Anyone using a network extender?

[Philipmom]

I use a network extender 99% of the time. On other phones there's a little house icon above the signal strength. On my husband's Moto z force on nougat it shows that icon. On my pixel, I see 0 bars most of the time then 1-2, then it flashes to none again.
Now when I make a call I get the connection chime. And I've only had a few instances of getting voicemail from a missed call I never received. ( No missed call icon, no record in call log on the phone) Am I experiencing the signal drop that some have complained about? Or is it the nature of using the extender?

After the last update I haven't had any voicemails, but the icon is kinda confusing. Just curious if others show up the same.

 

[quangtran1]

I use a network extender 99% of the time. On other phones there's a little house icon above the signal strength. On my husband's Moto z force on nougat it shows that icon. On my pixel, I see 0 bars most of the time then 1-2, then it flashes to none again.
Now when I make a call I get the connection chime. And I've only had a few instances of getting voicemail from a missed call I never received. ( No missed call icon, no record in call log on the phone) Am I experiencing the signal drop that some have complained about? Or is it the nature of using the extender?

After the last update I haven't had any voicemails, but the icon is kinda confusing. Just curious if others show up the same.

This is somewhat off topic, and I apologize in advance. However, I'm wondering why you're still using a network extender. I used one, until voice over LTE, or WiFi calling became available. I got rid of the extender then. I'm just curious, that's all. Does your carrier not support WiFi calling? Thanks.

 

[Philipmom]

My house is about 100 feet to far too get a decent signal with Verizon. So they gave me an extender. I do have wifi calling and it will pick it up and use it if the extender crashes.
I've had the extender so long I haven't thought about just using Wi-Fi calling. The lack of the icon just confuses me. I'll use the Google support and ask them.

 

[quangtran1]

I have zero signal in 90% of my house. I used the extender for the last 2 years. Then a couple months ago, it stopped acquiring GPS signal, and could not be initiated after a storm. Verizon offered to replace it. However, with wifi calling capability on my newer phones, I just unplugged the extender altogether.

 

[Philipmom]

Since I'm moving in the next year I'll just return it and use Wi-Fi if necessary. I'm kinda laughing at myself that I haven't thought of this earlier. They are kinda the same thing. Using Wi-Fi for connection lol.

 

[quangtran1]

Since I'm moving in the next year I'll just return it and use Wi-Fi if necessary. I'm kinda laughing at myself that I haven't thought of this earlier. They are kinda the same thing. Using Wi-Fi for connection lol.

Right.

 

[quangtran1]

Since I'm moving in the next year I'll just return it and use Wi-Fi if necessary. I'm kinda laughing at myself that I haven't thought of this earlier. They are kinda the same thing. Using Wi-Fi for connection lol.

I suppose you can keep the extender for guests, neighbors, relatives when they come to your house.

 

[Bearcats98]

Except wouldn't an extender keep you cell/data signal primo and not "hunting" and reduce battery consumption?

 

[quangtran1]

Except wouldn't an extender keep you cell/data signal primo and not "hunting" and reduce battery consumption?

No, when a phone is connected via an extender, it strictly uses the existing internet connection to handle voice calls via VoIP. It replaces the cell tower altogether, remember? An extender is not a signal booster.

 

[Almeuit]

The lack of the icon just confuses me. I'll use the Google support and ask them.

The icon on his Moto phone was put there by Verizon to show when on an extender -- that isn't an Android thing. This is why you don't see it on your Pixel.

 

[Philipmom]

The icon on his Moto phone was put there by Verizon to show when on an extender -- that isn't an Android thing. This is why you don't see it on your Pixel.

Ah OK. That explains it. Thanks

 

[quangtran1]

When I doubt, I dial #48, it'll tell me whether or not I'm using the extender.

 

[Go Blue]

Actually, the extender does indeed improve battery life, because the phone is not searching for a strong cellular-wireless signal, it has one -- it is the local micro-tower / femtocell that the extender provides. The call is handled on the cellular frequency, in your house. The extender / femtocell then routes the call out from your house via the internet connection, effectively voip via internet backhaul, to complete the call out of your house. But locally, the phone behaves like it is on a very strong cellular connection, because it is. And improved battery life is one of the benefits, along with improved call quality and reliability.

 

[hannsoft]

Actually, the extender does indeed improve battery life, because the phone is not searching for a strong cellular-wireless signal, it has one -- it is the local micro-tower / femtocell that the extender provides. The call is handled on the cellular frequency, in your house. The extender / femtocell then routes the call out from your house via the internet connection, effectively voip via internet backhaul, to complete the call out of your house. But locally, the phone behaves like it is on a very strong cellular connection, because it is. And improved battery life is one of the benefits, along with improved call quality and reliability.

