The Best Way To Get Mobile Phone Coverage

Young fella · Member

The Best Way To Get Mobile Phone Coverage

Possum3 · Guru

Welcome to GN's Young Fella, Telstra Blue tick phone gets coverage in most towns - areas outside of townships is pot luck. I would suggest you store your needs until you can get to a town - most Rural Libraries have free Internet.

Young fella · Member

Great tip Possum3, thanks.

Have you tried any of these so called reception boosting devices before?

yobarr · Guru

Young fella wrote:
G'day Nomads. Just about to embark on my first Australia trip. I've heard the reception can be non existent away from most major towns. I will be running my online business on the road so just wanted to ask if anyone has found really good ways around this.
I'm aware Telstra is the king for coverage and I've heard about RV wifi, Cel-Fi or using your phone on a pole haha...
Thought there would be a wealth of knowledge on here so would love to hear all your thoughts.
The good, the bad and the devices that just don't work.
I've seen some great reviews on Cel-Fi Go just wondered if anyone had good experiences using this device?
Thanks in advance, love the knowledge on this forum!

Cel-Fi Go is the go! Always I free-camp,and I have been through most of Queensland,out past Mitchell and Morven on the way to Mt Isa,and up to Port Douglas via Charters Towers.I also have done a bit if travel in NSW,and never have I had no reception when I was travelling,or stopped for the night,although it is a bit patchy at 90km/hr in the back of beyond. Have a booster in the van for use at night,and highly recommend the Cel-Fi go.Cheers

P.S Have contact with a good Cel-Fi Go supplier/installer in Brisbane if you would like to talk with him.

dabbler · Guru

CelFi is a good option and more flexible than the Wifi/internet solutions. They might seem expensive but compared to other items we buy for travel, it's not a lot really. CelFi will definitely improve reception when moving and in camp just outside normal range of coverage. If you also want campsite or van coverage, the included sever antenna is insufficient if installing in your vehicle but that's easily remedied. There are good deals right now on kits that include both donor and server antenna. ( Rumours about 5G versions are around but I don't think any supplier in Australia is saying much. It's a simple self install.

Rob Driver · Guru

Hi Young fella, welcome to the forum.

I have no experience with the newer CelFi Go as I have used an old (now) Netgear 4GX Advanced 3 since we started travelling.
It has worked well for our data and with phones connected to Boost (on the Telstra Network) we have enjoyed reasonable reception wherever Telstra service is available
The Netgear unit is now out of date and apart from replacing the battery has served us well.

I have been doing a bit of research on the newer equipment as I feel my time will come, and with that I have noticed some less than encouraging comments re the CelFi Go unit.

Read some reports here:

www.productreview.com.au/listings/cel-fi

My other thoughts have been recently directed toward the RV Wi Fi unit for < $500.00

Here:

www.mygenerator.com.au/rv-wifi-wifi-router-kit.html%20-%20Auto%20PLA%20-%20Rv%20Wifi%20-%20Generics&utm_term=4578641334985355&utm_content=RVWifi-Plus%20-%20Rv%20Wifi%20-%20Portable%20Caravan%20Wifi%2B4gx%201%20Year%20Warranty

Before I get a hiding on here this is not a recommendation only a suggestion and an observation.

Are We Lost · Guru

An inexpensive partial solution is to get a SIM on the Optus network. Telstra shines as the best for most of Australia, but in the occasional location, Optus is the only choice. There could also be times when the Telstra cell is down.

I will leave those with experience using Cel-Fi Go and others to advise on them.

Whether you use one of those devices or a modem or external antenna, find a way to raise it up high. This often makes a huge difference.

Possum3 · Guru

Young Fella, I don't need any amplifying devices now days as I no longer go out into such remote places that I may need it - In days past I've carried VHF, PLB, and smoke flares but in those days I was normally travelling solo and venturing into some extremely remote areas. If my Telstra Blue Tick, UHF Radios cant get me assistance when needed, tough - My Kids and family always know my planned areas, which is about alll I need.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

If you have the tiniest signal, lifting the modem a few meters higher will often make it quite usable.
I use a "Kelly pole" telescopic fishing pole for this.

Cheap and often very effective.

Cheers,

Peter

yobarr · Guru

Are We Lost wrote:
An inexpensive partial solution is to get a SIM on the Optus network. Telstra shines as the best for most of Australia, but in the occasional location, Optus is the only choice. There could also be times when the Telstra cell is down.

