mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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Can you get some kind of mobile phone signal booster or even external aerial that would give you signal inside a house that currently has next to none? And possibly one that doesn't require an electricity supply to work either if that's even possible? You can get a signal if you go outside in certain places.
The house is in the sticks and my Uncle runs a business from home and needs his mobile as back up for the times the land line is down or the electric is off. Which can be quite often in the winter. Looking into backup generator set ups to sort the electric problems too so may not be that much of a problem if a mobile phone signal booster or additional aerial does need electric.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Not without electricity and an internet connection.
The femtocell boxes you get from most networks are the best bet, vodafone suresignal et all.
There are 'boosters' available (which still need powered) but they don't work, don't waste £500 trying.
How often does landline and power go off at the same time?
If landline stays on the exchange must still have power, if you had a UPS powering the router and the femtocell, the mobile should work.
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3CorsaMeal
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Registered: 11th Apr 02
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We have some dish thing mounted outside that picks up signal and brings it into building with a wire then outputs it again via an aerial.
=Piece of crap, doesn't do anything.
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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It's very rare they go off at the same time tbh.
I was just doing a bit of googling now and found this http://cellantenna.co.uk/index.php?id=cae50
It sounds like one of the systems you are both describing that doesn't actually work all that well!
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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The problem with the vodafone sure signal is that it needs both the electric and phone line to be on. If the land lines off that's exactly when he would be wanting to use his mobile as his incoming calls get automatically diverted to it
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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They don't work and are of dubious legality.
Tried both a £100 ebay one and a £500 from some site.
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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I don't think there is a solution then by the sound of it. I don't fancy getting him to spend a few hundred quid on one of these antenna systems to find it doesn't work
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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They need power anyway.
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3CorsaMeal
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Registered: 11th Apr 02
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I can't believe all this technology we have, smart phones, smart tv, smart cars, yet we have had mobile phones all these years and they still don't work very well.
Is shite out in the countryside
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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Internet based femtocell from a network is your only solution as a consumer. Using repeaters, whilst they do work (what's sold HERE), are illegal.
Alternatives are to get the locals to complain about coverage and see if the networks will do anything about it; try an external aerial for the phone and see if that works; or use a sat phone with an external aerial if it's for emergencies.
Edit - If it is for emergencies only and use it sparingly for that alone, then you could possibly get away with using a repeater. But it's not the sort of thing you'd want running continuously as you'd get spectacularly shafted if a network found out 
[Edited on 10-01-2014 by Dom]
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A2H GO
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Registered: 14th Sep 04
Location: Stoke
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quote:
Originally posted by 3CorsaMeal
I can't believe all this technology we have, smart phones, smart tv, smart cars, yet we have had mobile phones all these years and they still don't work very well.
Is shite out in the countryside
Agreed, I've tried O2, Voda and Thee in my new place we moved to last year, can't get even one bar signal with any of them.
Phoned Three for my PAC code last night, they confirmed no coverage in my area and offered to put me through to technical support. By the time I'd spent arguing it was a waste of time and to just give me my PAC code, I'd made it home from work and got cut off due to no signal.  Terrible network that you have to go through all this BS to get your PAC.
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Gaz
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Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
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We have an office in a part of Scotland that gets very poor coverage outside. Whilst in the office, it's even worse however O2 recommended a box be fitted to the outside of the building to boost the signal inside. Now this was a few hundred quid however they came out, fitted it and from what I believe the signal is now much much better.
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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quote:
Originally posted by 3CorsaMeal
I can't believe all this technology we have, smart phones, smart tv, smart cars, yet we have had mobile phones all these years and they still don't work very well.
Is shite out in the countryside
Yep it's shit. I live in a small town, it's still countryside really and the signal isn't great. I get ok signal in my bedroom because it's on the 2nd floor but if I'm on the ground floor in the living room it's patchy at best, go in to the kitchen or dining room at the back of the house and no signal at all.
Another thing that bugs me is that all the phone shops round here are trying to sell 4G plans when you can't even get it and you look at the networks coverage maps they say they have no plans for it here at the moment!
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oceansoul
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Sunbury, Surrey
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In one of our control rooms we have a small device (mains powered) that connects to an external aerial on the roof of the building. The indoor device then retransmitts the signal. It came from vodaphone, many years ago (2002?). It does work well, but only on GSM (2G) bands.
[Edited on 10-01-2014 by oceansoul]
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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Another thing that won't help with signal in my Uncle's house is the walls are up to 1m thick in places. Can only get Wifi signal in the rooms that don't have thick walls between them and the router.
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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quote:
Originally posted by oceansoul
In one of our control rooms we have a small device (mains powered) that connects to an external aerial on the roof of the building. The indoor device then retransmitts the signal. It came from vodaphone, many years ago (2002?). It does work well, but only on GSM (2G) bands.
[Edited on 10-01-2014 by oceansoul]
is that an earlier version of Sure Signal? It needs to not be reliant on having the landline working. He doesn't use 3G. Only makes and receives calls. Doesn't even text.
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by mwg
quote:
Originally posted by oceansoul
In one of our control rooms we have a small device (mains powered) that connects to an external aerial on the roof of the building. The indoor device then retransmitts the signal. It came from vodaphone, many years ago (2002?). It does work well, but only on GSM (2G) bands.
[Edited on 10-01-2014 by oceansoul]
is that an earlier version of Sure Signal? It needs to not be reliant on having the landline working. He doesn't use 3G. Only makes and receives calls. Doesn't even text.
It'll be a repeater (not an internet based femto) as mentioned; difference is, it's been installed by the network so it's 'fine' in their eyes.
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jamied
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Registered: 27th Oct 03
Location: Marbella,Spain Drives: C63
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satellite phone ?
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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People always say about health issues living near masts so would a repeater be just as bad as living near a mast?
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Repeater doesn't broadcast with anywhere near the power of a normal mast so any potential health concerns will be reduced many times.
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by jamied
satellite phone ?
Did mention the same but i guess it depends how screwed his uncle is with getting a mobile signal - if it's just a case of opening the front door then the cost of a sat phone probably isn't worth it.
Might be easier to find a phone (most have the option but the port tends to be poorly located, under the battery cover etc) that supports using external antennas (might require a cradle or patch lead) and then stick a yagi or whip antenna on top of the building (cable lengths are about the only issue). If you need a bit more portability then use a bluetooth headset etc.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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Landline doesnt require power anyway, you get a 50v line voltage that isnt reliant off the mains.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Already discussed.
Depending where you are though, if the exchange is remote, that might not have that much backup power, in which case it'll also go down.
To clarify, landline does need power, it just doesn't come from your house.
[Edited on 11-01-2014 by John]
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