Sure Signal Alternative

[David200]

I live in a remote area with limited phone reception and run my business from home. For years I have used a Sure Signal which worked fine but is now disconnected so I am forced to use  Wifi calling. I have a Samsung S20 5G phone.

For around half my calls the other person cannot hear me, if cuts in and out very quickly so they only get every other word although I can hear them clearly.  Consequently I have been forced to use Whatsapp calling or the old landline. 

Vodaphone have 'refreshed' the line 3 x but still the same problem persists. Is anyone else having the same the problem or know of a solution?

Thanks

[Judy2]

Thank you for providing the link. I shall add my voice and submit a complaint.

[westo123]

Yes thank you for the link, I have sent my complaint. Can we get this out on Twitter and Facebook etc to spread the word?

[cybernat]

"most phones will also allow you to send and receive SMS messages too"

Sorry but that's not the case with Vodafone.
As of today's date, only a very select few handsets are permitted to send/receive SMS over WIFI calling on Vodafone.

[Tonecontroller]

My wife has only just bought a new phone, and it isn't on VF's list for SMS over WiFi.
Mine won't do voice or SMS - the original MNO's firmware removed it from the factory version.
Of the four network operators, EE, Vodafone and O2 have very poor coverage (varying from "No Service" to two bars dependent upon location in the house) and Three has none at all
I am considering a mobile booster but am having difficulty discovering which of them is legal under Ofcom regulations other than the ludicrously expensive Cel-Fi products.
Perhaps VF could help us (and keep our business) by researching and providing details of these at various price-points, rather than expecting us to replace our phones at additional cost to meet their requirements

[Judy2]

We are in  similar position. Neither my husband's phone nor mine are on Vodafone's list, therefore wifi calling and sms are not possible without purchasing new phones. Having now spoken with 5 different customer service agents it is clear that only by purchasing two new phones are we able to continue with them. Their customer service is appalling as they have given no consideration to the cost they are forcing on their customers. None of the agents answered when I asked who will bear the cost of these new phones, the need for which is being forced upon us. It is clear it will be the customer. What a wonderful money generator for Vodafone. Whilst your idea is a great one I feel it is unlikely they will be of any help whatsoever given that they really don't care whether they keep us as customers or not.

[cybernat]

@Tonecontroller, have you tried dialling *#*#869434#*#* then rebooting to make wifi calling appear in the Vodafone SIM settings?
Also *#*#86583#*#* to enable VoLTE

Two new Android handsets (Xiaomi etc) would be cheaper than a signal booster which itsself needs a signal to work.....
(if there's no signal to boost...?)

[Tonecontroller]

The *#*#869434#*#* route made no difference to my phone at all. Even within wifi range, any part of the house where the mobile signal is unavailable , I get "No Service" when I dial.
Not sure that buying two new phones at £150+ each or putting them on a long contract for double our present monthly cost does actually work out cheaper than a booster, especially if the booster can be switched between networks.
I can get the requisite signal to feed a booster - but it is no use for the phones because we don't live in the spare bedrooms.
(Edit) Just checked and there is no SMS+Voice compatible handset available that is not 250% of our current monthly cost. SMS is vital because so many 3-factor security codes are being used these days, and we know from when Sure Signal was not present that these can sometimes only turn up long after they have expired.

[drcarrera]

Also bear in mind that Wi-fi calling isn't necessarily a "silver bullet" to poor reception.

Even with compatible phones we had to eventually change networks as the wi-fi calling was just too unreliable, particularly in the way it would switch between wi-fi and our very poor mobile signal.  You may fork out £££s on new phones and be no better off than you are now.

[Tonecontroller]

Boosters are sounding better by the minute. Don't fancy swapping one type of unreliability for another.
Swapping networks is just frying pan vs fire - they are all bad (or non-existent) here.

[newmikeman]

I've been enjoying a good signal with both outgoing and incoming calls and texts for a week now, since swapping my Vodafone SIM for one from "1pMobile". They use the EE network andit all seems to wotk fine. My wife has a mobile with a "giffgaff" SIM and that works fine too, over the O2 network.

SIMs from giffgaff are free and you can put it in your phone to see whether you get a signal before you spend any money paying for "goodybags" (their name for pre-paid bundles with data - all calls and texts are free).

Best of luck - there's life after Vodafone!