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Hinezy
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2013 20:22
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Has anyone here ever used one of the powered signal boosters for cell phones? They get some good reviews on Amazon and I'm debating on getting one for my camp. Personally I don't need the cell phone but my wife really feels we should have it for safety reasons. Currently we teeter on one to two bars but it can barely send a text or make a call, it's very unreliable.
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GomerPile
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2013 21:33 - Edited by: GomerPile
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I have a Wilson electronics unit that I use for my iPhone. iPhone uses 800mhz for voice and 1900 for data. I have had good luck with voice but spotty with data.
I am trying to hit a tower thru trees and over a hill which only works well if weather conditions are just right. I ended up running a land line with DSL so I don't really use it anymore.
If you are looking to buy one, let me know maybe we can work something out.
http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/store/display/17/45/ag-soho-60
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Kudzu
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 06:57
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I found this on another forum, hope it helps.
I'm posting this just in case someone else here is in similar circumstances and might benefit from my experience. First, let me stipulate that I have no financial interest whatsoever in the products I used or the place where I made the purchases.
My Mississippi cabin is in a remote part of Franklin County. The local phone company does not have the infrastructure to get DSL quality internet service to me. I do not want a satellite dish for several reasons, not the least of which is I do not want to cut the trees that would be necessary to get a clear view of the southern sky for the dish. The only internet service I have had is dial-up which is horribly slow. In January, I got fed up with not being able to do reasonable things and did a lot of research.
When I came back in March, I purchased a cell phone booster system (details later) and got it installed. It has been life-changing out here in the woods. My service is through Verizon, which works pretty well almost everywhere in the U. S. At my cabin, it was impossible to make a simple phone call. Outside, if you stood in just the right place, and held your mouth just right, you could sometimes make a call that would not get dropped. I was skeptical that anything could help, but decided to do something anyway. When we got the system jerry-rigged, my son and I could not believe the results. We got 3 or 4 bars on our phones. I was able to FaceTime with my wife on my iPhone. After a few days of watching to see how dependable this was, I went to the Verizon store and got a wireless hotspot. It worked pretty darn well, though there were a few occasional blips. I figured the only variable I could change was the direction of the external antenna. I could not find a reliable and up to date data base on cell phone tower locations and service, so one afternoon I did a "brute force" search. I put my phone in field test mode (On an iPhone you dial *3001#12345#*) which gives you a numerical measure that is more accurate than bars, and drove a circuit of the state and federal highways around my cabin. I didn't think there would be towers out in the woods on the gravel roads. I found a tower that I did not know about near Union Church that has a strong Verizon signal. My hand-held GPS told me it was 6.25 miles from my cabin. I went back, turned the antenna to that tower, and bingo! Signal strength inside the cabin increased, and I had a constant 3G strength signal. I now usually get DSL equivalent, or better, download speeds using the wireless hotspot to connect my laptop. About the worst I do is 20 times faster than dial-up, and I am frequently 40 - 50 times faster.
The system I bought is a D B Pro manufactured by Wilson Electronics. It is a kit with an external antenna, an amplifier, and an internal antenna. It came with coax in lengths of 20, 30, and 50 feet. The kit does not include Wilson's lightning arrester which is highly recommended. I bought the kit and the arrester online from Solid Signal, finding those were the best prices. That came to about $400. When we decided to do the permanent installation, I bought some of the highest quality coax in lengths that fit my situation, so I have a bit more dollars in this.
I guess there may be places where this system might not work, but if it works here, it will work in lots of remote locations. From reading online reviews, I know that it is very important to follow the instructions on installation. And I suspect the folks who have posted negative reviews have not been sufficiently careful in their installation. For example, you need a certain amount of separation between the external and internal antennas so that you do not get feedback. In my case, I had a relatively simple location for the antennas that did not provide the recommended separation, but my metal roof acted as a shield and was my friend.
Again, just in case this might help someone.
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RedTailHawk
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 08:27
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great write up. I plan to try the field test mode on my cell phone. Do you have to do anything special to get the cell phone out of field test mode?
