Gail Eddy, Nederland. Even with all the improvements in cellular technology, I still run into areas which have very poor cell phone service. There are the times when I’m the passenger in a car and the cell phone quality just gets worse and worse. (Don’t text and drive!)
Does this ever happen to you?
You’re talking on the phone and the quality of the call keeps decreasing. You are in a populated area with plenty of cell towers. You keep waiting for your call to switch to the next cell tower but that never seems to happen. What should you do?
The Hill of Cellular Death:
We used to drive up and over a section of the highway that we dubbed “The Hill of Cellular Death.” It was pretty much guaranteed that when you got about two-thirds of the way up the hill on either side, your cell call would drop. It got to be that I wouldn’t even answer my cell phone when the vehicle I was traveling in was within a half mile of that hill. Thankfully, they now have a cell tower near that hill, and I can confidently make and receive calls in that location now.
What should you do when your smartphone gets really poor cell phone service?
This is what that little “Airplane Mode” button is for! Put your phone into “Airplane Mode” so that it turns off your cell service, your WiFi and your Bluetooth. Leave it off for five to ten seconds, and then turn it back on. This will force the phone to search for the strongest cell tower in the area. Most likely, it won’t be the one you were having so many issues with!
What if that doesn’t work? I have two more suggestions:
*Turn your phone off and back on and again
*I know you don’t want to hear this one, but you may have to drive to a better cellular area.
Did you ever hear the terms 4G, 5G or LTE? Did you wonder what they mean? Check out this article I wrote last year about the subject at https://geekforhireinc.com/4g-service-what-the-heck-is-that.
If you frequently drive along the Peak to Peak Highway, you might wonder where some good spots for cell service are. Read this article at https://geekforhireinc.com/cell-phone-spots-along-the-peak-to-peak-highway.
Please share this with your friends who complain about poor cell phone service.
Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.
(Originally published in the April 11, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
