How well do cell phones really work?

[micky]

OT for AHR, not for other ng.

How well do cell phones really work?

My niece graduated NYU a couple weeks ago, and standing outside Madison Square Garden, using a cell phone, I could not reach her mother (who had the tickets***), only her voice mail. She was probably inside by then.

But I could reach my niece, who was also inside by then.

Her mother could not reach me, although I later found 4 messages from her from that time period on my voice mail. But she could reach her daughter at the same time.

Her daughter could reach both of us.

How is this possible?

A couple days later, someone called me in the morning in Northern New Jersey and reached me fine. But at 3:30 PM, when I was on the southern end of the NJ Turnpike, or the Delaare or Md Turnpike, he called again and even though I was wearing earbuds, I didn't hear it ring. How is that possible? Even though I read that watching a movie on the NJ turnpike didn't work so well, surely phone call coverage is complete??

***(Finally learned that her mother had left the tickets with a security guard.. If this had been something with a box office, I would have expected her to leave them at the box office, but it didn't occur to me that one could do this with security guards. Especially with all those entrances, but there was really only one entrance for "The Theatre". I think Eva was the one in charge, of about 10^^ or more, at least she was the one who got to walk around, and she actually had them in her hand when the first guard I asked pointed her out. That is, ours were probably the only tickets she was holding. ^^They even did metal checking to get in.) We were supposed to get them the night before, and should have gotten them the night before that, to avoid all this.

[Mayayana]

Even though I read that watching a movie | on the NJ turnpike didn't work so well, surely phone call coverage is | complete?? |

It depends on where towers are, and the US is a big country. I have relatives in NH/VT who can't use their cellphones from home. Parts of NJ are rural. In cases I've tried to use my Tracphone in bad spots in VT, which can use any of 3 networks, I think, and it also gets no signal. The phone company maps show lots of gaps in coverage, yet I know they're overstating what they do cover because their maps show coverage in areas where I know there is none. So I'm guessing that they fudge it by doing something like marking an area covered if there's some coverage with, say,

20 miles.

I think that people living on their phones is mainly an urban phenomenon.

[thekmanrocks]

Not all that well - even in urban areas! And considering some versions of the i phone the metal frame around the edge IS the antenna, you have to hold it just so in order to avoid accidentally dropping calls.

[Frank]

My cell phone, also a Tracfone, won't connect from where I'm sitting in northern DE even though there is a cell phone tower only a mile away. Problem is hill between me and the tower. If I walk outside, less than

50 ft from the house, the phone works. Same with TV and radio signals.

[bob_villa]

Anecdotal: some cheap LG phones have better antennas than iPhone and Samsung smartass cells. *L*

[trader_4]

M > mother no mother > M no M > daughter yes daughter > M, mother yes

The only part there that would raise any question would appear to be the daughter being able to reach the mother, while you can't. Why the daughter would be trying to reach the daughter who it sounds like is standing right next to her, IDK. But I would think the most logical explanation is that connections, especially inside buildings, are highly variable. If the phones moved even a few feet during the trial, which it sounds like they could, then reception can change and the phone may no longer be able to contact a cell site.

It's not that unusual. And it depends very much on the carrier. In NJ, Verizon has better coverage than Sprint or ATT, for example. The major highways do have excellent coverage, but it's not perfect and the southern NJ part of the turnpike is in less populated areas too.

[micky]

No, the daughter was on the stage, waiting I think for the curtain to open. The mother was in the audience. (OT The college graduating class is about 1000, so big it had to be split into morning and afternoon groups. Of the 500 people graduating that morning, only 40 got to sit on the stage! Did I mention she was Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude? and she has a job and an apartment.)

But it's not like the phones are talking directly to each other. All three connect to their cell company's cell tower, and from there (I think) to the regular phone system, and from there to the cell company of the recipient and then to a tower to each cell phone.

If my phone can reach my cell company, and the mother's phone can reach hers when we place calls, or receive them from the daughter, why would it matter from whom we are receiving the call. It made it to the cell company or there would be nothing on voice mail. The mother probably never moved from her chair, and I barely moved while looking for her.

She called me 5 times (or maybe 4) and I called her 3, I think, and we got none of them, only voice mail. The next time I get voice mail for anyone, even if there is no one in the role of daughter, should I call a third party who might be anywhere and have him call my 2nd party, on the theory that whether the phone rings is dependent on who is calling? Should everyone do that?

With all the big shots driving on that road, from NY to DC, it surprises me that there would be an empty space. I have ATT. OTOH, maybe they like it because if they don't want to answer the phone they can claim they were in a dead spot.

Missing this one call would not have been noteworthy were it not for the preceding potential fiasco on graduation morning.

[bob_villa]

I think the only time "regular phone system" comes into play...is when you place a landline call to a cell. Otherwise, tower to computer system to tower...but don't quote me!

[taxed and spent]

In addition to the other reply, I have found that much depends on network usage at any given time. You could be crowded out when everyone tries to use a limited resource at the same time.

This is one reason carriers are in the process of adding WIFI coverage, in addition to regular cell coverage. If you are within WIFI coverage, they can route you through the wired system without having to use their precious cell bandwidth (or even if you are nowhere near cell coverage).

[micky]

That would make sense, but then what would all the switchboard operators do?

Also, and you didn't say otherwise, it doesn't change the basic question. If I can call in and out and the mother can call in and out, why can't we call each other?

(I'm quoting you anyhow, so there.)

[bob_villa]

...and how are we to take you seriously on *any* of your questions?

[Tony Hwang]

Also when signal is marginal moving around few feet this or that way makes difference. When I m out at our cabin I can call home at one spot in the living room. That is sweet spot.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

Here, AT&T has poor coverage. At home I have to stay in certain places along the south side of my yard (closest to a business area and major highway). Verizon is the best here.

[bob_villa]

...according to Consumer Report on customer service/satisfaction, T-Mobile for the big guys...and with a higher score, US Cellular for the small guys.

[Pat]

Venues like Madison Square Garden can go through periods of hardly anyone using a cell phone followed by periods with hundreds or even thousands of calls. Cell sites and interconnecting system can and do get overloaded. All sorts of strange things can happen including calls just being dumped or sent to voicemail for no reason apparent to the user. I can imagine 90% of those graduating students texting, calling relatives, and calling each other before during and after the ceremony.

Pat

[Ed Pawlowski]

Opposite here. ATT can be used anywhere in the house or in myh neighborhood. Verizon only worked at the end of the driveway. I found that to be inconvenient at 10 PM when it is 4 degrees so I stuck with ATT. Seems like they call have bad spots at some point.

[sms]

In NYC AT&T has a lot of issues. Verizon does not.

[micky]

Do you think maybe when circuits are busy, the cell company gives priority to outgoing calls and makes no effort to ring the 2nd party, just offers to take a voicemail? That would cut in half the number of connections that are made.

[micky]

That could be a big part of it.

Is there an app t hat lets one view the group of voicemails as a list of separate ones, and maybe even lets one call in and retrieve them out of order? For android.

[taxed and spent]

check out Visual Voice Mail, from your carrier.

I have my unanswered cell phone calls roll over to my landline phone, and the landline phone has free visual voice mail.