I will leave those with experience using Cel-Fi Go and others to advise on them.

Whether you use one of those devices or a modem or external antenna, find a way to raise it up high. This often makes a huge difference.

Interesting post,Stephen. Somehow I have acquired a flash new phone which will take 2 SIM cards. Just wondering if I can have both Optus and Telstra SIMs at the same time? Also have a flash little Blue Tick phone,very basic,but works well. Cheers

PeterD · Guru

Young fella wrote:
Just about to embark on my first Australia trip. I've heard the reception can be non existent away from most major towns. I will be running my online business on the road so just wanted to ask if anyone has found really good ways around this.
I'm aware Telstra is the king for coverage and I've heard about RV wifi, Cel-Fi or using your phone on a pole haha...

Brandon, there are lots of areas where the normal mobile phone is nonexistent. In those areas, the Ce-Fi is of no use. All the Cel-Fi does is to extend the fringe areas a bit further. If you really wish to be in contact you either use the networks online and only go to those areas where the signal is available. Outside those areas, the satphone system is the only way you will get reliable communication

When you are in the cellphone reception area you can extend the fringe area by using an elevated antenna. In that extended fringe area, the Cel-Fi is one way you can connect a handheld phone to that elevated antenna. If a Cel-Fi will communicate then a mobile internet system modem will work equally well. A cellphone will work equally well through a mobile internet connection via Bluetooth as through the Cell-Fi at a much cheaper cost. If you can run an internet connection in your van at all times then you will be able to have your external antenna in a better position than a Cel-Fi antenna on the top of your tug. If you can not install your antenna on the top of the tug then the antenna position on the top of the van will run rings around an antenna on the bullbar.

oldbloke · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
If you have the tiniest signal, lifting the modem a few meters higher will often make it quite usable.
I use a "Kelly pole" telescopic fishing pole for this.
Cheap and often very effective.
Cheers,
Peter

Soo, guru, are you just doing that to get internet via your mobile. Obviously can't make calls that way.

Radar · Guru

oldbloke wrote:
Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
If you have the tiniest signal, lifting the modem a few meters higher will often make it quite usable.
I use a "Kelly pole" telescopic fishing pole for this.
Cheap and often very effective.
Cheers,
Peter
Soo, guru, are you just doing that to get internet via your mobile. Obviously can't make calls that way.

Hey Oldbloke, good morning.

Coming from someone with no numbers after his name. I get my white Optus wifi thingy and sit it on a stump and make wifi calls or mostly send photos of our remote, not to remote camp sites to our son in Austria just for a lark, my wife standing along side me with her leading brand communication supplier never seems to be able to match it. This is east side of Australia.

Wifi calling is the best thing, my wifi uses my phone account for data, no extra charges.

Oldbloke talk with young people and get yourself a smart phone, not a expensive one, we are running a Motorola 8, cost between $200&300.

Radar · Guru

Young fella wrote:
G'day Nomads.

Just about to embark on my first Australia trip. I've heard the reception can be non existent away from most major towns. I will be running my online business on the road so just wanted to ask if anyone has found really good ways around this.
I'm aware Telstra is the king for coverage and I've heard about RV wifi, Cel-Fi or using your phone on a pole haha...
Thought there would be a wealth of knowledge on here so would love to hear all your thoughts.
The good, the bad and the devices that just don't work.
I've seen some great reviews on Cel-Fi Go just wondered if anyone had good experiences using this device?
Thanks in advance, love the knowledge on this forum!

We have our son who lives in Europe with his wife, both work from home for British based companies, when they were able to travel to Australia they would keep on managing their work load as they toured around Australia, the most important thing for them was planned communication 3 times a week for conference calls and to send important data to the head office.

I did offer to buy them an cel phone extender, there answer was "no thank you, we will place ourselves in a good cel area for business activity".

I not saying extenders do not work but if I was running a mobile business, I certainly would not be counting on a cel phone extender.

It would only be good for a couple of k's if not metres outside a cel area.

We do hedge our bets, one on Optus and one on Telstra, when neither got single it is perfect peace but we are retired.

All the best with it.

