Why is there poor signal in my new house?

[Mr_S]

Who can I talk to about poor signal in my new house. I recently purchased a new house and according to the coverage map I have LTE Extended but I don't even get 3g most of the time in my house. The yard and the whole street is the same way. Both my phone and my wife's iPhone get 1x all the time weather we are in the house or outside. My in-laws who are also on Verizon have the same poor coverage when they are over. Even my Realtor had a hard time makeing calls when she was showing us the house the first time. Because of the factors above I truly believe it is a larger problem that with our phones and would like to report it but don't know who to contact.

Thanks

Mr_S

[rcschnoor · Accepted solution]

Chances are nothing will come of it. If you must have service in and around your home, you should probably purchase a network extender. You would need a source for broadband service in your home, though.

While it would be nice to have service everywhere, the problem is that service is limited by the locations of the towers providing the service. Getting the permits to get new towers can and most often do take years to get past local zoning boards.

You could check other providers, but then you may have a problem getting service in other areas where Verizon's service was adequate.

Sometimes, this is just another cost associated with moving into a new home.

[#3]

Coverage maps only refer to outdoor coverage. And what makes it worse in your case is you're in a LTE Extended area which means a poor signal to begin with. So it's not shocking your signal inside the house isn't good. Short of Verizon adding a tower closer to you there isn't much you can do. Just a question. It seems you knew coverage was an issue BEFORE buying the place so why buy it then?

[Mr_S]

In my original post I did say this is also outside where I have this issue. My front yard, the back yard, down the street. According to Verizon's coverage map the area is soaked in LTE for several square miles according to their map there is coverage. So either their map is completely wrong or something is wrong in this area. I understand wireless coverage and if they say that an area 150 feet from my house has full LET coverage there should be no reason at all that I can't even get 3G standing in the middle of the street!

[#5]

You stated LTE Extended. That is not the same quality of signal as LTE

Access the 4G LTE network within the Verizon Extended Coverage Area; certain conditions may cause your service to connect to 3G in this Area

Also coverage maps are an approximation and can not take into account things like trees or buildings. They should not be taken as gospel.

[Mr_S]

Yes that is the point I am trying to make. I DONT EVEN GET 3G. All I get is 1x with NO bars on the whole street. I would understand if the coverage map said no signal at all. Then I would expect to get no signal and have my phone on 1x with no bars all the time. But it doesn't it says I should have SOME coverage and I don't that is the problem here I have.

[#7]

I guess you missed the part of my post where I state the maps do NOT take into account trees or buildings and are an approximation.

[Mr_S]

Soooo what happens when my property is backing up to a huge pond and I have about 40+ acres of clear space un-obstructed by tress because you know water in all. By the way do you work for Verizon PR? Perhaps worked on their we cover more Americans campaign? Because you are doing a fabulous job if you do. Please do not spin this like I am some idiot user who doesn't know anything about RF transmission or how radio signals works. I don't live in Yosemite park, I don't live on a mountain in Colorado, I live in your typical suburban city just outside Boston, MA. If you see the picture attached I ask you to try to argue what is clear. For your reference and research I have also included the Data coverage and Voice&Messaging maps as well. As I mentioned before this is not just on my property it is the whole neighborhood. My neighbors have corroborated my theory and it extends for at least 2-3 miles. If what you say is true and this is an actual dead zone then Verizon has an obligation to its customers to not publish false or misleading information. In the pictures below if there was a dead zone that large it should be displayed on their maps.

[rcschnoor]

There is a disclaimer on ALL Verizon coverage maps that states:

"These Coverage Locator maps depict predicted and approximate wireless coverage. The coverage areas shown do not guarantee service availability, and may include locations with limited or no coverage. Even within a coverage area, there are many factors, including customer’s equipment, terrain, proximity to or inside buildings, foliage, and weather that may impact service. Some of the Coverage Areas include networks run by other carriers, the coverage depicted is based on their information and public sources, and we cannot ensure its accuracy."

For example, they don't measure the coverage in any given area. They have a tower and they know how big an area that tower SHOULD cover under ideal conditions. Objects between the tower and any given point, elevation changes between the tower and any given point, etc..., can alter whether or not a signal actually reaches all areas the tower SHOULD cover.

[Mitch_R]

Don't expect Verizon to do anything.  I get 0-2 bars in my house, and most of the time incoming calls don't even make my phone ring - they go straight to voice mail. Sometimes I get 4G; other times I get 1X.

I often get a warning/notification message along the lines of "no service available". I have contacted Verizon twice about that notification and the fact that I can't receive calls in my house. They didn't care. They offered to sell me the extender for about $250.00. Instead of paying $250 for the extender, I might just cancel as soon as my cancellation penalty drops below $250.  The problem is that cell service just seems to be bad in my house, and I'm not sure ATT or Sprint's customer service will be any better.