Improving cell phone reception in house?

The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go out on
the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no dropped calls
so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the problem. Would
it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and run a cable to a
repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way to do something like
this? TIA


--
Gary Vocks
www.under-1-roof.com

---

› See More: Improving cell phone reception in house?

I had the same problem and found a solution that worked great. I went out
and bought a product by Wireless Extender. You have to mount a small
antenna outside and then run cable inside to a very small repeater. My
signal consistently is 2 to 3 bars outside. I used to get a signal of one
bar inside, if I was lucky. Now I get a signal of 3 bars (-75db to -85db)
all of the time. Now I get such a strong signal inside my home that my next
door neighbor even gets a greatly improved signal.

Note: The current unit only works with a 1900 mh signal. Additionally,
it is not cheap. The unit runs approximately $300, but it is the best
investment that I have made. I own a small business and my cellphone is my
link to new sales so spending money on an improved signal is not a question.

You can find the Wireless Extender at www.wireless extenders.com .

Bruce D. Brown

"pv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
> wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go out
> on the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no dropped
> calls so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the problem.
> Would it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and run a cable
> to a repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way to do
> something like this? TIA
>
>
> --
> Gary Vocks
> www.under-1-roof.com
>
>

Sorry, I made a mistake on the link to the web site. The correct link is:
www.wirelessextenders.com

Bruce D. Brown

"Bruce D. Brown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I had the same problem and found a solution that worked great. I went out
>and bought a product by Wireless Extender. You have to mount a small
>antenna outside and then run cable inside to a very small repeater. My
>signal consistently is 2 to 3 bars outside. I used to get a signal of one
>bar inside, if I was lucky. Now I get a signal of 3 bars (-75db to -85db)
>all of the time. Now I get such a strong signal inside my home that my
>next door neighbor even gets a greatly improved signal.
>
> Note: The current unit only works with a 1900 mh signal. Additionally,
> it is not cheap. The unit runs approximately $300, but it is the best
> investment that I have made. I own a small business and my cellphone is my
> link to new sales so spending money on an improved signal is not a
> question.
>
> You can find the Wireless Extender at www.wireless extenders.com .
>
> Bruce D. Brown
>
> "pv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
>> wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go out
>> on the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no dropped
>> calls so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the
>> problem. Would it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and
>> run a cable to a repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way
>> to do something like this? TIA
>>
>>
>> --
>> Gary Vocks
>> www.under-1-roof.com
>>
>>
>
>

It doesn't have to cost $700. I spent less than 1/2 and got the same
results.

Bruce D. Brown

"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Sat, 2 Jul 2005 18:14:00 -0500, "pv" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
>>wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go out
>>on
>>the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no dropped
>>calls
>>so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the problem.
>>Would
>>it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and run a cable to a
>>repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way to do something
>>like
>>this? TIA
>
> You could buy a repeater for your house but it will cost you upwards
> of $700 (from companies such as Wilson Cellular.)
>
> - -
>

According to the web page, it only works on PCS phones for now. Does
this product work with Cingular GSM phones?



On Sat, 02 Jul 2005 23:44:52 GMT, "Bruce D. Brown"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I had the same problem and found a solution that worked great. I went out
>and bought a product by Wireless Extender. You have to mount a small
>antenna outside and then run cable inside to a very small repeater. My
>signal consistently is 2 to 3 bars outside. I used to get a signal of one
>bar inside, if I was lucky. Now I get a signal of 3 bars (-75db to -85db)
>all of the time. Now I get such a strong signal inside my home that my next
>door neighbor even gets a greatly improved signal.
>
>Note: The current unit only works with a 1900 mh signal. Additionally,
>it is not cheap. The unit runs approximately $300, but it is the best
>investment that I have made. I own a small business and my cellphone is my
>link to new sales so spending money on an improved signal is not a question.
>
>You can find the Wireless Extender at www.wireless extenders.com .
>
>Bruce D. Brown
>
>"pv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
>> wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go out
>> on the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no dropped
>> calls so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the problem.
>> Would it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and run a cable
>> to a repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way to do
>> something like this? TIA
>>
>>
>> --
>> Gary Vocks
>> www.under-1-roof.com
>>
>>
>

Scott wrote:

> According to the web page, it only works on PCS phones for now. Does
> this product work with Cingular GSM phones?

PCS is the frequency at 1900 mHz. If Cingular uses a GSM 1900 signal in your
area, it it will work, but if Cingular only uses a GSM 850 signal, it will have
no effect.

What city do you live in?

TH

GSM in the USA primarily uses the PCS spectrum... 1900 mhz... albeit
there is some 850 mhz now spreading around the USA.

Therefore it should work ????

SFB

Scott wrote:
> According to the web page, it only works on PCS phones for now. Does
> this product work with Cingular GSM phones?
>
>
>
> On Sat, 02 Jul 2005 23:44:52 GMT, "Bruce D. Brown"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I had the same problem and found a solution that worked great. I went out
>>and bought a product by Wireless Extender. You have to mount a small
>>antenna outside and then run cable inside to a very small repeater. My
>>signal consistently is 2 to 3 bars outside. I used to get a signal of one
>>bar inside, if I was lucky. Now I get a signal of 3 bars (-75db to -85db)
>>all of the time. Now I get such a strong signal inside my home that my next
>>door neighbor even gets a greatly improved signal.
>>
>>Note: The current unit only works with a 1900 mh signal. Additionally,
>>it is not cheap. The unit runs approximately $300, but it is the best
>>investment that I have made. I own a small business and my cellphone is my
>>link to new sales so spending money on an improved signal is not a question.
>>
>>You can find the Wireless Extender at www.wireless extenders.com .
>>
>>Bruce D. Brown
>>
>>"pv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
>>>wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go out
>>>on the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no dropped
>>>calls so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the problem.
>>>Would it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and run a cable
>>>to a repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way to do
>>>something like this? TIA
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>Gary Vocks
>>>www.under-1-roof.com
>>>
>>>
>>
>

"Bruce D. Brown" wrote:

> It doesn't have to cost $700. I spent less than 1/2 and got the same
> results.
>
> Bruce D. Brown

Depending on the area...there are hundreds of markets in which a cellular
carrier does not have PCS coverage, and roaming while in the home market is not
permitted.

