Moved and have junk signal

[Mooncatt]

I recently moved and now live in a part of town with bad mobile reception, which is odd considering how close I am to an NFL stadium. Does Verizon have any programs to get a network extender at no charge to address this? I know you can buy one from them, but I was in a similar situation with Sprint years ago. With them, they let me have one at no additional charge because I was well within range of towers but the planets didn't line up properly or something and I couldn't keep a call connected. They did try troubleshooting some things, but eventually threw their hands up and said "we don't know what is going on, so take this femtocell."

Where I'm at now on Verizon, I'm lucky to get 4G with any bars. Usually I'm getting poor 3G reception and it's not uncommon to see 1x, and do drop calls a lot or have delayed texting. I do have cable with Wi-Fi, but not really a fan of Wi-Fi calling because I travel for a living and use numerous hot spots. It also seems I'd have to put my phone in airplane mode when I get home, then turn on Wi-Fi to make use of it. Otherwise it seems to default to the network if *any* signal is available (even if it's not a usable signal), and only uses Wi-Fi calling when no network signal is present.

 

[cbreze]

You sure about your wifi calling issues as far as airplane mode and such? I have 2 phones(HTC10 and iPhone7)with wifi calling available and I just leave it on all the time and do nothing. My calls go in and out of wifi , back and forth all the time. best feature ever IMO. I also have sometimes spotty service at home. as far as traveling I don't see the issue or not understanding regarding wifi. Wifi calling can be turned off in about 2 clicks.

 

[Mooncatt]

I've tested it on my V20, and yes it tries to default to the mobile network as far as I can tell. It's also 4-5 taps for me to access the controls to turn it on or off, and I don't like the idea that I should be updating my address for proper 911 routing at every new hotspot (not that it's likely to be needed, but still a concern should the need arise).

 

[Almeuit]

You can call and see .. it is a hit miss if you'll get one for free.

 

[smvim]

... Does Verizon have any programs to get a network extender at no charge to address this? I know you can buy one from them, but I was in a similar situation with Sprint years ago. With them, they let me have one at no additional charge ....

All the big carriers have extenders (femtocells) but they also want you to buy them. Getting one for free is often a matter of how diplomatic and tactful you are, mixed in with how stubborn the customer service rep you're talking to can hold out.
Basically you're paying Verizon for a service that doesn't work for you so focus on that, plus add in lots of subtle threats to switch to a competitor (hopefully you're not with Verizon under a contract). Oh and if the cost issue starts to wander, the major telecom players are doing OK these days:
https://ycharts.com/companies/VZ/profit_margin
It's not like Verizon will go belly up giving you an extender.

 

[dpham00]

You can call and see .. it is a hit miss if you'll get one for free.

Definitely, doesn't hurt to try. I have heard of them giving it out in some cases.

 

[SandersJC1964]

I recently moved and now live in a part of town with bad mobile reception, which is odd considering how close I am to an NFL stadium. Does Verizon have any programs to get a network extender at no charge to address this? I know you can buy one from them, but I was in a similar situation with Sprint years ago. With them, they let me have one at no additional charge because I was well within range of towers but the planets didn't line up properly or something and I couldn't keep a call connected. They did try troubleshooting some things, but eventually threw their hands up and said "we don't know what is going on, so take this femtocell."

Where I'm at now on Verizon, I'm lucky to get 4G with any bars. Usually I'm getting poor 3G reception and it's not uncommon to see 1x, and do drop calls a lot or have delayed texting. I do have cable with Wi-Fi, but not really a fan of Wi-Fi calling because I travel for a living and use numerous hot spots. It also seems I'd have to put my phone in airplane mode when I get home, then turn on Wi-Fi to make use of it. Otherwise it seems to default to the network if *any* signal is available (even if it's not a usable signal), and only uses Wi-Fi calling when no network signal is present.

WiFi calling will look for the stronger signal. I have it enabled at my home, not because I need it, but mainly to see it in action and how it works. I always have at least two or three indicators of 4G but when I am sitting in my office with my router, it's always showing WiFi calling is active. If your signal is that poor at your home, as long as your WiFi signal is good, it'll use that. You don't need to enable airplane mode. When you are travelling, if you have a good cellular signal, it'll use that, no need to update your 911 address because it won't be using WiFi calling.

 

[Mooncatt]

If your signal is that poor at your home, as long as your WiFi signal is good, it'll use that. You don't need to enable airplane mode.

I just tested it. As you can see, my cell signal is barely there, great Wi-Fi signal, but the phone still defaulted to the cell tower.

When on airplane mode plus Wi-Fi, it would place the call and show the little Wi-Fi call icon in the upper left. Maybe this is just a quirk of the V20? Either way, it's not a quick and convenient feature for me.

I haven't called Verizon yet, but I plan to. I've been rather busy and haven't had the time.