Any way to Boost Cell-Signal in my House?

[Saladsamurai]

I get dog doo-doo for service in my house. I have been through all the major carriers and have found that it is simply just the way it is (that is, it's the house, not the service).

My house is in a decent sized city with plenty of cell-service everywhere else, but the house 'sits low' with respect to its surroundings. Perhaps this is the root of my problem.

Has anyone had any experience with any hardware that I can install in the house in order to enhance the signal?

I have heard that these things exist, but I would a) love a user's personal recommendation and b) not really be sure of how to search for this item online (what would it be called specifically?).

Any input is great! :smile:

Casey

[Kronos5253]

Well... Considering I work for AT&T let me give you a few tips..

A lot of things can contribute to bad signal inside of a building.. Surrounding trees, what the building is made out of, how much cloud cover there is, how many hills are in the area with respect to the location of the towers, the antenna inside of your phone, how old your phone is, and with providers that use SIM cards (like AT&T and T.Mobile), whether or not you have an upgraded SIM card. They are constantly being updated to help with over-the-air updates and with how well signal is recieved by the towers.

Aside from that, who do you have for service? I know that online on AT&T's website we carry small signal boosters for that exact problem. You set it up in your house and it acts as a small tower inside of your home or wherever you put it, and it boosts the signal of your phone. If you have AT&T, I would hop onto att.com and search for it. Verizon also used to sell them, so if you have verizon, you might be able to find them online there too, because they're not sold in stores.

Good luck though! And if all else fails... Just open a window in your house and stand next to it haha Unfortunatly that's usually the only thing that works if all else fails..

[Saladsamurai]

Well... Considering I work for AT&T let me give you a few tips..

A lot of things can contribute to bad signal inside of a building.. Surrounding trees, what the building is made out of, how much cloud cover there is, how many hills are in the area with respect to the location of the towers, the antenna inside of your phone, how old your phone is, and with providers that use SIM cards (like AT&T and T.Mobile), whether or not you have an upgraded SIM card. They are constantly being updated to help with over-the-air updates and with how well signal is recieved by the towers.

Aside from that, who do you have for service? I know that online on AT&T's website we carry small signal boosters for that exact problem. You set it up in your house and it acts as a small tower inside of your home or wherever you put it, and it boosts the signal of your phone. If you have AT&T, I would hop onto att.com and search for it. Verizon also used to sell them, so if you have verizon, you might be able to find them online there too, because they're not sold in stores.

Good luck though! And if all else fails... Just open a window in your house and stand next to it haha Unfortunatly that's usually the only thing that works if all else fails..

Cool thanks! I just switched to ATT from Sprint and my phone is brand new. So I will look into the signal booster thing.

EDIT: The ATT website is kind of annoying. They make it really difficult to find products other than phones, and the whole 'page loading' process keeps causing my browser to crash. It's like trying to load a MySpace page :smile:

[Kronos5253]

Cool thanks! I just switched to ATT from Sprint and my phone is brand new. So I will look into the signal booster thing.

Well, if you can't find it online, I'd suggest going into an AT&T CORPORATE store (has to be a corporate store!) and ask if they can do a Direct Fullfillment on one. They'll be able to find it in the database and order it for you.

Good luck!

[Kronos5253]

EDIT: The ATT website is kind of annoying. They make it really difficult to find products other than phones, and the whole 'page loading' process keeps causing my browser to crash. It's like trying to load a MySpace page :smile:

Oh it's very annoying. I can't stand it lol And I have to use it pretty much every day...

[Saladsamurai]

Okay I will try that :smile: Thanks!

[turbo-1]

Hey, Casey! There are lots of automotive places that sell add-on external antennas for cell phones that you can jack into your cell. Why not look into that as a way to get extra signal for your cell? Should be a lot cheaper than installing a wireless relay station, and a lot easier to say "goodbye" to when you no longer need it.

[negitron]

Whatever you do, don't fall for these (http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=331843), or similar products.

[russ_watters]

You can buy a repeater: http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/repeaterkits/wilson/signalboost-desktop-dt.html

[Saladsamurai]

I have heard of 'repeaters' but don't know much about brands. Do you know anything about that brand Russ (Wilson)?

