Poor internet and phone service

[nybuckboy]

I live in a rural area in a hollow and the internet and phone service is poor. I use Hughes net as it is the only service available to me. My phone is Verizon wireless and I have no land phone. The phone service generally is 1 - 2 dots and as I walk around the house it can drop off. The Hughes net is marginal at best.

Is there a wireless phone booster that could be used a hot spot for both my internet and my phone service?

How do I go about hooking it up and what components should I purchase?

Any answers is appreciated.

[growalot]

We have a internet WiFi booster that works great but that's because we need reception both up and down stairs...I don't know about phones...our sons cell service is horrible at his place...he has to be in just the right spot to talk at his place He's in the Tabors Corners Valley.

Edited April 27, 2017 by growalot

[WNYBuckHunter]

Cell phone boosters are available from your wireless provider, how well it will work is a guessing game though. Hughesnet is a joke really. If you talk to the local cable provider, they might be able to tell you how far from the end of their run you are, and sometimes you can work a deal with them to get connected.

[Rebel Darling]

We're in a similar situation, but after speaking with our wireless provider rep, we decided to purchase a third-party booster from Wilson.  It bumped our maybe one dot 4G, to full 4G.  I'll likely start saving for an LTE booster in the next few months.  The only issue I have is that the interior, suction-cup antennae holder falls off the window four or five times a year.  It's loud, and will likely break one of these days.  A more permanent mount on the exterior (if we had a second story and eaves, instead of hips) would be a better option.

The booster provides reception for our cell phones (we have no landline, and that's a whole different story...), as well as a "hot spot" for our Internet access.  We're on a limited plan of 15GB per month, so we don't stream Internet like we did when we lived in a city.  Books, magazines, and conversation have been better anyway...  The Internet can sometimes drag a little, but I think that has more to do with the hot spot, than the cell booster.

Link to Wilson:

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/medium-sized-home-solution-kits/

Edited April 27, 2017 by Rebel Darling
I forgot the link...

[GreeneHunter]

I have DirecTV for TV and cable for internet ... I really wish I could cut them , they both come out to $220.00 per month and we've tried Antennaweb but no luck !

[nybuckboy]

23 minutes ago, Rebel Darling said:

We're in a similar situation, but after speaking with our wireless provider rep, we decided to purchase a third-party booster from Wilson.  It bumped our maybe one dot 4G, to full 4G.  I'll likely start saving for an LTE booster in the next few months.  The only issue I have is that the interior, suction-cup antennae holder falls off the window four or five times a year.  It's loud, and will likely break one of these days.  A more permanent mount on the exterior (if we had a second story and eaves, instead of hips) would be a better option.

The booster provides reception for our cell phones (we have no landline, and that's a whole different story...), as well as a "hot spot" for our Internet access.  We're on a limited plan of 15GB per month, so we don't stream Internet like we did when we lived in a city.  Books, magazines, and conversation have been better anyway...  The Internet can sometimes drag a little, but I think that has more to do with the hot spot, than the cell booster.

what model did you buy?  these are expensive buggers

https://www.wilsonproway.com/wilson-weboost-471104-connect-4g-x-cell-phone-signal-booster-with-bonus-dome-antenna/?gclid=CJCalsagxdMCFVW4wAod9mwJTA

http://powerfulsignal.com/wilsonpro-465134-pro-70-cell-phone-signal-booster-system-with-1-dome-antenna/?gclid=CIuhq5ahxdMCFQEOaQoddIgCnA

 

[Rebel Darling]

13 minutes ago, nybuckboy said:

what model did you buy?  these are expensive buggers

https://www.wilsonproway.com/wilson-weboost-471104-connect-4g-x-cell-phone-signal-booster-with-bonus-dome-antenna/?gclid=CJCalsagxdMCFVW4wAod9mwJTA

http://powerfulsignal.com/wilsonpro-465134-pro-70-cell-phone-signal-booster-system-with-1-dome-antenna/?gclid=CIuhq5ahxdMCFQEOaQoddIgCnA

 

I'm not home at the moment, so the exact model no. escapes me, but this one is pretty close:

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-db-pro-4g-cell-phone-booster-kit-refurbished-460103r/

The reason we didn't go with the AT&T booster is that there is no, ummm...  exterior antennae connected to an amplifier.  They had only small antennae attached to the "amplifier" which also had the interior antennae.  If my phone wasn't picking up the signal in the house, I was doubtful that their device would.  Thing looked like a cheap wireless router, and the online reviews were just as bad. 

This Wilson does its job, for certain.  Money well spent, because the wife didn't want to live anywhere she wouldn't be able to call out for help - I agreed...  Basically, you position (according to the limits within the instructions) the amplifier in a convenient location, and run a cable to the interior antennae, which is positioned in the house for best reception throughout.  You place the exterior (which we mounted in a window) antennae facing the direction of your closest cell tower; your wireless provider can help you with positioning.

[nybuckboy]

14 minutes ago, Rebel Darling said:

I'm not home at the moment, so the exact model no. escapes me, but this one is pretty close:

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-db-pro-4g-cell-phone-booster-kit-refurbished-460103r/

The reason we didn't go with the AT&T booster is that there is no, ummm...  exterior antennae connected to an amplifier.  They had only small antennae attached to the "amplifier" which also had the interior antennae.  If my phone wasn't picking up the signal in the house, I was doubtful that their device would.  Thing looked like a cheap wireless router, and the online reviews were just as bad. 

