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

[cybernat]

westo123: the first person I spoke to at Vodafone through 191 was hostile, aggressive and borderline abusive.
no use at all, not helpful.
The person who dealt with my complaint was patient and conscientious.
In the end managed to provide a resolution which was satisfactory.
I'm still out of pocket nearly £200 for the cost of two Sure Signal boxes which are rendered useless.
First one failed (not unexpected, crap quality componentry) second one was bought on ebay for £120 after Vodafone stopped selling them.
Am with Vodafone for landline and broadband because they're cheapest, but as soon as that changes, I'm off.
Used to recommend Vodafone to people, not any more.

[newmikeman]

I'm in my second week of being a happy customer of 1pMobile after quitting Vodafone over this issue.

[cybernat]

newmikeman: can you do calls and SMS over WIFI with 1p mobile?

[newmikeman]

cybernat - they say that I can but I don't know how to tell if WiFi calling is actually happening when I make or reveive a call or text! One way or another I'm in luck now.

[cybernat]

newmikeman: to check if VoWIFI and SMSoWIFI is working, you would need to enable it on your phone then try to make calls and send/receive texts in a place where there is WIFI but no mobile signal.

[Tonecontroller]

I just checked the VF supported list and it appears that more Samsungs have been "promoted" to the V+SMSoWiFi supported list, including the wife's A40. This is something of a relief as she only bought it 6 weeks ago!
My HTC on the other hand is henceforward useless if I am in the wrong part of the house.
VF Customer Relations tried to call me this afternoon, but evidently couldn't get through because the phone was charging in the kitchen!

[cliff_g]

"more Samsungs have been "promoted" to the V+SMSoWiFi supported list"

Just shows what [insert own epithet]s Vodafone are.

I had the Suresignal withdrawal text a couple of weeks back.  I checked and VF's Wifi calling list excluded my phone and my wife's from SMS over Wifi Calling  (both Samsung A20e - lovely little things - for only £70 with Samsung's cashback!). 

Next door neighbour had switched from VF to Three a while back as he was having just the usual problems with VF (perm several from any number), and was fully on their Wifi calling including SMS, admittedly on fancy phones.  He recommended Three and I checked their Wifi calling support and it included SMS for the A20e.  I got a test PAYG SIM from them and it was excellent.

Based on that and some testing of my PAYG SIM in the local area (where there is a signal, not at my house, where there isn't any signal for any network), and comparing the coverage where we are on Ofcom's site, my wife's phone went fully over to Three last week, and I have literally just requested my PAC code to move my own number to Three, then I see this, check VF's updated list and see they have included the A20e.

The fact that they now support SMS over wifi on our phones might have persuaded me to stay with VF, but to be honest, I am glad to have Vodafone out of our lives, especially as I see their Wifi calling is sometimes pretty pants, and I have been pretty impressed with Three so far.

[Tonecontroller]

As you'd expect, the exchange with VF's Customer (lack of) Service was fruitless, the offer being "get a new phone from us on contract to use WiFi calling, or...don't", so I had to use a bit of lateral thinking to solve the issue.
As EE and O2 have better general signal in this area, I checked their "supported devices" lists and found that EE is OK with HTCs - not my exact model, the M9, but the next one along, the 10. EE seems to have been supporting this model on WiFi calls since its release in 2016!

By review and reputation, the 10 is a distinct improvement, supports a later Android release, and, crucially, I found one on eBay (EE locked) at about the same price that I should be able to sell my M9 (unlocked).
EE's lowest SIM contract is only £2/pm more than VF's, so avoiding VF's contract lock that, even with its cheapest WiFi calling supported handset, would have added £11/pm (for the duration of the contract).
(The only downside apart from the faffing around is that the HTC 10's camera is 12MP to the M9's 20MP. It does, however, appear to give better results (go figure - all reviews agree on that, though!) and I have enough proper cameras to deal with that shortfall.)
So, in spite of there being no signal advantage between the players, VF loses on the grounds of being way behind the game, as well as operating a policy of continuous non-improvement.

[cybernat]

Worth checking out the other operators who piggyback on the big four's signals.

Good wee article here:

https://www.simsherpa.com/networks/best-wifi-calling

[Tonecontroller]

Good article, but reveals that the best options are provided by 3 or its MVNOs.
3 is the only network with no 4G service whatsoever in my area.
The BT vs EE issue is a little odd. BT seems to have a rather curtailed WiFi calling service by comparison, despite using the same infrastructure. BT's SIMO plan is cheaper.
EE's support for my escape route appears to be explicit, while BT's is a gamble.