Better Cell Phone Reception

Poor cell phone reception has been one of the most prevalent and persistent complaints of cellular users. Certainly, strides have been made in recent years but for many, the poor signal reception in their home has been the primary reason for clinging to their landline and accepting the reality of two separate bills to cover their voice communication needs.

Find out more about how to get better cell phone reception here by learning about:

One route to better cell phone reception is the use of cellular repeaters. These repeaters often consist of a small indoor antenna and a larger outdoor antenna. The outdoor device picks up the signal and relays it to the indoor antenna where reception is typically poor. Quality repeaters do work to improve cell phone reception indoors as long as an acceptable signal can be captured outdoors although quality may still be inferior to a landline.

Buyers must be comfortable with installing the antennas outdoors which are most effectively placed on the roof. These signal extenders must also be compatible with the cellular network being used.

Wired antennas that don't require an outdoor antenna are also available. In addition, there are also antennas designed for use in cars and boats.

Do they really improve cell phone reception?

Another option to improve cell phone reception that is mentioned by some in the business, is the use of simple boosters that are placed behind the battery of a cell phone. In general, these are not recommended as they tend to be ineffective, especially indoors.

However, some have recommended 3 watt amplifiers which can make a direct electrical connection with some cell phones. See this Mobiledia discussion for more on this.

Another option for getting better cell phone reception indoors for consumers with high speed internet service gives users faster data speeds, better signal strength, and improved voice quality.This option is to use a home base station or femtocell to relay signals from a consumers IP service to and from their cellular network.

Cisco makes some of these devices and some cellular providers have them available for consumer use.

A femtocell is a small home base station which allows users to receive and place calls on their cell phone via their broadband connection which in turn communicates with their cellular network. This potentially provides the caller:

Femotocells are just emerging on the market but it is anticipated that they will gain popularity as more cellular providers opt to provide them, and perhaps subsidize them; making their purchase more affordable for consumers. Femotocells would be a great option for obtaining better cell phone reception for those living in more remote areas particularly.

Currently, Sprint is offering a femtocell device, Airave.Users of the service must purchase the Airave which is being offered for $50. Customers then pay $15/month for unlimited calling but have the flexibility of selecting from many different cell phones.

Verizon Wireless on the other hand offers a Network Extender which is their femtocell and AT&T has their Microcell network extender.

To use the Sprint service, customers need:

Photos are copyrighted as indicated below. No derivative work allowed.

Introduction: jepoirrier.

Using Hybrid WiFi/Cellular Phones: bgautreau.

Better Cell Phone Reception in Your Home or Office: Cell105.

What is a Femtocell Photo Credit: Kubina.

A Femtocell from Sprint: Bethany L King.