Mobile phone signal boosting

Nick1881

Nick1881

Nick1881

Soldato
Joined
4 Feb 2007
Posts
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Location
Nuneaton, UK
I'm sure I read on here about a device that plugs in to your rooter and boosts your mobile phone signal in your house?

Had a quick google and all I can find are external aerials that connect to a gsm repeater inside, these seem expensive for what you get.

I get 1-2 bars at my desk. Why didn't I change network :( though all the masts are the same distance away anyway.

Though I should add I never drop any calls, though sometimes texts sent to me are delayed by hours.
 
femto cells you are looking for, I think its orange or vodafone...

they are about as big as a normal router, and plug into your broadband..

I set one up for someone he said it was really good..

once its set up your phone does all the work, you dont need to 'connec' to it or anything..
 
That must be it, but seems only for Voda, I'm on O2.

Ah well, I don't need it that much, would just be nice to have full signal, in fact I'm showing 3 bars right now, I get no 3G but don't need it as I have 2 Wifi connections anyway.
 
Nick1881 said:
I'm sure I read on here about a device that plugs in to your rooter and boosts your mobile phone signal in your house?

Had a quick google and all I can find are external aerials that connect to a gsm repeater inside, these seem expensive for what you get.

I get 1-2 bars at my desk. Why didn't I change network :( though all the masts are the same distance away anyway.

Though I should add I never drop any calls, though sometimes texts sent to me are delayed by hours.
Click to expand...

If you've got one or two bars and you don't drop calls I can't see how that's delaying your text messages. Data from a text message is minute compared to a call. The GSM network allows either 14.4kbps or 9.6kbps (gsm 1800 or 900), but a 160 character text message is only 140 bytes maximum. One bar of signal has more than enough bandwidth to receive a measly 140 byte text.

I'm guessing it's a problem with your message centre.
 
I got a black berry signal alright but i used to have this fipphone with loong antenna but seriosly that phone was awsome at sigals pouring rain, deep underground no joke i could get a signal prcticly anywhere expect tube :<
 
I have a very similar problem with O2 and texts. People will send messages (sometimes even try and call) and they just won't get through when I am at my parents house. I can call and send messages ok. I generally tend to be on Edge when this happens, but not always. The signal is quite strong.

I have to disconnect from the network and reconnect and usually everything comes through in one big rush. Or if I make a call, this somehow opens up the reception and again, everything comes through. Very annoying.

If you figure out what is causing it and/or a solution I'd be interested in knowing!

My phone is a HD2 btw, have tried various radio versions and roms from XDA Developers to make sure it isn't a software thing but the issue persists. Could it be a SIM problem? I never used to have an issue before - this problem has been quite recent for me - ie. the last couple of months.
 
That is exactly what happens to me. Not sure if it's incoming texts from all networks, happens quite a bit when my gf texts me, she is on voda.

I also find sending a text or making a call or moving so that I connect to another cell I get the texts rushing in.

I had it with my iPhone 3G, not sure it ever happened with my Desire, now I have a new sim and iPhone4 and it happened yesterday.

How is the signal where you are? I'm not sure if it happens to me everywhere or just when I'm at home.
 
I think it is all incoming networks for me!

My reception is

home: HSDPA - very strong
work: G - weak
parents: Edge/G - good

I get it nearly all the time when at my parents so notice it much more, but recall a couple of times elsewhere where I have had to disconnect/reconnect to get anything through. Really frustrating :mad:

I haven't called O2 as I can't see them doing much about it... Though I may give them a call and see if I can get a new SIM to rule that out.

Did you call them about it or find a fix for your old iPhone?


edit: a quick google brings up results showing quite a few people with the same issue. Hmm seems this is quite a common occurrence!
 
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I have never tried to fix it tbh, I was considering changing network but it was cheaper to upgrade or I would have had to wait and I'm impatient lol.

Let me know what they say if you call them.
 
The Vodafone Sure Signal is just excellent.
As said above, plugs into your broadband line.
Means I have a full bar HSDPA signal all around my house all of the time.

Only use it for voice & text as internet is cheaper to simply use my wi-fi.

But it's for Vodafone only.
 
I was watching the signal during a call last night and it was full anyway, seems odd that it would be higher especially as the iPhone 4 is meant to have signal problems lol.

The only think that is bothering me is the texts getting stuck but I guess it is something O2 messaging centre would have to fix.
 
Well I just got off the phone with O2 CS, the guy I spoke to seemed to know what he was talking about, which was encouraging :p , said he had a customer with exactly the same problem, with the same phone, on Saturday and after trying various things, the conclusion he came to was that it was likely to be something to do with the way the phone handles different signal types (2G, 2.5G, 3G etc)

He suggested trying turning off 3G capability so as to operate on the 'standard' GSM network to see if that made a difference to the messages coming through. I think his inclination was that it was likely software based but I don't know how that applies to the fact that it is not confined to just the HD2!

Also suggested trying different ROM revisions/radio versions, perhaps to find one that works better with the O2 network... but couldn't suggest why it had suddenly started doing it recently rather than doing it from the word go.

I enquired about a new SIM, for which he advised to go to an O2 store who could activate a new blank one there and then so I could use that to try and rule that out.
 
Not really a productive conversation, no.

I think I'll try the new SIM out when I get the chance to head to a store.
 
Today my phone kept dropping signal, then my friend came round and said he tried to call me a few times but just got my voice-mail, he tried it while in the room with me, as he started calling my signal went up to full but the phone didn't ring, just voice-mail. I tried to call him back and got his voice-mail too (also O2).

Not happy and I'm right in thinking you can't cancel an upgrade?
 
I took my phone into O2 today and they tested it, sure enough it went to voicemail despite having signal.

They said they can exchange the phone for me on Saturday when they have stock but I'm not sure it will make any difference as I'm pretty much convinced it's the network.

I check and I can do a 14 day return so think I will do that, sadly no where else has iPhone 4 stock.
 
Just a heads up, I went down to a store and got a new SIM, activated and unfortunately, there is no improvement.

I tried playing about with some of the settings on the phone and I seem to get best results from turning off HSDPA/HSUPA and using GSM for SMS. Though, even then, it is still intermittent.

At a loss of where to go next really!
 
I cancelled my upgrade and my O2 contract, I'm now a happy Vodafone customer with more signal than before and I haven't had any problems yet.
 
Just to add some voice - I get the exact same with o2. People will call, and go straight to voicemail. Equally, it sometimes takes several goes for me to dial out.

...this is in/around Manchester.
 
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