Problems using cell phones over WiFi

[Rebyroo]

I have an android phone capable of making  calls using WiFi when no cell service is available. I have Hughes net Gen 5 and when I make calls I can hear the person on the other end very clearly, but they get a lot of break-up on their end and can't understand most of the conversation. Could this be a problem with Hughes net and if so is there a remedy?

[BirdDog · Accepted solution]

Hello Rebyroo, cell over WiFi generally will not work well on satellite due to the high latency (ping). There is no remedy for the latency because the satellite is so far up in space.

[Rebyroo]

Thank you for the answer.  I suspected as much and it is truly disappointing since we have such spotty cell service here.  We are also experiencing problems using Skype. Same kind of issue.

[sam5]

Here it is guys I ask hughesnet - will cell phones with hughesnet work on wifi calling.Yes they said. But we know it is not true. They use VOIP and so does cell phones that have wifi calling. It works. The technology is there to bundle blocks of the voice signal VOIP in correct blocks which allows the travel distance to be a non issue. They do it on there network with there Voice service but use a hard line phone with and anolog adaptor. They can call a cell phone. So why is there an APP to buffer and bundle the blocks of voice

they use the same block tech for data transmissions and voice is not much data.

So i asked the question about wifi calling to highesnet before i signed up. Also try turning on do not disturb on your cell phone and use Hug5 wifi connection. Not as long distance but better. Use it only for you cell phone.

Inaddtion there is a VOIP router but not cheap. It bundles blocks of the VOIP for smooth transmission.

Hughesnet just want you to use there voice system the technology is there they tell cuctomers that wifi calling does not work. They claim it will because Gen 5 will work for wifi calling on cell phones because of upload speeds of 3mg/s ( min upload for wifi calling with VOIP is 2 mg/s) is only true if they use better VOIP for this application. Now the worst is cell phone to cell phone with different carriers and  at far distances. But again the technology is there. If you wait when you answer your cell phone and talk real slow in short sentences you will find out that that is there limit of there VOIP on there server. Poor Poor Sam

[jkwarner]

I am having issues with calls breaking up with both house phone and cell phones EVEN when cell is not using the wifi. It seems that hughes signal somehow is corrupting my cell signal as well. If I go outside 50+ feet from house, the cell signal no longer has the breaking up problem. That tells me there is something in the Hughes system that isn't right. Anyone have any ideas? Cell is thru Verzion and I am in the Smoky Mountains near Gatlingburg, TN

[onetechy]

Very interesting observation, although not sure if you were having a few drinks when posting. I read over this a couple times to decipher what your exactly trying to say - is cell phone on wifi a working proposition or not? I have a Driod turbo that works sometimes to make calls. My other a Huwaei Honor8 won't place calls unless I turn off wifi. I am using FREEDOMPOP as my cell service provider so making calls from Wifi is very helpful if it would work. 

[MarkJFine]

1. Making calls over wifi via satellite Internet in order to supplement the mobile signal is not recommended nor is it supported. As I understand it, this is true for all satellite Internet due to the latency. Edit: Don't confuse phone calling extenders over wifi with the VOIP system HughesNet has in place. It operates on a completely different technology.

2. There is nothing in the HughesNet system that radiates at a power or frequency that will disrupt or interfere with your mobile phone's ability to make or receive calls. Pretty sure whatever is being experienced is a factor of the phone's proximity to available cell towers.

[billgriggs1]

I go through the Hughesnet modem, as stated before by others; I hear everything said by the other person but they hear only partial. My former DSL modem had no problem obviously as some stated, it’s a satellite issue!

[GabeU]

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@onetechy wrote:

Very interesting observation, although not sure if you were having a few drinks when posting. 

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Was that really necessary?  I suggest a litte more maturity when posting on this community.  

[howardhughesthe]

For many months I had good voice conversations using a iphone 7   wifi.   Then one morning,  can hear incoming speech but my out going voice is scrambled.    If you cancel the jacked dumb phone  VOIP service the smart phone wifi service collapses.   Nobody at Hughesnet cares or understands any of this.   If a VOIP dumb phone works,   theres is obviously a way to make a wifi connected smart phone to work.   But that $40 a month VOIP,  its a very expensive and worthless option that make Hughesnet millions$.  Having  two phones number with no cell service is unacceptible.   WiFi Calling with a cell phone works,  and works well.    But the uploads speeds are terrible,  however,  again the dumb phone has no problem.    Am I the only person that flipping mad at not being able to have a cell phone conversation!   Having to call people back with the crappy jacked dumb phone.   