TH

I have a Blackberry 7100G and use Cingular. At home (Orange County, CA)
Cingular uses 1900mh. It will work with any phone that uses 1900mh.
Additionally, there is a return period (I think it is 30 days) where if the
unit does not work for you, it can be returned.

Bruce D. Brown

"Scott" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> According to the web page, it only works on PCS phones for now. Does
> this product work with Cingular GSM phones?
>
>
>
> On Sat, 02 Jul 2005 23:44:52 GMT, "Bruce D. Brown"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I had the same problem and found a solution that worked great. I went out
>>and bought a product by Wireless Extender. You have to mount a small
>>antenna outside and then run cable inside to a very small repeater. My
>>signal consistently is 2 to 3 bars outside. I used to get a signal of one
>>bar inside, if I was lucky. Now I get a signal of 3 bars (-75db to -85db)
>>all of the time. Now I get such a strong signal inside my home that my
>>next
>>door neighbor even gets a greatly improved signal.
>>
>>Note: The current unit only works with a 1900 mh signal. Additionally,
>>it is not cheap. The unit runs approximately $300, but it is the best
>>investment that I have made. I own a small business and my cellphone is my
>>link to new sales so spending money on an improved signal is not a
>>question.
>>
>>You can find the Wireless Extender at www.wireless extenders.com .
>>
>>Bruce D. Brown
>>
>>"pv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>> The cell phone reception in my house is not very reliable and I was
>>> wondering if there is anything that I can do to improve it. If we go
>>> out
>>> on the patio to use our phones we have a very good signal with no
>>> dropped
>>> calls so it seems that it's the house structure itself that's the
>>> problem.
>>> Would it be practical to put some kind of antenna outside and run a
>>> cable
>>> to a repeater inside? Is there a reasonably inexpensive way to do
>>> something like this? TIA
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Gary Vocks
>>> www.under-1-roof.com
>>>
>>>
>>
>

I live in Fountain Valley, CA and the Wireless Extender works perfectly as
it should.

Bruce D. Brown

"Tropical Haven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Scott wrote:
>
>> According to the web page, it only works on PCS phones for now. Does
>> this product work with Cingular GSM phones?
>
> PCS is the frequency at 1900 mHz. If Cingular uses a GSM 1900 signal in
> your
> area, it it will work, but if Cingular only uses a GSM 850 signal, it will
> have
> no effect.
>
> What city do you live in?
>
> TH
>

I agree with your statement but if your phone uses the 1900 mh band, the
Wireless Extender costs much less than 1/2 the cost of a repeater. If your
phone only works on the 850mh band, this will not work.

Bruce D. Brown

"Tropical Haven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> "Bruce D. Brown" wrote:
>
>> It doesn't have to cost $700. I spent less than 1/2 and got the same
>> results.
>>
>> Bruce D. Brown
>
> Depending on the area...there are hundreds of markets in which a cellular
> carrier does not have PCS coverage, and roaming while in the home market
> is not
> permitted.
>
> TH
>

You'll probably have 1900 in California. If you take the Wireless Extender to
some other areas, rural Florida or Rural Minnesota or North Dakota, where GSM is
only present in 850 mHz, it'll be a pretty "metal vine".

TH

"Bruce D. Brown" wrote:

> I live in Fountain Valley, CA and the Wireless Extender works perfectly as
> it should.
>
> Bruce D. Brown
>
> "Tropical Haven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> >
> > Scott wrote:
> >
> >> According to the web page, it only works on PCS phones for now. Does
> >> this product work with Cingular GSM phones?
> >
> > PCS is the frequency at 1900 mHz. If Cingular uses a GSM 1900 signal in
> > your
> > area, it it will work, but if Cingular only uses a GSM 850 signal, it will
> > have
> > no effect.
> >
> > What city do you live in?
> >
> > TH
> >

How can you tell if your area is covered by 850 or 1900?

> How can you tell if your area is covered by 850 or 1900?

If you are really technically oriented, you can take a handset with Test
Mode and read/interpret the data from screen.

If you are not, there are a couple of other things you can try:

- Take two phones, one with 850 and 1900 capability (at least), and
another that does NOT have 850. If both phones function in your market,
you at least have 1900 mHz (however, in most areas where Cingular 850
mHz is present, 1900 is also present, but there are many markets where
Cingular 1900 is present and 850 is not).

- There are some websites that publish what carriers are *using* what
frequencies in what markets, and what markets the carriers hold licenses
which are not being used. I do not recall any URLs.

- Post your location, and other users will be able to tell you.

There are other options, but these are the easiest three that I could
think of.

TH

"Tropical Haven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> "Bruce D. Brown" wrote:
>
>> It doesn't have to cost $700. I spent less than 1/2 and got the same
>> results.
>>
>> Bruce D. Brown
>
> Depending on the area...there are hundreds of markets in which a cellular
> carrier does not have PCS coverage, and roaming while in the home market
> is not
> permitted.
>
> TH
And what does that have to do with this subject??

Steve