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RedTailHawk
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 10:42
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Here's more info on field test mode (specifically for iPhone)
http://iphone.pandaapp.com/news/08232012/232349562.shtml#.UVw99KvwJq0
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hueyjazz
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 12:14
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I went from having one to no bars and only being able to get text message to 3 bars that are reliable and no dropped calls. I haven't tested it for data but believe I can get some 4G service.
I went with the Zboost YX545 dual band with an external directional antenna Zboost YX039. The entire set up was just over $300. Solid Signal is a pretty good place to go and there's some good information there. Pricing is quite good and they have some enticing sales.
You want to figure out where is the closest cell tower for your carrier and point the antenna there. The main reason for us to get service was safety. What if someone gets hurt and we need help?
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Mtour
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 18:28
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GomerPile
I am looking for a cell phone booster..
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Rossman
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 18:58
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I have a wilson booster and have mixed results, but the signal on my land is exceptionally poor, I am lucky to get a single bar. I think I need a directional antenna on a tower and a higher power booster (I only got the one for a car)
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Hinezy
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 19:15
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GomerPile, if you can work out a deal with Mtour feel free to. I don't have a cabin up yet so it'll be a little while until I need one. Unless you give me a deal I can't refuse! Ha, ha!!!
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GomerPile
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 20:24 - Edited by: GomerPile
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.gggg
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davey25
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2013 20:25
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I have a Wilson..with the older phones I use to be able to get texts and a call if I was lucky.with the newer phones no luck but.now with the booster I have almost full bars and use my phone as a hotspot for my ipad... Going from having no phone service to having wireless Internet and phone service is great..all because of my booster..I have the portable model,only complaint is my phone has to be right beside it to work..suppose to work within 12 " but that's not true has to be touching it...
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Mtour
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2013 07:10
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GomerPile
Thanks..I sent you an email GomerPile..
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razmichael
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2013 07:18
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I use a Wilson SOHO 60 like GomerPile has. It works great - went from one bar in specific spots if standing on one leg and humming O Canada to 4-5 bars and great data. Went with the 60 because it runs from 6 volts so I added the 12-6 v DC to DC adapter and run it directly off my 12 volt system. Pay particular attention to your choice of external antenna and go for the directional type if you are starting with a very weak signal. Also keep in the mind the spacing requirement between the external and internal antenna that is needed to avoid feedback. Having a metal roof I mounted the external antenna slightly above the roof line to block it from the internal antenna.
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davey25
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2013 19:08
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Yes I had to much feedback even through a thick log wall...Wilson sent me a free 15 extra foot cable and now no problems
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Rossman
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2013 19:47
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razmichael, do you have a link or part # for the 12V -> 6V adapter for the SOHO? I am thinking of buying one with a directional antenna as a last ditch effort to get internet at my property.
The smaller wilson portable works sometimes but it's not really reliable enough to be considered useful :-/
thanks
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razmichael
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2013 20:04
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Adapter Here it is.
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Rossman
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2013 13:31
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Thank you! Sorry, i didn't realize it was something they sell!
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razmichael
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2013 19:52
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No problem - easy to miss on the site. Originally I was going to make my own using a voltage regulator (plus couple of other parts) but the booster specs state up to 3 amps so this would have required a more robust set of components - easier and not much more expensive to buy it. Reference the field test mode, the wilson site has a list for many types of phones at Test Mode codes . The IPhone instructions also explain how to chech the band being used but this is out of date for the newer phones. The data provided, although it is labelled as frequency on the phone, is actually the band. For example, my phone is showing 1037/812 (upload/download) which actually corresponds to the 850MHz band. At the cabin it shows 437/37 which is 1900MHz PCS (for Rogers in Canada). Wikipedia has a table with the channels to bands listed at Channels. Knowing the band allows you to either pick a specific booster or, with the dual boosters, turn off/down the unneeded band which should reduce the power demands.
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Rossman
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2013 20:52
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Interesting, thanks very much for the information.
