Talk to me about “Signal Boosters”

Zellephant

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We recently moved to a new place, and our house seems to be some sort of faraday cage. If I step outside I get almost perfect cell signal, but inside the house, it’s literally impossible to make or receive calls.

Our LTE WiFi router also only gets a signal if it’s placed right up against a window (but then the signal is great, and we easily get upwards of 25mbps internet speeds). I have turned on WiFi calling on our phones, but this doesn’t seem to help, I still can’t make or receive calls reliably in the house. WhatsApp calls obviously work fine.

I have heard a lot of talk about signal boosters, but always understood them to be like directional antennas that just help you get signal if signal in your area is marginal, but do you get a signal booster that would be like an external antenna I can place outside my house, that then transmits the Cell Signal inside the house (kinda like a wireless access point does for internet coverage).

If so, what do I need to be looking for and what sort of price range. I work from home, and I am missing way too many critical calls.
 
You could first try look at a different router? Or trying to mount the router as high as possible, but the joys of wireless/LTE connections, if you're in a bad signal area or the weather isn't great you're probably not gonna get good signal.
To this day, even with fibre if the weather goes bad my wife humphs thinking the internet is gonna bomb
 
You could first try look at a different router? Or trying to mount the router as high as possible, but the joys of wireless/LTE connections, if you're in a bad signal area or the weather isn't great you're probably not gonna get good signal.
To this day, even with fibre if the weather goes bad my wife humphs thinking the internet is gonna bomb
I really have no problem with my internet connection. It does need to be near a window to get signal, but thr connection is fine, and my wifi boosters carry it thtroughout the house just fine. My issue is my cellphone network inside the house. I'm looking for a “signal booster” that can take the perfectly good signal I get outside my front or back doors, and relays it inside the house.

I literally have perfect 5g signal if I stand 2 metres outside my back door, but I can make a call the minute I am under the roof.
 
I really have no problem with my internet connection. It does need to be near a window to get signal, but thr connection is fine, and my wifi boosters carry it thtroughout the house just fine. My issue is my cellphone network inside the house. I'm looking for a “signal booster” that can take the perfectly good signal I get outside my front or back doors, and relays it inside the house.

I literally have perfect 5g signal if I stand 2 metres outside my back door, but I can make a call the minute I am under the roof.
Ohh cellphone signal, that I don't know if you can boost to be honest. Not without ICASA involvement
 
Try this one, others are expensive.
(Depends on whose network you're on)
 
I'm experiencing the same issue, but fortunately, wifi calling is functioning well for me. It might be worth looking into why wifi calling isn't working for you.
 
You could first try look at a different router? Or trying to mount the router as high as possible, but the joys of wireless/LTE connections, if you're in a bad signal area or the weather isn't great you're probably not gonna get good signal.
To this day, even with fibre if the weather goes bad my wife humphs thinking the internet is gonna bomb
Tell me you didn't read op without telling me
 
I saw Wifi calling, thought he was trying to use the 5G for that.
Well, that just confirms my point. Reading is distinct from seeing random words and drawing your own inference. But don't mind me, as you were.
 
Well, that just confirms my point. Reading is distinct from seeing random words and drawing your own inference. But don't mind me, as you were.
Right, cause the user is talking about 5G Internet, plus setting their device to WiFi calling.
You must deal a lot with users who log tickets with vague sprinkling of what they actually want to be able to interpret the OP being his actual cellphone signal not the 5g and wifi calling.
 
Right, cause the user is talking about 5G Internet, plus setting their device to WiFi calling.
You must deal a lot with users who log tickets with vague sprinkling of what they actually want to be able to interpret the OP being his actual cellphone signal not the 5g and wifi calling.
The first paragraph is clear as day
 
living next to a cell tower? house made of tinfoil? or how is it you have such bad signal?
or does OP live in a rural area.
I am on a farm, but right on the outskirts of town. The problem with the signal however is nothing to do with our location, and definately something to do with the construction of the house. The signal disappears the minute you walk into the building.

It’s a flat corrugated iron roof, but it’s a very old building, so the roof sheets are still the old school thick heavy gauge YSKOR roof sheets, so that might be part of the problem.
 
I am on a farm, but right on the outskirts of town. The problem with the signal however is nothing to do with our location, and definately something to do with the construction of the house. The signal disappears the minute you walk into the building.

It’s a flat corrugated iron roof, but it’s a very old building, so the roof sheets are still the old school thick heavy gauge YSKOR roof sheets, so that might be part of the problem.
If makro fails you check takealot https://www.takealot.com/all?filter=Brand:WilsonPro
 
If you’re going to go with a booster/repeater ensure it’s ICASA approved.
You must be joking. Why should I bother. ICASA is a corrupt and incompetent bunch of gate keepers. I have enough of a headache dealing with them for radio operator certificates and licenses. But in all of my life I have never actually come across an ICASA bogeyman doing the rounds to check on equipment.

Makro is selling the unit, I will plead ignorance and assume they have done their due diligence on their suppliers. If someone from ICASA ever rocks up at my house to inspect my signal booster, I will be seriously surprised….
 
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