Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 13:42:43

Title: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 13:42:43
My landline has been down for a few days and I have had to try to use my mobile in the house, which I rarely do. Unfortunately in the rooms I would like to use it there is either no signal or 1 bar, which makes conversation impossible. However much I have tried to bully Vodafone with threats to leave etc., all they will offer is a signal booster costing £60 odd which plugs in the modem and elect. socket, or upgrade to iPhone 6 upwards which can connect via wifi. Neither of these options appeal, and other providers' signals in my house are no better, I've tried them all.
Do any of the clever people on here know if there is any way I can fix my 5s to connect via wifi?
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: tunnie on 26 January 2017, 15:54:09
There is no difference in capability for WiFi calling between 5S and 6. Either handset will need a signal booster (depending on your broadband), which puts your call down he internet. The 5 will do it exactly same way as a 6 or iPhone 7.

Try this on your iPhone 5S:     Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: tunnie on 26 January 2017, 16:01:41
Also who is your Broadband supplier and how old is the router?
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 16:23:34
There is no difference in capability for WiFi calling between 5S and 6. Either handset will need a signal booster (depending on your broadband), which puts your call down he internet. The 5 will do it exactly same way as a 6 or iPhone 7.

Try this on your iPhone 5S:     Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls

This does not appear on my phone. From Google it seems other providers may do it but not VF. :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 16:26:46
Also who is your Broadband supplier and how old is the router?

I'm with Plusnet, router is about 9 months old from when I moved to the 'Unlimited Fibre' package 35-40Mb download speed. :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 16:29:06
There is no difference in capability for WiFi calling between 5S and 6. Either handset will need a signal booster (depending on your broadband), which puts your call down he internet. The 5 will do it exactly same way as a 6 or iPhone 7.

Try this on your iPhone 5S:     Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls

According to Vodafone, the iPhone 6 onward can have software/App which allows (possibly Bluetooth?) connection to your router. :-\ :-\ :-\
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: tunnie on 26 January 2017, 16:45:09
There is no difference in capability for WiFi calling between 5S and 6. Either handset will need a signal booster (depending on your broadband), which puts your call down he internet. The 5 will do it exactly same way as a 6 or iPhone 7.

Try this on your iPhone 5S:     Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls

According to Vodafone, the iPhone 6 onward can have software/App which allows (possibly Bluetooth?) connection to your router. :-\ :-\ :-\

Humm, probably a limitation of the App, but not sure why it's not based on a version of iOS rather than handset. Nice of VF to force you to use their crap  ;D

I'd be tempted to unlock it from network and factory reset, make it a vanilla iOS device and get rid of any VF rubbish. Quick Google suggests no App needed, this (rather old article) suggests.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/135274-vodafone-wi-fi-calling-service-is-now-live-but-there-s-a-catch (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/135274-vodafone-wi-fi-calling-service-is-now-live-but-there-s-a-catch)

You running iOS 8/9/10?
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 16:58:57
Thanks Mark, I'm on iOS 10.2 :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 17:00:59
There is no difference in capability for WiFi calling between 5S and 6. Either handset will need a signal booster (depending on your broadband), which puts your call down he internet. The 5 will do it exactly same way as a 6 or iPhone 7.

Try this on your iPhone 5S:     Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls

According to Vodafone, the iPhone 6 onward can have software/App which allows (possibly Bluetooth?) connection to your router. :-\ :-\ :-\

Humm, probably a limitation of the App, but not sure why it's not based on a version of iOS rather than handset. Nice of VF to force you to use their crap  ;D

I'd be tempted to unlock it from network and factory reset, make it a vanilla iOS device and get rid of any VF rubbish. Quick Google suggests no App needed, this (rather old article) suggests.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/135274-vodafone-wi-fi-calling-service-is-now-live-but-there-s-a-catch (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/135274-vodafone-wi-fi-calling-service-is-now-live-but-there-s-a-catch)

You running iOS 8/9/10?

Just remembered, I 'inherited' this from my daughter, and was not locked to Vodafone, I just put their sim in it, I think??? :-\ :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Entwood on 26 January 2017, 17:34:31
My landline has been down for a few days  .................................
Do any of the clever people on here know if there is any way I can fix my 5s to connect via wifi?

If your landline is down you, generally, have no internet or wifi to connect to !! .. unless you can piggy back on to a neighbours or macdonalds....

Given what you describe the offered signal booster would have been as useless as a chocolate teapot, as it would not be working without an internet enabled land line.

This is a big con by all the providers as it enables them to get away with not improving the actual mobile phone signal in all areas ... which is what they SHOULD be doing as the devices are called "mobile phones" and should not be tied to home based signal boosters. :(
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: TD on 26 January 2017, 17:35:26
Do you have an old non 'smart' phone in a drawer somewhere???

If so, pop your sim in that phone and see how the signal strength is....

