Coverage Map Accuracy

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matisyahu

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#175536 2-Jul-2015 21:53

Hi,

Just jumped onto the Vodafone coverage map for the giggles and seeing what sort of coverage I'd expect to receive if/when I move to Vodafone:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/network/coverage/

I'm located in Avalon and in theory I should get a strong 700Mhz signal yet when I put my SIM card into my iPhone 6 I find that at best I'll get one dot for 4G but get 3-4 dots for 3G. I have a strong guess that only 1800 4G is available where I live because at least in theory, all things being constant, I should be getting a signal strength close to what I can do with 3G.

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coffeebaron

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#1336097 2-Jul-2015 22:01

Vodafone's 700 4G is very conservative compared to their 900 3G

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johnr

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#1336103 2-Jul-2015 22:11

Coverage maps don't reflect in-building coverage, It's a guide line only and coverage is not static it will change from summer to winter

kaihoka

164 posts

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#1336116 2-Jul-2015 23:16

by conservative do you mean conserving energy by having a weaker signal
is coverage more restricted in winter? and if so would that be because the towers are set up to cater to the demands of tourists

johnr

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#1336134 3-Jul-2015 04:54

kaihoka: by conservative do you mean conserving energy by having a weaker signal
is coverage more restricted in winter? and if so would that be because the towers are set up to cater to the demands of tourists

Not related to the sites in anyway but mother nature

eXDee

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#1336152 3-Jul-2015 08:35

When vodafone last changed their coverage map a few months ago, an area i know of that showed as none to marginal now shows from marginal to okay. In reality I know cell service is barely usable there (outside, on a farm).
So IMO their current map is a little over enthusiastic compared to the old one so i'd err on the side of caution.

coffeebaron

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#1336157 3-Jul-2015 08:47

kaihoka: by conservative do you mean conserving energy by having a weaker signal
is coverage more restricted in winter? and if so would that be because the towers are set up to cater to the demands of tourists

You only get coverage on the "Right Wing" of the tower, so Labour and the Greens have no coverage :)

But really, coverage needs to be less than 3G 900, as 4G does not support voice (yet). Otherwise you could end up being in 4G coverage and not be able to make voice calls. Personally, I think it is a little too conservative, a lot of area that should have 4G you only get 3G on your phone. But then I don't build these networks, so apart from having a personal opinion based on the coverage patterns I see, I'm no expert on how this should be deployed.

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kaihoka

164 posts

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#1336259 3-Jul-2015 10:17

Is spark offering voice with their new RBI packages. If it is just data does that mean their LTE 700 coverage will be wider than their 3G.

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kaihoka

164 posts

Master Geek

#1336263 3-Jul-2015 10:21

Is it any advantage to a network to switch on and encourage people to use 4g
Is it a cheaper and more efficient tech

kaihoka

164 posts

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#1336264 3-Jul-2015 10:21

Is spark offering voice with their new RBI packages. If it is just data does that mean their LTE 700 coverage will be wider than their 3G.

ghettomaster

387 posts

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#1336266 3-Jul-2015 10:24

This map has been mentioned on GZ before - I find it much more useful for guesstimating what sort of coverage I might expect for a given property.

http://gis.geek.nz/infrastructure.html

dylanp

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#1336432 3-Jul-2015 13:43

kawaii: ... I'm located in Avalon and in theory I should get a strong 700Mhz signal yet when I put my SIM card into my iPhone 6 I find that at best I'll get one dot for 4G but get 3-4 dots for 3G. I have a strong guess that only 1800 4G is available where I live because at least in theory, all things being constant, I should be getting a signal strength close to what I can do with 3G.

That's Avalon in the Hutt Valley? I don't think there's 700MHz there. I think there might be a misunderstanding about the buttons on the coverage map. The "4G" button is 1800MHz and 2600MHz, the "4G (+700)" button is the same with the addition of 700MHz. It is clearer to understand if you toggle between the two 4G buttons while looking at Masterton.

kaihoka: Is spark offering voice with their new RBI packages. If it is just data does that mean their LTE 700 coverage will be wider than their 3G.

We offer (copper landline + RBI wireless broadband), or (RBI wireless broadband and RBI wireless phone service), or (RBI wireless naked broadband), so I guess they may do something similar.

kaihoka

164 posts

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#1336453 3-Jul-2015 14:24

But from what I understand your coverage is restricted to your 3g foot print regardless of the fact the you offer.a just RBI data option.
I thought the point of 700 was that it could go futher being in the lower frequency. When something like volte is sorted will that make a difference to the coverage

matisyahu

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#1336717 4-Jul-2015 02:19

VodafoneDylan:
kawaii: ... I'm located in Avalon and in theory I should get a strong 700Mhz signal yet when I put my SIM card into my iPhone 6 I find that at best I'll get one dot for 4G but get 3-4 dots for 3G. I have a strong guess that only 1800 4G is available where I live because at least in theory, all things being constant, I should be getting a signal strength close to what I can do with 3G.

That's Avalon in the Hutt Valley? I don't think there's 700MHz there. I think there might be a misunderstanding about the buttons on the coverage map. The "4G" button is 1800MHz and 2600MHz, the "4G (+700)" button is the same with the addition of 700MHz. It is clearer to understand if you toggle between the two 4G buttons while looking at Masterton.

Ah, now it makes sense because I was looking on this:

http://gis.geek.nz/infrastructure.html

And according to that there is no 700Mhz cell site near where I live so I was wondering whether there was an error in the coverage map - now that I know what the "4G (+700MHz)" means then it all makes sense - the Spark map has the 700MHz option as a separate one to their 4G coverage hence I assumed that Vodafone must have been far a head of Spark when it came to 700MHz deployments.

coffeebaron:
kaihoka: by conservative do you mean conserving energy by having a weaker signal
is coverage more restricted in winter? and if so would that be because the towers are set up to cater to the demands of tourists

You only get coverage on the "Right Wing" of the tower, so Labour and the Greens have no coverage :)

But really, coverage needs to be less than 3G 900, as 4G does not support voice (yet). Otherwise you could end up being in 4G coverage and not be able to make voice calls. Personally, I think it is a little too conservative, a lot of area that should have 4G you only get 3G on your phone. But then I don't build these networks, so apart from having a personal opinion based on the coverage patterns I see, I'm no expert on how this should be deployed.

Vodafone 4G has both Voice and Data enabled according to my iPhone settings.

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"