[trenbarg12]

Have had some trouble inside the house in the Village of Charlotte with calls dropping or sometimes garbled... walk outside and they are fine... Researched it and tried out a new and possible solution tonight and it's free. If you have an iPhone or android, download the app Talkatone and then register your account. Then you can sit in your home attach to your wireless and make phone calls and texts without driving up your data plan on your phone. Phone calls are clear... only used this today but I am impressed on the simplicity of the app and the effectiveness of it. Below is info that I pulled off the web that you might find useful.

Free calls & texts via WiFi or cellular data, no cell minutes used
Free inbound calls, free SMS texting, free monthly outbound minutes
Unlimited free in-app calls & texts with pictures
FREE LOCAL U.S. PHONE NUMBER
Get a free U.S. phone number of your choice, make and receive free texts and calls to U.S. phone numbers, including landlines. If you don’t have a cell phone plan, Talkatone can be your only phone.
CALLING & TEXTING TO REGULAR PHONES
All SMS texting and inbound calls are always free. You get free outbound minutes every month. If you run out of your free outbound minutes, you can easily purchase additional minutes for a very low price.
IN-APP CALLS & TEXTS
Truly unlimited free Talkatone-to-Talkatone calls and texts anywhere in the world, including picture messaging. Invite friends and family to Talkatone, talk as long as you want, send thousands of texts, and share photos or videos.
TRAVELING OVERSEAS
Take your Android device with you when you travel. Call and text U.S. phone numbers on WiFi without paying outrageous roaming charges.
TURN YOUR ANDROID TABLET INTO A PHONE
Call and text friends and family from your Android tablet with Talkatone. No cell plan required.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Talkatone does not support 911 emergency calling or texting.
Carrier data charges may apply. Contact your carrier for more information.

[vlm790]

were you dropping calls on your landline or cell?

[MikeV]

Verizon works fine for me in Charlotte.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by trenbarg12

Have had some trouble inside the house in the Village of Charlotte with calls dropping or sometimes garbled... walk outside and they are fine... Researched it and tried out a new and possible solution tonight and it's free. If you have an iPhone or android, download the app Talkatone and then register your account. Then you can sit in your home attach to your wireless and make phone calls and texts without driving up your data plan on your phone. Phone calls are clear... only used this today but I am impressed on the simplicity of the app and the effectiveness of it. Below is info that I pulled off the web that you might find useful.

Free calls & texts via WiFi or cellular data, no cell minutes used
Free inbound calls, free SMS texting, free monthly outbound minutes
Unlimited free in-app calls & texts with pictures
FREE LOCAL U.S. PHONE NUMBER
Get a free U.S. phone number of your choice, make and receive free texts and calls to U.S. phone numbers, including landlines. If you don’t have a cell phone plan, Talkatone can be your only phone.
CALLING & TEXTING TO REGULAR PHONES
All SMS texting and inbound calls are always free. You get free outbound minutes every month. If you run out of your free outbound minutes, you can easily purchase additional minutes for a very low price.
IN-APP CALLS & TEXTS
Truly unlimited free Talkatone-to-Talkatone calls and texts anywhere in the world, including picture messaging. Invite friends and family to Talkatone, talk as long as you want, send thousands of texts, and share photos or videos.
TRAVELING OVERSEAS
Take your Android device with you when you travel. Call and text U.S. phone numbers on WiFi without paying outrageous roaming charges.
TURN YOUR ANDROID TABLET INTO A PHONE
Call and text friends and family from your Android tablet with Talkatone. No cell plan required.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Talkatone does not support 911 emergency calling or texting.
Carrier data charges may apply. Contact your carrier for more information.

Do you have a link to the site so I can get the app?

Z

[Bizdoc]

If your phone works fine outside and bars go away inside, I'll bet that you have a stucco exterior. And that they exterior walls are poured. Right? Faraday cage! Micro cell will solve or you can just walk outside to use your cell. Not the cell phone carrier's fault.

[downsouth95]

Reviving old post - moved to Antrim Dell's no verizon service inside house at all. Bizdoc what do 'Faraday cages' and 'micro cell' solution mean?
Pat and Bill
Finally here!

[NavyNJ]

Down south: This might help you with those terms, and the general problem you're having.....good luck!

Solid Signal Blog - Why is cell service so much worse indoors?

[downsouth95]

thank navyj - another expense - ugggh!

Pat and Bill

[downsouth95]

Wait a minute I just did a test - we turned on wifi on my husbands iphone and turned it off on mine, I stepped out front and called him. He can hear me perfectly, I can't hear him at all - it rings but nothing. So with a booster we would turn off wireless and be able to call from outside to inside and vice versa correct? I plead ignorance in this area.

Pat and Bill

[SouthOfTheBorder]

Originally Posted by downsouth95

Wait a minute I just did a test - we turned on wifi on my husbands iphone and turned it off on mine, I stepped out front and called him. He can hear me perfectly, I can't hear him at all - it rings but nothing. So with a booster we would turn off wireless and be able to call from outside to inside and vice versa correct? I plead ignorance in this area.

Pat and Bill

Although we are on AT&T (originally experiencing your same problems) I believe Verizon's solution uses same approach as AT&T. We obtained a MicroCell transmitter from AT&T (at no charge after really pressuring them). It requires a wireless network (yours) to join. You authorize the wireless phone number(s) that the MicroCell will recognize. Our wireless phones now work great calling and receiving in our house. No more dropped/garbled calls. We can walk out of the house (in our case only a few feet) and the transition to the AT&T tower is seamless.

Personally, I would never use a third party app as it gives them complete access to my voice and data info as it relayed through their system. My exceptions would be apps created and provided by large, long-time established, publicly owned companies like Verizon/AT&T.

Don

PS I spent nearly 20 years designing, developing and maintaining telecommunication software that operated world wide "over the internet" even before VOIP.

[sharoni]

Originally Posted by Bizdoc

If your phone works fine outside and bars go away inside, I'll bet that you have a stucco exterior. And that they exterior walls are poured. Right? Faraday cage! Micro cell will solve or you can just walk outside to use your cell. Not the cell phone carrier's fault.

We live in Charlotte, in a vinyl sided home, same issue. We have AT&T, and were told by a neighbor that they have a small antenna you can get which attaches to the wifi and allows us to talk inside our home. Works perfect!

[downsouth95]

Thanks all I will stop by verizon and check out the microcell

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by SouthOfTheBorder

Although we are on AT&T (originally experiencing your same problems) I believe Verizon's solution uses same approach as AT&T. We obtained a MicroCell transmitter from AT&T (at no charge after really pressuring them). It requires a wireless network (yours) to join. You authorize the wireless phone number(s) that the MicroCell will recognize. Our wireless phones now work great calling and receiving in our house. No more dropped/garbled calls. We can walk out of the house (in our case only a few feet) and the transition to the AT&T tower is seamless.

Personally, I would never use a third party app as it gives them complete access to my voice and data info as it relayed through their system. My exceptions would be apps created and provided by large, long-time established, publicly owned companies like Verizon/AT&T.

Don

PS I spent nearly 20 years designing, developing and maintaining telecommunication software that operated world wide "over the internet" even before VOIP.

This is very good information.

[chuck90199]

We live in Charlotte in an stucco home and have no problems making and receiving cell phone calls. We also have Verizon.

[Miles42]

I live in Hillsborough and my AT&T Cell service is not the best. I hear well but others claim my voice breaks and is noisey. Also get dropped calls. Never had the problem until I moved here from Indiana.