Options for poor mobile reception

[Deleted User]

My home is in an area that has a pretty weak mobile signal. Outside the house it's ok - inside you're lucky to get 1 bar. If you do manage to get a call, it'll cutout within a minute.

So, i want to find out my options for getting better reception. I'm out of contract and on a giffgaff rolling tarrif.

So far I know of:
SureSignal with Vodaphone (£50 but not currently in stock)
Home Signal with Three (Couldn't find a price)
UMA with Orange (Handset specific)
SmartCall on Virgin Mobile - Uses your Virgin home line through wifi.. only just announced (And i do have a virgin home line)
O2 TU - Sounds similar to SmartCall (Virgin) - also not available yet
O2 BoostBox (£150 to business users)

Does anyone else know of any other alternatives? Currently, I pay for a skypeIn number and run Skype on my mobile. Good for inbound calls, bad for outbound (and battery life)

grumbler

>> Home Signal Boosters?

grumbler wrote: »

Interestingly, Scan.co.uk recently started selling boosters for O2 and EE:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]LN46850 [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nextivity Cel-Fi RS210 Coverage Booster for Orange/T-Mobile/EE [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]LN46851[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nextivity Cel-Fi RS210 Coverage Booster f[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]or O2[/FONT]

£450 price is simply riduculous, but they work without internet connection:

• It is very simple to install the cel-fi signal boosters. Each of the two units require only a small space. One unit sits on your window sill to pick up the signal, and the other somewhere inside to boost it throughout the building.
• Some other mobile phone signal boosters require a broadband connection to work, but not the Cel-fi RS2 units from Nextivity. All you need is a small space to store the two boxes and a standard mains plug for each. It's that easy...

I wonder if these are legal to use...

jbainbridge

I chose Vodafone for exactly that reason. I picked up a Suresignal box on ebay for about £25. It works brilliantly. Only had one problem and Vodafone actually swapped it out for me!!

mdt1988

I also went with Vodafone and SureSignal as getting a signal in our house was a real struggle - problem now solved

[Deleted User]

Very annoying - you can't buy one on their website at the moment. I phoned up and asked to buy one and was told I'd only get one if I signed up for a new contract (since my current Vodaphone mobile is for work and not in my name)

They did suggest I could get 20% discount on a tariff since my wife worked for the NHS...

pd52

apparently ee/tmob/orange are bringing out a femto cell in the next month

[Deleted User]

pd52 wrote: »

apparently ee/tmob/orange are bringing out a femto cell in the next month

Now that's rather interesting.. where about's did you hear that?

Only thing i can find is a rumour on here - http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2012/10/15/sure_signal/

diamonds

Orange do Signalboost, use any wifi where the internet company supports QOS & UMA data.

http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OUKPersonal&c=OUKService&t=Service&cid=1306843176798&tab=2

SKY is one who do not.

[Deleted User]

This is an exciting find... EE has femtocells on the way

http://business.ee.co.uk/public-sector/products/coverage-solutions

They've got details of their various signal boosters/boxes on the business part of their website.

diamonds

Virgin Smartcall are cutting EE out, Virgin phone customer can access their plan via a app, now it beggars belief but if your connected to wifi and dial a mobile you will be charged EVEN when your Virgin mobile plan has mobile minutes on it ???

http://customer.virginmedia.com/smartcall/

[Deleted User]

diamonds wrote: »

Virgin Smartcall are cutting EE out, Virgin phone customer can access their plan via a app, now it beggars belief but if your connected to wifi and dial a mobile you will be charged EVEN when your Virgin mobile plan has mobile minutes on it ???

http://customer.virginmedia.com/smartcall/

But that's only good if you decide to go for their new package which includes unlimited calls to mobiles.

I'll be waiting for EE's announcement I think