-- Edited by Radar on Tuesday 10th of August 2021 07:39:08 AM

yobarr · Guru

Some interesting comments on this subject. Because I am not at all tech-savvy,much of it has gone over straight my head,but I would like to again say that my Cel-Fi Go has never let me down.When Midcoast NSW had the BIG storms in March,I was in the Taree and Wingham areas where all landline and mobile coverage was lost,but my Cel-Fi Go still worked.Friends travelled 20km through the bush to stand beside my car and make their calls.Don't ask me how that can be,but it happened.Cel-Fi Gi is HIGHLY recommended,but it MUST be installed by someone who knows what they're doing,and NOT by someone who only THINKS he knows what he's doing.Cheers

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

oldbloke wrote:

Soo, guru, are you just doing that to get internet via your mobile. Obviously can't make calls that way.

Correct, plus calls via Skype or some other internet system, but you can do the same thing with a modem if you have one.

Cheers,

Peter

Radar · Guru

yobarr wrote:
Some interesting comments on this subject. Because I am not at all tech-savvy,much of it has gone over straight my head,but I would like to again say that my Cel-Fi Go has never let me down.When Midcoast NSW had the BIG storms in March,I was in the Taree and Wingham areas where all landline and mobile coverage was lost,but my Cel-Fi Go still worked.Friends travelled 20km through the bush to stand beside my car and make their calls.Don't ask me how that can be,but it happened.Cel-Fi Gi is HIGHLY recommended,but it MUST be installed by someone who knows what they're doing,and NOT by someone who only THINKS he knows what he's doing.Cheers

It certainly sounds like good bit of gear.

Are We Lost · Guru

yobarr wrote:
Interesting post,Stephen. Somehow I have acquired a flash new phone which will take 2 SIM cards. Just wondering if I can have both Optus and Telstra SIMs at the same time? Also have a flash little Blue Tick phone,very basic,but works well. Cheers

It's been several years since I have had a dual SIM phone, so my comments here are based on that technology.

It supported 2G and 3G (not 4G), but the limiter was that it would only connect one SIM at a time on 3G and I had to choose in the settings. Now with 4G the most used, I would expect most phones would support both SIMs on 4G.

Usually a dual SIM phone will allow both networks to be active at once. If either number rings you just answer it as normal. For making calls, you set one as the default, or the phone can ask which SIM for every call. There would ususally be a separate setting to choose which SIM to use for data.

Clarky 1 · Senior Member

Dual sim phones are a good idea and gives you great flexibility particularly when Optus is available and Telstra isnt.
Some of the truckies used to use them when I was on the road, to cover a few more areas.

I see the RV WiFi unit was mentioned above and I wonder if anyone on the forum is using one and if so, what are your thoughts.

www.rvwifi.com.au/

PeterD · Guru

Stu, they do the same thing as the device on this page - 4GX Hotspot (which is the one I use.) On the mobile internet and Wi-Fi side, they are very similar devices. Where the two differ is the external antennas that are supplied with the basic RV Wi-Fi package. Those larger antennas that are attached to the side of the blue box will be a little more efficient than the internal ones in the Hotspot. The kit also comes with an extra antenna that may be mounted on the top of your van, this will give you a worthwhile improvement in performance. The RV Wi-Fi antenna connectors on the side of it also make it easier to attach other antennas that will have a higher gain than in the case of doing so with my Hotspot, you don't have to fiddle around with patch leads to provide the same connectors.

If you already have a portable internet modem like the Hotspot it will be much cheaper to purchase a couple of jumper leads and the two external antennas or a MiMo antenna. You will get a similar performance to what you will get with the RV Wi-Fi using the same antennas. However, if you do not have a portable wireless modem that you can attach external antennas then go for the RV Wi-Fi, it looks like a good piece of gear. The only problem I see is if you wish to use it in a portable mode, when you remove it from your van you will have to provide an external 12 V power source to it as it does not come with an internal battery.

PeterD · Guru

yobarr wrote:
Some interesting comments on this subject. Because I am not at all tech-savvy,much of it has gone over straight my head,but I would like to again say that my Cel-Fi Go has never let me down.When Midcoast NSW had the BIG storms in March,I was in the Taree and Wingham areas where all landline and mobile coverage was lost,but my Cel-Fi Go still worked.Friends travelled 20km through the bush to stand beside my car and make their calls.