[JSinNC]

Same issue here in NC, with Verizon as my cellular carrier.     I was disappointed to figure out that the cell over WiFi (all Hughes equipment) did not work well and had lots of clipping and drops.   As others have pointed out latency is the primary issue however some of that is solved by applying QoS (Quality of Service) to the VOIP packets. Unfortunately Hughes routers/modems (as far as I can tell) do not allow for independent VOIP and QoS configurations and as a business they obviously direct you to their own VOIP product which integrates with the other Hughes equipment to supply QoS.  

REF: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_service

I broke down and installed a cellular booster.  ROI for the product I purchased is equal to17 months of Hughes voice service and as a bonus my guests get cellular boosted without joining my wireless network. 

Spoiler

(weBoost - mid-range $$)

[billgriggs1]

Does Hughesnet offer a VOIP modem for use with cell phones? I’d pay extra.

[Baze]

Hughes offers Huges Voice as their VOIP but it's not for use with your existing cell phone. $45/month if I remember correctly?
We canceled Hughes Voice when we upgraded to Gen5 as advised by our local tech. Wi-Fi calling worked great for the first couple of months with the Gen5 but recently we've been experiencing all the problems many have expressed in this thread. Very frustrating because we can hear the person on the other end just fine. Texting works well too.

[bbdaines]

I tried to hook up the T-Mobile wifi extender and after wasting a full day got a somewhat straight answer from Hughs.. The ports used by T-Mobile are closed on the Gen 5, I can only assume so that we are forced to buy their service? Odd that my wifi calling worked so well when I first got hooked up and not so well now, kinda don't believe it is the ping since it worked fine for a month!!

[howardhughesthe]

For months I had good wifi calling on my iphone,  then it stopped working. I have wasted hours and hours and hours trying to restore wifi calling with my iphone,   the hughes net techs are so ignorant that they failed to mention that without consistant upload speeds of 2 mg/sec it will not work.    Hughesnet can provide perfect wifi calling,  but chooses not to.  And fails to train their techs to give straight and honest answers,  it a lie to tell you that is it not possible.    ITS A NIGHTMARE TO BE CUT OFF FROM YOUR SMART PHONE AND FORCED TO USE A CRAPPY JACKED DUMB PHONE FOR $40 PER MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    NO ONE CALLING WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT NUMBER TO CALL WHAT NUMBER TO SEND TEXTS TO.   I HAVE LOST $$$$$$$ AND MY SOCIAL LIFE HAS CRASHED.   AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.    

[GabeU]

@howardhughesthe

Whether WiFi calling will or won't work with HughesNet, or any other satellite ISP, is irrelevant, as HughesNet does not support it.  If people can get it to work, that's fine, but there is absolutely no guarantee that it will work, nor are the reps or techs required to help people to get it to work, nor answer any technical questions about it, as again, HughesNet does not support WiFi calling.    

Secondly, regardless of upload speed, the major issue with WiFi calling is latency.  Blame physics, not HughesNet.    

As you know, HughesNet offers their own VOIP service. 

You might want to think about branching out if your entire social life is tied to your ability to make cell calls over WiFi.    

[HilaryBurgess]

You might want to think about branching out if your entire social life is tied to your ability to make cell calls over WiFi.    

Your high and mighty response to a previous poster:

Was that really necessary?  I suggest a litte more maturity when posting on this community.  

Who do you think you are? Professor.....

[GabeU]

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@HilaryBurgesswrote:

Who do you think you are? Professor.....

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Someone who doesn't cotton to nonsense.  

[eritori]

GabeU, a month ago I specifically asked Hughes about wi-fi calling and was told by a Hughesnet employee that upgrading my service to Gen5 would be a PERFECT thing to do if I was looking for that feature.  I get that you have figured out that such is not the case, as I have as well..  But acting like a trol when folks are dissapointed in being the 7% of America that doesn't get good cell service doen't make you look wise...it makes you look like a, well, trol.

Feel free to critisize my spelling, grammer of what ever scratches your itch.  

But TRY to be nice.  I know it's hard, but try.

[GabeU]

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@eritoriwrote:

GabeU, a month ago I specifically asked Hughes about wi-fi calling and was told by a Hughesnet employee that upgrading my service to Gen5 would be a PERFECT thing to do if I was looking for that feature.  I get that you have figured out that such is not the case, as I have as well..  But acting like a trol when folks are dissapointed in being the 7% of America that doesn't get good cell service doen't make you look wise...it makes you look like a, well, trol.

Feel free to critisize my spelling, grammer of what ever scratches your itch.  

But TRY to be nice.  I know it's hard, but try.

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Try looking at the context of the post, and my reply to it, instead of just assuming my reply is because someone is disappointed that something isn't working.  

[alfresco]

I have zero bars but texting works. My advice is to text more