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Cell Phone Signal Boosters

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lostagain View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote lostagain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Cell Phone Signal Boosters
    Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 10:28am
Thanks Glue Guy.  The areas where we would likely be using the system are the Sierras, the coastal areas of CA north of SF, and N.E. CA.  I guess the choice is either a system I have to mess with setting up, though it doesn't sound like an awful lot of work, or a system that gives us silence after investing an awful lot of money.  As with all things electronic, delays in purchasing usually seem to yield better stuff at lower prices, so I'll keep looking slowly, but with a directional antenna in mind.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 10:47am
LA, the omni antenna that I have is smaller than the RV one, but is designed to work via reflection from a metallic roof. I agree with GG and also doubt the RV omni one will be substantially better.  I expect Wilson/weboost (same or closely affiliated companies) has a directional antenna for the fancy RV booster too if you wanted to spend even more $$$. 

The setup I'm talking about I just leave the coax tucked under the trailer, there is no permanently attached cable guy mess. You could run the coax permanently under the trailer to your ladder (assuming that's where you mount the directional antenna) and just leave enough slack to slide it up and rotate the antenna. This is the antenna I have if you want to see what it looks like. It just mounts to a vertical tube. 


I wouldn't wait around expecting magically not to need a high gain directional antenna to get a cell signal in a remote location. It's not a likely place for a big tech breakthrough to occur.
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote lostagain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 12:19pm
Again, thanks for the helpful info, OG.  It looks like the booster I was looking at on Amazon is being discontinued.  It's not on the Wilson/weBoost site any more.  Maybe they stopped selling it because it didn't work so well.  

Eventually, I'll figure out a way to do a well concealed installation.   Sounds like some kind of a directional antenna is really the only way to go.  I assume that there is feedback on the booster when you hit the sweet spot.  
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Fred & Maria Kearney
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CharlieM View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote CharlieM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 1:26pm
Some comments from and old (and I do mean old) radio engineer:
I use a booster with a roof mounted omni antenna but I also have an all aluminum camper. The booster works if there is some signal but nothing can invent a signal if there is none is present. Technically the directional antenna should be the first choice. That helps transmit and receive signal levels much more than a booster amp but at the cost of setup fuss. Wilson equipment is good but won't overcome physics. The ultimate solution includes a directional antenna, extension mounting pole and booster. If that doesn't work the only thing left is the old real estate adage: location, location, location Wink.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 1:46pm
Originally posted by lostagain

  I assume that there is feedback on the booster when you hit the sweet spot.  

Nope, nada. Used to be on the iphone you could bring up the actual signal strength and do it that way but Apple deleted that actual feature I suppose in order to add in other non-features like more stupid emoticons or some such. So, the quickest way is to change antenna direction. hit the airplane mode switch, check the bars, stir and repeat. If you really want to dial things in you can use speedtest once you get close. Sounds complicated but its not hard unless you have only one person to do it. There are also several apps that use gps to tell you where the antennas are so you don't have to rotate through 360 degrees. 

 I think signal strength can still be accessed on Android devices, not sure. 
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote lostagain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 3:58pm
So, in effect, one really would want a signal strength meter to plug into the antenna until you get it pointed right.  Yikes, yet another costly gadget.  Thanks for the tip.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 4:21pm
I don't have a signal strength meter and find it OK. I think you might be overthinking this just a wee bit. You point the antenna where you think the cell site is and start rotating it. Hit airplane mode on then off to recycle the connection, wait a few seconds, check the bars, then move the antenna again. If the signal starts going down then back up till it maxes out, unless you think there are two cell sites in range, which is rare in the boonies. Then do a speed test to see what you got. 

Its not that bad, much easier than putting up an rDome for example. Evil Smile 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2021 at 5:20pm
I now use a cellular modem for my home internet, it's the fastest thing I can get in the rural area where we live. I have a weak cell signal and have found that it's better to use a directional antenna rather than a booster to increase my connection speed. The booster amplifies the noise along with the signal and it's the signal to noise ratio thats important. I wound up with a dual MIMO antenna to get the best results. It increases the signal strength by about 6db and the speed from around 6 mbps to around 60 mbps. If you have an Android phone you can get an app that reports this information..If you have an Apple you're SOL. Bot even with the app it really helps if you know the bearing to the cell tower you're trying to access.
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