That's exactly the way I understood an extender to work too. Been the case with mine.

That said, though, I don't understand why we're not seeing the house icon - if the phone is indeed using the extender. AND - my Pixel isn't even using the extender, and I can't understand why. I don't hear the extender tone before I make a call.

And while I'm at it, I haven't seen the 4G icon on the notif bar either. Why would that be? Plenty of 4G signal around here, and my Turbo had no problem getting 4G ...

EDIT LATER

Just did some testing. Looks like we're bypassing the Network Extender because of Advanced Calling. That option is turned on by default on our Pixels here. When that gets turned off I fall back to the Network Extender (I do hear the tone before a call) and the call quality is comparatively LOUSY. Turn Advanced Calling back on and the Network Extender is bypassed and call sound quality is exceptional (I'll add here that I've already been of the opinion, after 2 days with it, that my Pixel is the best sounding phone I've ever had).

Still don't quite get why there's no 4G icon or house icon when the Extender is in use, though.

 

[Go Blue]

Regarding the house icon, that's the way it worked for my Verizon phones - house icon when connected to extender. However, the house icon was probably only about 75% effective as THE indicator of being on the extender. Many times I would observe no house icon, but dialing the confirmation string would return a positive confirmation that was connected. 3 Verizon phones in the house, all exhibited this same tendency.

Can't really help with the icon issue in the Pixel though, because I put them both on Project Fi, so they now connect outside to Sprint or T-Mo. I did observe less clarity in the wireless icon before I installed the Signal Spy app, which replaces the native Fi wireless icon with either a Sprint or TMo icon depending on the connection. But that is on the left side of the notification bar.

On the right side of the notification bar is a generic cellular-bars icon, along with a wifi icon when at home. When away from home and wifi, the generic cellular-bars icon changes to LTE. Honestly can't remember if I've seen an occasional 4G icon or if it reverts back to generic cellular-bars icon.

But as noted previously in this thread, the house icon is a Verizon feature that is triggered by the extender on a Verizon sourced phone. Don't recall if your phone was Verozon-bought, or bought elsewhere with Verizon SIM added. Just speculating, but the house icon may only show up on a Verizon-bought phone. Alternatively, given the very minimal carrier meddling on the Pixel, it is very likely that the house icon enabling code is just noy on the Pixel.

 

[hannsoft]

Regarding the house icon, that's the way it worked for my Verizon phones - house icon when connected to extender. However, the house icon was probably only about 75% effective as THE indicator of being on the extender. Many times I would observe no house icon, but dialing the confirmation string would return a positive confirmation that was connected. 3 Verizon phones in the house, all exhibited this same tendency.

Can't really help with the icon issue in the Pixel though, because I put them both on Project Fi, so they now connect outside to Sprint or T-Mo. I did observe less clarity in the wireless icon before I installed the Signal Spy app, which replaces the native Fi wireless icon with either a Sprint or TMo icon depending on the connection. But that is on the left side of the notification bar.

On the right side of the notification bar is a generic cellular-bars icon, along with a wifi icon when at home. When away from home and wifi, the generic cellular-bars icon changes to LTE. Honestly can't remember if I've seen an occasional 4G icon or if it reverts back to generic cellular-bars icon.

But as noted previously in this thread, the house icon is a Verizon feature that is triggered by the extender on a Verizon sourced phone. Don't recall if your phone was Verozon-bought, or bought elsewhere with Verizon SIM added. Just speculating, but the house icon may only show up on a Verizon-bought phone. Alternatively, given the very minimal carrier meddling on the Pixel, it is very likely that the house icon enabling code is just noy on the Pixel.

Blue, thanks for the excellent reply. My Pixel is Verizon bought, so I'd expect anything proprietary to be on there. I do hear the tone of the extender when it's in use, but no icon.

 

[vaportrace]

Just to clarify what Go Blue said and an added note.
One, network extenders improves battery life in two ways. The farther you are from a tower the more power goes to the phone's transmitter. Secondly, enabling wifi and/or 4g also powers up a second transceiver though the reciever parts are always on.
Even the old phones had the house symbols when connected to an extender.
My additional note is that older extenders do not support 3g and 4g while newer ones do.
Older extenders also only supported 3 phones where newer ones can support 50 4g clients.
One last note about the lv phones is that even though advanced calling is disabled you have to enable that function, switch to voice only and then disable advanced calling again for it to connect to the standard voip cell network extender.