GSM Booster?

smartbrown

I am living in an apartment in Dublin 13 -
Outside (on balcony) I have full O2 reception.

When I go inside I lose all reception - "No Service"

I'm looking for a solution......

I was looking at "GSM Mobile Phone Signal Booster/Repeater 900MHz"

But I know there is something about broadcasting on the 900MHz range -
(although it would be localised!)

Has anyone any suggestions??

Constructive not destructive posts! -- Thanks again!

Regards
smartbrown

Max Power 2010

smartbrown wrote: »

I am living in an apartment in Dublin 13 -
Outside (on balcony) I have full O2 reception.

When I go inside I lose all reception - "No Service"

I'm looking for a solution......

I was looking at "GSM Mobile Phone Signal Booster/Repeater 900MHz"

But I know there is something about broadcasting on the 900MHz range -
(although it would be localised!)

Has anyone any suggestions??

Constructive not destructive posts! -- Thanks again!

Regards
smartbrown

Unfortunately the are very much illegal, Firstly your re-broadcasting the networks signal illegally, this causes interference with the Cell Tower you are repeating, causing dropped calls, crossed lines etc for the other users in the area.

It is possible to ask O2 could they facilitate you, not sure if they would but I have heard of Vodafone doing this.

There are 3G routers you can get that will literally rebroadcast the coverage within a 100 metre radius simular to a wifi router.

Something simular to this: http://www.amplicon.com/Data-Comms/product/GSM-GPRS-Cellular-Broadband-3879.cfm

drunkmonkey

What phone are you using, does it pick up both 2G & 3G networks?

Do a network search on your phone and see what networks show up in the house.

smartbrown

I am using an iphone at the moment.......
So I can pick up 3g and 2g

drunkmonkey

Is it a 3G or 3Gs? The reception is woefull on iphone that could be the problem, does it pick up any networks when you do a search, like voda, 3, meteor, etc.

smartbrown

Its a 3gs -
When I go onto the balcony I get full signal.
Tried to d a search but after 5 min on searching I clicked it off!

Would a passive areal work?

Or ever a really low powered (almost mobile phone like) GSM repeater?

Thx again for the info

Regards
smartbrown

CivilEx

This won't be any immediate help....but Vodafone in the UK have a system called "sure signal" which connects to your landline broadband and gives you 3G coverage throughout the house / apartment.

Maybe Vodafone IE might get one into stock for you if you pushed them?

Listed on the Vodafone UK website as £50 to buy and £5 per month usage charge.

I've no idea if O2 here have anything comparable

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

the sure signal from voda will not increase standard 2g signal.. regarding it being illegal to use a signal booster i am told it is a very grey area that there is no licence available to use this unit and until comreg bring in one you cannot be prosecuted for using one??

watty

It's not a grey area. It's illegal.

Only an operator can supply and install.

They should ONLY EVER be used where the indoor part is "cut off" from outdoor signal, such as a metal building, underground car park, tunnels (i.e. London Tube stations).

You can be prosecuted for use of a transmitter if the use is not authorised. The availability or not of a Licence is irrelevant. Some transmitters (CB, Video Sender, WiFi, iTrips) don't need licences, but are authorised.

There are GSM and 3G licences.
GSM = Meteor, Vodafone, O2
3G = 3, Vodafone, O2 and Meteor

No-one else is allowed to install on those bands, and each has their own permitted channels

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

It is NOT illegal to sell these units!
The grey area refers to the use of them, nobody has ever been prosecuted so using these boosters and the "CUT OFF" areas in my experience are the above mentioned and also in all new homes due to the use of foil back insulation and in some cases natural slates and concrete floors, the phone companies are only to delighted to see people using these as it gets them off there backs and also i know of 7 stores including 02 and meteor spread around the country who put people on to me to solve there issues so it doesn't sound like the have much of a problem with it to me.. when the decide to increase increase the signal in these affected areas then let them start chasing people who use these boosters..

Pandybelly

Hi,

How much are these and where can they be got?

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

do google search.. or dondeal bout €350 for a 3g unit

rebel.ranter

You are correct to say that it is not illegal to sell the units. However you are hood winking your customers into unwittingly breaking the law by powering them up.
Mobile phone companies are most certainly NOT happy that sub standard, untested equipment are being sold & used to broadcast their licensed spectrum. I am 100% positive that it would not be company policy for stores of any of the networks to be rcommending that anyone other than authorized installers & approved equipment.
You have got to remember that these units also broadcast in the uplink & faulty cheapo unit can cause massive interference on the donor cell. Also the cheap units broadcast the entire GSM band, so a faulty unit can cause issues for all the operators at once.
I would be interested to see evidence that you are officially endorsed by the companies in question.

