‎6 days no link to dispatch (cell tower) | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
weltyj's profile

Saturday, August 26th, 2023 12:50 AM

6 days no link to dispatch (cell tower)

This is happening way to often now.  This is not the first time I've gone multiple days with no link to dispatch.

4g signal has been degrading in our neighborhood since 5g was rolled out.   I had to get a 5g phone, even though 4g is theoretically still supported.  4g just gets worse and worse, no one with a 4g phone gets a signal at our house.

Verizon shows no 4g coverage at my home, only 5g.  T-mobile has some 4g coverage, but it is very weak.   I have the base station sitting where there is only a glass window between it and the direction of the cell tower, which is unfortunately not line of sight but over a hill a little bit.   Two years ago it worked with a wall between it and the cell tower...

I'm paying a lot of money for no service, will have to switch to another security system if simplisafe can't solve this (probably need a 5g card in the base station).

Things I have tried:

    Rebooting base station by disconnecting power and removing batteries.

    Rotating the base station in steps of 1/8th circle.

716 Messages

1 year ago

You could also try a cell phone signal booster though they don't help 5G as much as 4G signals. (Well, not consumer quality signal boosters). You could also try a passive antenna approach like is mentioned at the bottom of this article:

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/best-cell-phone-signal-boosters

It's possible this could be a much cheaper solution that replacing your entire security system, buying new hardware ,etc. And that assumes you can find many options that use a 5G modem in their base station. 

The other upside to trying something like a booster or antenna is that it will help signal for your phone as well.

2 Messages

1 year ago

I tried one other thing last night that worked:   Laying the base down, and pointing the top of it toward the cell tower.  As a radio nerd, I know even non-directional antennas have some orientations that are better than others.   It seems the antenna in the base station has the most gain pointing straight up from the base.

I'm skeptical it will last through the winter, but for the last 12 hours it's worked.

Community Admin

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3.3K Messages

1 year ago

@weltyj I saw your update that moving your Base Station and pointing the top of it towards the cell tower had helped it maintain its cellular connection. When there are consistent No Link to Dispatch errors, we should troubleshoot the Base Station's placement to ensure that there is no physical or wireless interference around it. If the Base Station is close to a large television, a wireless weather station, or other large appliances that emit a radio frequency signal, it can impact its connection.

If you experience the No Link to Dispatch error again after changing the placement of your Base Station, please provide an update here so we can continue troubleshooting. 

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