[ale] [OT] Cell phone reception

[Alex Carver]

You can purchase mobile repeaters that are approved for use.  Quick
Google searching should come up with various providers (like this one):

http://unidencellular.com/booster_kits/

They're usually in the several hundred dollar range but if you get one
that you make portable you can take it with you elsewhere.

I planned on getting one for the car to use on long trips through the
open areas of the west where cell coverage is spotty or weak.

They have to be registered with the carrier but some time ago the FCC
pushed them into offering blanket acceptance of installing these kinds
of devices because they were not building out the base station network.

Stick with amplified versions, they do have on-board electronics that,
aside from amplifying the signal in and out, will monitor the network
and adjust itself accordingly to mitigate interference issues.

On 2016-07-04 14:37, Pete Hardie wrote:
> We had an issue in our neighborhood a few years back, when the closest cell 
> towers were under repair. and AT&T fronted us a femto-cell device that used our 
> internet bandwidth as the network side, and provided cell coverage in the house.
> 
> I don't know if they would do that unless it was their fault reception was bad, 
> however, but the devices might be available somewhere
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jul 4, 2016 at 5:08 PM, Jeff Hubbs <jhubbslist at att.net 
> <mailto:jhubbslist at att.net>> wrote:
> 
>     Very much OT. I'm spending an unusual amount of time at my mother's house
>     near Macon, GA these days and although I've reported it to AT&T twice,
>     nothing has been done about the terrible cell phone reception. I have to go
>     outside and cycle into and out of airplane mode to get 4G or LTE; inside the
>     house I have to be within a foot or so of a north- or east-facing window.
>     This is a serious problem because I often need to make and take calls, text,
>     or do some basic Internet stuff.
> 
>     Is there anything practical I can do for reasonable amounts of money to
>     improve reception in the house? I've even thought about even maybe sticking
>     a Yagi outside and cabling it straight to a fractal radiator or another Yagi
>     inside.
> 
>     I ask here because I figure there are folks who know what solutions aren't
>     in the "As Seen On TV," "Solar FREAKIN' Roadways," "infrared jewelry," or
>     "copper-infused socks" class.
> 
>     _______________________________________________
>     Ale mailing list
>     Ale at ale.org <mailto:Ale at ale.org>
>     http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>     See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>     http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Pete Hardie
> --------
> Better Living Through Bitmaps
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>