Do Cell Phone Repeaters Help
Cell Phone Repeaters
My cell phone and my apartment never got along. I missed calls.
I found out recently there’s a solution, a reception-boosting device that goes by many names including cellular repeater, cell phone repeater, and cell phone signal booster. The name explains the simple concept: A large outdoor antenna tunes into the strongest cellular signal available and repeats it on a smaller antenna wired inside so you get improved reception with less dropped calls.
Cellular repeaters are mostly used by businesses that want to boost signal strength inside office buildings. But now some of these devices are being targeted specifically to the home market. Cellular service providers usually have no problem with the devices, so long as they don’t interfere with their cellular networks, which a Cingular spokesman told me almost never happens. The spokesman did say you should only use a repeater that’s approved by your carrier.
Do these devices really help? Can a layperson wire a cell phone repeater? And what about the risks of installing a “miniature cell tower” in your apartment?
Kitchens and bathrooms frequently have poor reception because they’re close to building cores and shielded by layers of walls and appliances. In general, steel is the most difficult building material for cellular signals to penetrate, followed by concrete and the insulation-coated glass of office buildings. Wood and drywall pose little problem in moderation.
Cellular repeaters are carrier and location specific. A cell phone repeater tuned to an 850 MHz Cingular signal is useless in boosting the reception of T-Mobile’s 1900 MHz signal. For inside, there’s a device the size of a light switch with a tiny swivel antenna. For outside, there’s a simple-looking square plate of an antenna.
The most important part of the cell phone repeater installation process is to mount the outdoor antenna in a place with good reception, ideally, in the line of sight of a cell tower. Ideally, you will want to mount an outdoor antenna on a roof-top or area where there is good line of sight. I managed to secure the outdoor antenna to a window frame as roof-top access was not possible in my situation.
In short, cell phone repeaters actually work. However, to get the full benefits, you must live somewhere with great outdoor reception and little indoor reception. If you live in an obstruction-filled city like New York, you’d best make sure you can find perfect reception on the roof or call UnwiredSignal.com to speak with a technician before purchasing a cellular repeater.
And what about the health consequences of putting a cell phone signal repeater in your bedroom? Several recent studies have shown no link between brain tumors and cell-phone use. But some recent studies have found that longtime cell-phone users in rural areas were more than three times more likely to get brain tumors than urban cell-phone users. The researchers hypothesized that this higher cancer rate results from the extra juice that rural cell phones must transmit to reach distant cell towers.
The more power your phone uses, the farther it can transmit a signal. Your cell phone continually boosts and reduces its antenna power based on signal quality. When the phone has only one bar, it will use as much as 600 milliwatts of power to amplify its weak signal. When you’ve got five bars, power consumption may drop to as little as 200 milliwatts. Also, when your phone gets a good-quality signal, its battery will run down much more slowly.
Since using a cell phone repeater will give your phone a stronger signal, it’s likely that it will emit less energy near your head. So, if there does turn out to be a link between brain cancer and cell phones, having a miniature cell tower in your home could help reduce your exposure.
Note: Unwired Signal provides cell phone repeaters (cell phone amplifiers, cell phone signal boosters) for both building use and mobile use.
Questions? Call us at the store in Dallas, TX anytime from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday-Friday. We are happy to help you. 214-774-2588 or toll free 888-713-1243.
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