I reckon the internal aerials on non smart phones are better....you might get a better signal with it  :y

I was out your way a couple of years back...the customer I was picking couldn't believe I rang him for directions on my mobile, when I was about 100yrds from his front door... as he couldn't get a signal at all on his 'smart' phone.....the phone I had then for work purposes was a non smart nokia on 02 network....
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: TD on 26 January 2017, 17:42:40
My landline has been down for a few days  .................................
Do any of the clever people on here know if there is any way I can fix my 5s to connect via wifi?

If your landline is down you, generally, have no internet or wifi to connect to !! .. unless you can piggy back on to a neighbours or macdonalds....

Given what you describe the offered signal booster would have been as useless as a chocolate teapot, as it would not be working without an internet enabled land line.

This is a big con by all the providers as it enables them to get away with not improving the actual mobile phone signal in all areas ... which is what they SHOULD be doing as the devices are called "mobile phones" and should not be tied to home based signal boosters. :(

I first thought that Nige....but seeing as Shack posted this thread...I then assumed he must have internet connection....I doubted he posted using his mobile or is connected to his neighbours or sitting in a McD's   :-\
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: TheBoy on 26 January 2017, 17:53:01
There is no difference in capability for WiFi calling between 5S and 6. Either handset will need a signal booster (depending on your broadband), which puts your call down he internet. The 5 will do it exactly same way as a 6 or iPhone 7.

Try this on your iPhone 5S:     Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls
6 and later allow wifi calling *IF* your provider supports it, and its enabled on your account, in which case you'll get a different carrier file sent to the device.

This is to overcome the fact that everyone has given up on 2G and 3G, and 4G does not natively support voice (hence volt/volte)

Most carriers only support it on premium accounts.  And its shit anyway.



Shack, as others have said, if your landline is down, none of these booster options will work, as they rely on your broadband for the backhaul.
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 18:49:41
My landline has been down for a few days  .................................
Do any of the clever people on here know if there is any way I can fix my 5s to connect via wifi?

If your landline is down you, generally, have no internet or wifi to connect to !! .. unless you can piggy back on to a neighbours or macdonalds....

Given what you describe the offered signal booster would have been as useless as a chocolate teapot, as it would not be working without an internet enabled land line.

This is a big con by all the providers as it enables them to get away with not improving the actual mobile phone signal in all areas ... which is what they SHOULD be doing as the devices are called "mobile phones" and should not be tied to home based signal boosters. :(

Quite true Nige, but it has highlighted the lack of signal in the house, and, like many, I am now on contract mobile, with umpty-ump minutes which I never use, so it would useful if I could. :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 26 January 2017, 18:50:41
Do you have an old non 'smart' phone in a drawer somewhere???

If so, pop your sim in that phone and see how the signal strength is....

I reckon the internal aerials on non smart phones are better....you might get a better signal with it  :y

I was out your way a couple of years back...the customer I was picking couldn't believe I rang him for directions on my mobile, when I was about 100yrds from his front door... as he couldn't get a signal at all on his 'smart' phone.....the phone I had then for work purposes was a non smart nokia on 02 network....

Wife's phone, non-smart gets identical problems. :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 29 January 2017, 12:13:09
I forgot to mention that although my landline was down for a few days, for the first two days, the broadband worked normally. ??? ??? ??? The Openreach guy said that the internet only required 1 line. ??? ??? ???
I find that hard to believe. Perhaps it required a lower voltage or some such. Any ideas. :-\ :-\ :-\
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: TheBoy on 29 January 2017, 18:06:32
A bad connection near the CPE can stop phone working, and DSL still works - though 9 times out of 10, DSL will drop when you pick up the phone in this scenario.
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Shackeng on 29 January 2017, 18:11:14
A bad connection near the CPE can stop phone working, and DSL still works - though 9 times out of 10, DSL will drop when you pick up the phone in this scenario.

Didn't happen with me, but I guess it was to do with 40Yr old internal cable, now replaced, and a poor connection at the green cabinet which they discovered. Interestingly, I measured the resistance of known good, strands of the old cable, against the new one, and, if I read my meter correctly, the old was 4 ohms, and the new 2 ohms, presumably due better quality materials used. :y
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: TheBoy on 29 January 2017, 18:17:09
Due to the nature of the signals, impedance is more useful than resistance...   ...but, yes, sounds like the old cable was , errr, old ;D
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: STEMO on 29 January 2017, 20:47:49
The cable to my BT box is ancient. It disappears behind the door frame and reappears from behind the skirting about 5 metres away.
Title: Re: iPhone 5s
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 29 January 2017, 20:51:00
The cable to my BT box is ancient. It disappears behind the door frame and reappears from behind the skirting about 5 metres away.
Sounds similar to ours before the dog chewed through it ;D

Referring back to a previous conversation TB, we no longer have a non cordless phone in the house, so will effect that what which you suggested ;)