On the point of where network operators might use repeaters watty is correct in stating that they are used for indoor coverage issues. However they are also used for outdoor applications too like filling in coverage black spots on road where the terrain blocks signal for a very short section of road. They are also used to deliver coverage into quarries & some applications like small villages in valleys where coverage is blocked by hills. The output power of the units is much lower than a full base station but they can be useful.
There are different repeater types for different applications macro, indoor, frequency shift, etc. depending on the problem.

rebel.ranter

I just spotted the post about 3G units, I really, really do not think that any network wants amateurs installing these. You can very easily adversely affect the size & capacity of the cell which they feed off.

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

I totally agree its probably not company policy but at the end of the day the do represent the the phone company, i gets calls every day of the week from customers and some times staff from two 02 stores in cork one in laois and one in galway a two meteor stores in galway and also a sales rep for the new emobile in dublin, i will pm you proof of these stores if you really want, anyway as i said its easier for them to send there enraged customers to me rather then put up an expensive mast in the middle of nowhere.. also i agree with what you said about the quality of the units i have sold hundreds of these and have had no reports of interference although as the country is now being flooded with cheap chines knockoffs its only a matter of time until the do start doing damage.. all my units come from a top uk licenced supplier of these units and are all very high quality..

byte

Just because your UK supplier is licenced does not mean these are licenced for use in ROI?

I'm not slating you, and the idea is a good idea (especially for me, where hills are an issue).

I am curious as to who deemed you an Authorised (sic?) Merchant for these GSM boosters?

rebel.ranter

I would like to see proof to be honest.

Also nobody is going to be telling you about interference, it is the networks that will suffer the interference.

watty

It's not illegal to sell them. Someone could be an Authorised reseller or Distributor for 10kW Medium Wave Transmitter too, but no-one can operate one with out a specific licence for a specific mast and location.
BUT
It's totally illegal to use them. Some models are even illegal for an Operator to use.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69117503&postcount=17

If Sales people are giving you referrals they could face dismissal if the relevant Head office person finds out, or even prosecution. It's just either ignorance or wilful disobedience on the part of the shop's sales staff, who generally are not technical.

watty

It's generally a stunningly bad idea for poor signal areas in a house. Makes overall reception worse.

They are ONLY for use where the indoor part is in totally enclosed (RF point of view) place and outdoor part has a decent signal.

For Data use a router with outdoor aerial (or entire router in a box outdoors) with WiFi & ethernet indoors is cheaper and works far far better and needs no licence.

rebel.ranter

Just to add I am not making my comments because the "poor" network operators will be faced with problems, the reality is the problems are experienced by people using their phones in the cell where one of these units is incorrectly installed or is faulty. That can be very frustrating for people.

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

I totally agree also that it cannot be company practice for these outlets to be referring there problem customers on to me and probably other suppliers also, i will not be naming any stores here but i was just basically making the point that the phone company representatives are recommending these units to customers illegal or not...

rfkiki

The GSM&UMTS frenqency is GSM900,GSM1800&UMTS2100 in UK.
If you could use full O2,I think the UMTS2100 could be suitable.

vrackt

smartbrown wrote: »

I am living in an apartment in Dublin 13 -
Outside (on balcony) I have full O2 reception.

When I go inside I lose all reception - "No Service"

I'm looking for a solution......

I was looking at "GSM Mobile Phone Signal Booster/Repeater 900MHz"

But I know there is something about broadcasting on the 900MHz range -
(although it would be localised!)

Has anyone any suggestions??

Constructive not destructive posts! -- Thanks again!

Regards
smartbrown

Is there a meaningful conclusion to this as I have the same problem with my new iPhone?

kirving

Are you holding it in your left hand?! :pac:

No, they can't be used. What can be used intead would be say Vodafone's SuresSignal which is designed to work with Vodafone's network and routes your calls digitally back to the exchange through DSL.

Calahonda52

watty wrote: »

It's generally a stunningly bad idea for poor signal areas in a house. Makes overall reception worse.

They are ONLY for use where the indoor part is in totally enclosed (RF point of view) place and outdoor part has a decent signal.

For Data use a router with outdoor aerial (or entire router in a box outdoors) with WiFi & ethernet indoors is cheaper and works far far better and needs no licence.

Watty,
Can you expand on this please.
My house is nearly 100% lined with foil backed insulation, plaster board it so the GSM signal is pathetic

I want to upgrade the alarm to incorporating a GSM unit and the reception where the panel is located is near zero, with a fault showing in the signal strength LEDs
Thanks

frisket

rebel.ranter wrote: »

I just spotted the post about 3G units, I really, really do not think that any network wants amateurs installing these. You can very easily adversely affect the size & capacity of the cell which they feed off.

From an engineering point of view I completely agree.

But it's the networks who are the cause of the problem, having been foisting off the population with a crappy signal and a crappy service for so long. If they would just provide a decent service, no-one would want to do this.