Connecting Cornwall

30/07/2025

Do you have terrible or non-existent mobile reception inside your house? Not surprising when so many Cornish houses, mine included, have walls made of large granite blocks which are pretty much impervious to any radio frequency signals.

However there is a simple solution called WiFi Calling that not everyone is aware of. All the UK mobile phone operators now support WiFi calling but you need a compatible mobile phone, and you also usually need to enable it in the settings. Once enabled when your mobile reception is poor or non-existent but you are connected to the Internet via a WiFi connection, voice calls and text messages will automatically be routed via your WiFi connection. Voice calls will be crystal clear and texts will arrive in seconds even though you have no mobile signal. Magic! The only thing that'll change is you'll see a new icon on your phone's status bar when your phone has switched into WiFi calling mode.

All iPhones since the iPhone 6 support WiFi Calling and most modern Android phones, although you will need to check the spec for any specific model.

22/07/2025

Slow broadband? Well, you could move from Cornwall to Japan. Alternatively ping Connecting Cornwall and we will be able to advise.

BTW if it's 4 million times faster than US speeds, it is likely 40 million times faster than rural Cornwall speeds.

A team of scientists in Japan shattered the record for the fastest internet speed by developing new fiber optics.

16/07/2025

Do you have terrible broadband? Slow speeds, stuttering movies etc. etc. You may be surprised to hear that you actually have some rights defined under the Universal Service Obligation.

If your broadband speeds are less than 10Mbps download or 1Mbps upload (which should be enough to cater for basic needs including video services like iPlayer or Netflix) then Cornwall's residents and businesses have the right to request an "upgrade" from BT. If the cost to BT of providing whatever upgrade they deem appropriate is less than £3,400 then they will cover that cost.

The details of this scheme are a little complicated but if you want to know more or want our help fighting for your rights please get in touch.

13/07/2025

Poor Lostwithiel. Top of one of the charts you definitely don't want to be top of ....

If you want an alternative to your current slow and unreliable broadband please get in touch.

According to analysis by Broadband Genie, Lostwithiel recorded an average broadband speed of just 2Mbps

10/07/2025

Let's address the elephant in the room. Will 5G phone signals fry your brain?

Short answer: No

Longer answer: Still no. The 5G radio frequencies are not new to our airwaves. They are re-purposed from other technologies that we have been living with for years like broadcast television. These frequencies are categorised as "non-ionising" which means they are not of sufficient strength to damage living cells, unlike nuclear radiation or X-rays.

You may therefore stand down and stop worrying about 5G. Maybe my next post can address those pesky chem trails.

03/07/2025

One for the mobile signal nerds (if there is such a thing). I was working on my in-house signal mapping application when I spotted something I didn't expect. It seems that there is a small area just East of St. Just in deepest West Cornwall where my tracking phones locked onto signals from a mobile mast in the Isles of Scilly, despite the proximity of several local masts. Just looked it up and that's over 50km away. Unexpected, and I'll have to adapt my application not to throw its toys out of the pram when this happens!

27/06/2025

Anyone else thinking that WiFi 7 is just a marketing ploy that delivers almost nothing for homes in areas like Cornwall with neglected broadband infrastructure?

23/06/2025

Would you like high speed Internet access throughout your garden without the ups and downs of relying on your mobile phone signal?

Then please get in touch. We can advise on extending fast and secure Internet access to anywhere on your property with tactical use of both wireless and wired technology.

17/06/2025

Great deal from Currys on the Starlink Mini satellite broadband package which is ideal for people on the move as it'll fit in a backpack. Only £189 for the kit when it's normally £400. Of course you'll need a service plan and the cheapest Roaming option is £50/month for 50GB (more data allowance can be purchased as an add on).

There are various pro's and cons to the various Starlink services and you may feel the need to hold your nose at further enriching Elon Musk ...... However for mobile users like Van Lifers or those in one of the many Cornish not-spots it can be a great option.

If you have any questions about Starlink, or its alternatives, please contact us at Connecting Cornwall or comment below.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/starlink-mini-satellite-antenna-and-wifi-router-kit-dualband-10269577.html

Other retailers are available, but I don't think anyone is yet matching this price.

With Starlink Mini, you can have reliable satellite internet in your backpack. Its compact and lightweight design makes it perfect for staying online

15/06/2025

So Vodafone and Three have now completed their merger making them the biggest of the 3 Mobile Network Operators in the UK (other 2 being O2 and EE). But what does this mean for their customers or potential customers?

Well, in the short term it's definitely all good. VodafoneThree customers will benefit from much better mobile phone signal coverage than they previously had (both 4G and 5G), and also increased capacity which will make everything a little bit faster for those using a data connection, which is pretty much everyone with a smartphone.

The merger will almost certainly make Connecting Cornwall more likely to recommend a VodafoneThree SIM to our customers for data use, and the good news is that one of our faves the SMARTY network already operates using the Three network, and therefore will fall under the umbrella of this deal.

In the longer term it remains to be seen whether the reduction of competition in the mobile marketplace will result in higher prices. The regulators obviously think not. Only time will tell.