4g and 5g Not available

[Liquadia49]

I have moved address in last 4 days, before the moved I was getting speeds of 200MB to 400 MB a second in city center where I lived.  I have only moved half a mile away and now I cant get even 1bar of 4g or 5g.  Download speeds are 1MB a second uploads are 0.25.

There are occassions where 4g kicks in in 2bars and on times 5g kicks in but isnt the speeds typical of 5g.  I have been in touch with support but stated theres unplanned work.  When i check the network status for my area theres no reported issues.

I downloaded OpenSignal to show what mast I connect to moving around the house causes me to cinnect to two masts of which are bith under a mile away.  As I am typing this i noticed the 4g come in then 4g+ with 5g two bars then goes off again.

I have checked signal quality ir strengtg in the phone, about status info, sim card status and shiws _110  dBm 32 asu whatever that is.  I noticed with this screen open it flips to Nr Nsa when 5g kicks in, and lte on 4g data type.  PHONE CALLS ARW ALWAYS Lte.  

Would it be worth me getting a mobile phone signal booster which goes outside and brings a stronger 5g signal inside or is this a simple issue with the masts and wait.  Cheers.

[MSF]

@Liquadia49  IMHO it's impossible to say. You could possible be in a 'dead' space for mobile signal. Does the new place have a lot of metal in the building e.g. steel joists? - That could effectively place you in a Faraday cage where electromagnetic signals do not penetrate.

Can you check with a friend/family member who uses another network to see if they get a signal in your new place?

[Liquadia49]

At the moment, it's 5G with 2 bars, then it goes back to 4G with 2 bars and lasts around 10 to 15 seconds.

I went to the side of the building outside and had 5G with 3 bars, then it went to 4G with 3 bars. It's the same inside the house, only with 2 bars.

I just don't want to be wasting £55 on an amplifier if it's not going to be any good.

Family will come over eventually. As for friends, I know no one here. I am all alone.

The building is a terrace house converted into two flats. I am on the bottom floor. As for joists and stuff, I don't know.

I was looking at the Nedis mobile signal booster, but I'm not sure yet, as customer support can't decide if it's planned maintenance in the area or if it's just a weak signal in the area. When I checked the map, it's consistent with 4G and 5G, and on the map, I'm sitting next to a white blotch that indicates no signal whatsoever. But thankfully, this isn't the case.

So, Smarty, please tell me what's going on.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

Re “Smarty tell me what’s going on please”, this is the Smarty Community Forum, we are customers just like you, we don’t work for Smarty.

You may want to start a webchat with Smarty staff. 

It may well be that the top flat is shielding your bottom floor flat from an adequate signal, which is a tough one, as this could also affect signals from other networks too. It may be worth exploring the signal provided by other networks, but buying a £1 SIM card or two and seeing what signal you get, rather than spending £55 on a signal booster that may end up being an expensive doorstop. 

[Linsey]

Hey, 

Are you using the SIM as permanent broadband? If so, we strongly advise against it as SMARTY cannot guarantee 100% coverage or a fault-free service. We recommend opting for a broadband provider that can provide such assurances.

Regarding the purchase of a booster, while the decision ultimately rests with you, it may not be effective. In the event that it does not work, SMARTY cannot be held liable.

Coverage may vary depending on factors such as building size and layout, and signal strength can fluctuate over time, which is beyond our control. 

While SMARTY strive to ensure the accuracy of the coverage results on the online coverage checker, please note that this information serves as a guide and does not guarantee service availability in specific locations.

[MSF]

@Liquadia49 While I do appreciate your difficulty, Smarty will perhaps be able to get info about mast works but will not be able to tell you whether you simply have a poor signal where you are.

[Liquadia49]

Ummmm I jist walked to the mast which is 3 mins away 5 mins walking.  And i downloaded at 728Mb a second using speedtest app.

I am now walking into city center walking away from mast 6 streets away and its now 101 MB dl speeds, sooo we have a power issue here the signal is weak

[Linsey]

Hey, 

You will likely experience a significant drop in download speeds as you move away from the mast. This could be due to various factors such as distance from the mast, obstructions like buildings or trees, interference from other electronic devices, or even atmospheric conditions.

When you're closer to the mast, you're likely within its optimal range, resulting in higher download speeds. However, as you move away, the signal strength decreases, leading to slower speeds.

This occurrence is common across all network providers.

[MSF]

@Liquadia49 Sp, it is likely to be worse still inside your property  - as seems to be the case unfortunately.

[Liquadia49]

Well, thanks for the insight but I am literally two streets from the mast.  This isnt a mast as in a upright mast atanding 60 ft up or higher, I think its a building mast stuck on the roof or on the side.

