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06/27/10, 08:01 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Indiana, USA
Posts: 12,667
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Cell Phone Signal Booster
Anybody tried one?
We have AT&T, in the country and for some reason(s) the signal is all over the place. 4 bars one minute, searching for a signal the next. Sometimes 3G, most of the time not.
AT&T obvoiusly sees that there is a problem, since they are rolling out a "Micro cell" antenna, that somehow functions through your home DLS connection. Not sure how it works, but they are looking at either a high cost, or $20 mo extra.
In the meantime, Is see cell phone signal boosters, for around $100.
Just wondering if anyone uses one and what kind of improvement (if any) do they experience.
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06/27/10, 08:03 PM
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Brian w
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: ga fl home is macon
Posts: 160
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i know the old car ones work not sure about the new ones
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06/27/10, 08:28 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 2,280
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Yes a decent one will work. It's a repeater and has a lot better range.
The repeater has a far better antenna, and far more transmitting power, it talks to the cell tower and your phone talks to it.
Wilson electronic is where I usually shop for such things. I'm sure they could answer any questions.
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06/27/10, 08:48 PM
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Scotties rule!
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: IL
Posts: 1,614
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Can you set your phone not to look for 3G? Just run on 2G? Might help.
Kathie
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www.littlebitfarm.net
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06/27/10, 09:13 PM
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Appalachian American
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SW VA
Posts: 10,637
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I use Verizon, and they already have the DSL connection called a Network Extender. Mine works great. Setup just takes a few minutes, and two cable connections (including the power cord). It costs $200 bucks up front with no monthly charges. I highly recommend it to those who use Verizon.
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06/27/10, 10:11 PM
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It's Me, who are you?
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Staying with friends in Manassas, VA
Posts: 326
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Txrider
Yes a decent one will work. It's a repeater and has a lot better range.
The repeater has a far better antenna, and far more transmitting power, it talks to the cell tower and your phone talks to it.
Wilson electronic is where I usually shop for such things. I'm sure they could answer any questions.
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Txrider beat me to it, Wilson Electronics is the company to contact. I like their stuff so much I wanted to become a dealer at one point, but needed to have a real store, not just online.
They have units that you can stick in your car (mobile mount or fixed mounted) or one's for the house/office. Not cheap, but as a person who makes his living driving around the middle of BFE looking for hail damage, I can say that they are worth it when you really need that cell phone.
Also, Wilson's has antennas, but not all phones these days have the external port / jack, wilson's will have the connector if your phone does have a way to plug it in.
Look them up online and give em a call.
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06/27/10, 10:30 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 194
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We have the micro cell, and actually got a pretty good deal out of it. It's 20 dollars per month, but you get unlimited calls to any network, unlimited minutes, while you're in your home. It did boost the signal for us to 3G, but the unlimited service was one thing that did it for us, eliminating the home phone for us. As long as you start the call in the house, you can leave home and still take advantage of the unlimited minutes to anyone on any other network as well. Hope this information helps. They're also running a rebate right now, 100 dollars back, making the unit itself 50 bucks.
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06/27/10, 10:55 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 8,262
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deaconjim
I use Verizon, and they already have the DSL connection called a Network Extender. Mine works great. Setup just takes a few minutes, and two cable connections (including the power cord). It costs $200 bucks up front with no monthly charges. I highly recommend it to those who use Verizon.
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We have Verizon home and cell phones. Can't get DS: where we live.
We have 3G internet. Certainly NOT as good as our suburban internet. <sigh> DH got a kit online that has an antenna and then something that magnifies the signal. Don't remember what it's called. We have a router in the house that makes internet wireless.
Oh, so wish we could get DSL.
__________________
Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD
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06/28/10, 07:13 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Western NC
Posts: 665
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Has anyone tried the DSL "towers" using a connection like Hughes Net? I was worried it would eat up too much bandwidth.
We have a relative that has the one from ATT and loves it. He's out in the remote parts of the county and was a few miles from ATT service before this
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06/28/10, 07:16 AM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas Coastal Bend/S. Missouri
Posts: 30,490
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We got a wireless extender from Radio Shack. It has an antenna on the roof, a cable that runs from that into the house, and a transmitter in the house.
