Lets compile a list of areas with poor reception.
Having looked into options to improve reception, If the xda wasnt such a damned good device I'd hate it as a phone as I just cant use it as a mobile when I'm at home reliably, and lets face it networks lie about temporary faults with coverage.
Saying that, my Motorola V60 is also poor in my area - So I thought if we could all post bad areas anyone interested in buying an O2 xda in the same area would certainly think long and hard before committing to a contract for a year.
GSM/GPRS
Next to no coverage in the lower hill areas in Rusthall near Tunbridge Wells for O2
GPRS doesnt connect sometimes
single dot on antenna symbol, one bar next to it very occasionally.
SMS
SMS sending sporadic
VOICECALLS
Voicecalls are distorted
Other Network coverage
T-Mobile - coverage awful.
No service whatsover (cant even send sms)
Orange
We also get a poor reception here using Orange (although miles better than O2)
Anyone live nearby with Vodafone?
I'm hoping to switch networks for my xda after the years contract with o2 is up
http://www.webmap.btcellnet.net
Put in your postcode and it can tell you exactly how many O2 cells you have in your area and how close they are.
How damn useful!!!
Is there a weblink for other service providers that anyone knows about??
Rog
its lying about the lower part of Rusthall!
Anon, I notice you're not man enough to use a real name. And that you have to resort to being abusive.
The whole point of this thread is to make people aware that salesmen who say that coverage is ok in your home area are sometimes unitentionally misleading the public.
If you enjoy misleading people then please leave this forum alone - its for sharing information - please read the posting guidelines.
And as for it being a simulation, dont you think its misleading, and why do you think I started this posting, to get REAL data - so we can compile our own results - and help other people who want to buy an xda. After all if a map showing coverage is false - whats the point of it. Would you sail to america in a yacht with a simulated map?
Moderator, how come people can post replies as guests anyway?
The whole system is set up so that guests can post messages. We've felt that the advantages have outweighed the disadvantages so far.
I've deleted the offending post and contacted the user behind this IP-number to see if we can achieve a change in behaviour.
derekcfoley said:
its lying about the lower part of Rusthall!
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mmm. The colour coding seems to be misleading but its handy to know how close the cells are. Even if you are very close to the cells I would guess there are things that can block the radio signals (eg. hills, trees, building etc.).
You say T-mobile and Orange are worse than O2, so I would definately try Vodafone.
Also interesting is that O2's cell indicator has a form you can fill in if you have a piece of land they could put a new cell on. Might be an option?
Spent last week in the UK with my Qtek on Vodafone. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!! You guys have the worst mobile coverage ever! And people seem to think it's ok!
I lost connection all the time while going on major roads between major cities! On the site of the company I visited you had to go outside in certain spots to get any coverage at all, and they used Vodafone as their main supplier. And last but not least, getting a GPRS connection worked like one time out of twenty.
Here in Sweden, I find it irritating that I have bad coverage at my summer house. Which is like 20 minutes drive from the nearest major road or small town. No wonder they use Sweden as a test bench for new mobile services!
Could that also have something to do with the fact that the two largest mobile manufacturers are Scandinavian? You'd sort of expect it to work in your own back yard. When they try and turn up the juice in the UK, everyone complains about their kid's brains getting fried
rgds,
Alex.
well I can safely say that O2 in NW sheffield and south of Leeds is rubbish.
according to the map it should be GOOD
uh uh.
the whole area is a sinkhole for decent reception. about the only phones that give good signal in this place is orange.
Kent seems to work pretty much everywhere for O2. I live in Dartford and work in Bexleyheath and have no troubles.
Rgds,
Rob.
O2 in central Cheltenham is total crap and has been for as long as I can remember and I have used lots of different phones.
Anonymous said:
.
You say T-mobile and Orange are worse than O2, so I would definately try Vodafone.
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Never had a problem with Vodaphone here............
Works phone is on Vodaphone...............
The only time I loose the signal is when I am hiding down in the Subway at work....!!! (Birmingham New Street Station!)
addendum to my post about Sheffield and Wakefield.
reception is crap if you are running windows 2003 PPC 4.00.05 and 4.00.11
I put 3.17.03 on my XDA yesterday and I am stunned at the difference.
In my works building on 4.0.05 and 11 I never got a signal. now I thought fair enough because I am in the basement below ground level with iron bars on the window. not even one bar
since I've put my XDA back to 3.17.03 I've never had less than 3 bars, even in places where I've never got a signal.
I think I'll wait until an official O2 ROM release for 2003.
Here are my list of bad spots....
Almost any part of the top of the mendip hills apart from near to major towns. One notable exception being orange, who seem to have much more coverage there.
Crediton in devon, and the road from tiverton to crediton. Reception is patchy at best. This is true for all neworks.
Parts of avonmouth are bad for O2 coverage, with orange being the best in that area.
Parts of the A38 from Churchill to cross, patchy reception for all networks.
