Mobile phone signal booster (UK)

[im from uranus]

Hi all,

A fiend of mine has just moved into a rented ground floor flat and the reception on her (O2) mobile phone is poor to non existent, depending on room. Is it possible to improve reception via a booster of some sort? As it's a rented flat she won't be allowed to start bolting aerials to the outside of the property and her income isn't huge so looking for something 'cheap and cheerful'.

Many thanks, IFU

[driftdown]

I cannot say for O2, but I just received a publicity flyer from Vodaphone advertising a booster available for their network. It does require a broadband internet connection and therefore a telephone line. The cost of this may be more than your friend is willing to pay for.

If Vodaphone are selling them I would think the rest will be now or in the not too distant future.

[Bushfiva]

I think O2 decided not to offer a commercial femtocell product after its trials in 2008, unlike Vodafone.

[Senior Paper Monitor]

I used these people to solve some problems at a previous location - did the job.

Not what you would describe as cheap necessarily - and once you have invested you are stuck with that network (or group of networks).

CellAntenna Limited: Building Repeaters, Mobilphone Antennas, Accessories, Mobilephone products (http://www.cellantenna.co.uk)

[Whirlygig]

I have the Vodafone Sure Signal device. It plugs into my Broadband modem and works a treat. However, it will only boost the signal for other Vodafone users and I have to authorise those users through the Sure Signal website. You can have around 30 users at a time.

It does mean though, that if you lose phone, broadband or power, you'll lose mobile signal.

It cost me £20 as part of a deal with a new contract.

Cheers

Whirls

[Capt Wannabe]

I think they are still in trial but we've just had one delivered to the office.

Took quite a bit of setup on the part of O2 to get our phones registered on it but it does work well. When sitting next to it, it's the only place I've managed to get a reasonable O2 signal on my iPhone :bored:

[aviate1138]

I have a Vodafone Sure Signal - paid £50 all in - no rental fee - delivered next day and it has turned my iPhone 4 [when close to my iMac] into a useable phone as local Vodafone reception in the our neck of the Surrey Hills is very patchy at best. It takes a little while to set itself up and I leave it on permanently.

[Spurlash2]

Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA)

My Nokia has a feature called UMA. I paired my handset to my wireless network, and the phone uses my BB connection, a new icon appears on screen to show connection, and I get max on the signal. It doesn't cost anything (other than what I already pay to BT!) When I leave home, it automatically reverts to a bog standard mobile connection. The text below is an extract from a website explaining how it works.

A mobile subscriber with a UMA-enabled, dual-mode handset moves within range of an unlicensed wireless network to which the handset is allowed to connect.

Upon connecting, the handset contacts the UMA Network Controller (UNC) over the broadband IP access network to be authenticated and authorized to access GSM voice and GPRS data services via the unlicensed wireless network.

If approved, the subscriber’s current location information stored in the core network is updated, and from that point on all mobile voice and data traffic is routed to the handset via the Unlicensed Mobile Access Network (UMAN) rather than the cellular radio access network (RAN).

ROAMING: When a UMA-enabled subscriber moves outside the range of an unlicensed wireless network to which they are connected, the UNC and handset facilitate roaming back to the licensed outdoor network. This roaming process is completely transparent to the subscriber.

HANDOVER: If a subscriber is on an active GSM voice call or GPRS data session when they come within range (or out of range) of an unlicensed wireless network, that voice call or data session can automatically handover between access networks with no discernable service interruption. Handovers are completely transparent to the subscriber.

Link HERE (http://www.umatechnology.org/overview/)to the explanation.