Mobile Phone Signal Booster.

[mark]

Do they do work? Any recommendations please.

mark

[John Williamson]

What sort of booster? The Vodafone one for home use works for Vodafone handsets by using your broadband to get data to and from a femtocell.

Any passive device can only help by making the signal more directional, boosting it in one direction while making ot weaker in others, so the answer there is probably not, due to the laws of physics. If it's not got an internal power source, it can't boost the signal overall.

What problem are you trying to overcome? Bear in mind that some mobile phones have much worse sensitivity than others

[Apellation Controlee]

If you mean a private femtocell, I have a Vodafone one (Sure Signal) and it works fine.

They can be, er, difficult to get working, not least because it can take hours (and hours) for them to communicate with Vodafone Central and configure themselves. This means that, every time you alter anything around your local environment, you pretty much have to wait a day to see if the change has had any effect.

You need the unit that's supplied by your service provider, and you also need to register each handset so that they stay private (it's you that's paying to buy/power the device).

FWIW I got mine at no charge, but that's because of carefully targeted whingeing. Current units cost, I think, a hundred quid.

[mark]

I have a vodaphone mobile as to others in the household. I live in a deadspot as far as getting a signal is concerned. Ideally I want something that'll make my mobile phone useable when I'm at home that is independent of Broadband.

mark

[John Williamson]

Look at getting either a different phone or changing networks. For instance, I can sometimes get a signal on 3 or Orange when Vodafone isn't working. Due to the way GSM works, it's not easy or cheap to set up a repeater, which would be your best answer.

I've found Nokia phones are sensitive, as they are primarily phones with computing added, as against Windows, Android or Apple smartphones which are effectively PDAs with a phone bolted on.

The femtocell will, at least, give you a reliable signal for your mobile. Unless you're on a restrictive broadband contract, you'll not be using a big perecentage of your bandwidth allowance, and most people don't notice the slowdown that it may cause when you're talking.

The "phone signal extenders" consisting of a flat plate that you attach to your phone are, IMHO, snake oil.

[Dave Liquorice]

Divert to the landline when at home? That's what I do, sides steps the 'orrible mobile phone delay and Donald Duck impressions as well. I just have an "At home" profile in the phone that does it all automagically, biggest drawback is remembering to change the profile back to "Normal" when going out.

[Andrew May]

One feels that this is the sort of thing that the should be an app for on a smartphone. Probably something simple like if it can see your WiFi then divert the phone to home. Remove the diversion when it can no longer see your WiFi. Voila.

[Simon Cee]

A freind has one in his remote house - works fine. Dunno what make, bought from China for £80 ish. Not strictly legal tho.

[Bill]

In message , Simon Cee writes

Decidedly illegal!

[Dave Liquorice]

It would be the sort of itch I'd scratch to learn how to program a 'droid. But as I don't have a smartphone I don't have the itch...

Wouldn't be surprised if there isn't something out there already, not having a smartphone I haven't looked.

[Andy Burns]

The ones that amplify the GSM signal ... they work illegally.

The picocell/femtocells that plug into your broadband and give you local coverage do so legally.

[The Other Mike]

Buy a phone with properly designed and engineered RF stages like a Nokia 6310, a Nokia CARK-91 (handsfree car kit) and a suitable GSM external aerial something like this:

the aerial as high up as you can like the top of your TV mast and connect with the lowest loss cable you can afford. Point the aerial at the nearest base station.

you still can't get coverage then move to another mobile provider or if that doesn't work then move house.

If you can't move house buy a satphone or fit a femtocell as it's the only other solution that will work with the added bonus of near zero risk of you ending up like Rod Hull.