How to boost mobile signal?

Author
Discussion

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

Original Poster:

2,313 posts

259 months

Monday 24th August 2015
quotequote all
We have really low mobile signal at home. (in Pembrokeshire.)

Can I buy an antenna or something to try increase our chances of getting a better signal?

We've got broadband coming in (via telephone line) in 2 weeks but that isn't going to help with the Mobile reception.

Any ideas gratefully received. Thanks

SlidingSideways

1,345 posts

231 months

Monday 24th August 2015
quotequote all
Google for "<ntweork name> femtocell" and you should see what your provider offers (or has offered in the past).

Vodaphone had Sure Signal
EE/Orange/T-Mobile had Signal Box
O2 had BoostBox

The O2 and EE versions don't seem to be available new, but I'll bet you can pick them up on eBay or similar.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

Original Poster:

2,313 posts

259 months

Monday 24th August 2015
quotequote all
Thanks; investigating now smile

IceBoy

2,443 posts

220 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
Hi All,

I have the same issue as the OP.

Anyone have any other ideas?

IceBoy

Zoon

6,654 posts

120 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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Stand on a chair and hold the phone as high up as possible?

Works for Peter Kay.

megaphone

10,694 posts

250 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
In the past I've looked at these, never actually tried one though. http://www.mobilerepeater.co.uk

Nick Grant

5,409 posts

234 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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Most phone service providers have an app now, I'm with EE and they have one, when you are connected to Wifi calls and messages are routed online so you don't need a phone signal.

FurryExocet

3,011 posts

180 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
I'm with EE and have a signal boost box from them. They supplied it last month as I moved to an address which has no signal

Mr E

21,583 posts

258 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
SlidingSideways said:
Google for "<ntweork name> femtocell" and you should see what your provider offers (or has offered in the past).

Vodaphone had Sure Signal
EE/Orange/T-Mobile had Signal Box
O2 had BoostBox

The O2 and EE versions don't seem to be available new, but I'll bet you can pick them up on eBay or similar.
This.
At least the EE and 3 ones will keep me in fast cars.

Note - you do need half decent broadband.

PGM

2,168 posts

248 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
Nick Grant said:
Most phone service providers have an app now, I'm with EE and they have one, when you are connected to Wifi calls and messages are routed online so you don't need a phone signal.
How did you manage that? Been after one for ages as cant get wifi calling as bought several phones through a broker.

juice

8,509 posts

281 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
Nick Grant said:
Most phone service providers have an app now, I'm with EE and they have one, when you are connected to Wifi calls and messages are routed online so you don't need a phone signal.
I've got a similar one through three called "inTouch" - works through the WiFi although you need to have a mobile signal when first setting it up which for me involved being upstairs with my arm out of the bedroom window hehe

Works great though, get calls and texts through the app even with no mobile signal indoors.

JonV8V

7,175 posts

123 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
SlidingSideways said:
Google for "<ntweork name> femtocell" and you should see what your provider offers (or has offered in the past).

Vodaphone had Sure Signal
EE/Orange/T-Mobile had Signal Box
O2 had BoostBox

The O2 and EE versions don't seem to be available new, but I'll bet you can pick them up on eBay or similar.
O2 is only suitable for corporate users and even then they don't like it (they refused to enable my company phone)

£50 gets you a repeater on ebay, shipped from china in a few days, make sure you get one for your network as they use different frequencies. Technically illegal as you're broadcasting but in reality the range of them is only a room or two. If you can get decent signal (say 3 bars) somewhere outside, usually higher the better, place the receiver bit there and the other bit as far away as possible from it inside with walls between the two. The reason is the same as a microphone too near a loudspeaker, you want to avoid signal feedback. Some devices include lights to tell you if its working.

I know someone that does this and it works well, I know someone else who's signal was so bad it didn't help.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

Original Poster:

2,313 posts

259 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
megaphone said:
In the past I've looked at these, never actually tried one though. http://www.mobilerepeater.co.uk
Are these illegal to use but not own? Some quirk of law?

jjlynn27

7,935 posts

108 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Oi_Oi_Savaloy said:
Are these illegal to use but not own? Some quirk of law?
IIRC they are illegal to use, but not to sell.

3200gt

2,727 posts

223 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
had massive problems with O2 signal. Just about anywhere in the house was st for reception. Solved it by setting the phone to 3g (not 4g as O2 insisted) and added an external aerial to the phone. Now I get full bars at home or pretty much where ever I go.
Aerials in phones these days are st. They are more interested in adding another useless app than actually using them as a phone.

To solve the problem we need to know your provider and what phone you are using.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

Original Poster:

2,313 posts

259 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
I'm trying to solve this issue for my wife (I work in London during the week so not such a big deal for me).

She has an iPhone 4 or 5 (whatever is not the latest one and she is with Vodafone.

Do you literally buy a mini aerial and plug it in to the phone?

3200gt

2,727 posts

223 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
No. I have a Samsung. Inside there are 2 x aerial sockets. One is for the an external antenna which is by the volume control. All I did was use the central core and sleeve from some thin coaxial cable, push it in the hole and stick a bit of insulation tape over it to hold it in place. Then put the back cover on with the wire hanging down/out.
The only tricky bit is getting the correct length. An antenna needs to be a multiple of the radio wave length to get good reception. Generally phones have the antenna at 1/2 the radio wave length but the higher the multiple the better the reception. So its a matter of playing convenience off against reception. My external antenna is 250mm. The original internal antenna is 50mm. As far as I can see on the net both Vodaphone and O2 use the same wavelength so you should be safe at 250mm or 200mm or 150mm etc, whatever you find most convenient. The easiest way is add an antenna longer than you want then trim it back 10mm at a time until you get the happy medium between reception and convenience.

I'm sure if you google "Iphone external antenna" you'll find something commercially available.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

Original Poster:

2,313 posts

259 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Thanks 3200gt. Looking into your solution now. Then I've got to sell it to the wife!

(I need you to drag this 6ft cable around the house in this conveniently sized backpack to get your phone to work love......!!)

Mr E

21,583 posts

258 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
3200gt said:
Aerials in phones these days are st.
I respectfully disagree. Antenna in handsets are astonishingly capable given the packaging constraints.

3200gt

2,727 posts

223 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Mr E said:
3200gt said:
Aerials in phones these days are st.
I respectfully disagree. Antenna in handsets are astonishingly capable given the packaging constraints.
"capable given the packaging restraints" doesn't mean fit for purpose though does it!