Cellphone coverage near the border
 

I was just wondering if anyone can get a decent signal from a US tower on the Canadian side of the border. People I've asked about it seem to think it's the other way around, you can get the Canadian signal in the US and I've had that experience myself.

For example if you're in Douglas can you connect to any of the towers around Blaine? Obviously you've got to have a phone where you can manually select the provider.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Depends on how close to the border you are. I'm with Sprint in the US and I can get a Sprint signal in Fort Erie, ON and Niagara Falls, ON. However, I don't need to be too far away from the border before I lose the signal.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

I've been on the 401 west of Brockville (where there is a service centre on the eastbound lanes) and started a phone conversation once I got out of the car. I was on Rogers at the time and by the time I got into the middle of the building it had switched to AT & T...going outside switched it back to Rogers. I got dinged on the bill but got a credit greater than the charges.

On the other hand I had a call in northern New York state near Cornwall that was for about 30 minutes all on Canadian towers while being in the US the whole time.

Most of the time, when you are fully on US signals you get a text message 'welcoming' you to the US.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Well I never set my phone to auto, I always manually select the provider so if the signal dies I don't get hammered for roaming.

Then the thought occurred to me there could be ways to fiddle the bill near the border, as I have a PAYG US phone that I use in the US, but would it work near the border and if so where? Also there are phone numbers that are blocked in Canada for various govt agencies in the US, and it's a hassle to cross the border just to talk to them, although I can think of other ways around that one (voip proxy).

But at Sweet Grass I never get anything but Canadian providers. The nearest tower appears to be in Shelby.

Bit of an obscure thing to worry about I realize but when you get the phone bill for roaming you start thinking about it.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

It seems to depend on which way the wind is blowing. I can be sat at home when the phone beeps, switches to roaming and I get a "Welcome to the US" text message. Other times I can be a couple of miles south of the border before the phone drops the Canadian signal.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Can you force it to a US carrier from White Rock?

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Hi



You could try. Check available networks on your phone to see if any US are available and then try to connect to them.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

My phone detects the US networks while I am at home (near the border) but it will never connect to them. I always have to be 1-2km into the US before my phone will connect to a US network.

Even when waiting in line to cross the border, I can never get the phone to connect, always around the 1-2km mark into Sumas before I can.

When I had Virgin pay as you go it would not work at all in the US, once near the border the signal dropped.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

It's a bloody pain. Every time I go to the South end of the Island (Vancouver) my phone switches to AT&T (I think it is) and I would have to pay roving or roaming rates which are something like $1.50 a minute! So I have to switch it off!

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Hi



Better than Rogers Pay as you go roaming rate in Tallin Estonia, $7.00 per minute.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Bloody Hell!!!!!

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

ive found that since they built the new upgraded border crossings ..i loose all signals within a km or so...
not all that on topic but ...
jimmy.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

But can't you just set your phone to manual network selection and force it to stay on the Canadian carrier?

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Yeah, Rogers have insane roaming rates, that's why I got a US PAYG phone.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

I have a very old phone. When I tell it to search networks the only one it finds is Rogers ATT. I will have to see what it finds when it switches to roaming.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Typical, I go to Port Angeles a lot, and have exactly the opposite. Agreed pain. I try to remember to turn my phone off before I get there now. Do not trust myself once there. We should do dome kind of exchange program.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Have you ever gotten the US carrier while on the island on your US phone?

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

Sorry Steve I can not help you. I have not used the phone on trips to Victoria or Vancouver.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

No idea how to do that! It does sound like a good plan though. At the moment it just flips to the US carrier as I get close to Sooke - so I turn it off.

Re: Cellphone coverage near the border
 

On an iPhone 4S for example:

Settings->Carrier->set "automatic" to off and wait for it to find all the providers and pick the one you want.

The problem is that a lot of the cheapo PAYG phones don't have an equivalent way of changing the setting.