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[Rob Spence]

I live in what I like call “radio free Carlisle” where the town management is hell bent on preventing good cell service.

I have been browsing boosters but I can’t figure out how to know which to buy.

Would be lovely to take it with me to the mother in laws in nyc when we visit as even on the 3rd floor of her house in Queens I only get a couple of bars.

This is Verizon service in both places and Apple devices.

Suggestions, advice, ?


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[Scott Holtzman]

I live in what I like call “radio free Carlisle” where the town management is hell bent on preventing good cell service.

I have been browsing boosters but I can’t figure out how to know which to buy.

Would be lovely to take it with me to the mother in laws in nyc when we visit as even on the 3rd floor of her house in Queens I only get a couple of bars.

This is Verizon service in both places and Apple devices.

Suggestions, advice, ?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Verizon sell s branded repeater and it works OK.  It uses your Internet to connect back to the BSC.  It's a Samsung model, $249.00 and supports 4G LTE data and voice connections.

I live in a rural area and have a Wilson with four antennas around the house (kitchen, first level, basement and second story).  It works great but the receive antenna needs to be as far away from the area to be covered as possible. Mine is on the top of the chimney.  I would think a portable RF repeater would be difficult proposition considering how detailed the installation is.

If you have good Internet the Samsung base station is the way to go.  If I was doing it all over again it is the way I would go.

[Rob Spence]

Verizon sell s branded repeater and it works OK.  It uses your Internet to connect back to the BSC.  It's a Samsung model, $249.00 and supports 4G LTE data and voice connections.

I live in a rural area and have a Wilson with four antennas around the house (kitchen, first level, basement and second story).  It works great but the receive antenna needs to be as far away from the area to be covered as possible. Mine is on the top of the chimney.  I would think a portable RF repeater would be difficult proposition considering how detailed the installation is.

If you have good Internet the Samsung base station is the way to go.  If I was doing it all over again it is the way I would go.

Not looking for improved voice service (which I assume is simply VOIP or similar). I need improved cellular data.

Part of the reason is for when I have no cable service (like the 3 days when power was out) and the other at the in laws where the dsl connection isn’t much better than damp string.


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[Mac Kerr]

Not looking for improved voice service (which I assume is simply VOIP or similar). I need improved cellular data.

Part of the reason is for when I have no cable service (like the 3 days when power was out) and the other at the in laws where the dsl connection isn’t much better than damp string.

I would think the first thing to try is a different carrier. No carrier has excellent coverage in 100% of the country. In NYC Verizon tends to have better coverage than AT&T, but where I live I am happier with ATT. My daughter had great coverage with T-Mobile, but switched to Verizon for phone availability, coverage not as good.

I will say, during the power outages recently ATT service sucked. At my house which is usually full bars I was down to 1 bar. Do they not have a battery backup on those towers? I can see the local tower from my kitchen window.

Mac

[Jonathan Johnson]

There are two types of devices: boosters (aka repeater) and microcells.

Boosters amplify the cellular radio signals. Usually have a larger antenna mounted outside on the top of the house, and a smaller antenna inside the house.

Microcells don't amplify the signal. Instead, they connect to your landline Internet connection and act like an cell tower inside your house. These are useful when your signal isn't strong enough for even a booster to help. Microcells require activation with your carrier and may have a GPS antenna for position and timing purposes.

But you probably knew that.

[Scott Holtzman]

Not looking for improved voice service (which I assume is simply VOIP or similar). I need improved cellular data.

Part of the reason is for when I have no cable service (like the 3 days when power was out) and the other at the in laws where the dsl connection isn’t much better than damp string.


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No it's not VoIP, it's a CDMA LTE microcell that uses your Internet connection for backhaul to the carriers BSC.

You need a repeater with an external antenna to do what you want.

WRT batteries,  all cell sites have batteries they run on 48V DC,  about 4 hours worth.  Some critical cells have generators.

[Stephen Swaffer]

An old thread-but I am seriously considering a repeater.  I know I am roughly 4 miles to the cell tower my carrier says I use-my home sits a little low for the terrain-but I can gain some height with a story and a half house.  I am thinking a directional antenna.  Any specific recommendations?  Are the repeaters carrier specific at all?  The carrier I use is US Cellular-which is by far the best in the area, though reception at my home falls far short of their advertising claims. 

Calls are fine-it is data I am after-my options are cell or satellite.  I abandoned the  landline several years ago, but it was poor and there is no way the telecom can justify upgrading in my neck of the woods-the price I pay for staying off the beaten track!

[Pete Erskine]

I live in what I like call “radio free Carlisle” where the town management is hell bent on preventing good cell service.

I have been browsing boosters but I can’t figure out how to know which to buy.

Would be lovely to take it with me to the mother in laws in nyc when we visit as even on the 3rd floor of her house in Queens I only get a couple of bars.

This is Verizon service in both places and Apple devices.

Suggestions, advice, ?


I have aa cell phone booster.  Has external antenna either omni or yagi and a patch inside antenna.  Each antenna needs to be as far apart as possible, like one on the roof and one inside down a couple of floors.  It wont work for the newer T-Mobile 600 MHZ bands but covers all the other bands.  I do not use it.  You are welcome to borrow it.  I probably have a couple of 50' RG8 extensions too.


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[Rob Spence]

That would be awesome Pete. Happy New Year!


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[Scott Holtzman]

Those boosters are the baine of system operator.

The yacht folks put the antenna up on the mast.  They come into port and will pick up other units in the same harbor and overwhelm the RX multicoupler on at least one sector of the site.   Sometimes more than one sector.

The drive vehicles would have to go out and hunt these beasts down.

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