Hello Vantech,
Happy New Year and Welcome to the Community!
I replied to another community member with a similar issue here. As mentioned in that post, there do not appear to be very many cellular towers in the area. **edit** That said, there does appear to be a cellular tower in Edgemont Village. Cellular reception may vary in the area depending on your location relative to the cellular tower.**
You might be able to connect to extended coverage (see link in other post), though its usage would only be meant on a temporary basis. Alternatively, if your phone is supported for Wifi-calling, that may be an option at your home.
**edit** Since there appears to be a cellular tower in the village, you might consider contacting customer service to see if there are any issues with that particular cellular tower. In addition, they can also be contacted via Live Chat, Facebook, or Twitter. Those methods can be accessed via the contact page posted above.**
Unfortunately, if your circumstances don't allow for adequate cellular signal, there isn't much that can be done. It's a common misunderstanding that any mobile provider will suit everyone everywhere. That simply isn't the case. If you spend a good portion of time outside of a mobile provider's coverage, perhaps that mobile provider isn't the right one for you.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello again,
Glad to hear you are able to make use of Wifi-calling.
@vantech wrote:..North Van less than 10mins from downtown and in a heavily populated residential areas, beside a national park. It's completely unreasonable to expect no connectivity living in this area. How can Fido get away with providing essentially no service in our location?
I understand the frustrations of not having connectivity. However, there are bigger issues at hand than simply one mobile company wanting to fix the problem. The issue isn't necessarily as simple as Rogers adding cellular towers in the area. You note you live in a heavily populated residential area. Often, it is the residents in the area who oppose the erection of cellular towers. For example, the Township of Langley has a specific telecommunication tower policy which eventually rejected Telus' proposed cellular towers in the area (see here). More recently, residents in Crescent Beach raised health concerns over a proposed cellular tower in their area (see here). More relevant to your area, residents of North Vancouver petitioned against a proposed Bell tower (see here). Clearly, there needs to be discussion and evaluation with your municipality regarding the need for additional cellular towers. I think that's why the Wireless Communication Design and Consultation Policy was created (see here).
In addition, you noted that you also live beside a National Park. Most National Parks might not wish to have cellular towers within the parks. Remember the shutdown on Highway 93 back in November? People were blaming the providers for not having coverage along that highway. However, it was ultimately Parks Canada's decision (see here). They approached Telus to erect cellular towers within the park. Unfortunately, there isn't reliable power infrastructure in the area (see here). Eventually, Parks Canada decided to upgrade the Emergency Phone Services along Highway 93 with satellite phones (see here).
I also understand the security concern. However, you should note that if there is a power outage, cellular coverage might also go down (see here). That's why it was recommended people have a traditional landline for those situations. However, these days, most landlines require modems which also require electricity to operate. Unfortunately, I don't have a simple solution. Depending on the extent of the power outage, you might be able to get an uninteruptible power supply (UPS) to ensure your internet remains operational for Wifi-calling. For longer run-times, you might consider getting aportable power station or generator. Though, if the power outage is extensive, internet might also not work.
Alternatively, if Fido/Rogers coverage does not suit your needs, perhaps they aren't the right provider for your situation.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hi @vantech , just letting you know that I am on the sunshine coast and have Wi-Fi calling turned on for when I'm at home. My signal is not bad, I can roam off Nanaimo towers when weather is bad. Mostly wifi calling at home and decent signal when out and about. Just thought I'd share that with you 😉