I may just but a signal booster see what happens. 

Any insights to signal boosters

[Liquadia49]

Its 11:05 and ir took me 2mins to get here due to very slow speeds.  4g+ with 1 bar scary I feel isolated.

What do you guys think about rhe nedis 5g signal booster?

[JJP2RidesAgain]

In your shoes, I would check what signal boosters are available on Amazon.

Pick at least three if you can, read up about them, buy one, then open the packaging etc very carefully, so that if it doesn’t improve things, you can easily return it to Amazon for a full refund. 

[MSF]

@Liquadia49 The most reliable solution is likely to be a broadband connection - although not necessarily the cheapest.

It would also be worth buying PAYG SIM cards for networks other than Three to see if there is a good signal in your property. You can usually pick them up cheaply and do not need to actually get into a contract.

[Liquadia49]

Yrs I agree, sadly this place doesnt have a telephone line connected to the house.  Its one of the rare properties that never had one due to huge road works many moons that involved taking away the main box on the road, distribution unit.  So to get a line here costs around £120.  Not working at the moment soo thats not a viabke option although respect your feedback, you  werent to know..

Cheers...I think the best way say to look at mobile signal boosters as there is 5g here. 

I decided ro go for a walk down the main road yesterday and was literally outside the area of the mast.  When i done a speed test the results blew me away.

Let me check them.

So at 16:38 my download speed was 860 Mbps upload 79.3 Mbps I downloaded a 20 meg file in 2 seconds or so.

This mast as the crow flies is about 0.1 Miles

By car takes 1min 30sec and is 0.2 miles its literally yards away, further its not a mast its i think a unit thats on the roof as I csnt see it.

Obstruction wise buildings theres very little if at all anything major.

So i took a stroll into town speedtested every mast i connected to during my walk to tescos as i have no car, and on my way back.  One of the masts again a roof one was very very poor, and at rhat point started screenshoting my results all the way into the house.

I understand this isnt your concern at all, but two heads or more can help with a solution as I dont want to be making the wring decision.  I am supprised smarty hasnt j7mped in here to support, but their just telling me all sorts of excuses and dont believe them sadly, hence the reason why I amntalking to my community genuine people who can help and care...

Thanks.

[MSF]

@Liquadia49  Quick check: A Nedis booster costs £51.99 at Amazon and MAY work. A landline costs £120 and WILL work.

Another problem that you may be encountering is signal fluctuation. Seems to happen frequently. Also, your signal quality may be affected if the mast experiences busy periods.

It is admittedly a difficult problem to solve, but to be fair to them, Smarty do suggest that people don't rely on a mobile signal for internet vs. a broadband line - this may be why.

[Liquadia49]

• Thanks for the speedy reply. I did some more checking, and it appears that my little area has 5G for outdoor use only and weak indoor coverage. I cross-checked this with various UK providers on their network coverage map, and they're all saying the same thing. EE seemed to have a better coverage map with more accurate readings, showing black for my area, indicating outdoor use only.
•  
• So, this pretty much roundss things up for myself and as you indicated in previous post that it seems likely that this is the only option.  I did have a look and there appear to be two aerials by nedis on amazon one rectangular and the other cone shaped.  I read somewhere that these need to be connected to wifi i think someone said in a post I only have my phone to rely on, no routers here, wifi.  

Here is a copy-paste from Amazon's description below...

Connect the Antenna to your 4G or 5G device's Antenna Port. The device can be a 4G LTE or 5G CPE (Customer Premises Equipment), SIM card router, or cell phone Signal Boosters.

Ensure a secure and snug connection to minimize signal loss.

Not entirely sure what their trying to say there.  I understand the concept of the aerial outside, cable coming inside, but what doesbthat connect to I dont have anything.  Lifes to complocated

[MSF]

@Liquadia49 I'm no expert, but I imagine that the signal booster will then supply the boosted signal to a router in your home. Your phone would then pick up internet from that router.

[Liquadia49]

Yes, through Wi-Fi. I assume I just need a router that has that strange connection on the back, which in all my life dealing with technology, I myself have never seen before.

Sorry for the delay. I was cooking pancakes and had a look around the house to see where this thing can go. It, however, may be too costly to implement depending on the router now. I don't see why they just don't make one from the outdoor aerial to an indoor booster to another aerial that transmits only through this indoor aerial being a small box.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

Contradicting my earlier post re Amazon, this website may be better for you, but check their returns policy, and maybe even give them a ring to see if they can offer you some help and advice, and maybe advise on the correct booster for you.

https://signalboosters.co.uk/collections/products