Announcement

Collapse

Computer Lab Guidelines

Here in the computer lab, we talk about cool tech, the newest coolest gadgets, and tackle your toughest tech questions.

If you need to refresh yourself on the decorum, now would be a good time. Forum Rules: here
See more
See less

Cell Phone Boosters

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Cell Phone Boosters

    My oldest daughter lives in a place "out in the country" where cell phone signals are very weak. She and her husband have Verizon, one of their kids - my granddaughter - has AT&T, because I pay her phone bill and provide her a phone.

    Does anybody have any experience with a universal cell phone booster - that would work with both Verizon and AT&T - and would, in effect, bring the cell phone signal into the house?
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

  • #2
    I think each one would have to be made for a specific carrier. I had asked about such devices here at work, where we are in a building that makes it hard to get a cell phone signal on the inside offices and they told me that they would have to buy one for each carrier.

    Comment


    • #3
      I had one with Sprint, and it pretty much stunk. All it does is take the available weak signal and amplify the noise. It makes a crappy connection stronger. It does not improve the quality of the connection it amplifies though.
      That's what
      - She

      Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
      - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

      I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
      - Stephen R. Donaldson

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
        I had one with Sprint, and it pretty much stunk. All it does is take the available weak signal and amplify the noise. It makes a crappy connection stronger. It does not improve the quality of the connection it amplifies though.
        Yeah, everything I read says you MUST have a decent signal wherever you put the outside antenna for it to amplify, or you'll get exactly what you described.
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Sparko View Post
          I think each one would have to be made for a specific carrier. I had asked about such devices here at work, where we are in a building that makes it hard to get a cell phone signal on the inside offices and they told me that they would have to buy one for each carrier.
          Several of the models I'm looking at are multi-carrier - but they range in price from $540 to $2000. Yikes!
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
            Several of the models I'm looking at are multi-carrier - but they range in price from $540 to $2000. Yikes!
            I found something more affordable




            I'm always still in trouble again

            "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
            "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
            "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

            Comment


            • #7
              I saw this thread title and thought it must be spam... then I saw CP started it.
              "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
                I saw this thread title and thought it must be spam... then I saw CP started it.
                Then you KNEW it was spam!
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                  Then you KNEW it was spam!
                  When you do it then it is more appropriately called baconing rather than spamming.

                  I'm always still in trouble again

                  "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                  "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                  "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Wow. But it really really does not work.

                    http://www.amazon.com/Antenna-Signal...ustomerReviews

                    515E4md28bL._SX385_.jpg
                    . . . the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; . . . -- Romans 1:16 KJV

                    . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: . . . -- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV

                    Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: . . . -- 1 John 5:1 KJV

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The solution I'd recommend here is VOIP - google voice is good for this kind of application. You could probably make it so that you pick up on VOIP when you have an internet signal, and try using the cell network when you're not in the house. Presuming they have decent enough internet to support a couple of VOIP calls at once (200Kb/s should be enough to comfortably do that?)

                      Cell phone boosters are expensive and unreliable, and I'd say "avoid them whenever humanly possible."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Chrs View Post
                        The solution I'd recommend here is VOIP - google voice is good for this kind of application. You could probably make it so that you pick up on VOIP when you have an internet signal, and try using the cell network when you're not in the house. Presuming they have decent enough internet to support a couple of VOIP calls at once (200Kb/s should be enough to comfortably do that?)

                        Cell phone boosters are expensive and unreliable, and I'd say "avoid them whenever humanly possible."
                        Perhaps, when I said "My oldest daughter lives in a place 'out in the country' where cell phone signals are very weak", I should have clarified that "out in the country" where they are, there is no internet access except satellite, and it's expensive and metered.

                        Yes, I have VOIP at home, because I have an actual internet connection.
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                          Perhaps, when I said "My oldest daughter lives in a place 'out in the country' where cell phone signals are very weak", I should have clarified that "out in the country" where they are, there is no internet access except satellite, and it's expensive and metered.

                          Yes, I have VOIP at home, because I have an actual internet connection.
                          Oof, that's nasty. We at least have crappy copper cables out to our countryside, even if they don't work particularly well. :/

                          Can my other suggestion be to MOVE FAR FAR AWAY? No internet, no mobiles. Sounds... heck-ish

                          I'm not sure if there are any other humans around, but some signal boosters have pretty big ranges - maybe could do a community project to stick one on a roof somewhere? If you have a number of people it'd make a $3k signal booster a bit less... evil.

                          I'm sticking with "Get out of the internetless dystopia", but :P

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            There are places on earth without internet access other than the deepest, dark regions of the Amazon?

                            What are we, barbarians?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                              There are places on earth without internet access other than the deepest, dark regions of the Amazon?

                              What are we, barbarians?
                              Capitalists.

                              Potato, potato.

                              (Trolling aside, the history of telecommunications infrastructure in the US and UK and how they differ due to state/private ownership is a long and interesting one.)

                              Comment

                              Related Threads

                              Collapse

                              Topics Statistics Last Post
                              Started by Ronson, 03-20-2024, 07:20 PM
                              2 responses
                              28 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post rogue06
                              by rogue06
                               
                              Started by Christian3, 03-15-2024, 10:15 AM
                              13 responses
                              64 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post QuantaFille  
                              Working...
                              X