A cell phone signal amplifier, such as those from Wi-Ex and Wilson Electronics, is the best alternative for a weak cell signal in the home.
For $400 you can buy a dual-band amplifier and antenna system that works with both CDMA providers (such as Sprint and Verizon) and GSM carriers (AT&T and T-Mobile).
Signal Amplifier How it Works
One needs to find an area, usually outside the home, with good reception. The amplifier will take the signal and boost it indoors, but only at the level received outside. If the caller is in a complete dead spot, a spot with no cell reception at all, the amplifier will not be able to capture the signal and reproduce it inside the home. It is necessary to have a signal, for the cell signal booster to work.
Antenna Stickers Analysis
Cell phone antenna stickers have been documented not to work. Analysis of different types of cell phone antenna stickers showed on a consistent basis that they did not increase the cell signal reception.
However, if a phone has an antenna receptacle, usually behind a rubber plug on the back on the phone, one can increase the signal strength if they buy an external antenna for the phone. These external antennas become inconvenient and they usually are not as successful as an amplifier.
Antenna Stickers Claims
The contention with both the antenna extenders and the antenna stickers is that they usually don’t work as advertised. Commercial of as seen on TV products, boast that with a simple sticker may raise the reception by two to three bars.
But according to Wired magazine, reception bars are meaningless, because they don’t represent the usability of the cell signal in order to make a call. In GSM carriers (AT&T and T-Mobile) the bars represent the strength of the primary signal but it does not show you what is called the multipath interference, which would determine the quality of the call. In CDMA carriers (Spring and Verizon) the bars represent the signal strength, but not the EC/IO which represents the amount of the signal that is usable. In both instances, the bars represent the signal strength, but not the usability of the signal.
If you do have a cell signal, but inside your home is not quite useable, the best option is to use a cell phone booster amplifier, to carry the signal inside the home.
References
- Wired: Cell Phone Reception Bars Are Meaningless
- CNET: Get better cell signal with Cell Rangers, hopefully
- PC World: Mobile Broadband Boosters Seek Indoor Support
- Mac World: An affordable cell phone signal booster
- PC World: New Ways to Solve Your Cell Phone Dead Spots
- Cellphone antenna booster sticker test and analysis
Fernando Ibanez - Fernando has been in the information technology industry for over 15 years. He has worked as a webmaster, systems engineer, web developer ...
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