The Most Common Network Issues and How to Fix Them

When you are paying for a mobile phone contract, whether a full phone and sim package or just a sim, it can be annoying when you experience network issues. After all, what is the point of having it if you can’t make calls or send text messages? It makes no difference if you have a great deal; we know, you expect your phone to work when you need it.

Unfortunately, even the best mobile phone providers often find themselves at the mercy of technology and network issues. Here, we look at some of the most common network issues and the things that you can do to fix them.

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No service or no signal message

If you see this message on your phone, it means that your phone can't find a signal from your mobile provider. This prohibits you from performing regular tasks like making phone calls, sending texts, and so on, which is really annoying! Sometimes, this can be fixed really easily, so let's take a look at some of the remedies you could try.

1. Restart your phone

Sometimes, doing something as simple as turning off a phone and turning it back on can sort out the problem. By resetting your phone, anything that was messing with its performance will be removed, and hopefully, you can get back to using it again.

To reset your phone, turn it off, wait for around 30 seconds, and turn it back on. Once it is back on, see if the issue has been fixed.

2. Turn the airplane mode on and then back off

If you’re still having a problem with your phone, see if you can manually establish a connection with your service provider. To re-establish a connection, all you need to do is turn on Airplane Mode on your phone and then turn it off again.

In the event that the device loses its connection to a signal tower, this will cause it to reset itself. To do this, pull down from the top of your Home screen to expose the Quick Settings menu, then tap the Airplane mode icon once to activate the mode, and then hit the icon once again to deactivate it.

3. Verify the information on your SIM card

Your Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card has information that a network can use to find your phone and that your phone can use to find a network.

Maybe the SIM card fell out of your phone or became loose because you accidentally banged it. To determine whether or not yours is connected to your mobile phone in the correct manner, follow these steps:

-Turn your mobile phone off

-Remove the SIM card from the device using an ejector tool or a paper clip, and then wipe away any dust particles that might be causing the card to malfunction.

-Simply re-insert your SIM card to ensure a snug fit.

-Try turning on your device again and seeing if that helps.

4. Restore the phone back to factory settings

It is time to use your very last option, which is to restore your phone to its factory settings. Fair warning: This is a process that will remove all of your personal data from your smartphone, including any apps, passwords, pictures, or movies.

The majority of software issues can be fixed by performing a factory reset. Before you try this option, make sure you have a backup of your data, because if you don't, you could lose it.

5. Change how you hold the phone

Ok, so we said restarting your phone was the simplest way to sort out signal issues, but actually, this one is even more so! You could simply be holding your phone in a way that is affecting the signal; this is less common these days with improved technology, but it is always worth a try!

Simply try holding it in a slightly different place or using hands-free mode or earphones to see if that makes a difference.

6. Head out and find where your nearest towers are

As is common knowledge, the strength of your signal will increase proportionately with the distance between you and the mobile network tower. Mobile phones, on the other hand, do not always connect to the closest tower.

If you are able to locate the mobile network tower that your phone is linked to as well as the nearby mobile tower, you will be able to aim your phone in the direction of the tower to which it is connected.

Cell Mapper is a great website for finding your nearest mobile network in Singapore.

7. Use a signal booster

Mobile phone signal boosters scan the surrounding area for available signals, amplify them, and then broadcast the strengthened signals into an area that has a weak or nonexistent signal.

Installing a cell phone signal booster is therefore highly recommended if either your home or workplace is out of a decent coverage area. These boosters are also called repeaters.

8. Use WiFi to make phone calls

If after attempting all of the above solutions it is still very difficult to get a signal on your mobile phone, you can try making phone calls using your WiFi connection rather than a traditional telephone service.

You can make phone calls and send messages over WiFi networks without having to worry about mobile signals if you have a WiFi router that is connected to the broadband connection at your home and if you turn on this feature from your WiFi router.

For more information on network issues, or to speak to a mobile provider that offers great coverage and service, get in touch with Circles.Life today.