I'll have to check this out, right now all I have is a 3G sim card in my Thinkpad (no cell phone), so I'm not sure if I can use those test modes. I might be able to borrow a test iPhone from work just to get the info 
There's a Rogers tower in town that's supposedly 850 & 1900 Mhz, it's about 7 or 8kms as the crow flies. My problem is I think I'm in a bit of a low spot so I might need to get a metal tower to get some height. It's killing me, as the only other option is satellite internet which is costly, unreliable, and slow...
Thanks again!
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razmichael
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2013 22:26
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Hey Rossman, you mentioned earlier that you already have a car based booster - you might consider doing this in steps by first getting an external directional antenna. Not sure what booster model you have but the cradle ones do a decent job of amplifying the signal they just have a very low power output and internal antenna to transmit to the cradled cell phone. Trying with a directional external antenna first might let you know if you can get a signal from the cell tower and then you can decide if you want to upgrade to a building system rather than a cradle type. Just a thought. Only caveat is to watch what impedance the antenna uses as I think they have two different types (and you would need ot match it to the larger booster if you went this way).
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Rossman
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2013 23:29
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I have the lower end Wilson (this i guess: http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electronics-MobilePro-Portable-Includes/dp/B001JT1E5G/re f=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1365218729&sr=8-7&keywords=wilson+booster).
At our land we got an old motorhome, I have the external antenna up on the roof and the wilson down in the cabin and it kind of helps, sometimes.
Good suggestion though, I'll have to look around see what good antennas I can turn up...certainly worth a shot since I already have an amplifier...
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jrbarnard
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2013 06:17
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I have iphones and I bought a signal booster that SEEMED to work, but I finally got tired of trying. I think it was a wilson.
I am waiting till I finish setting up the new cabin the end of this month before I spend more money on anything new.
We have AT&T and if I go to the top of the hill behind us, full signal and can send pics etc.
Russ
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Rossman
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2013 10:16
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I found a local wireless supplier that has installed their own microwave towers to provide high speed to the area. Only issue is I need a 60' tower to get line of sight to their gear.
Maybe next year!
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2013 11:39
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Quoting: Rossman and it kind of helps, sometimes
it varies because you dont have line of sight but you can get a lot from reflection if the blockage is far away
now you need to buy a directional antenna like yagi you aim it 1oclock then 2 oclock and go around until you find where it works best this could take a few tries but if you have up to 2 bars with no amp it can be done
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countrydan
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2013 14:10
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i have a unit from solid signal that works in my basement apartment in the city. i just had to be sure to match the frequencies with my provider.
the one i have has about 40' of coaxial cable that i ran up to the roof and mounted to the chimney stack. the base unit then plugs into a wall outlet... i believe i paid about 250$ about 4 years ago or so.
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Rossman
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2013 18:06
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Quoting: Truecabin now you need to buy a directional antenna like yagi you aim it 1oclock then 2 oclock and go around until you find where it works best this could take a few tries but if you have up to 2 bars with no amp it can be done
I might give this a go, but I think I still need more height either way. Right now the small omnidirectional antenna that the booster came with is on top of the upright TV mast on my motorhome up there, maybe 20' up from the ground, and I think I probably need another 20' at least, and a directional antenna.
I'm not sure if it's worth it to continue to invest in this tech, or get set up with the private wireless company after we build up there (need the building to support a 60' tower, otherwise a freestanding one is absurdly expensive)
Thanks!
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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 4 Jul 2013 12:22
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Many of the reviews I've read on these boosters seem to boost only if you have some signal ie one bar. If you don't have any signal, they don't do much good. True or not? Where I'm at I don't have any signal, but run up the ridge about 500 yards and at least I get something. Also, can you return if they don't work out for you? I'm assuming so.
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2013 02:14
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if you dont have line of sight you may have to rely on reflection don't count on raising high above the ground maybe you need the ground reflection and maybe 20 feet is the perfect height all you can do is try different things
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Martian
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2013 08:30
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Thanks to everyone who has provided information on these devices. I just ordered a Wilson 841245 home/office system. Its on sale for $378 at the Wilson store. I'll post up the performance when I get it installed.
Tom
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Andres32
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2014 12:34
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I have also found signal booster at http://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/, but I wonder what will be the best to be used in the house for Ipad3. I'll appreciate if you suggest me
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