mdrejhon
Senior Member
I'll have to watch like a hawk next time.
FYI .... iPhone 6 Plus doesn't have Band 12 LTE 700Mhz, even though your phone already accesses other 700Mhz bands.
Rogers just introduced this band a few months ago. For that, you need iPhone 6S or 6S plus.
There are many 700Mhz LTE bands, and Band 12 is one of many that Rogers owns. Rogers uses Band 12 in Southern Ontario, so you will from time to time, get better data reception with a 6S than a 6 in rural areas. If you are a frequent commuter, and hate data dropouts, then you want all the 700Mhz range that Rogers/Bell supports. LTE bands are like radio stations, but for high speed data. Your phone automatically finds multiple bands and connects over them. Metaphorically... for those not familiar with LTE "bands" -- metaphorically it's like "radio stations" (700Mhz refers to a bunch of frequencies that may actually be closer to 690Mhz 700Mhz 710Mhz 720Mz etc) for high speed Internet that your smartphone automatically tunes to. Imagine the iPhone being able to tune to only 88 FM through 100 FM but not 108 FM -- figuratively speaking of course. Meaning you'd lose all Internet reception if the Internet was being "broadcast" on the LTE's equivalent of 108 FM instead of 88 FM or 100 FM -- metaphorically speaking. Now you understand what "LTE bands" are!
When I upgraded my phone, I noticed I no longer get data dropouts on Lakeshore West, even through the very spotty Mimico-LongBranch-PortCredit sections! So frustrated commuters wanting nonstop data on Lakeshore West GO, definitely upgrade your phone to one that supports ALL the 700Mhz bands that your carrier is using. It really, really, makes a difference.
For VIA Ottawa-Toronto, 5% data dropouts was my experience in the past, but it seems to have mostly closed up now -- maybe a few dropouts of a couple minutes -- I'll have to watch like a hawk next time and see if there's still data dropouts on the latest phones supporting all 700Mhz bands that Rogers is using. But gaps (if any) are most certainly continuing to shrink.
Perhaps not done yet for the the VIA WiFi, though, as newer phones may now do better than the 3G/LTE backhaul on the VIA WiFi.
That said, if you leave the phone on the tray instead of below windowsill level (e.g.pocket, coat pocket, bag under the seat) or far above window top (e.g. overhead bin). The reception seems to be far more solid if the phone is stored somewhere near window height, like sitting on the tray. The underseat is a reception black hole. So is keeping your phone near your butt (coat pocket), also a reception black hole too. If I am sleeping and the iPhone is hiding away there, it's often a bar or two lower in there, so if it was already one or two bars, it'll almost definitely dropout if your phone is being stored well below window level...and then take a few minutes to finally rediscover reception even though it's often already there (at about two bars or so) -- basically it takes much longer to search for 1-bar or 2-bar reception than 5-bar reception. Metaphorically it's like radio station automatic tuning that has difficulty and ignores weak radio stations. So the reception holes will get smaller or disappear if you don't have the phone stowed away deep in your bag or pressed against anything metallic (in pocket pressed against seatrest or side of train, depending on where you are sitting).
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