This Wilson does its job, for certain.  Money well spent, because the wife didn't want to live anywhere she wouldn't be able to call out for help - I agreed...  Basically, you position (according to the limits within the instructions) the amplifier in a convenient location, and run a cable to the interior antennae, which is positioned in the house for best reception throughout.  You place the exterior (which we mounted in a window) antennae facing the direction of your closest cell tower; your wireless provider can help you with positioning.

Im on the phone with Wlison trying to decide which is best for my situation. Money not the only object here because at alnost $100 a month for Hughescrap it'll come back to me quickly.  Let me know when you get the model and cost too please.

[Rebel Darling]

Im on the phone with Wlison trying to decide which is best for my situation. Money not the only object here because at alnost $100 a month for Hughescrap it'll come back to me quickly.  Let me know when you get the model and cost too please.

It's been three years, and the model number is not on the amplifier, but I remember it costing somewhere between $500-600.

The cellular data plan depends on how much you think you'll use, so you'll want an idea of that before you chat hot spots.



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[Adkhunter1590]

Buy the best Wilson product you can afford. Those things work really well. I had one at my last house and it took us from 1 bar of service or none at all to 3-4 bars of constant signal anywhere within 100ft of the amplifier.

I don't remember the model number we had. I think I still have it in the garage actually. I'm missing the antenna part of it because I was in a rush on move out day that I didn't feel like climbing up on the roof to unhook it.

To get the best performance, your absolutely gonna want a model that has a exterior antenna. They are easy to mount up on your roof. I mounted mine around a 2 inch pvc bathroom vent pipe. Most houses should have some sort of vent somewhere on the roof that you can attach the antenna to. From the antenna you'll have a coax cable down into the house (I drilled a hole in the side of the house and ran the wire inside) to the amplifier. Another little antenna thingy plugs into the amp which broadcasts the signal around your house and such.

Overall my Wilson unit worked great and I'm thinking of buying a new antenna for it so I can hook it up at my new house just to improve signal a bit in the garage.

[Elmo]

If you have internet at home and have WiFi setup, get a phone that allows WiFi Calling.

https://www.cnet.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-wifi-calling/

https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/

 

 

[nybuckboy]

OK well so far so very good. This is the system I got from Wilson Amplifiers.

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/weboost-connect-4g-cell-phone-signal-booster-kit-470103/

None of us have had a dropped call since the installation last Thursday night. We did a soft install and then Sunday afternnon did the hard install. 

Now to get to Verizon to buy a Hotspot.  We have used one of the cell phones as a hotspot to see how well it would work and this far it is at least as good as the Hughesnet.   

[nybuckboy]

I can finally give my full report on this.  I bought a weBoost Connect 4G Signal Booster Kit (Refurbished) - 470103R for $439.99 and also a Verizon Jet Pack  MIFI7730L for $99 with a $50 rebate.  Hooked it up in less than 5 minutes for the computer. Loads everything quicker than the HughesNet ever did.  

HughesNet costs us $91 a month and sometimes if we used more data than our plan allowed near the end of the month it was worse than old dial up. We did need to increase our data from Verizon to unlimited at an extra $30 a month but we will save $61 a month and thus far we have way better service.

As I stated originally we have never had good reception where we live and we have a tin roof and would drop calls daily if we moved about the house when talking. None of us (wife, son and I) have dropped a single call anywhere in the house even in places where we could not get service before since we installed the WeBoost from Wilson Ampifiers.

So the initial outlay is about $490 and at $61 a month savings in 8 months we are even.

[Adkhunter1590]

Glad to hear! Those Wilson products sure are good. I'm gonna pick up a new antenna for mine to bring up to my buddies camp where we get 1 bar or no service at all.

[nybuckboy]

This is the outside antenna mounted with the bracket screwed to the deck facing east to the closet cell tower.

[Adkhunter1590]

I wish I had mounted my old ones in a easier spot, if I did, I'd still have it lol. I had mine up on the roof on a bathroom ceiling vent pipe. Worked great for reception purposes but the way my roof was on my old house, it was a scary experience getting to that spot. When I put it up there I said to my wife that it was never coming down because I wasn't going back for it lol.

At least you were smarter than me and put it in a easy to get to spot!

[nybuckboy]

1 hour ago, Adkhunter1590 said:

I wish I had mounted my old ones in a easier spot, if I did, I'd still have it lol. I had mine up on the roof on a bathroom ceiling vent pipe. Worked great for reception purposes but the way my roof was on my old house, it was a scary experience getting to that spot. When I put it up there I said to my wife that it was never coming down because I wasn't going back for it lol.

At least you were smarter than me and put it in a easy to get to spot!

Did yours look like this one?

 

[Adkhunter1590]

Did yours look like this one?
 

Yes it did. Looks exactly like it. I think they make even bigger ones for even better reception that you could upgrade to if you so choose to.

[phade]

This is the outside antenna mounted with the bracket screwed to the deck facing east to the closet cell tower.

People use these for the Spartan Gocam in low signal spots.


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