We created this blog to cover topics and products on improving cellular service. We’ll start off with the some basics on what is currently available and will add updates as we get and test new products.
It really wasn’t that long ago when having a wireless phone was rare. Cellular phones came in briefcases and were very expensive to purchase and use. Today, the ability to carry your phone in your pocket, purse or belt and be able to communicate most any where is taken for granted. The miracle of wireless communications is lost on over promising from cellular service providers and complaints about lost signals and dropped calls. We still want to believe “nationwide service” means we should be able to use our cell phones anywhere in the nation. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case.
The best and usually least expensive way to improve your cellular service is to ask others in your area about the quality of their cellular service. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. may be great in one part of the world and horrible in another. Forget about asking others on the Internet who don’t live in your area. Stick to local surveys. Evaluate service first than phone. There is not a lot of difference in phone performance but there may be some.
Your next option is to get a cell phone with an RF port that you can attach an external antenna too. Check the web site External Antenna Adapters for external antenna adapter availability for any cell phone you might be considering. Cell phones with RF ports are sometimes not easy to find.
Attaching an external antenna to your phone can be your biggest bang for the buck in improving your wireless signal. An external antenna can help in several ways. First, it moves the signal away from your head (which, by the way, can block a considerable amount of signal). It also allows you to place the antenna outside or near an outside wall or window where the signal is better. It also gives you a better radiation pattern. Where a phone’s built in antenna usually radiates generally in a straight up and down pattern, a higher gain external antenna can give a more rounded radiation pattern, picking up what signal is available better.
In areas where the signal if very weak or non existent, you might consider a cellular power booster / amplifier. A powered amp actually takes the signal, amplifies it then re broadcasts it to your phone. There are many different cellular amplifiers including ones you connect to your phone, ones you don’t connect to your phone that cover a small area like within a vehicle and others that can improve the signal inside a building for multiple users.
We will go into further detail on each option in later entries.
Find more helpful info at Alternative Wireless web site.
