2G/5G Routers and internet telephony

[retarius]

Hi folks,

I have a slight problem with making internet phone calls with my mobile phone. I had an iPhone and always had a poor line when I phoned the US, particularly if phoning a company that had an automated voice system to direct customers. I changed my phone to Android, but it has the same problem. My phone is nice and clear on the first menu, but deteriorates to a very poor line when I get through to the choices, such that I cannot hear anything and neither can the computer or any stray human that is listening. 

So I also noticed that I had a similar issue with my computer i.e. when my laptop is logged onto the 5G option on the router I have a poor connection, only 'two bars' and losing the internet often etc. If I switch the connection to there 2G mode the computer works very well and always has maximum number of bars. So I think to myself, maybe the problem is that since there is not really a 5G network and since I live in the boonies, then maybe if I switched my phone to call on 2G, then it would work better. Well I have no setting on my phone to alter the 5G to 2G....I have asked at the shop that sold me the phone as well.

So, I am wondering whether one can still purchase 2G or 3G phones that would only connect to the 2G mode of my router? Obviously I have tried locally and unsuccessfully to buy a 2G burner type phone. Does anyone know where to buy one.....or alternatively why, when I call my banks in the US, I am unable to communicate with them?

[topt]

is your router connected to a cable (either fibre or other) or is it a mobile hotspot type with a Sim card?

 

The reason I ask is that what you say does not really make sense from what I understand.

2g has I believe been gone for a few years and 3g is being switched off at some point in the future and most new phones work on 4g as a minimum. 

The phones and your computer can connect wirelessly to a router normally over 2.4GHz or 5GHz  and strength will depend on how far you are from the router and what is in the way - IE brick walls etc. Normally they will connect to the strongest signal.

 

For completeness to help troubleshoot you may want to let people know what your router hardware is and the theoretical speed you are paying for.

[retarius]

It is connected via a fibre optic cable....3BB. We had AIS (I think) before that but got so many dropped connection that we quit. It is supposed to be 100 meg but I have never actually checked it....it is fast enough for my limited needs. I don't download hardly anything these days. The speed is fine for streaming and fine for Spotify. I don't use Face Book Twitter or other social media, except Asean Now. 

[retarius]

7 minutes ago, retarius said:

It is connected via a fibre optic cable....3BB. We had AIS (I think) before that but got so many dropped connection that we quit. It is supposed to be 100 meg but I have never actually checked it....it is fast enough for my limited needs. I don't download hardly anything these days. The speed is fine for streaming and fine for Spotify. I don't use Face Book Twitter or other social media, except Asean Now. 

I should have mentioned that I use FaceTime for video calls....and 5G works fine with that. This is why I am not sure my theory is correct and asked on here.

[treetops]

You still aren't explaining what you have in an understandable manner as indicated by topt.

 

How it appears to me is that you have a router communicating on 2 available frequencies.  These are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.  The 2.4 GHz frequency is slower but reaches further and will pass through obstacles like walls better, and this could posssibly explain why you have 2 bars on one and 5 bars on the other.

 

But.

 

You say your phone won't connect to your 2.4GHz network which seems strange as your laptop sees it OK.  In the phone shop you'll be too far away to see it.  You should find it under settings, Wi-Fi or similar which should then show you a list of available networks.  A router with 2.4 and 5GHz capability usually just has the name and _2.4 or _5 after it to show the difference.  You can check the exact name by looking for it on your laptop which you say connects to it no problem.

 

The 2G and 3G phones you mention are 2nd and 3rd Generation mobile phone technology and not relevant AIUI, but I could have misunderstood you altogether.

 

Try again but with some pictures of what you're seeing if posssible.

[Soondae]

On 1/17/2024 at 1:59 PM, retarius said:

Hi folks,

I have a slight problem with making internet phone calls with my mobile phone. I had an iPhone and always had a poor line when I phoned the US, particularly if phoning a company that had an automated voice system to direct customers. I changed my phone to Android, but it has the same problem. My phone is nice and clear on the first menu, but deteriorates to a very poor line when I get through to the choices, such that I cannot hear anything and neither can the computer or any stray human that is listening. 

So I also noticed that I had a similar issue with my computer i.e. when my laptop is logged onto the 5G option on the router I have a poor connection, only 'two bars' and losing the internet often etc. If I switch the connection to there 2G mode the computer works very well and always has maximum number of bars. So I think to myself, maybe the problem is that since there is not really a 5G network and since I live in the boonies, then maybe if I switched my phone to call on 2G, then it would work better. Well I have no setting on my phone to alter the 5G to 2G....I have asked at the shop that sold me the phone as well.

So, I am wondering whether one can still purchase 2G or 3G phones that would only connect to the 2G mode of my router? Obviously I have tried locally and unsuccessfully to buy a 2G burner type phone. Does anyone know where to buy one.....or alternatively why, when I call my banks in the US, I am unable to communicate with them?

