Discussions

I am seeking information on what I need, to boost a cell phone signal within a house and immediate yard in the country.  
 
To start with, I am not that Technology knowledgeable, so bear with me. I would appreciate some help from fellow eBrandonites regarding what it is that I need, questions to ask, and to be looking for. Then I can go see someone about getting what I need (maybe even a recommendation of someone or company that eBrandonites have dealt with and recommend). I don't want to be buying something I don't actually need. I've read a few articles, and I feel the article is in a different language. lol  
 
I am located in the country between 2 cell towers. One side of the house I can get 0 or 1 (out of 5) bars of signal from the tower to the east, and the other side of the house (from the tower to the west) I get usually 1 bar, but drops to 0 in the summer when more people are at a lake nearby.  
 
I would like to get a cell signal booster, so I can pick up a normal signal in the house and 2 acre yard. Then I won't have calls dropped, receiving texts 3 hour later from when it was originally sent, failed delivery of texts or emails, etc.  
 
I appreciate your feedback. Thanks !

2 acres of coverage is pretty intense. You might be able to get 1 acre of coverage with a commercial system installed right in the middle of the coverage area. But that would likely cost you around $2k for the hardware plus you would have to run power wires and so on.  
 
A typical booster will give good coverage for a house but that''s about it. Would be in the $600 range.  
 
Edited by ultraguy, 2016-07-26 13:23:48

I believe that it would be best to hire a pro who has measuring tools to assess your location before installing a booster. Make sure to ask them if they have a spectrum analyzer, and if they will perform a site analysis before designing a booster or choosing any equipment. A WeBoost booster out-of-the-box would probably work, but then again it could be a huge waste depending on the specifics of your location. Nobody wants to waste $600!!  
 
It will also be necessary to know which cellular providers you desire to boost. if your whole family is on one provider, then this is easy. If you're on various providers, then consideration will have to be given to which direction to the towers, and which frequency bands are currently being used by the providers, as this can vary. It will make a difference for which booster is needed as well as antennas.  
 
A lot can go wrong, and in spectacular fashion for everybody within 20-40 miles, if a booster is installed wrongly, or chosen poorly which has been discussed here previously.  
 
Be prepared to spend about $450-1000 for the booster, antennas, cable etc that will make your devices work throughout a house.  
 
Outdoors is extra-tricky and I doubt anyone would be willing to tackle outdoor coverage besides Rogers, Bell, Telus themselves-at great cost. I have witnessed outdoor systems, and they are very tricky to design and run.

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/zboost-xtreme-reach-cell-phone-signal-booster-zb560sl/  
 
I've ordered boosters for vehicles from Wilson Amplifiers and have found them good to work with. The home unit at the link above looks like it might be what you need.

http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html  
Check this map to see what provider the towers near to you belong to. If for example the closest tower is a Rogers tower then you'd be better off with a Rogers phone, etc. A booster like a Wilson can only boost your signal one or two bars unless you go with an expensive tower in your yard.

bigmoe said "http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html   Check this map to see what provider the towers near to you belong to. If for example the closest tower is a Rogers tower then you'd be better off with a Rogers phone, etc. A booster like a Wilson can only boost your signal one or two bars unless you go with an expensive tower in your yard. "

boosters can be made to add many bars depending on what antennas are used with it.  
an outdor yagi pointed at a distant rural tower will yield far superior signal than the omnidirectional stick that comes with the booster. The risk is overloading the booster if it's too strong, and that's why they don't offer bigger antennas in the home kits.  
Again, a pro can accurately design a system taking this into account, and maximize the performance.  
 
PM me your physical location, and I can do the math for you.