Winscombe to Banwell, O2 is ok, but other networks patchy.
Flixton in norfolk, very patchy (stand outside and point the phone in the right direction).
Wooky Hole (village not the cave!) almost no signal on any network, unless you walk to the top of the nearest hill.
Frome a bit patchy for O2, not sure about other networks.
cells said:
http://www.webmap.btcellnet.net
Put in your postcode and it can tell you exactly how many O2 cells you have in your area and how close they are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/
This is the current URL for this site, which according to my Post Code says i'm 0.3km from my nearest Cell. I'm also 0.35km (as the crow flies) from my O2 shop - in my O2 shop my XDAII gets 5 bars reception, from my living room, 0 bars!!!
What can I do to get a better reception?
PS my area is Worthing (town centre), West Sussex.
I'm using an XDA (T-Mobile PPC with 4.01.16 and RSU 6.18.00). Using MyPhone software that I just started using today in my room I get 48% (average) signal strength. I do not really drop calls here so this is about the best signal I get because drivign around I drop calls and break up ALL day. I mean honestly, the phone might as well not even work if I'm not in my room. Now when I bought this phone (on eBay of course) it does not have tha black plastic that covers up the antenna and holds the stylus in place. Now I don't know if this is causing it but this things about as useful as a tin can with string for a phone. Anyone else get % like this? I'm in Florida btw. Let me know. Also, does the XDAII get better reception? TIA
when i used that free program which show it i would get 108% most of the time and places where the reception was poor about 48%
XDA 2 signal
im using that freeware too, my signal reaches 105% at high levels and 56% at low levels, below that it's RED already.
48% man, thats low, or maybe its a programming diff. between XDA 1 and 2, guessing.
could it be because us have more CMA and gsm850 covering then gsm 900/1900 ?
I'm dying with this signal. I'm getting ready to just straight chuck it out the window. You guys think it has to do with the XDA II and the different band? I was really wondering how people using an XDAI got reception. Perhaps this is just a bum unit, I'm not really sure. If thats the case its going right back on eBay and I'll pick up another one. Anyone with an XDAI have good reception? This is actually the worst reception I've ever had on any phone. And I had that ghetto MetroPCS when it first came out and I thought nothing could compare....but this is EXTREMELY terrible. I used the Nokia 3620 before this and it had great reception so this is a big change. Let me know...tia
are you having any issues apart from the signal measure tools saying that it's 48 ?
i mean if you can call and recieve calls without problems does it really matter what the program says ?
Yes that is the problem. I'm having horrible signal strength. This phone drops calls all the time, it breaks up if it does not drop them. The only time it works if you do not move. It certainly takes the "mobile" out of "mobile phone". Any other advice?
Signal strength
Have you tried upgrading your ROM, thry this link and have a look:
http://www.my-xda.com/downloads/xda2_upgrade.html
thomo: yes I'm using the newest rom available from T-mobile (4.01.16 I think). I was wondering if maybe I should try the unofficial RSU that is on yorch.net. Anyone else using this RSU? Can I revert back to an old radio if I don't like that one? I know radio upgrades are kind of risky business.
I just got my cell this week and was dismayed to find out that the phone would get absolutely no service in my house. I was able to make one phone call, once.
Is there any product I can get to boost my reception from zilch to at least one or two bars?
I'd hate to part with this amazing phone...
unfortunately i have this problem also. I dont know whether its t-mobile or the fone but thats why i got a house fone.
hehe
Look for external antenna thread in this forum.
that would be tmobile uk
previously known as one2one or none2none as it was popularly called. i live in central london and their reception is still flakey compared to my vodafone connection
As the title really, my phone has always done it. Whenever it switches from 3G back down to 2G (Automatically when moving through reception areas) my phone will loose signal for a second or two. While this isn't a problem, sometimes it can loose signal upto a minute! (then any txt sent while the phone is off doesn't get delivered until a few hours afterwards) This gets VERY VERY annoying!
I have tried it with an Orange and O2 UK sim. I have tried it with the stock rom and a cooked rom.
My question is, does anybody elses TG01 do this as well?
I think mine does the same thing.
I never noticed it happen in the UK, but out in Australia where there's much less 3G coverage (or much more 3G congestion), it seems to happen fairly regularly.
Anyone else!? I really need to know if another TG01 will experience the same problems or if it's just mine when I send it back!!
Hi,
My Mozart seems to drop signals everytime i Pick it up. For example when its down it will have 3 signals picked up itll go down to one. Also i have a cover around the mozart which also seems to effect the signal strength.
Are their any fixes ?
I did a search and couldn't find any complaints so i just assumed I had a dodgy handset but I get exactly the same problem. It's particularly bad when you live in an area that has crappy signal anyway.
Yah I know i noticed. Thats the thing I do live in a area of bad coverage.. haha and I found a fix that i was not willing to do.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103086
Hope this helps you but I wasnt really willing to tamper with my mozart since its like brand new.