Difference between revisions of "Cellphone Access"

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Considering the Evergreen campus' remote location and cement buildings, cellular reception is notoriously unreliable.  There are many areas with little-to-no service; especially inside buildings (this applies for both upper campus and in housing). 
 
  
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Additionally, all carriers are not created equal. AT&T is generally considered to have the best reception, with Sprint in a close second.  T-Mobile's reception is relatively poor and is the least reliable of the big four cellular carriers. Verizon is somewhere in between Sprint and T-Mobile.  Most small and pre-paid carriers (such as Virgin Mobile and TracFone) use Sprint or AT&T's towers and as such have similar reception.  That said, differences between carriers are not as drastic as this comparison implies; no carrier is superior or inferior enough to recommend switching when attending Evergreen.  Reception for all carriers has been steadily improving over the last few years and should continue to do so.
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[[File:Phone3-green.svg|50px|left]]Considering the Evergreen campus' remote location and cement buildings, cellular reception is limited particularly inside buildings.  However, WiFi Calling is available for free from most service providers and our WiFi coverage is strong in most indoor locations.
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Finally, there is one more issue for users of CDMA carriers (Sprint and Verizon, or anything without a SIM card).  Because of the way that CDMA operates, going in and out of areas with reception will drain a phone's battery faster than staying in an area with continuous or no reception.  The difference isn't massive but is very noticeable.   
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To utilize WiFi Calling(WFC), you first must have the service active on your account from your service provider.  Many providers have the WiFi Calling services ready to use, but some may require that you specifically request the service.  Once the service is active on your account, the next step is to activate the service on the device.  Below are some links from the major service providers in our area on how to activate the service for their supported cellphone models:
  
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Verizon WiFi Calling - https://www.verizon.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/
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Verizon WFC Apple IOS Setup Instructions - https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-204165/
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AT&T WiFi Calling - https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1359697/
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T-Mobile WiFi Calling - https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/wi-fi-calling-from-t-mobile
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Tips: 
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* There can be instances where the service provider will prioritize the cellular signal over the WFC session as the cell tower believes the signal strong enough to handle the call.  If you are having calls dropped in this scenario, you can turn on Airplane mode with WiFi enabled.  This will force the calls/texts to use the WFC service as long as you are connected to WiFi.  Just remember to turn off Airplane mode when leaving a building to allow for cellular services to be reestablished. 
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* When travelling to other locations, don't forget to update the 911 address.  To activate WFC, you will be required to acknowledge this responsibility with the service provider, but a friendly reminder never hurts.<!-- end col-md-8 -->
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[[Category:Telephones]]
 
[[Category:Telephones]]

Latest revision as of 10:50, 27 June 2023

Phone3-green.svg
Considering the Evergreen campus' remote location and cement buildings, cellular reception is limited particularly inside buildings. However, WiFi Calling is available for free from most service providers and our WiFi coverage is strong in most indoor locations.

To utilize WiFi Calling(WFC), you first must have the service active on your account from your service provider. Many providers have the WiFi Calling services ready to use, but some may require that you specifically request the service. Once the service is active on your account, the next step is to activate the service on the device. Below are some links from the major service providers in our area on how to activate the service for their supported cellphone models:

Verizon WiFi Calling - https://www.verizon.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/

Verizon WFC Apple IOS Setup Instructions - https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-204165/

AT&T WiFi Calling - https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1359697/

T-Mobile WiFi Calling - https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/wi-fi-calling-from-t-mobile

Tips:

  • There can be instances where the service provider will prioritize the cellular signal over the WFC session as the cell tower believes the signal strong enough to handle the call. If you are having calls dropped in this scenario, you can turn on Airplane mode with WiFi enabled. This will force the calls/texts to use the WFC service as long as you are connected to WiFi. Just remember to turn off Airplane mode when leaving a building to allow for cellular services to be reestablished.
  • When travelling to other locations, don't forget to update the 911 address. To activate WFC, you will be required to acknowledge this responsibility with the service provider, but a friendly reminder never hurts.

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