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Is there such a thing as a Cell Phone Signal Booster?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by cyberpriusII, May 31, 2019.

  1. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    And, if so, what?

    Sorry, I sort of promised myself to abstain from posting -- but it is an addiction -- an addiction I tell you.

    A friend has moved to a property that is almost as remote as mine and her IPhone has no signal. She was asking me what I do -- I said I gave thanks each day/

    I did a quick Web search but did not see anything that looked legitimate.

    Any thoughts. And, yes, I promise to try to refrain from posting.
    kris
     
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    There are several things you (she) can do:

    You can get a broadband RF amplifier. This is appropriate for a situation where you have a faint signal outdoors but it drops to zero indoors. These aren't cheap, but they have several great advantages: they don't care which phone company you use. They support all of them, several phones at once, indiscriminately and simultaneously. No hidden fees or extra charges beyond a few cents a year on electricity. I have personal experience with the fusion 5s, it is absolutely legit. I frequently rely on these at work.

    You can get a picocell device. This is a tiny, low-power cellular radio station bridged to an ethernet interface. You need high-speed internet via wire in order to use this. You put it on a bookshelf or wall-mount it in your home, wire it to your home internet and they generally provide for several simultaneous phone calls but only on the specific network that provided the device. The good news is that some phone companies will hand them out for free if you tell them you've got a weak signal in your home. AT&T and T-mobile in particular are known for this. I have one from T-mobile.

    Verizon network extender
    AT&T Microcell
    T-Mobile Personal Cellspot

    Sometimes you can use UMTS "Wi-Fi Calling" if you have wi-fi service with a bit of bandwidth available. You need a fairly new phone to do this one. Not all phone companies offer this system.

    There are a few other tricks too, but that's most of it. Good luck!
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, May 31, 2019
    Last edited: May 31, 2019
    bisco and fuzzy1 like this.
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    #3 fuzzy1, May 31, 2019
    Last edited: May 31, 2019
  4. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    You might read up in this thread : Cell phone signal repeater? | PriusChat

    Go slow with the Fi product, as a friend had data charges that were obscene, but others I've met in the mountains swear by it for voice calls.
     
  5. George W

    George W Active Member

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    Yes, some cell carriers will provide one for free upon request. T-Mobile is one. I have one at my ranch house out in the country.
     
    #5 George W, Mar 31, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2020
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    why did you promise yourself not to post?
     
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    If there really is NO signal present......a booster won't help.
    You can't boost something that doesn't exist.

    A booster WITH and external antenna might be required.
    But in some circumstances, you are just out of luck.

    Might want to call around to some independent cell phone shops in the area, if there are any.
     
  8. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Sure.
    There are LOTS of them.....
    Just log into the Googles and pick the cheapest one you find! :D

    Oh wait....
    You want something that WORKS.
    That's different.
    :eek:

    When you start posting again, fill in some of the blank spots in your friend's situation and you'll get a better idea if you need a femto-cell, booster, WiFi calling solution, etc.....
     
  9. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    I use a company called Republic Wireless that prioritizes voice over wifi with cell tower as backup. If she has internet service with wifi, her cell phone would work at her home. And it's cheap if you don't use much cell data: $15/mo with no cell data, $5/mo additional per gig.

    Not all cell phones are compatible with their service.
     
  10. George W

    George W Active Member

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    T-Mobile provides a free booster upon request. My county address is some 40 miles away from Metropolis and who-knows-how-far from a cell tower. It's 2 devices, a receiver that sits at a window, and the re-transmitter that is placed in the home where you talk most often. My signal goes from 1 bar at the window, to 4 bars inside the house.

    The only glitch is that once you move from inside to outside the building, the call might drop as signal switches from booster's range to outside signal.
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    T-Mobile is a rotten choice of service provider in much of deep rural Oregon, where even Verizon and AT&T often have spotty service:
    upload_2020-4-1_15-25-15.png
     
  12. George W

    George W Active Member

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    I agree. Ironically T-Mobile's service out to my country address is better than what I get at my San Antonio city office.
     
  13. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    1) I don't recall for sure, but think because I was bedridden, I was posting a lot at the time and got disgusted with myself, which is why I said I would refrain from posting.

    2) She purchased SureCall Fusion4Home Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home and Office | Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile 3G, 4G and LTE | Covers up to 2000 sq ft, Fusion4Home Omni/Whip (SC-PolyH-72-ORA-Kit)

    Carrier is Verizon. Put a pole up 20 feet. Absolutely no signal. My T-Mobile phone gets no signal there either.

    Broke down and went with POTS
     
  14. George W

    George W Active Member

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    :(