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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: TheBoy on 15 February 2010, 13:39:55

Title: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: TheBoy on 15 February 2010, 13:39:55
As regular members here will know, Vodafone doesn't work where I live.  I may get a signal if I stand in the road, or sit on the fence at bottom of garden.


So, Vodafone have just flyered the estate with their solution...


No, they are no sticking up a mast, or improving the signal. Oh no.


They want ME to give THEM £50 for a box that plugs into MY broadband so THEY can use MY internet connection to provide the service I pay them for using MY connectivity!

The cheeky little buggers. Needless to say, the flyer is being return to them with no stamp, and no details fill out.
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 15 February 2010, 13:40:50
Unbelievable!!
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: TheBoy on 15 February 2010, 13:42:04
Still, Vodafone's coverage map suggests I get a good signal anyway. Lying sods  >:(  >:(  >:(
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: TheBoy on 15 February 2010, 13:43:31
This is the heap of horseshit they want me to buy

http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=templateCClamp&pageID=PPP_0161


Foreskin earwarmers!
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: tunnie on 15 February 2010, 13:44:08
Vodafones lack of intelligence / incompetence runs deeper, as i have been finding out today with their techies  >:(
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Lazydocker on 15 February 2010, 13:54:10
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)

Any thoughts from the experts? :-?
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 15 February 2010, 14:19:31
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)
Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

Lol, think the narrow bandwidth of your average Yagi and the losses involved would make that pretty in-effective!
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Kevin Wood on 15 February 2010, 14:28:38
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)

Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

200 Quid is a bit steep for a start. That's a lot of phone calls.

TV aerials is unlikely to work, as said.

First thing you need to know is what band your phone works on.

You might have some luck with an external antenna if it's designed for the correct frequency and if you attach it to a "car kit" for your phone (and hence only use it in one location in the house) but I doubt "re-radiating" a signal will work due to the losses, as said.

It is a bit rich expecting customer to pay for their own infrastructure so that Vodafone can then charge them to use it.  ;D I wonder how many fools they have snared with that one.

Never mind, Jaime, maybe one of your neighbours will get one.  ;D

Kevin
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: TheBoy on 15 February 2010, 14:49:11
Quote
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)

Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

200 Quid is a bit steep for a start. That's a lot of phone calls.

TV aerials is unlikely to work, as said.

First thing you need to know is what band your phone works on.

You might have some luck with an external antenna if it's designed for the correct frequency and if you attach it to a "car kit" for your phone (and hence only use it in one location in the house) but I doubt "re-radiating" a signal will work due to the losses, as said.

It is a bit rich expecting customer to pay for their own infrastructure so that Vodafone can then charge them to use it.  ;D I wonder how many fools they have snared with that one.

Never mind, Jaime, maybe one of your neighbours will get one.  ;D

Kevin
No bugger around here uses Vodafone, as it doesn't work :(.  This be Cellnet country (or whatever they call themselves now)
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: zirk on 15 February 2010, 17:15:19
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)

Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

Not sure about the TV Aerials bit but a few years back I installed on a Pub, in the middle of no where, a 9db GSM Colinear Antenna on top of 6m mast, run some Andrew Heliax from the chimney stack down to inside the Pub which was then terminated with a small simple GSM Dipole in the Pub corner, with some suprisingly good results (Voda and O2 only though). 
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: ScottieMV6 on 15 February 2010, 17:25:47
Interestingly I had exactly the opposite problem here. Vodafone is the only network that gives a signal in our house.

I looked at that signal booster thing and thought exactly the same :y
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Kevin Wood on 15 February 2010, 17:30:10
Quote
Not sure about the TV Aerials bit but a few years back I installed on a Pub, in the middle of no where, a 9db GSM Colinear Antenna on top of 6m mast, run some Andrew Heliax from the chimney stack down to inside the Pub which was then terminated with a small simple GSM Dipole in the Pub corner, with some suprisingly good results (Voda and O2 only though). 

Ahh, yes. Can't beat a bit of "Donkey's dork" when you need a low loss feeder.

 ;)

Kevin
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Lazydocker on 15 February 2010, 17:51:05
Quote
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)
Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

Lol, think the narrow bandwidth of your average Yagi and the losses involved would make that pretty in-effective!

That was what I was thinking... Sure 3 is GSM 1800
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Martin_1962 on 15 February 2010, 18:39:42
Ours goes via WIFi
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Radiomarko on 15 February 2010, 19:34:37
The TV antenna & the pro install others mentioned are examples of Passive Repeaters. They do work... but the untuned TV antenna trick is just a bit too Heath Robinson!
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: TheBoy on 15 February 2010, 19:57:09
Quote
Quote
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)
Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

Lol, think the narrow bandwidth of your average Yagi and the losses involved would make that pretty in-effective!

That was what I was thinking... Sure 3 is GSM 1800
Nope, its 3g only, so UMT 2100 or whatever its called
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Taxi_Driver on 15 February 2010, 20:11:28
Quote
Quote
Quote
Quote
I must confess... I've been looking into options to boost the signal in my area after hearing about this. It seems I can buy a kit for £200+ which will boost the mobile signal (outside has a reasonable signal, just inside which suffers) and "broadcast" it into the house :o :o

Alternatively there has been some success in using a couple of TV aerials, one pointed towards the mast and one pointing downwards inside the loft space) linked with some coax. I'm a bit sceptical ::) ::)
Any thoughts from the experts? :-?

Lol, think the narrow bandwidth of your average Yagi and the losses involved would make that pretty in-effective!

That was what I was thinking... Sure 3 is GSM 1800
Nope, its 3g only, so UMT 2100 or whatever its called

The 3 phone i had a few years ago....used to try to use 3g, but if it couldnt, used to switch....bloody annoying if it did it during a call, as it used to disconnect. Dunno what they are like now.

o2 since then....and pretty good service ive found  :)

And interestingly i had a conversation in a mobile phone shop, a few months back....about why are o2 mobile phones usually a few sheckles more than other networks.....answer was most peeps wants o2 so o2 can charge a bit more.....right or wrong?  :-/
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Kevin Wood on 15 February 2010, 21:16:41
Yep. 3 do fall back on someone's 2G network (can't remember which one, currently), otherwise they'd be a total choccy teapot. Unlike operators who have both flavours of network, it really costs them to route traffic onto 2G so they try to keep the 3G signal, perhaps at the expense of call quality.

Kevin
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Lazydocker on 15 February 2010, 21:39:01
Quote
Yep. 3 do fall back on someone's 2G network (can't remember which one, currently), otherwise they'd be a total choccy teapot. Unlike operators who have both flavours of network, it really costs them to route traffic onto 2G so they try to keep the 3G signal, perhaps at the expense of call quality.

Kevin

But they do have far superior 3G coverage than any other network.

I'm only with them due to the discount I get ;) ;)
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 15 February 2010, 21:50:57
Three are merging with vodaphone
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: TheBoy on 16 February 2010, 19:36:27
Quote
Three are merging with vodaphone
Are vodafone trying to improve their coverage. As voda's coverage is rubbish!
Title: Re: Vodafone - the cheeky barstewards
Post by: Lazydocker on 16 February 2010, 19:37:26
Quote
Three are merging with vodaphone

What???? News to the customers! ::) ::)