Options to Boost Phone Signal for Nice Aunt in Nursing Home?

blobert

Hello,

My wife's aunt is a very, very nice and very, very talkative person. She spends hours every day talking to relatives on her phone so it's a very big part of her life.

The problem is her room in her nursing home seems to have very poor phone signal so she's having trouble talking to people that call her.

She tends to prefer simple big buttoned phones she's had one of these for a while: https://www.doro.com/en-gb/shop/mobile-devices/easy-phones/doro-1380/

Her call quality seemed to be getting worse so we bought her another one but it seems no better.

She's on Gomo/Eir which seems to be the network a lot of the staff there use, they say it has the best coverage. So it's probably her room is in a bad area for reception. She does not want to change rooms.

I'm looking for a way to improve this for her but my phone tech knowledge is pretty poor. From what I can see most phone signal boosters involve an outside aerial and probably drilling a hole in the wall which is not likely to be an option.

I don't know if there's anything I could just get for inside the room to help with this?

Another option might be another phone, she's open to a smartphone and I'd imagine some might have a better antenna than the cheapy Doro phone. But in saying that my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is probably decent and that seemed to only get 1 bar in her room.

I'm open to any other options. I've been experimenting with Wifi Calling in our own house (we built an airtight well insulated passive house and the phone reception is crap) but I'm not sure if that's an option there, I think the Wifi is probably not great. I could get her a 4g router for her room but I'm guessing if the phone signal is not good this mightn't be great either.

Anyway I'd really like to be able to help her out as she's stuck in a room for nearly all the day and this is her only way to stay in touch with family.

Open to any solutions and would appreciate any help/advice!

Thanks

Ten Pin

Try using a phone as a hotspot at the window and a second phone connected by WiFi with WhatsApp for calls.

The drawback is that everyone she calls would need WhatsApp too.

If that worked then use a router by the window instead of phone hotspot.

Alternatively, use the phone socket on the router to connect a standard landline phone which can them use the router SIM for calls. Some routers have this enabled, Huawei are probably the better brand for having phone call capability.

Also try Vodafone and 48 / 3 for reception as they might be better than Eir in that location.

Signal booster is a non runner IMO, too expensive and would probably need permission from nursing home owner.

smuggler.ie

Huawei routers B593(very old), B525(mid old), B818(becoming old) do have phone socket. Have used them with DECT phone in that order and it worked as long network set to "Auto" - during the call, connection drops from 4G to 3G and if 4g enforced would not work

Phone functionality might(will) be disabled by ISP firmware so look for unlocked model

All these should be available second hand for a fraction of their original price

Ten Pin

"during the call, connection drops from 4G to 3G and if 4g enforced would not work"

Do routers have capability for 2G calls if 3G ends in the next few years?

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121078386#Comment_121078386

I think the ESBN are using the 2G frequency for smart meters so unsure if it can still be used for mobile.

smuggler.ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121078386#Comment_121078386

Good question.

Looking at datasheets, B593 does list EDGE/GPRS/GSM (2G) where two later models only mention UMTS/WCDMA(3G) as alternative to their 4G capability

I guess(and hope) by the time 3G will be ended, we might have VoLTE, other than that, roll back to "stone age tech" or no calling from router 😎

Calahonda52

my guess is that the insulation is alu sheeted. research what camper vanners use, it hangs outside via the window

babelfish1990

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058312469/options-to-boost-phone-signal-for-nice-aunt-in-nursing-home

If the Nursing Home have good WiFi in your aunt's room, your best option would be to use WiFi calling. However, as you have suggested, your aunt will need to change to Smart phone that supports WiFi calling. You should check it on your own Smart phone first, before changing your Aunt's phone. WiFi calling requires very stable WiFi - particularly on the uplink - so if too many people are sharing the WiFi in the Nursing Home, it may not be good enough. You will need to test it.

If the WiFi isn't good enough, you could try the option of using another phone or router near the window to create your own WiFi hotspot from mobile. However, I am doubtful that your mobile coverage is good enough for this to be reliable, since you have stated that the mobile coverage in the room is already weak, even for voice calls. Higher speed data for a router will require 3G/4G/5G, and these are less likely to be satisfactory than the 2G for voice calls. It is likely that the Nursing Home is well insulated, and the windows and walls are blocking mobile signals.

If the 2G mobile signal is good enough near the window, you could consider using a fixed cellular terminal. I haven't used this model - but something like this might help. You can insert your Eir/GoMo SIM in the terminal. It likely has a higher gain antenna that your aunt's phone, and it can be left in a location in the room where the 2G signal is best. Your aunt can then use a normal corded or cordless phone which will work off the fixed cellular terminal.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Terminal-Platform-100-240V-Security/dp/B07STWDWT2/ref=asc_df_B07STWDWT2/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=499222326876&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6430983374345085830&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007850&hvtargid=pla-1377236473912&psc=1

rhinosaurious

You could try switching your aunts mobile network.. for example if she’s on eir and it’s not working well you could sign her up to Vodafone or another company and give it a shot? You can keep her number.. I’m saying Vodafone because they’re usually known for the best coverage, but it all depends really. You can check the coverage on the comreg app.

blobert

Thanks a million for the suggestions, I'll try a few of them and see.

The nursing home wifi seems fairly ropey so WiFi calling may not be an option

It seems there may also be the option to have a landline in her room so that might be a fallback plan.

Thanks again!