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Would a cell booster work?
#1
I am trying to reduce the cost of my landline phone + Internet ($108/mo).  Someone suggested T-Mobile, but when I checked their coverage map, it was medium coverage (outdoors & most homes).  But I live in a metal-wrapped mobile home.  I called the local T-M office and asked about it, and the guy said he has the same problem, the only place he can talk is on a tiny, glassed-in porch.  I don't have anything like that.

This place also has two large alumimum porches attached to the mobile home, and a solid steel wall on both ends, and has a hill between my house and one of the two local towers.  I have tried TracFone and got no signal at all.  I used someone's U.S. Cellular phone, and could only talk out in the middle of the back yard.

Would one of those cell booster units help me get a cell signal in the house in this predicament?
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#2
Yes it would. But it can only grab available signals and will only work when it is in the booster cradle, so it may not be a good solution. When I am using my booster I have the phone in the cradle and make phone calls using the speaker.

You would need to run an outdoor YAGI antenna that is pointed towards the tower you are trying to connect to. Then you would need to run the shielded coax cable into your house and connect it to the cradle.

So
1. Can you get a line of site to the tower?
2. Are you going to use this as a phone and internet? If so you need a phone plan with tethering. Then you also need to know how much internet you usually use in a month, many of these tethering plans have a data cap.

But to answer your question, an antenna outdoors with a cable running indoors would mitigate your problems of living in a metal box.


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#3
Possibly a booster with a directional antenna on a pole will pick up the signal outside and bring it inside.
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#4
I think that I might be line-of-site from the tower, but I'm not exactly sure where it is. Yes, I want it for phone and internet.

Just in round figures, could I get a rough estimate of what all of the additons might cost, not counting the phone or the web fees? I am trying to figure out the cheapest way to have phone and web until I sell the property.
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#5
My cellular set up
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_f...are_type=t

This is my set up. I no longer have the Verizon 3g, now I have US Cellular for my hotspot.

The equipment listed in this is what I use. A YAGI directional antenna, cable and cell phone booster cradle.


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#6
Thanks, Blanche!

Your link shows the Verizon MiFi hotspot -- since that's no longer available, what are you using?

What is the difference between WiFi and MiFi -- just the company?
[-] The following 1 user says Thank You to TrainChaser for this post:
  • Blanch (09-15-2018)
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#7
(09-15-2018, 11:33 AM)TrainChaser Wrote: Thanks, Blanche!

Your link shows the Verizon MiFi hotspot -- since that's no longer available, what are you using?

What is the difference between WiFi and MiFi -- just the company?


I’m using US cellular right now for my hotspot. $18 a month for 2gb and then unlimited 2G speeds. 2G is fast enough for me to play Pandora during the day and I can actually stream late at night if I want to catch the news.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
[-] The following 1 user says Thank You to Blanch for this post:
  • MN C Van (09-15-2018)
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#8
Thank you!
[-] The following 1 user says Thank You to TrainChaser for this post:
  • Blanch (09-15-2018)
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#9
(09-14-2018, 01:27 PM)TrainChaser Wrote: I am trying to reduce the cost of my landline phone + Internet ($108/mo).  Someone suggested T-Mobile, but when I checked their coverage map, it was medium coverage (outdoors & most homes).  But I live in a metal-wrapped mobile home.  I called the local T-M office and asked about it, and the guy said he has the same problem, the only place he can talk is on a tiny, glassed-in porch.

You didnt say who your providers are now, but I wonder why this guy didnt recomend the T-Mobile CellSpot.

If you are on T-Mobile now or soon will be, here is the link:

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-36766#howto1

If your provider is AT&T they offer wifi calling:

https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/featur...lling.html

You can also sign up for MagicJack and make wifi calls thru your smartphone over the wifi network you already pay for:

http://www.magicjack.com/index.html

Republic Wireless also offers wifi calling:

https://republicwireless.com/coverage/

There are many other solutions available to you....including skype and google voice and google fi. 

https://fi.google.com/about/faq/#plan-and-pricing-7

All of these wifi calling plans use your existing internet and wifi at your home, or anywhere you have access to an open wifi signal. Some of these automatically switch back and forth from and to wifi and cell towers as you move about your home or yard, or as you travel.
_______________________
Wondering about wandering
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#10
Right now, I have the land-line company CenturyLink (sucks).

"All of these wifi calling plans use your existing internet and wifi at your home, or anywhere you have access to an open wifi signal. Some of these automatically switch back and forth from and to wifi and cell towers as you move about your home or yard, or as you travel."

My object is to be able to dump CenturyLink, once and for all.  I don't see any reason to pay more than $100/mo for CenturyLink and then ADD more fees. But if I could do that with this CellSpot, that would be something I could check into.
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