How to make phone calls anywhere with Roam
How to Make Phone Calls Anywhere with Roam
No mobile reception? No problem. Making phone calls in areas without mobile coverage has long been a challenge — and it's the original problem Roam was built to solve.
If you're on a rural or regional property, chances are your mobile signal is fine at the house but drops off quickly past it — through the shed, around the yards, and out into the paddocks. This is one of the most common frustrations for rural Australians, and it comes down to the simple physics of how mobile networks work: towers have a limited range, and terrain, vegetation, and metal buildings all make the problem worse.
Roam works around this entirely. Rather than depending on the mobile network, it connects to your property's internet connection and extends it to wherever you are — giving your phone a working connection, and with it, the ability to make and receive calls normally.
New to this problem? See our full guide: No Mobile Reception on My Rural Property — What Are My Options? and How to Make Phone Calls Anywhere on Your Property When There's No Mobile Signal
What is Roam?
Roam is a portable, long-range WiFi unit that connects to both WiFi HaLow and standard WiFi networks, then creates a local hotspot your devices — including your phone — can connect to. It's battery-powered, waterproof, and designed to go wherever you go.
For full technical specifications, see the Roam product documentation.
Setting up your Roam unit
To configure your Roam unit, download the TX-E Connect app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
With the app, you can connect to your Roam unit via Bluetooth (make sure your unit is powered on first). From there you can:
Scan for and connect to WiFi networks — both long-range (WiFi HaLow) and standard WiFi
Save multiple networks so Roam connects automatically
Set up your hotspot name and password — so your phone and other devices can join
Enabling calls and texts
Once your phone is connected to the Roam hotspot, turn on WiFi Calling in your phone's settings. This enables:
Regular phone calls and SMS texts
Emergency calls — including AML (Advanced Mobile Location), which automatically sends your GPS location to emergency services when you call 000. This is especially important in regional and remote areas where mobile coverage is absent. See our article on emergency communication and property safety for more on how this works in practice.
With WiFi Calling active, your phone works just like it would on a normal mobile network — even where there's no coverage at all.