Vodafone Sure Signal

The mobile phone signal in rural Scotland varies between poor and awful. The best of the bunch  ,we are told, is vodafone  ( probably something to do with frequency ranges and interference and the landscape).
But our problem is a bit worse   than just a poor signal. In parts of the house we have no signal at all. Living in a but'n'ben is the problem. We have no DPC or anything like that . We just have think stone walls.

Approximately 2 1/2 feet thick actually. Here's a windowsill

So the phone signal doesn't get to large parts of the house particularly the older bit ( built in 1869).

Vodafone produce a mobile signal booster  so we thought it would be a good idea so  went online and bought one. You need a Vodafone account  before you can register the Suresignal device, and this has to be done online.

So here's my computer, neatly positioned a bit out of the way, in a corner. The problem is that is that I don't get a mobile phone  signal here either.




To get a reliable mobile  phone signal I have to step outside . Here's where I get a reliable signal, about 20 yards from the house (we are having some building work done at the moment) or go and say hello to the sheep , out the back.


And here's the registration  page for the online Vodafone account

So I need a security code before I can register my Sure Signal device . And you get a code from  a text to your phone. But there is a problem .

•  want to register the device  so that I can  get a mobile signal in the house. 
• I need an account to be able to register the device. 
• I get an account by receiving a text message 

But I'm getting the Sure Signal thing because we don't get a signal and I can't use Sure Signal until i get a text ( which means i need to have a signal).

The alternative suggestion from Vodafone was that I visit a store.  The nearest store is in Elgin, 93 miles (and a ferry crossing) away.



The problem was solved by me taking a walk in the opposite direction and saying hello to the new  sheep. Co-incidentally I also got a phone signal and received the security code. And the browser or the login page didn't time-out in the interim.

So the thing is plugged in .

What they didn't say when  selling it was

• it plugs into your broadband router.( OK .If you are on a download limit, how much does this thing use ?) 
• It needs a minimum speed of 4.13Mbps 

The next problem is that the webpage the Sure Signal says you need a minimum speed of 4.13 Mbps

Latest  download speed ?