Nexus 6p won't make phone calls downstairs anymore
August 13, 2018 4:40 PM Subscribe
It's weird.
We live on two floors. We sleep in a space that is 4 feet below ground level in a brownstone. I've had this Huawei Nexus 6p phone for about 2 years. Starting today, it will not make or receive phone calls when I'm in the bedroom. It just never connects. It has no problem making or receiving phone calls upstairs in the living room/kitchen area. Also, it connects to the internet just fine on my home wifi and also sending and receiving texts works fine.
I called the Verizon (my carrier) guy and he said there was only so much he could do because I didn't buy the phone from Verizon. We did a bunch of troubleshooting and he said maybe it's because they're phasing out the CDMA signal from my neighborhood (?). He said the phone seems to have a good LTE signal, though. He suggested I get a VOIP app to make calls with, and when I asked for suggestions, he said I should call Huawei (really??)
This is very inconvenient because I'm in the bedroom a lot and need to be able to make and receive phone calls! Any ideas appreciated, including for a VOIP app (I don't really know how to set this up.) Thanks.
We live on two floors. We sleep in a space that is 4 feet below ground level in a brownstone. I've had this Huawei Nexus 6p phone for about 2 years. Starting today, it will not make or receive phone calls when I'm in the bedroom. It just never connects. It has no problem making or receiving phone calls upstairs in the living room/kitchen area. Also, it connects to the internet just fine on my home wifi and also sending and receiving texts works fine.
I called the Verizon (my carrier) guy and he said there was only so much he could do because I didn't buy the phone from Verizon. We did a bunch of troubleshooting and he said maybe it's because they're phasing out the CDMA signal from my neighborhood (?). He said the phone seems to have a good LTE signal, though. He suggested I get a VOIP app to make calls with, and when I asked for suggestions, he said I should call Huawei (really??)
This is very inconvenient because I'm in the bedroom a lot and need to be able to make and receive phone calls! Any ideas appreciated, including for a VOIP app (I don't really know how to set this up.) Thanks.
Response by poster: Just tried Hangouts and the dialer, then realized it's going to be another number. I don't want another number! Is there a downside to switching to wifi phoning completely?
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:11 PM on August 13, 2018
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:11 PM on August 13, 2018
If you were willing to switch carriers the Nexus 6P is compatible with Google Project Fi, which is an MVNO that supports wifi calling and connects to T-mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular towers.
I'm not on Verizon and I also don't know version of Android your Nexus is running but you may want to take a look at this article about (re)enabling Voice-Over-LTE aka VoLTE. If we assume your Nexus was making phone calls only over CDMA instead of VoLTE then the failure of voice calls makes sense with the sunsetting of CDMA (which is really happening).
posted by glonous keming at 6:25 PM on August 13, 2018
I'm not on Verizon and I also don't know version of Android your Nexus is running but you may want to take a look at this article about (re)enabling Voice-Over-LTE aka VoLTE. If we assume your Nexus was making phone calls only over CDMA instead of VoLTE then the failure of voice calls makes sense with the sunsetting of CDMA (which is really happening).
posted by glonous keming at 6:25 PM on August 13, 2018
Do you still get cellular bars showing in the bedroom? If you do but they are weak maybe your phone is automatically switching to WiFi calling, which your carrier doesn’t support. Counter intuitive, but have you tried turning OFF WiFi calling?
posted by KateViolet at 4:00 AM on August 14, 2018
posted by KateViolet at 4:00 AM on August 14, 2018
Response by poster: I get half the bars. Didn't work when I turned off the wifi. Might have to get a booster antenna for use downstairs??
posted by DMelanogaster at 8:08 AM on August 14, 2018
posted by DMelanogaster at 8:08 AM on August 14, 2018
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You can try using Hangouts to make calls. The quality will depend on your internet service and how good that is.
posted by GuyZero at 4:57 PM on August 13, 2018