I have heard that one should expect to pay anywhere from $250-300 and up in order to get the a quality piece.

But I would hate to make a judgment based on price alone.

Anyone know what is wrong the 'cheaper' ones? (I have heard that you can find one around $100).


PS Turbo, I might look into that; but I am looking for more of a 'household' solution for all those that live/visit here with cell phones.

:smile:

[redargon]

you could by a bluetooth headset and then leave your phone in the best signal area of your house and conduct your calls handsfree. Not very practical for SMS though... or really big houses. range on a bluetooth headset is about 10m (but they might be better than later these days, not sure).

[Proton Soup]

Well, if you can't find it online, I'd suggest going into an AT&T CORPORATE store (has to be a corporate store!) and ask if they can do a Direct Fullfillment on one. They'll be able to find it in the database and order it for you.

Good luck!

most web sites, if they're open, are easier searched with google than the site's own search

http://www.google.com/search?q=signal+booster+site%3Aatt.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a

[TheStatutoryApe]

Whatever you do, don't fall for these (http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=331843), or similar products.

Ah, this was the first thing that came to mind when I read the OP. I remembered the thread you linked but did not remember whether it was good or junk.



Maybe you can have the roof of the house removed?

[Evo]

Sprint sells the AirRave which is excellent and is $99, not sure what AT&T offers.

[ray b]

walk out side the house on the side nearest the tower

[Saladsamurai]

walk out side the house on the side nearest the tower

Appears you missed the title:

Any way to Boost Cell-Signal in my House?

[ray b]

Appears you missed the title:

Any way to Boost Cell-Signal in my House?

lazy high tect
KISS works for free

[Saladsamurai]

lazy high tect
KISS works for free

Incomprehensible.

[colwell]

has anyone tried the generation x antenna boosters?

[Evo]

has anyone tried the generation x antenna boosters?They're a scam.

[ray b]

lazy high tect
KISS works for free

Incomprehensible.


lazy = willnot walk out a door

high teck = want gadget to replace efforts

KISS = KEEP IT SIMPLE SUCKER

[solar06]

I purchased a repeater system from Unwiredsignal.com, they will give you all the information you need to feel confident that one of their Wilson repeater system kits will work for you.

Before buying a kit from this company, I had no bars in my home and full bars outside, now I have full bars inside as well! From my experience they were there for me when I had some questions about mounting the outside antenna. They are great help. I had to call them back and thank them for the system they sold me! I'm a satisfied customer! The products are great quality and definately worth it in the long run. Since I eliminated my land line, the system will eventually pay for itself!:biggrin:

They have the best customer service, I spoke with Jeff all the way through, from the beginning to the end. If you want to find out more about them you can ask me anything or you can call them directly. 888-713-1243.

You can see how Wilson beats the competition by viewing 3rd party test results here. (http://www.unwiredsignal.com/?view=Wilson-Competition)

[chaerin]

As two of the users her said, get a repeater or go to AT&T and ask them directly so you won't get scammed or something.



Regards,
Chaerin
Placement financier (http://placementfinancier.net/placement-financier/placement-financier)

[Saladsamurai]

AT&T said a repeater cost a few thousand dollars. I almost told them to blow it out their arse. :grumpy:

[solar06]

:rofl: Wow... At&t said a repeater would cost you thousands of dollars!? They obivously don't know what they are talking about. Were you talking to a CSR? or a TECH person? Either way if you're interested in learning more about cell phone signal booster, just call some one and ask about it or do your own research on the web. I knew what I was getting into and did my reasearch so, I don't have any compaints Mine was only $629 plus shipping it was $648.50.

[Evo]

An airave is $99. They quoted you for a building antenna that is used for buildings with around 100 users. You got hold of someone that is clueless. You need a femtocell.

Sprint has had the airave sice 2008, Verizon got a version of the airave in early 2009. Looks like AT&T is WAAAY behind the rest of the carriers on this. They are looking into something called the "MicroCell", Unless you live in Charlotte, NC, looks like you're SOL.

http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/att-testing-its-version-of-the-airave-the-microcell/