Rogers-EXT Implementation

[Rayg]

Thought this would be good and its simply a disaster for me because Rogers-ext comes in and out at my house. I get several texts a day telling me about this wonderful New service and jump from the old crappy Rogers signal to 4 bars of Roger-ext back to horrible all day long.  Idea is good but Implementation is horrible for users at home in an zone with weak signal.  Plus after calls to support they won't listen or do anything about it.

[jkroesen]

are you referring to Extended coverage????? 

If so I found this.. maybe it holds the explanation as to what is happening... 

The link to this page is below if you wants to see all of it....

How will the experience be different within the Extended Coverage area?

Your device will always connect to the Rogers network if it’s available. Once you’re within an Extended Coverage area, the signal strength may vary and you may experience slower data speeds. A few enhanced features may not be available, including:

• Name Display
• Phone Finder
• 411 Directory Assistance Call Completion
• #’s and short codes
• Some advanced features while using Rogers One Number™
• N11 codes:
  • 211 Community Information
  • 311 Non-Emergency Municipal Government
  • 511 Weather & Traveller Information
  • 711 Access to Message Relay Service (MRS) by the deaf
  • 811 Non-urgent Health Teletriage Services

If you’re on a call when you enter an Extended Coverage area, the call will drop. Once you seeEXT appear on your device screen, you can call back to complete your call.

Please note that Rogers and our roaming partners may, without notice, change networks or geographical coverage areas. Rogers is not liable for any loss suffered as a result of any disruptions or outages to Extended Coverage, or as a result of any changes to Extended Coverage areas.

What are the usage limitations of Extended Coverage?

Extended Coverage is meant to provide additional coverage to our customers in areas they sometimes travel to. It’s intended to be used occasionally and the majority of your monthly usage (talk, text and data) must occur on the Rogers network. If the majority of your monthly usage occurs within Extended Coverage areas, we may restrict or limit your access to Extended Coverage on an ongoing basis.

 Extended coverage FAQ's

[Rayg]

I know what the implementation is!   Your answer is not an answer.  I am not mobile when this happens I am at HOME!

SO I have zero control over this nuisance which IS WHAT I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT.  And I may not be the only one.  Best response is doing something Rogers!

I just know they didn't think this part of the implementation (thinking about mobile roaming in and out of semi-dead zones.  But what if you live in one?   What can you do to make your phone stick with ext until rogers signal is high enough (i.e. not switching back to Rogers when its still under 1 bar!!!)

I would appreciate escalations (as calling support got me nothing) and having someone technical respond with a possible solution or ETA for a solution and not some pre-packaged response aimed only at obfuscating the issue.  

Its a settings issue somewhere (tolerences) either on network or phone side.

[jkroesen]

This is a USER to USER forum.. if you want your concern escalated then you will have to call into Rogers if not resolved then you can try online to office of president (link below)... I know you didn't have success with tech support... 

share a concern

Sorry it wasn't the answer you were looking for.. However it does explain some of the limitations...

Good LUCK

[RogersDarrell]

@Rayg ,

An option you could look at on your device would be to turn your Network Settings to Manual and then choose Rogers as the Network.

This way the device is not set to Automatic, and therefore will not flip between the stronger of the two available networks; always staying with Rogers.

RogersDarrell

[EhmTeeEhf]

Have you considered Rogers One Number, it allows you to make free wifi calling when in a wifi area. I believe this might help when your signal indoors isn't allowing you to stay connected. I have personal experience living in an area where my signal is low indoors. It works great and is a free service.  

http://rogersonenumber.ca

[RogersAdam1]

Hello Rayg,

Is the problem only happening inside you home? What kind of signal do you have when you step outside? If the signal is weak, even outside, then how far do you have to venture to get a proper signal (at least 3 bars on 4G).

I understand this is a frustrating issue for you, however the community members have given you some great advice here. If these solutions aren't helping you, you would need to give more details about your situation; you can start with the questions I asked in this post.

[eunicetoo]

How do we turn off the Ext sms messages...they come in everytime it switches from Rogers to Ext. And in areas we're service is not great....we get these messages constantly....

[RogersAsif]

Hi @eunicetoo

Have you tried changing your carrier settings to "manual" instead of "automatic"?

Hope this helps.

RogersAsif

[Rayg]

It happens in and around the house and we constantly get the messages that is switching over.  THAT is the part that needs to change.  I;ve been waiting 10 years to get beter signal from Rogers and this is an acceptable alternative so long as we a not constantly bombarded by notifications that the network has switched.  Surely you can see its the implementation that needs to be adjusted by Rogers.  

I'm not alone and this is not a trivial issue.  I'd like to have someone from Rogers say they escalated and that is really the shame here not the fact I have not responded to some of the work arounds.  

The Rogers ext implemnentation is not suited to customers who live on the signal fringe.  Can you do the math as to how many customers that are being inconvenienced instead of thrilled by this new development.

That is the message takeway to Rogers management and engineering.  Plus how hard is it to tell the Messaging component to stop sending notifications after the first 50!!!!!!

[RogersAsif]

Hello @Rayg

I am very sorry to hear about the troubles you are experiencing. I understand the frustration

We would like to assist by escalating your case to our Network Team for further review.

I will have a member of our @CommunityHelps team reach out to you via private message. Please check your inbox.

RogersAsif

[Rayg]

Thanks for the reply.  I must say that I have not received a Text notice in a few days so if that has been fixed hooray and thanks!  

Now if we can only get Support agents not to belittle or dismiss what is happening, escalate issues properly and return calls when they primise to, I won't have to resort to these kinds of posts to ensure something is done about a problem.  

