Cell Phone Booster

[Thundarstick]

I live in a cinder block house with a metal roof, so you can imagine the reception in my house! I have a Weboost signal booster. Part is mounted to one end of the house, a coax brings the signal to the repeater inside the house. I can use the cell phone in 90% of the house now instead of just by the kitchen window! What your after is available, works great, and will set you back about 5 or 6 Benjamins.

[dbosman]

We had one installed at work. We expected a couple of grand but were surprised that it came in at under eight hundred. An antenna on the outside of a Window, air gap through the glass, (up to 100 meter) cable to the adapter. After Covid we'll probably have several more installed on other flours.

[Mr_Sheesh]

What you'd want in terms of coax is, coax with the lowest losses in the frequencies you will be using, not just the most expensive coax. Losses are usually in dB, decibels, per foot or yard or meter; less dB = less losses.

[dangitgriff]

Usually, the larger the coaxial cable, the lower the loss. RF cables should all be 50 ohm type, not 75 ohm as used on TV cable.
R/Griff

[Mr_Sheesh]

It does depend on the antenna's characteristic impedance too, you have to use a Balun (impedance matching device) to match a 300ohm antenna to a 50 ohm transmitter, for example. (I'm not an expert in the arcane magic of antennas but worked with microwave engineers at one local large cell phone provider, they had some interesting things going on.)

One of the rather odd things in electronics is that, while many electronics math calculations only require ~0.1 to 1.0% or so precision, in Microwave Engineering there is at least one calculation that requires MANY digits of precision, sadly I don't remember the name of that. Arcana is arcane though

[shell70634]

Well, I bought one off Amazon. Mounted the antenna high as I could. Spent 2 days trying to get a signal boost. GPS'd both ATT towers and aimed antenna with a compass and map. Did not boost at all. Returned to Amazon and received refund.
I also mounted an external WIFI antenna. I now have wifi in both shops. It works great. Now I get my messages immediately instead of getting a dozen when I go in the house.
Life is good.

Shelly

[pertnear]

We use a magicjack as a landline home phone. Uses internet with what's call voice-over IP. Cheap & works great. Just FYI

[farmbif]

I looked into such devices not too long ago and it seemed that Wilson has a wide range of cell signal boosters and antennas, not having a degree in electrical engineering I was quickly into information overload. with landline phone company going belly up I may just look back into the cell signal booster rabbit hole and give Wilson a call to try and figure out what will work best in the situation I have.

[bdicki]

I got one from Verizon and it works, it needs an internet connection and has a GPS. We have to put it near a window and it goes down if we lose the internet but it works good. $250 and I've been since told if you whine enough it's free.

[james23]

We use a wilson to boost signal in our tin covered shop. Works good

[BrutalAB]

Dad just installed one in his shop a couple weeks ago. Before we would have little to no signal. Now its the best signal area on the property by a wide margin.

[jonp]

We use a wilson to boost signal in our tin covered shop. Works good

+1 Wilson makes a good one