Please Help!...New house, full signal, 4 mobile phones and severe PROBLEMS!?!

Bubba1437

Hello,

And thanks to everyone in advance for your help. We have just moved into our new house (not a new build...1950ish) and nobody can hear us when we make calls on our mobile phones! We have 4 mobiles (3 O2, 1 T-Mobile) and we can hear the person on the other line perfectly but we either sound like a robot, sound like we are under water or go completely silent.

We have bought a signal booster which has given us maximum signal yet still the problem remains. Anyone that visits we asked them to check their phones and ALL of them have the same problem including Orange, Vodaphone, Three, Virgin and Iphones.

Without the booster the signal fluctuates...It is clearly something in or to do with the house as anywhere else our phones are as normal.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and please help as this is driving us crazy!

Techhead_2

It sounds to me like interference is causing a reduction in signal quality rather than strength. (An increase in bit errors).
I can't think of anything that would do this, in your house, over the range of different frequencies used by the various providers.
Is there by any chance a radio transmitter nearby? This could be a pirate radio station or an unlicensed radio amateur. Look out for unusual aerials.
Incidentally, I don't believe that signal boosters are licensed for use in the UK.

robbies_gal

only interfernece in or near youre house would cause that ask neighbours if they have problems aswell

lozzaman

What's it like outside the house? Is there the robotic sound both with and without the booster?

Bubba1437

Thanks for your replies.

1. As soon as we get out of the house everything is fine (i have to sit in my van, garage or garden for work calls!).

2. Yes, the robotic sound is there with or without the booster.

3. Asked the neighbour next-door-but-one and they have 3 mobiles and all good - neighbour said 'wished he did have a bad signal so he could get his daughter's off the phones'.

4. It is signal quality rather than signal strength (although strength goes up and down like a yo-yo).

I think it is something in our house - I know the cavity walls have been done also there are lot's of double sockets everywhere. I'm wondering if it's the insulation or electrics?

Thanks again for the help and if you fancy talking to R2-D2 swimming give me a call!?!

Hauptmann

Its very very unlikely that mains circuits will cause interference with a cellphone. More likely to be something like a wireless router (radiating RF energy).
Turn off all the power in your house (at the fusebox) and see if the signal improves. Then take it from there.

savers_united

Only time I have seen something very similar is with insulation (The silver foil type stuff) this reflects the signal back, well it does with WI FI signals.
We had an office in the attic and could not get any signal from the router downstairs because of the foil insulation.

lozzaman

This sounds like something. I wonder if the insulation is reflecting the signals badly and causing them to scatter back to the base station.
What is this booster you mentioned? Does it have an external antenna?

Otherwise turn all the power off as Hauptmann suggested at the MCB and see what happens.

Bubba1437

We don't have Thermal Foil Insulation in the loft but i am wondering if it's the insulation in the cavity walls. Popped into the 02 shop today and asked if they had any idea and all they did was try to sell me broadband!?!

The booster i mentioned was purchased for £70 from Ebay and yes it does have some form of external antenna - as said before, it boosts the signal to full bars but yet the problems remain. Searched and searched the net but can't find an answer. Going to try the power trick once i'm confident it won't affect the alarm.

lozzaman

That's what I don't understand, if it's using the external antenna then why is it different to been outside the house if it's insulation stopping it.
As other posters have stated it is illegal to use such boosters as you are transmitting on licensed frequencies but the chance of getting a visit are somewhat negligible I'd suspect.

Seems strange if it's interference if it's effecting both o2 (900MHz) and T-Mobile (1800MHz)
I assume that this isn't just 3G?

Hauptmann

Its unlikely to be cavity wall insulation. That's usually non-metallic (no foil involved).
If you are getting full signal then there's no attenuation occurring, it must be some form of interference. 1800MHz is obviously a harmonic of 900Mhz (or 450MHz...). If the RF is sufficiently strong then it can cause problems even if at an unrelated frequency due to swamping of the input stage in the phone.