...Ray

[jms1963]

I was actually very excited about the EXT program. I was finally getting half decent reception in my area. I've been with Rogers ever since I moved back to Canada, and I know I won't be in this particular area forever, so I really don't want to change carriers. But because I have my 5, so I can talk to the rest of my family spread from sea to shining sea, I can't carry on with EXT without paying for it? I live in a semi isolated community!!!! I am being punished for being a loyal customer, at least that's how it feels.

[RogersDarrell]

Hello @jms1963,

As explained in your original post here; There is no fee or charge to use the Extended Network.

I suggest reviewing the Extended Network: FAQ's here.

RogersDarrell

[Gdkitty]

@RogersDarrell


Looking at the FAQ.. it says that anyone with my5 (or similar calling circle type things) are not eligible.

I think that is what they are talking about.

[Mdom]

I beleive I'm having the same issue when I'm at the cottage. I have gotten the sms messages, and the -ext signal strenght was much better than before, but for some reason it seemed to flip between 5 bars and 0 or 1, probably when using -ext vs not using it. I haven't gotten good reception lately at all though, but I'm only there on weekends so unable to test much.

Has the issue described here been investigated further? Any developments? I'm in Quebec and suspect the -ext service is provided by a Bell antenna...

Thanks

[ShakTiburon]

The fix is actually quiet the opposite.

If you switch the network to manual and chose NOT rogers. You will Get RogersEXT.
Because you'll be not connected to in-house network that is weak but instead RogersEXT network which is our partnership network shared. - Directed to OP of this topic.

As long as you are not on their network ALL the time. You can use RogersEXT
(In otherwords, you still use rogers network when you are in town or not at the cottage ect....)

However, I would HIGHLY ... HIGHLY.. suggest Wilson Booster - Consumer Version - External Weatherproof.
It will make your problem go away immediately... Unless you are shrouded by Trees, then no network technology can help you because trees act like mirrors, they reflect network signal against or within favor depending on mother natures mood (uncontrolable).

That is my two cent in this, of course.

@Mdom
it could be Bell, it could be other providers. Quebec has a lot of little guys that team up so I assume it may not be Bell but rather a local provider.

The Issue here is understanding how network works and what to do to make it work. OP sounds like he's at the border of this whole thing. Wilson booster, or manually choosing RogersEXT would be a solution.
The most you can do beyond this, is call tech - file a troubleticket, and if enough marginal coverage is reported by users. They send someone to tweak the tower with whatever technical stuff they can; this takes months and is not a guarantee that it will fix all uses issue.

o___o"

Edit: Grammar fixed. (I think)

[Rayg]

Thanks for trying ShakTib.  

When I turn off Automatic Carrier setting in IPhone.  I get 2 Rogers-Ext carriers.  When I select either one I get "no service "and then a message that the Network Lost.  Your selected cellular network is no longer available.  You can choose a different network in settings.  The other one is  named like 300-500 

Also was your suggestion to manually change my carrier settings everytime I go home?  If so that is nto acceptable.

Yes I am in a forest but its not that thick and maybe a booster like you suggest would do teh trick.  How much are these things?

[ShakTiburon]

Yea Manual change of network would be 100% hassle, I bet.
On the positive side, that didn't even work so no hassle! lol

Wilson Booster can go up to $250 for consumer. It all depends on HOW you want to set it up, you can look at best buy for model types to see how they work but I recommend buying from wholesaler/warehouse/commercial sites (they sell consumer too), but don't buy from RETAIL because of the mark-up on price. I recommend researching it.
There is no need for commercial model unless you have acres of land you want coverage for (those are in $ thousands $, so investment is worth it IF you need it)

Wilson booster is a name brand in this field of market. So there are other brands out there. I don't know it, because I am a sucker for Wilson Boosters only.

Good Luck.
May the Odds be ever in your favour.
(Trust me, this is a mission you want to research first)

[EhmTeeEhf]

It also depends on your plan type, there are alot of plans that EXT coverage is not compatible with. Do you have a plan with My5 or My10 in it. If you do those plans were excluded from EXT coverage as they have incompatible features that were originally tested during the beta phase but since it had been found they have issues, they were excluded from getting EXT coverage.  I would make sure if you want EXT coverage to check with customer services to make sure your plan is 100% compatible with Externded coverage. Remember just because you see the EXT networks, does not guarantee you can connect to it.

Just a thought 🙂

[Rayg]

Sorry but these replies are just off topic and are not helpful towards resolving the issue I originally posted. So let me repeat the two-fold problem.

I have Rogers-ext and think it is a great idea but the implementation for customers who live in a weak signal zone causes contant switching between the two when it should stay on ext considerably longer once it switches over and only switch back to Rogers when it knows it will offfer equivalent service.   The tolerences are just too tight and it switches back to Rogers even though the level of service will suck at 1 bar or less of signal (no data, can't send texts and certainly can't take a call).  Please tell me that is acceptable service in your opinion.    And remember, I haven't moved an inch.  If it just stuck to Ext until Rogers would be min 2-3 bars it might make sense.  As it is it just does not work for us.  I say us because there must be thousands of Rogers customers in such locations (its inevitable).

Plus, until recently it would send you a text at every swithover.  I think that part may now have been resolved but noone from Rogers has replied to this thread to say so which means noone knows what has been done if anything.

I wish the company and its employees would take this situation seriously and post what they are doing about it and one of you could put that URL in this thread.  That would be constructive.  

However, to my knowlege not one of the Rogers Employees who has been on this tread has checked in internally to see if it has been worked on (and what has or has not yet been addressed) and passed on the good news so that this thread could be closed.

Honestly IMO I feel the responses have more to do with brusing the dirt under the rug and getting this to go away.  No way, this is too important, should be escalated and a smart communication strategy should be in place so customers could feel the company cares about this major glitch rather than gloss everthing over.