Chris, using your Cel-Fi on the NSW north coast is a little different than using it in the outback. Your friends standing beside your car and making calls are doing so in marginal signal areas. These areas are the areas that Telstra will tell you that you need an external antenna on your phone. Your friends are effectively using your Cel-Fi external antenna as the external antenna for their phones. If they could attach an external antenna to their phones they would not need your Cel-Fi.

When you get into the outback you do not have to travel far to get into areas where there is no signal at all, even using the external antenna on your Cel-Fi will not get a usable signal. P&M's phone up the stick will get a signal further from town than your car-mounted antenna as it is much higher than yours. When you get to travel to these areas, please don't get too disappointed when your Cell-Fi stops working, it will only work as far as the fringe areas where an external antenna is required extends to. - These are the areas where the OP is wishing to travel and still be able to conduct his business.

-- Edited by PeterD on Tuesday 10th of August 2021 04:35:58 PM

Clarky 1 · Senior Member

Howdy PeterD,

Thanks for you reply and I certainly appreciate the detail.

My daughter has one of those 4GX Telstra hotspots and she uses it at home for wi fi and when she travels in her camper and she is happy with it. Her unit is new.

I was talking to a guy the other day and he has a telstra hotspot and he says that when it is charging and while he is on the internet, if it gets to 100% charge then the speed of his Telstra internet drops to only kilobits per second.
He has to switch it off and then back on to get the speed back. This was instructed by Telstra apparently.

When I saw the RV Wi Fi I was interested in it because as you have confirmed, it does not have an internal battery.
I have no need to use it out of the van as we both have a small serve of data on our phones.

We don't do really remote camping any more as we stick more coastal areas these days.

My daughter paid just under $440 for the 4GX hotspot purchased outright so for the RV Wi Fi at under $500 is probably not a bad price.
I saw them on Ebay for $480.00 the other day.
Thanks again for your help.

My apology to the OP for possibly hi jacking your post. I hope some of this info might be of some value to you, at least.

yobarr · Guru

PeterD wrote:
yobarr wrote:
Some interesting comments on this subject. Because I am not at all tech-savvy,much of it has gone over straight my head,but I would like to again say that my Cel-Fi Go has never let me down.When Midcoast NSW had the BIG storms in March,I was in the Taree and Wingham areas where all landline and mobile coverage was lost,but my Cel-Fi Go still worked.Friends travelled 20km through the bush to stand beside my car and make their calls.
Chris, using your Cel-Fi on the NSW north coast is a little different than using it in the outback. Your friends standing beside your car and making calls are doing so in marginal signal areas. These areas are the areas that Telstra will tell you that you need an external antenna on your phone. Your friends are effectively using your Cel-Fi external antenna as the external antenna for their phones. If they could attach an external antenna to their phones they would not need your Cel-Fi.
When you get into the outback you do not have to travel far to get into areas where there is no signal at all, even using the external antenna on your Cel-Fi will not get a usable signal. P&M's phone up the stick will get a signal further from town than your car-mounted antenna as it is much higher than yours. When you get to travel to these areas, please don't get too disappointed when your Cell-Fi stops working, it will only work as far as the fringe areas where an external antenna is required extends to. - These are the areas where the OP is wishing to travel and still be able to conduct his business.
-- Edited by PeterD on Tuesday 10th of August 2021 04:35:58 PM

Hi Peter.Seems that you have not read this thread in its entirity,so for your benefit I have taken a screen shot of an earlier post. The area where my friends visited me to use the Cel-Fi Go usually is a "5 Bar" area,but for several days nobody but me (NOT myself) had any signal.Never yet stopped anywhere where it would not work.Cheers

Radar · Guru

Yobarr.

I wonder if you were not parked close by to a SES depot or a Bush Fire Brigade depot which would explain why you had mobile service.

I do have a friend who informed me one day Emergencies Services have some extra mobile service, he is up on the mid north coast.

Your bit of gear sounds alright but I will just stick with my simple wifi moderm with a antenna when I am desperate for communication.

oldbloke · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
oldbloke wrote:

Soo, guru, are you just doing that to get internet via your mobile. Obviously can't make calls that way.
Correct, plus calls via Skype or some other internet system, but you can do the same thing with a modem if you have one.
Cheers,
Peter

Thx, that was what I was thinking

yobarr · Guru

Radar wrote:
Yobarr.
I wonder if you were not parked close by to a SES depot or a Bush Fire Brigade depot which would explain why you had mobile service.
I do have a friend who informed me one day Emergencies Services have some extra mobile service, he is up on the mid north coast.
Your bit of gear sounds alright but I will just stick with my simple wifi moderm with a antenna when I am desperate for communication.