Here in the Ozarks, if we didn't have that, we wouldn't have reception.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2189115
__________________
Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
Last edited by Alice In TX/MO; 06/28/10 at 07:18 AM.
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06/29/10, 09:11 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Mass. and wanting to transplant
Posts: 1,261
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They discuss these boosters on the RV Forums in boondocking sections .
We are lucky that where We go camping in Az. looking for gold even though were 9 1/2 miles out in the desert , We have full service ?? , from a mountain above us .
They do rave about Wilson products .
Bob
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06/30/10, 07:01 AM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 6,844
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Between trips sister and BIL live 'back up in a holla', as they would say in TN. Has Verison and a terrible problem getting a signal. Tried a couple of different things. Verison even sent out an engineer when he was in the area. He said they were basically in a dead zone.
When they need to make a call, or use the laptop, they have to drive around. Have one favorite spot on the top of a hill. I'm just over the ridge from them and they get great reception here.
Question: They get better reception during winter, when the leaves have fallen, than summer. Why would leaves make a difference?
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06/30/10, 07:40 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: ohio
Posts: 2
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got out of contract
We called & called (takes 45 mins @ min) AT&T & after 3 months and continuous dropped calls and no signal.  They agreed that we were in a medium coverage area, we reminded them that since the new outlet mall opened it was 10xs worse. well they would be updating the area soon (w/n 2 yrs)! Hubby reported to BBB & they "called us" & agreed - we could drop 2 lines or all of them. Sis & Dad on contract also! first time we ever heard of anyone getting out of contract.
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06/30/10, 08:22 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 16,310
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KS. I have noticed that also, But I dont think it has anything to do with the leaves. I think that cooler air transmissions are clearer, faster, crisper. In my own mind Im sure thats right, cause in say Jan/Feb. I dont have much trouble getting a signal from my house, when in the summertime, its impossible.
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06/30/10, 08:36 PM
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Appalachian American
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SW VA
Posts: 10,637
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nc_mtn
Has anyone tried the DSL "towers" using a connection like Hughes Net? I was worried it would eat up too much bandwidth.
We have a relative that has the one from ATT and loves it. He's out in the remote parts of the county and was a few miles from ATT service before this
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That is what the Verizon Network Extender is. We have one, and it works great. We've noticed no change at all in our internet speed.
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07/08/10, 12:59 PM
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Living the dream.
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Morganton, NC
Posts: 1,982
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Promted by this thread, I just stopped by Radio Shack to look at the signal boosters and they wanted $300 for one...
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07/08/10, 04:11 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Western NC
Posts: 665
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deaconjim
That is what the Verizon Network Extender is. We have one, and it works great. We've noticed no change at all in our internet speed.
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thanks
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07/08/10, 05:37 PM
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Too many fat quarters...
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SW Nebraska, NW Kansas
Posts: 8,537
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We have a $129 antenna that mounts on our roof. We go from no signal whatsoever, to about two bars.
It's not great, but it's good enough to give us both home phone service (via our cell compnay) as well as internet. 
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07/08/10, 08:18 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Indiana, USA
Posts: 12,667
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay
Promted by this thread, I just stopped by Radio Shack to look at the signal boosters and they wanted $300 for one...
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The price turned us off too.
No one we really want to talk too that bad, anyway.  We do still have the mostly unused land line, we were forced to buy when we got DSL internet.
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07/08/10, 09:20 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Western WA
Posts: 4,729
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If you need something portable for use at multiple different locations or while traveling though poor signal sections in a vehicle, I recommend the recently released Wilson Sleek.
We use this on the back corner of our rural property where the signal is extremely weak and there is no hardwired service available. I keep it hooked up in my truck in case the cellphone is needed for an emergency call while working on the place.
We also use it when camping in areas with poor data signal reception as we use our cellphones as modems which are connected to a router that sends the wireless signal to our two laptops for high speed internet connection.
At home here it raises the signal strength by 1.5 - 2 bars, out in the back 40 it raises the signal strength by 1-1.5 bars.
http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electro.../dp/B003FGWGPS
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