Tempted to join but cautious about signal and number porting

[#1]

So I was quite impressed by the offers that dropped into my inbox. so much so it has made me consider leaving o2 after over a decade. The only trouble is virtually everyone in my work has no EE Signal, despite curiously o2 and Vodaphone signals being strong (so i cant see it being the building).

Now I understand that there is a 14 day cooling off if your not happy with the signal. but how is that affected if you want to port your existing number? is it better say for example go for the cheapest £5 sim first, test it out and then if your happy beging the process of moving your old number over. Can the porting be done after you setup your account with Plusnet?

If for instance i get the £5 sim and i discover that the signal in work is fine for me (and its just my colleagues iphones) then i will consider moving my existing number over.

annoyingly for me i know how to change network types on my android phone, if i had another colleague who had an android EE phone we could test out 4g 3g and 2g. unfortunately with the iPhones it seems impossible to switch between carrier modes.

[#2]

Before you take the plunge why not purchase a payg EE sim with the smallest amount of top up and give it a test?,  not ideal but maybe cheaper in the long run,there are some deals on a well known auction site.

[#3]

This is an interesting question. Can we assume that Plusnet customers will receive exactly the same level of coverage and 4g signal strength as a full EE customer or are piggyback type customer treated differently?

[#4]

Pretty much the same coverage. Eons ago i was on virgin mobile and they just piggybacked another network, I forget which one but I remember comparing it with a friend who had exact same phone and was on the piggyback network, zero difference in coverage.

What is the lowest cost EE sim you can get? must it be topped up? Sorry to sound stingy but i think to have to pay out to test the reception is silly in the 21st century.

*EDIT* ah looks like on EE's own website you can get a free sim. but will it connect to the network even though it has no credit? i would assume so. thats how i remember PAYG working ages ago.

Another problem i just realised is my current phone is locked to o2! i am getting a new phone for christmas so i guess ill have to wait until then to test it. the new phone is unlocked.

Unless i get any better suggestions im thinking wait until i get a new phone. order a free sim. test reception. if its cack and i cant improve it i just stick with o2. But if its fine start the change over and then laugh at the people in work who cant get signals on iPhones hehe.

[#5]

Had it confirmed by Plusnet today that you'll only get a maximum 20Mbps. So basically the bottom tier from EE network. With regard to reception/coverage then you could test out on a PAYG sim.

[#6]

Unfortunately in the Weymouth/Dorchester area where I live the EE coverage is nothing like as good as 02 - ping times and building penetration are also poor. The other major problem is the very high cost of phoning my son who lives in Spain. I currently (with GiffGaff) pay 2p or 9p a minute, Plusnet want £1.00 a minute which is frankly ridiculous!

[#7]

If you and your son are both on iPhone you can use FaceTime or FaceTime audio for free on your home wifi or use your mobile 3G/4G data. If not on iPhone then I'm sure they'll be an app to call over wifi for free. I've used Facebook and Skype to call for free. I think you can also use Snapchat or Whatsap. I often phone my friends in Australia, Spain and Thailand over wifi or 3G/4G, which costs me nothing.

[#8]

Yes, I do use Skype and other messaging and VOIP Apps and also Telegram which is excellent as it works on all platforms but of course contact requires both family members to be using a smartphone and have data access and to have the App running!.There are often occasions when the ability to make a quick call to a landline or mobile where either party is struggling for even a 2G service is necessary, even if only to arrange a Skype chat later. As I said in my last post EE coverage is not good in buildings here as even 2G uses a very high frequency. I still fail to understand why Plusnet have set the cost so high.

[#9]

Yeah it's an absolute must to be able to contact family whenever it's needed and like you say, not always possible to use VOIP apps when out of wifi range or lack of 3G/4G coverage. It's the cost of using my phone abroad and the capped speeds of 20Mbps why I won't be moving to Plusnet. 

[#10]

Although PlusNet have advised there's a 14 day cooling off period - which is the result of general distance selling regulations - the online sign-up procedure which I've just gone through specifically says:

Please tick this box to confirm you agree to our terms and conditions, have checked the coverage provided and that you'd like us to make a start with providing your services as soon as possible.

I did skim through the T+Cs - which inconveniently can't be downloaded and appear on a small scrollable box - so I cut'n'pasted into a Word document so I could search for the word "coverage" - and decided I was reasonably happy with them so have gone ahead.

After all I have "checked the coverage provided" so can legitimately tick even if when I checked it was not brilliant here - except on 2G! (3G not so good, 4G worse, as expected)

[#11]

Custos, like you I live in the Dorchester area and am currently on O2, I picked up an EE sim from Tesco while shopping last week to test the signal and from my tests it’s rubbish.

If I stand in my upstairs front bedroom window I get a full bar 4G signal just fine but walk away and nothing, not even a single bar signal for voice, 2G or 3G so data connection fine, phone calls, nope.

Much as I would like the deal and it’s the best I’ve seen for PAYG I just can’t use it, looks like I will have to stick with O2 and even with that at full strength we still only get an Edge (E) signal for data.

So much for the claims of ‘We cover 98% of the population’ (unless you live in the country lol).

[#12]

Yes, I have been visiting the hospital in Dorchester (DCH) rather a lot recently and my wife uses Asda Mobile (2G only on her phone] and I have an Asda SIM on a Windows phone but Asda do not support 4G. The coverage in the hospital is not as good as 02 (using GiffGaff) but my wife is able to make calls and send texts from most public areas. I wonder what phone you are using as some models have very poor RF performance - the worst seem some models of iPhone.

Despite my reservations I have signed up for a try, after all it is only a 30 day contract.

[#13]

I'm using an old iPhone 3gs until I can port my virgin number to Virgin mobile. The plusnet sim is showing just one bar on the iPhone indoors. I assume it's just 2g or 3g. I was expecting better but time will tell when I put the sim into my Nexus 5X.

[#14]

 feel the best option for myself is to grab a free sim on my new phone. test it in work and go from there.

[#15]

The RF performance of phones is rarely mentioned in reviews but it does vary a lot. After all a Mobile Phone is a transmitter/receiver and really just what we used to call a 'walky-talky' so the receiver and aerial is critical to reception. Some of the iPhones had major problems with the aerial. Many of the older phones with external aerials were far more efficient.