Good Cell Phone for Low Signal areas ?

[lbounds 16]

This isn't totally visa related but it's important to me since sometimes I have an issue trying to reach my girl because of low signal. She lives in a village area.

Right now she has an older nokia, I'd guess maybe its 4 years old or more.

I want to get her a new cell phone when I'm with her in a few weeks.

I'm sure other people from the philippines have experienced problems with poor cell signal. She's on the globe network.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good cell phone that has stronger cell reception ? I know some aspect of that is the cell network but some part of that should also depend on the quality of the cell phone itself.

Thanks for any suggestion and recommendation for cell phone models

[MikeInWyoming 2]

I'm not sure changing phones will help you. Most folks I know in the PI are not on a monthly plan. They buy loads and they might have two or three SIMs. One for Globe, one for Smart and one for SUN. If one is down, or weak, another maybe up. Some folks carry two phones - one Globe and one Smart. None of the services are truly stable.

New phones are the least of the resolution!

[Kevin-n-Merlaine 14]

Yeah unfortunately all cell antennas are the same. I live in a podunk little town with terrible coverage and shopped around before I bought a new plan here in the states. I talked to several techs and they all told me the same thing. One of the only components in cell phones that has not changed in years, is the antenna. Virtually all of them use the same part/parts and there is no better way or brand

[ManilaIdaho 2]

what province she is from?sometimes it's not because of the kind of cellphone that a person has but the availability of the signal from the network provider,there are provinces that gets stronger signal from globe and others from smart.

[lbounds 16]

what province she is from?

She's on Mindanao, Davao Oriental

and Thanks for everyone that replied so far

[Scott and Mhay 57]

Well, my wife had the same problem. I think she was using globe too in a phone (nokia 6230) i sent her. It didnt work too well with the globe signal (always low signal). I asked her to try a different sim in the phone. Well, she didnt try another one until i was down there. She put a Sun sim card in there and it worked fine...no more low signal. I would try a different sim card from another network before having her get another phone. Prepaid sim cards are like 40-70 pesos depending on what you get.

[Zen Den 18]

This isn't totally visa related but it's important to me since sometimes I have an issue trying to reach my girl because of low signal. She lives in a village area.

Right now she has an older nokia, I'd guess maybe its 4 years old or more.

I want to get her a new cell phone when I'm with her in a few weeks.

I'm sure other people from the philippines have experienced problems with poor cell signal. She's on the globe network.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good cell phone that has stronger cell reception ? I know some aspect of that is the cell network but some part of that should also depend on the quality of the cell phone itself.

Thanks for any suggestion and recommendation for cell phone models

if she lives in a village and signal is weak, it means the nearest network tower is not near enough for a clear signal. the best solution is to have her position her phone where the signal in her house is strongest.

[Kevin- 13]

My gal is in a remote area as well, as far as cell signals go.

There can be differences in the phone's reception, even if the antenna is the same inside. The type of signal does make a difference and some types reach further than others. Using a phone which covers more/all the variances of available carrier signals and frequencies will increase the odds of picking up a good connection. I got my sweetie a Samsung M8800 Pixon (not available in the US, got it there), and we never have trouble talking when she's at home.

However, before I got her that phone, she switched to a different network. At first I would have to dial 10-20 times to get through, and get disconnected after regular intervals (some days it was every 12 minutes, some days it was every 47 minutes, some days it was every 5 minutes). When she switched, my phone bill went down and our talk time went up. If she hasn't already, have her try sim cards from each of the carriers in her area to see which, if any, provides a better signal at home. The provider choice can be the biggest factor in this. A better phone can also make a notable difference.

I hope the issue can be resolved by one of these methods, good luck!

Disclaimer: I am not a wireless communications engineer, but I've worked with them before, and I am smart Some of my terminology may be a bit off as well.

[lbounds 16]

Thanks for your replies.

[tallcoolone 102]

I have traveled extensively in Mindinao Region.

I have always been surprised by the excellent Cell Phone Coverage. I used Smart Bros when in PI.

I just take a older cellphone and have it unlocked in PI, Last phone I took was a Motorola phone and it worked well.

[SnME 3]

I'm not sure changing phones will help you. Most folks I know in the PI are not on a monthly plan. They buy loads and they might have two or three SIMs. One for Globe, one for Smart and one for SUN. If one is down, or weak, another maybe up. Some folks carry two phones - one Globe and one Smart. None of the services are truly stable.

New phones are the least of the resolution!

Not all phones are created equal and some DO have better antenna and reception.

I have seen this first hand when using cell phones in an elevator. My phone is older and will lose it signal as soon as the elevator gets moving, but my friend (who is on the same network but has a much newer phone) will have no problems at all using his the entire time...

I have experienced the same thing when hunting with friends in remote areas. The better and newer phones will still get a signal and be able to make a call and the older phones with poor reception will not work at all...

My girl has different sim cards because the rates are different depending on where she calls there. Cheaper to call me with Globe... Cheaper to call her family in Cebu using Sun...

[Millerd 0]

I have found the Blackberry Phones has by far the best reception in most parts of the Philippines, the I phones are cute and cool to look at but in Leyte the reception is not good.

[Hank_ 9,174]

On 11/2/2009 at 10:48 PM, lbounds said:

This isn't totally visa related but it's important to me since sometimes I have an issue trying to reach my girl because of low signal. She lives in a village area.

Right now she has an older nokia, I'd guess maybe its 4 years old or more.

I want to get her a new cell phone when I'm with her in a few weeks.

I'm sure other people from the philippines have experienced problems with poor cell signal. She's on the globe network.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good cell phone that has stronger cell reception ? I know some aspect of that is the cell network but some part of that should also depend on the quality of the cell phone itself.

Thanks for any suggestion and recommendation for cell phone models

 

OK, to try to answer your question about phone options.   Old phones, old technology ... 'nuff said there.

 

You want a good phone without spending an S-load of money, buy the OPPO A-37 (just a sneeze over $100), they are dual sim, have the option for HOTSPOT if you want to share wifi, plus have very good battery life and work GREAT!!  Oh and they have excellent cameras. I've bought three of them so far; one for my asawa, and two more for friends that needed phones.  I bought an F1 for myself because it is a little larger and fits my hands better.   A very well made phone.

 

http://www.oppo.com/ph/index.html

 

Only thing about them that I would like to change..  they don't work on U.S. systems (for me ATT) ... really like my OPPO.  But here in the Phils.. I will be buying another when it comes time.

 

My asawa has an Apple i5s which she rarely uses as she likes the OPPO much better.

[RO_AH 1,659]

Each carrier has its own towers so depending on how close a carriers tower is tom her home is the determining factor on how good her reception will be. SIMs are cheap so she should just try each carrier and see which is best. This will have more effect that the phone although some phones have better reception than others.If she talks to people around her they should probably have an idea which carrier is best. There are 3 main carriers in the Philippines, Smart, Sun, and Globe. As Hank said you can get a phone with dual SIM which will allow for 2 different carriers so if you are in a bad area for one the other may have coverage.

 

People talk about the antenna and that is only half the equation. The built in amp determines your outgoing signal. In order to increase battery life, along with much more towers closer to people globally, manufacturers have lowered the the output wattage and also made it variable. It will determine the amount of strength needed to reach the tower and adjust itself accordingly. That's why you will notice that if you are far from a tower (1 bar signal) your phone will get hot and the battery will drain faster due to using more power. Your best bet for being far from a tower is keeping your cell phone out of your pockets and the higher you have it the better.

 

Hope that helps.