Mobile Phone Networks Coverage

darrenw5094

I have been with O2 for a while now, but i might change over sometime. I was wondering about the coverage for Vodafone, Meteor and the 3 network in the Louth area.

3 have a great €40 a month deal over a 18 month contract.

whelan1

i was with o2 for ages ... paying around €70 a month , i now pay €25 to 3.... the coverage wouldnt be as good but i am saving 50 euro a month

darrenw5094

whelan1 wrote: »

i was with o2 for ages ... paying around €70 a month , i now pay €25 to 3.... the coverage wouldnt be as good but i am saving 50 euro a month

Why is the coverage not as good? O2 seems fine.

whelan1

where i live the vodafone coverage is really bad , o2 is ok and 3 is between the 2

lucernarian

I've only checked this in the Drogheda area but Vodafone have almost twice as many mobile phone masts in operation as O2 have, with Meteor in between the two. Meteor also have some pretty good locations in the town so they're almost as good as Voda. Most of the masts are 3G enabled too and O2 have a 3G-only mast near Tullyallen.

Three have slightly fewer masts than O2 but between where their own masts are located and the way they fall back on Vodafone's GSM coverage they've got pretty good coverage in south Louth.

This webpage shows the location of various mobile stations in Ireland: http://www.askcomreg.ie/mobile/siteviewer.273.LE.asp

whelan1

we have the rebounders on our land for o2, vodafone and 3 .... i live about 1 mile from them ... the vodafone coverage is still brutal:rolleyes: i cant understand it

positron

Vodafone reception is pretty poor around parts of Wheaton Hall in Drogheda. Never had issues with O2 or meteor reception at the same location. Switching to Tesco soon - I hope they are okay as they are using O2 network.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It all depends on where you are. Many rural parts of mid Louth have very poor reception regardless of the provider. My home has almost zero signal on Vodafone, O2, and 3.

justaname

wheaton hall and grange rath are like black holes for most operators. I'm on meteor and Drogheda is quite good coverage. once you head towards tullyallen, collon area it drops a lot. If you use data I wouldn't recommend Meteor as the service always seems to drop a few times a day

jay93

positron wrote: »

Vodafone reception is pretty poor around parts of Wheaton Hall in Drogheda. Never had issues with O2 or meteor reception at the same location. Switching to Tesco soon - I hope they are okay as they are using O2 network.

if you never had any issues with o2 coverage then tesco will be the exact same as they use the same masts .you will have the same good coverage that you usually get

astonvanilla

What type of phone are you getting? If its a smart phone / iphone, 3G and EDGE coverage are quite good on o2 throughout Louth.

I got the girlfriend an iPhone on 3 for Christmas and she has had data issues with them. They don't seem to have a good EDGE (service below 3G) system in place.

General calls/texts (GPRS) coverage is standard enough across networks, it's data where there will be difference.

darrenw5094

Thinking of The Samsung Galaxy S on the 3 Mobile network.
I saw an iPhone 4 on the 3 network yesterday at my house and the phone showed 1 single bar of reception. My O2 phone shows 4 bars. I do hear though, that the iPhone has reception issues.

lucernarian

astonvanilla wrote: »

What type of phone are you getting? If its a smart phone / iphone, 3G and EDGE coverage are quite good on o2 throughout Louth.

I got the girlfriend an iPhone on 3 for Christmas and she has had data issues with them. They don't seem to have a good EDGE (service below 3G) system in place.

General calls/texts (GPRS) coverage is standard enough across networks, it's data where there will be difference.

I wouldn't agree with the first and third points, there's a lot of places I know of (particularly with colleges, shopping centres, large buildings in general and also some rural areas where one operator comes out on top for coverage. I'm basing all this on GSM coverage as that's more battery friendly and has more widespread coverage. I'd guess that a lot of people have experienced times when they have full "emergency calls only" coverage as they wait to get one bar of signal on their own network.

As for GSM coverage in areas, there is a weak O2 signal in the vicinity of the Monasterboice Inn/Donegan's and none whatsoever inside. Voda/Meteor coverage is perfect, considering they have a base station in the field behind it. I was once working at roof height not too far away from there and I could only manage one bar on O2 and there was naturally no coverage inside the house except for 999 calls.

(not in Louth but...) On roughly 20 miles of road between Cootehill and Carrickmacross there is only O2 GSM/3G coverage in and around Shercock. A Vodafone phone had a signal for 90% of the time in comparison. I haven't tried Meteor or three yet. It's clearly a big variable if you happen to be travelling between towns or live in the countryside.

Unusually, in my neck of the woods, three give me best coverage with the other networks being equal as I get coverage from the masts on Mt. Oriel. Three have a nearby mast which I can see from the house. But the thing is, if you don't have 3G coverage from three, you go onto Vodafone's GSM network. I would still say that most people prefer good calls and text coverage over data usage, though that's changing.

For voice/calls coverage: Vodafone are best in general. But the best way is to use the siteviewer link that i posted near the start of the thread. Also, sometimes Three's phones can insist on using a weak three signal than a strong Voda signal and that causes problems.

I've found all the iPhone series have fairly crap signal reception in comparison to nokias/sony ericssons etc.

darrenw5094

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

I've found all the iPhone series have fairly crap signal reception in comparison to nokias/sony ericssons etc.

That is what i am hoping. I might try the Samsung Galaxy S, but maybe i will switch from O2 to 3 on prepay with my existing phone, just to test the signal near my house.

jets799

i use my mobile alot for work, and i drive all over louth,meath, monaghan. i have been with o2 and vodaphone but now with 3 for 2years. money wise i am saving lots, thay have great deals and with me its great as i go to newry alot with work, and phone does not end up costing alot, down side i have to say is coverage is not as good...
but i will still stay with 3 as my bills are alot less

darrenw5094

jets799 wrote: »

down side i have to say is coverage is not as good...

How exactly does that affect the phone? Is it the calls cutting out or 3G issues or what?

jets799

i could be somewere and have no signal at all, and would have to drive 5min down the road to make a call. its fine most of the time in towns, but not so much when you leave:(

Whiskey Devil

I moved to Three from 02 and I have more than halved my bills with MORE usage. I'm mainly based in Dublin, but I do spend some weekends in Drogheda (Dublin Road area) and haven't noticed any signifigant difference in reception. 3G signal is inherently problematic on the iPhone 4, but I'm more than happy with my contract with Three.

I'm on the €60 per month plan. I was paying between €110-€160 with 02.

darrenw5094

I just changed over myself from O2 Prepay to 3 €40 a month bill pay. Different class to the miserable deal O2 offer. O2 need to get their a$$es in gear or they will be forgotten about. Reception is great because there was a 3 mast put up near my house.:)

Whiskey Devil

For anyone who calls Australia or the US on their mobile (perhaps I'm the only one stupid enough!!), 3 also offer great add ons (free depending on your plan). I can call Australia for 18c a minute, compared to almost €1 with 02.