Get a Skype number and use Skype to place your calls. You will login via your provider; AIS, True, etc. then connect to Skype whom will route your calls to the banks for a small fee. Works great for me, as a matter of fact I had placed calls this morning to two of my banks and call quality was perfect.

[KhunBENQ]

16 hours ago, treetops said:

but I could have misunderstood you altogether

My very first idea when I read the OP.

The confusion of the era.

5G mobile and 5 GHz WiFi frequency.

Same with the "bars". Could be indicator for mobile/cellular signal strength or indicator for WiFi signal strength.

 

To me the problem sounds much like selecting one of the two WiFi frequencies.

As most devices nowadays my router does 2.4 GHz and 5 Ghz WiFi.

Most always I connect the mobile phone to 2.4 GHz.

Fast enough for everything on the phone.

The 5 GHz signal suffers from just a window and a wall in between.

[KhunBENQ]

[KhunBENQ]

On 1/17/2024 at 1:59 PM, retarius said:

making internet phone calls with my mobile phone.

What do you use for internet phone calls?

Skype? Or what?

[Gottfrid]

22 hours ago, retarius said:

It is connected via a fibre optic cable....3BB. We had AIS (I think) before that but got so many dropped connection that we quit. It is supposed to be 100 meg but I have never actually checked it....it is fast enough for my limited needs. I don't download hardly anything these days. The speed is fine for streaming and fine for Spotify. I don't use Face Book Twitter or other social media, except Asean Now. 

I think your problem is with only 100 mbit. You know the cable and connection is 100 Mbit, but sometimes when many users on the same main cable, the connection gets much lower. Your best bet will be to at least double the speed on your connection. I have 2 x 1Gbit connections, and sometimes think that is slow. 

[retarius]

23 hours ago, retarius said:

It is connected via a fibre optic cable....3BB. We had AIS (I think) before that but got so many dropped connection that we quit. It is supposed to be 100 meg but I have never actually checked it....it is fast enough for my limited needs. I don't download hardly anything these days. The speed is fine for streaming and fine for Spotify. I don't use Face Book Twitter or other social media, except Asean Now. 

I should have mentioned that I use FaceTime for video calls....and 5G works fine with that. This is why I am not sure my theory is correct and asked on here. 

[retarius]

14 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

I think your problem is with only 100 mbit. You know the cable and connection is 100 Mbit, but sometimes when many users on the same main cable, the connection gets much lower. Your best bet will be to at least double the speed on your connection. I have 2 x 1Gbit connections, and sometimes think that is slow. 

You might be right, but it's a personal router used only by the folk in our house. When I complain about dropped connections the 5G service in the mornings, maybe there are 4 or 5 other users connected to the router by mobile phone. The service never plays up in the evening when the staff have gone home.

In any event, I have ordered two basic Nokia phones and will get SIMS for them and see if they work; I've changed my mobile phone provider (ditched AIS after 19 years, and gone with true) to see if that helps; and I've learned how to change from 5G to the 2G on my phone. If it doesn't;t work, I'll have to ditch 3BB and get another internet provider. 

[Gottfrid]

3 hours ago, retarius said:

You might be right, but it's a personal router used only by the folk in our house. When I complain about dropped connections the 5G service in the mornings, maybe there are 4 or 5 other users connected to the router by mobile phone. The service never plays up in the evening when the staff have gone home.

In any event, I have ordered two basic Nokia phones and will get SIMS for them and see if they work; I've changed my mobile phone provider (ditched AIS after 19 years, and gone with true) to see if that helps; and I've learned how to change from 5G to the 2G on my phone. If it doesn't;t work, I'll have to ditch 3BB and get another internet provider. 

Ok, I did not mean users in the house. I meant that your connection comes from a box with more connections. If there is a high load of users at the same time, the total shared capacity of the box can go way lower than 100 Mbit per user. That´s why you need more. If have 200 Mbit and high load of users, then you might still have 100 Mbit instead of only 50Mbit.

[NextG]

4 hours ago, retarius said:

You might be right, but it's a personal router used only by the folk in our house. When I complain about dropped connections the 5G service in the mornings, maybe there are 4 or 5 other users connected to the router by mobile phone. The service never plays up in the evening when the staff have gone home.

In any event, I have ordered two basic Nokia phones and will get SIMS for them and see if they work; I've changed my mobile phone provider (ditched AIS after 19 years, and gone with true) to see if that helps; and I've learned how to change from 5G to the 2G on my phone. If it doesn't;t work, I'll have to ditch 3BB and get another internet provider. 

You need to stop describing everything with a G. Mobile connections are described with a ‘G’. e.g 4G, 5G. 
WiFi is 2.4GHz & 5GHz. Try to remember that, otherwise what you write is VERY confused.