• FAQ: Guide about a provider’s general service and device offerings
  Checklist for Choosing Your Service and Device: Helps individuals ask the right questions to get detailed information on available options.
• Checklist for Choosing Your Service and Device: Helps individuals ask the right questions to get detailed information on available options.

Several years ago when I started my career in wireless phones, I had a discussion with my trainer. She assured me that before long most people would just have a personal phone number, instead of trying to track someone down at a location such as home or work.

A recent survey found that about one in four cell phone users who have a landline phone would cut the cord if their cellular phone’s reception were better. The survey also found something else very interesting; 69 percent of cell phone users say the reason they now have a landline is simply because they always had one.

Other interesting points found in the survey were:

• Most consumers grade their reception at home as a B-
• 69 percent have experienced some kind of service problem such as dropped calls, poor signal reception or dead zones
• 62 percent of those that use their phones at home have done something to try and make or receive a call including going outside, going by a window or just gave up and used the landline.

The vision for the future has always been a wireless world, but not having a physical connection has always had its limitations. There are two scenarios for reception issues indoors, urban congestion and rural sprawl.

In an urban setting many of the structures use heavy duty construction materials, making penetration of cell phone signals difficult. These structures usually are densely packed into the relatively small area. Cell signals travel in a straight line and work best in line of sight from the tower. Because of this, you can actually be in the shadow of taller buildings making it harder for the signal to penetrate your building.

Rural areas have a different problem, large areas to cover with limited population. In these situations the cell sites are much less densely packed. To cover larger areas cell towers are built taller to cover more territory. Because of this the signal must travel farther and may be weaker when it gets to your home. These areas are also more affected by dips in the terrain and may also get a shadow effect from large stands of trees.

The best way at the moment is to take whatever weak signal that exists outside and bring it indoors with a phone signal booster. This device captures the signal, amplifies it and redistributes it to the interior spaces up to 2500 square feet. They are easy to self install and relatively affordable with prices ranging from around $100 for personal short range devices to $350 or more for a larger home installations, although some commercial installations could bring the price even higher.

For those who are serious about cutting the cord, the options are there and the cost is minimal and could be paid for in just a few months if the landline is dropped.

Many of us have trouble with cell phone reception at some time or another; either at home, the office or in between in the car. Dropped calls, delayed text messages and missed voice mail messages are some of the telltale signs of poor signal strength. These symptoms may even seem minor to those of us that have to go outside in the cold or rain for even a hope of completing a call.

There may be an answer for you in the form of a phone signal booster. This device takes the outside cellular signal, amplifies it and passes it into the interior of your house or car. These devices usually have three main components, an external or receiving antenna to capture the weak signal from the cell site, a repeater or amplifier to boost the signal, and an internal antenna to broadcast the amplified signal inside the car or building or alternately a physical connection to the phone or wireless modem.

In a fixed or building installation the receiving antenna is typically located outside the building or in some cases inside the attic. In most situations an omni-directional antenna that pulls in signal from all directions is used, although some experimentation may still be required for optimal signal reception. In some cases directional antennas are used when the donor signal is particularly weak. You will also have to determine the direction of the cellular tower for the specific wireless carrier that you are trying to reach in order to ensure proper antenna placement. Vehicle installations will require an omni-directional antenna due to the movement of the vehicle. The most common types are glass mount and magnet mount, although some installations will use a more permanent fixed mount antenna that requires drilling a hole in the exterior of the vehicle. Not recommended for leased vehicles.

The repeater is the device that takes the weak signal pulled in by the antenna and boosts it up to a usable level. This unit can be installed in the attic or a utility space such as the garage, laundry room or closet, in some cases the device will sit on a table inside the home or office. The appearance of the table top models is very similar to a cordless phone base station. In most cases they are simply plugged in to a standard wall outlet. Automotive installations usually will either utilize the cigarette lighter outlet for power or will be hard wired to the electrical system of the vehicle. Typically the repeater is located under one of the seats or in the trunk and may be a bit more industrial in appearance, more like a car audio amplifier.

The internal antenna then broadcasts the amplified signal within the vehicle or building. The coverage area varies greatly, anywhere from a few feet to 10,000 square feet or more, based on the type of antenna (or antennas) and its placement. In other cases, more commonly vehicle installations, a physical cable connection is used.

Phone signal boosters can help out in many situations from those of us in more rural locations, to industrial or office buildings that are large enough to impede signal penetration. The cost involved to install such a device, typically a couple hundred dollars to a thousand dollars or more for more elaborate systems, may be well worth it to those of us that rely heavily on our cell phones for daily communication.