Ever missed a call because your phone was in and out of service and it only rang once before going to voicemail? permanently having to go to windows or covering to make a call? Tired of playing the "Can you hear me now?" game? With more and more habitancy opting to do away with their landline, trustworthy call ability and carrier service has never been more important. So what can you do to enhance your reception and stop dropping calls?
The most favorite options are cell phone signal boosters and Femtocells. Without going into too much detail, by the end of this report you should have sufficient information to conclude which one is right for you.
Let us start by defining the two technologies. Most wireless cell phone signal boosters (also called amplifiers and repeaters) work by capturing the signal outside, amplifying it, and then redistributing it inside. This is done through 3 major pieces: an covering antenna (either directional or omni-directional), the amplifier, and the inside antenna (either directional or omni-directional). The covering signal can be weak or strong, but must be present in order for the booster to control properly. In general, the weaker the signal outside, the more gain the amplifier needs to supply in order to offer sufficient coverage inside. Femtocells are basically minuscule cell phone towers, about the size of a wireless router, that are provided by your wireless carrier and are installed in your home to supply coverage of up to a 40' radius. They are essentially a Wi-Fi router for cellular and Pcs frequencies. information is transmitted wirelessly from your phone to the femtocell, then from the femtocell to the carrier via your broadband internet connection.
Now let's get down to the purpose of this article. The easiest way to conclude which stock is right for you is to take a look at the comparisons below.
Connectivity
- Booster: Dual Band models work with virtually all carriers except Nextel and other iDen push-to-talk networks, although there are boosters made specifically for Nextel.
- Femtocell: Only works with one exact service provider. Ex. You are a Verizon Wireless subscriber. provided there is minuscule coverage by all carriers in your current location, installing a Verizon Network Extender will help you out but don't plan on your At&T friends raving about excellent coverage when they stop over to watch the game.
Data
- Booster: Dual Band models work with data plans for all carriers using 850/1900 Mhz for their data. This is most carriers, but does not consist of T-Mobile 3G
- Femtocell: Supported data rates vary by carrier. Some femtocells do not retain data at all. Ex. Verizon's Network Extender currently only supports 1X Cdma, not Evdo or 3G. Generation 1 of Sprint's Airwave only supports 1X Cdma, not Evdo or 3G. At&T's microcell supports 3G data, but only works with 3G phones.
Multiple Users
- Booster: Most dual band wireless models retain more than a handful of users so everybody can be talking or surfing at the same time.
- Femtocell: Depends on the carrier. Sprint's Airwave allows up to 3 simultaneous users. Verizon's Network Extender supports up to 3 simultaneous users. At&T's Microcell supports up to 4 simultaneous users.
Bandwidth
- Booster: N/A
- Femtocell: get ready to allot anywhere from 40Kbps to 300kbps of your upload and download bandwidth depending on the number of active calls / data sessions.
Cost
- Booster: Basic Dual Band home coverage kits can start as low as 5
- Femtocell: anywhere ranging from free (with a subscription to unlimited calling), to with a /mo fee, to a 0 one time fee.
Installation
- Booster: factory of most cell phone signal boosters can be completed in anywhere from 1 to 4 hrs.. Mounting the covering antenna, mounting the inside antenna and running the cabling between all is the most time consuming. Amplifier and internal antenna placement are wholly flexible.
- Femtocell: Physically easier to setup - requiring just a simple Ethernet connection to your existing router. However, most want a Gps lock in order to embark on and confirm location, so it is advised to setup next to a window. However, it is also advised that they be placed in a central location for best coverage. Raise your hand if you have windows placed in the town of your home?
Boot Up Time
- Booster: N/A - once the amplifier is powered on you can make and receive calls.
- Femtocell: Some femtocells want up to 60 minutes to set up and stabilize for the first time. Subsequent power cycles take 10-15 minutes to stabilize.
Call Hand-Off
- Booster: N/A - a cell phone signal booster is an postponement of the covering tower so you are essentially already linked to it when production and receiving calls. There is no hand-off to take place. If you are linked to a tower as you're driving up your street, you'll be linked to the same tower once in your home (just with a stronger signal)
- Femtocell: Seamless call exchange to the tower as you leave the femtocell coverage area, but you're going to have to hang up and re-dial if you're entering the coverage area.
In summary, if you live in an area with well no cell coverage, only affiliate with habitancy who are using the same carrier as you, don't mind giving up some of your already-paid-for broadband bandwidth, will never have a need for 3 or more habitancy to be on the phone at the same time and don't mind saying "I'll have to call you back, I'm at home now" then a femtocell might just be the explication for you. However, if you want to supply great cell and data coverage to just about anything who enters your home (regardless of carrier), value your already precious bandwidth, and don't mind rolling up your sleeves for a few hours to do the installation, then an installed Cell Phone Signal Booster may be the right explication for you.
Cell Phone Signal Boosters Vs Femtocells - Which One Is Right For You?Wireless Internet Router Valencia CF News Blog Basic Stamp Robot