Hi Ralph.Nowhere near anything like that,and 20km from nearest town,on a river near state forest.Cheers

PeterD · Guru

To yobarr

Chris, what I am saying to you is that if there is signal in the area then you can pick it up with a good antenna that is fed to a good receiver. That includes your Cel-Fi setup. It aslo includes the RV Wi-Fi that Stu (Clarky 1) is enquiring about and the mobile internet modems connected to external antennas. All these will drift out of the signal areas at about the same spots.

On 08:28 Aug 10, 2021 you posted "Because I am not at all tech-savvy,much of it has gone over straight my head" Despite the fact that some of us who have worked in communications are giving you the facts, these things are still going over your head. AS you drive away from the transmitting stations the first things to cease to work are the mobile phones with their simple internal antennas. The last things to stop working as you drive further from the transmitters are those things with good external antennas. So far you have been fortunate to be travelling in areas where you have been getting some signal. However, I can assure you there are areas out there where your Cel-Fi will stop working. Those will be the areas where Peter (P&M) can also not get communication with his phone up the pole. As Telstra claim, they cover 98% of the Australian population. When you get out to where the other 2% live you are likely to lose communication. Your Cel-Fi does not have the coverage you think it has. It certainly has a much better coverage than handheld phones but there are other devices that will manage the same coverage.

Noelpolar · Veteran Member

I use a cel fi..... move it from vehicle to van.... have antennas on both..... I find it useful.... on van I use a 11db yaggi on a mast. Situations I find it useful for are.... if van is in a dip... ie a gully...... also when say 10 to 20km outside of a towns normal coverage.... also if no reception.... but know I can go up on a hill down the road.... I take the van mast and yaggi and have a tow ball bracket.... photo doing just this at Gluepot last week.

yobarr · Guru

PeterD wrote:
To yobarr

Chris, what I am saying to you is that if there is signal in the area then you can pick it up with a good antenna that is fed to a good receiver. That includes your Cel-Fi setup. It aslo includes the RV Wi-Fi that Stu (Clarky 1) is enquiring about and the mobile internet modems connected to external antennas. All these will drift out of the signal areas at about the same spots.

On 08:28 Aug 10, 2021 you posted "Because I am not at all tech-savvy,much of it has gone over straight my head" Despite the fact that some of us who have worked in communications are giving you the facts, these things are still going over your head. AS you drive away from the transmitting stations the first things to cease to work are the mobile phones with their simple internal antennas. The last things to stop working as you drive further from the transmitters are those things with good external antennas. So far you have been fortunate to be travelling in areas where you have been getting some signal. However, I can assure you there are areas out there where your Cel-Fi will stop working. Those will be the areas where Peter (P&M) can also not get communication with his phone up the pole. As Telstra claim, they cover 98% of the Australian population. When you get out to where the other 2% live you are likely to lose communication. Your Cel-Fi does not have the coverage you think it has. It certainly has a much better coverage than handheld phones but there are other devices that will manage the same coverage.

Hi Peter.Thanks to the detailed information you have provided,slowly I am learning! The reason for a previous post simply was to state that I was indeed well away from any transmitters when the Cel-I Go was getting signal,and I was in no way questioning or criticizing the valuable advice you gave.Hope this clears any misunderstanding? Also,I am in complete agreement with your last two sentences,where coverage was discussed,and I fully understand that the 2% of the population that gets no coverage likely are spread over 70% of the country's area,or more? Thanks again for your advice.However,at this stage in my travels over most of Queensland,I am yet to be out "out of range",heavy bushed areas excepted.Cheers

Mike Harding · Guru

Rather than the Cel-Fi thingie I would think that, these days, a far more elegant and considerably cheaper solution would be to buy a quality mobile modem such as the:

Nighthawk MR1100

fit an external antenna when necessary and use wi-fi calling or Skype or the like. This kills two birds with one stone (telephone and data), is smaller, easier to set up and will use less power.

In fact I may have just convinced myself to buy one :)