Mobile signal boosters

[Windswept]

Does anyone use or can anyone recommend a mobile signal booster?

My elderly mother uses a mobile dongle for internet access as the landline broadband is too poor to use.

However, the mobile signal is also fairly poor which means the dongle has to be dangled out of the window for decent reception.

I would like to buy her something that would provide a reliable signal in the house but there only seems to be large, expensive devices that seem overkill to me as they will provide a boosted signal to a much larger area than is needed.

[telbert]

I bought one of these last year to get wifi in the shed at the bottom at the garden:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Universal-Extender-Broadband-TL-WA854RE/dp/B07PKX1ZD1/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2U8JA1IZYVUZY&dchild=1&keywords=wifi+booster+range+extend+

Works brilliantly and has never let me down

[udderlyoffroad]

Can't help with the actual question as I have no experience with such devices, however they sound like snake oil - how could someone operate such a thing on a private basis?  You would effectively be operating your own cell?

Anyway:

1 hour ago, Windswept said:

My elderly mother uses a mobile dongle for internet access as the landline broadband is too poor to use.

Address the cause not the symptoms.  Even if she lives many kms from the nearest exchange, you need to be onto the ISP and thus Openreach about this.  Ride them as, they say, like a rented mule.  Have her record speeds and importantly dropped packets over the course of week.  Likely there's some issue on the line - could be a simple as water logged junction box up a pole.  Presumably she's paying for a service she cannot use.  DSL does a frankly miraculous job of  squirting data down miles of oxidised copper and all  but the most remote people should be able to get a decent if low bandwidth in 2021.

2 minutes ago, telbert said:

I bought one of these last year to get wifi in the shed at the bottom at the garden:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Universal-Extender-Broadband-TL-WA854RE/dp/B07PKX1ZD1/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2U8JA1IZYVUZY&dchild=1&keywords=wifi+booster+range+extend+

Works brilliantly and has never let me down

That's for extending your wifi signal and has nothing to do with the OP's question.

[JohnfromUK]

16 minutes ago, udderlyoffroad said:

however they sound like snake oil

It's not snake oil, but decent ones are seriously expensive.  There is a short article here  https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/networks/1409136/best-mobile-signal-booster

Both Vodafone and O2 (and maybe others) used to supply some, but don't anymore.  I did look into it some years ago as my mobile signal is poor indoors, but have no personal experience with any of these and would agree with the above regarding improving the landline broadband.  I didn't take any action because the 'phone over broadband' became widely available and my broadband is pretty good.  Poor cabling or waterlogging is indeed a likely problem (I had Openreach redo mine after having problems following heavy rain and cracked cable insulation on the outside of the house was letting in water) - as could be distance to the nearest fibre cabinet.

[telbert]

"That's for extending your wifi signal and has nothing to do with the OP's question. "

Ah, right. It's a good job you're here then.

 

[Windswept]

28 minutes ago, udderlyoffroad said:

Address the cause not the symptoms.  Even if she lives many kms from the nearest exchange, you need to be onto the ISP and thus Openreach about this.  Ride them as, they say, like a rented mule.  Have her record speeds and importantly dropped packets over the course of week.  Likely there's some issue on the line - could be a simple as water logged junction box up a pole.  Presumably she's paying for a service she cannot use.  DSL does a frankly miraculous job of  squirting data down miles of oxidised copper and all  but the most remote people should be able to get a decent if low bandwidth in 2021.

 

Thanks, and I agree with what you've said. But, I've been there and done this for our line at home but it wasn't sorted until a local pole was stuck by lightening and a large amount of cable was fried... Still took them 18 months to sort.

The problem with my Mum's line is that the published speed is only 1 mbps. I agree there are likely to be other problems, which results in the service being unusable, which we could sort out but she'll still only get 1mbps. It's frustrating because she's not in the middle of nowhere, just a very long way from an exchange. She's not paying for the land line broadband any more.

I gather the mobile phone extenders do work, where I live you could get a government subsidised one, but some are not legal and I expect some don't work as well as others.

[ph5172]

I have poor line speed. I had an unlimited phone plan and used that to tether to. 
placed it on the windowsill permanently plugged in 

[Sprinter]

Have you considered satellite broadband?

[Windswept]

When I've looked at Satellite before it's been too expensive.

It's annoying that the mobile signal is almost usable in the house, so I wouldn't expect it needs boosting much. Even something with an ariel that can be put outside would be worth considering but I can't seem to find anything suitable.

[39TDS]

Speak to these people. https://www.solwise.co.uk/

They do what you are asking for.

[Windswept]

9 hours ago, 39TDS said:

Speak to these people. https://www.solwise.co.uk/

They do what you are asking for.

Thanks, have you used them at all?

They look better than other sites I've seen.

[39TDS]

4 hours ago, Windswept said:

Thanks, have you used them at all?

They look better than other sites I've seen.

Yes I have, they were very helpful. I have bought two 4G routers and an external aerial off them

[Piebob]

I bought a 4G router that has external 4G antennae, a couple lengths of the correct coax cable, then an external / outside grade 4G antenna and just strapped it to a downpipe after connecting it all up.  Obviously, you have to be able to get the cables from inside the house, to the outside antenna but it means the best possible 4G reception, then just use wifi for PC / phone / tablet connection.

 

Forgot to add - c. £120 for the router, £80 for the external antenna, £20 for the cabling.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Piebob

[Windswept]

Thanks for the replies. Any recommendations on makes /models or are the all similar?

[bobthedug]

I suffered from extremely poor service with about 2/3 mbps downloads speed on our home phone line for years before binning BT altogether due to the shocking service

I bought a Huawei B525 4g router and an Poynting  XPol - A0002 external directional antenna as i know exactly where the mobile phone mast are.

I now can watch Netflix and even bought a smart tv. I live out in the sticks and Openreach were aware that the copper wires serving my property were about 30 years old but they wouldnt condemn them and everytime they touched the main cable, neighbouring properties would lose their service.

I have used various suppliers but i have signed up with EE, more expensive but always get around 25 - 30 mbps.