to this thread...

Andrew

[asinclai]

Having spent 45 minutes discussing this issue with the Tech TeM they finally told me that the Sure Signal product is NOT designed to connect to a mobile phone. Every time I enter my home I must either
1. Turn the mobile off/on
2. Switch to Aeroplane Mode and back again
3. Switch off 3G and back on again to manually force the phone to connect

This makes no sense because for this to be the case the VSS must be transmitting on the pilot channel and the phone will make a measurement of the received signal strength before decided to execute a cell reselect, it will do this automatically anyway as you mobility roaming from cell to cell, part of the most basic use case of cellular technology.

I have concluded that either the product is faulty or badly designed and the support team don't really know how the product or the network operates,

Sad really...

Regards

Andrew

[Retired-Wayne]

Hi @asinclai

The Sure Signal doesn’t support cell to Sure Signal handover.

They’re designed to be used in an area of very low/non coverage, but they will work in an area where this isn’t the case. You’ll simply need to restart your phone or perform a manual roam to register on the Sure Signal.

Thanks,

Wayne

[asinclai]

Hello Wayne,

I thought I would give the Sure Signal a chance and see how I got on after a few months.  I can see now that you have retired from being a moderator which I don't blame you for given it must be a pretty bad experience to try and help people use such an astonishing badly designed product.  

Given that the Sure Signal is designed for areas where Vodafone don't want to invest and provide a reasonable signal strength even though you are prepared to takecustomers' money, to offer a product which doesn't even meet minimum expectations or offer basic functionaltiy and offer it as some sort of solution is astonishing.

Anyway, suffice it to say I guess you're not bothered and I have stopped using the product but  hope that this post will make other think before wasting their money.