Cell phone booster

[Airsafety]

Two easy solutions. My Blackberry, my wife's Nexus S and many other phones fall back to wi-fi (or can use it as the primary network). We use T-mobile and it works well - can't tell the difference from the cell network. We use it for low cost international calls, too.

Another solution is Google Voice over a wi-fi connection. Nexus S - and I suspect most Android phones - will use Google Voice or most internet providers.

 

[lutt]

I recently purchased a vacation/rental home in the Rocky Mountains. I have Verizon cell phone currently and the coverage is better at my primary residence than the other major competitor, ATT. However, in the mountains my Verizon service will not work in the house but works 100 feet away. ATT will reach in mountain home but too many dead spots near my primary residence. I don't want to get land line phone service and use the cell phone. Is there a recommend cell phone booster that will work with Verizon at the mountain home? Any other solutions?

The mountain house does have internet/wi-fi. Is there a way to get phone coverge via internet? I have heard of Vonage but does it work?

I work on the lower Mississippi river as a assistant engineer on the M/V American Pillar. It is a towboat. In our control room and up in the pilot house the company installed a Wilson mobile wireless dual band amplifier. Cellular/pcs 824-894/1850-1950 mhz. The company phones are att wireless but my personal phone and aircard on my laptop are Verizon wireless. The booster makes all the difference in the world. We go through some way out of the way places and have service 98% of the time, it is out right now and this trip southbound I would go as far to say we have cut our service down to less than 50%, to just around the major cities we go through. We have the Wilson Marine antenna. But there several options for antennas on there web sight. The yagi being a good home antenna. Hope this helps Lutt.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

I don't have much cell access here, and only have satellite internet, I use a g729 codec on a SIP trunk to a handy tone 487. Works great, but there is lag of around 3/4-1s.

 

[Financegal]

I live in the middle of nowhere - I've had a cell phone forever which never worked here. I'd had it from my days of living outside Wash DC. I JUST got the Fivespot mobile 3G from Verizon last week. You have to be able to get a signal but it is what I believe someone here was referring to in an earlier post. Verizon swore up and down it WOULDN"T work here. My BIL was here using his phone and the signal was sporadic. I have it and it's since much stronger. I like it - anything's WAY better than dialup or the Hughes satelllite that my SIL has.

When I got it, there was a promotion on - it cost $1 plus $35 for acitivation and then you buy whatever data plan you need. I don't download a lot of pics, etc so I have the data plan for $35 month (tax brings it up higher so beware of that). You can put in your home and 5 different electronics can hook up to it at once BUT anyone hooked into it is eating into your data from your plan.

 

[Snapper Head]

I recently purchased a vacation/rental home in the Rocky Mountains. I have Verizon cell phone currently and the coverage is better at my primary residence than the other major competitor, ATT. However, in the mountains my Verizon service will not work in the house but works 100 feet away. ATT will reach in mountain home but too many dead spots near my primary residence. I don't want to get land line phone service and use the cell phone. Is there a recommend cell phone booster that will work with Verizon at the mountain home? Any other solutions?

The mountain house does have internet/wi-fi. Is there a way to get phone coverge via internet? I have heard of Vonage but does it work?

Wilson amplifier with directional antenna. Problem solved (you will have to be able to elevate the directional antenna high enough to have clear line of sight toward the nearest verizon tower. Even if it the tower is over the horizon (technically, beyond line of sight), it will work.

Not cheap. but worth it. I went from .05 bars outside, zero bars inside, to 5 bars everywhere on the property and inside the house. I went dual band because I also have an air card for internet.

These are the guys to talk to: Wilson cell phone antennas, amplifiers, repeaters, coax cables, antenna adapters

Call them, talk to Jeff. He will only sell you what you need, and what he sells you will fix your problem.

Best pricing on Wilson gear, anywhere. I have no affiliation with them, other than being a very satisfied customer.


Big Al

 

[woodchuckc]

The above site has some convenient links posted on the left side. Do a little homework and locate where you nearest service towers are. Also put your phone in test mode and measure what kind of signal strength you have in various locations around your property. If you signal is between -110dbm and -100dbm, you may not have much luck with boosters. If you're in the range of -99dbm and -90dbm, things should work out with some type of booster. Signals above -90dbm usually don't need any help. FYI - those signals are on a backward scale, or so they appear that way for the signals we're measuring.

How do you get into test mode on a phone? I wouldn't mind paying a few hundred dollars to get some amplification set up so I can use my phone and get rid of my satellite internet, but I don't want to drop the cash and still not have connectivity. I can ride my 4-wheeler about 1/4 mile or so up the ridge behind my house and get 1 bar (2 on a really good day), but there is nothing down at my house. Of course, the Verizon coverage map says we are good in our area, but that is only if you happen to be at the very top of the ridges.

 

[kubotaman83837]

I have used the both Wilson units and the Verizon Network Extender. the Wilson stuff is ok for vehical usage not so good for home, however the Verizon Wireless unit is by far more superior. If you have high speed internet (I have only 3megs), all you need to do is place the GPS receiver by a window, plug it into your router, Wait about a hour for it to register with the network and you are done. You can enjoy (or not) making and receiving calls and text messages. It has a range of about 150' if my memory serves my right. The Network Extender can be used and moved anywhere you are.

 

[dex3361]

Been using this unit in the house and I bought the same thing for my truck. I used the magnetic mount antenna even at the house. It works great. I am in a valley and the cell tower is about 7 miles away. I have recently mounted a directional antennae and I use an inductive cradle that has no connection to the phone. WPS This is the cradle I used just make sure that the connectors are correct. Cradle I went from no bars to 3 or 4 bars. The magnetic mounted antennae must be attached to a metal plate to work. I had a piece of plate I stuck it to while trying it out.

 

[PaulieD]

I have used the both Wilson units and the Verizon Network Extender. the Wilson stuff is ok for vehical usage not so good for home, however the Verizon Wireless unit is by far more superior. If you have high speed internet (I have only 3megs), all you need to do is place the GPS receiver by a window, plug it into your router, Wait about a hour for it to register with the network and you are done. You can enjoy (or not) making and receiving calls and text messages. It has a range of about 150' if my memory serves my right. The Network Extender can be used and moved anywhere you are.

Kubotaman,

Thanks for the recommendation. We have no cell phone service at our full time home in the Adirondacks (used to be a weekend retreat), I couldn't get one bar anywhere on my property, but I could raise a signal about two miles north of the house.

I purchased and installed the Verizon Extender and now I get three bars in the house and one bar outside to about a 50' to 60' radius of the house.

Thanks again,

Paul

 

[DougM]

Kubotaman,

I purchased and installed the Verizon Extender and now I get three bars in the house and one bar outside to about a 50' to 60' radius of the house.

Thanks again,

Paul

I bought the extender about a year back and I tryied my best to get some kind of
a discount on it from verizon but it was like talking to a wall, the unit does work

Doug