roadtrip Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I know there's a few tech savvy and helpful people on here so I thought I'd throw this at you. My brother has recently moved to a house where his mobile signal is really bad and I've been investigating what options there are to improve it. My brother and his girlfriend use O2 and Vodafone and neither is very good.The most obvious solution may have been to switch networks but apparently the neighbours have tried different ones and they're all just as bad. My next thought was a femtocell such as the Vodafone Sure Signal or O2 Boostbox but these seem expensive and potentially hard to get working reliably. Each phone needs to be registered with the femtocell and they would also be tied to using just one network. Today I found another option, O2 TU Go, which is an app for iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch), Android and Windows 7. It's basically a VoIP and messaging app that uses your O2 phone number to send and receive calls and SMS text messages over a WiFi connection. I've tried it on my laptop and it seems to work well enough but my phone (and currently my brother's) is too old to install it and try it out properly. Has anyone tried either of these solutions or suggest anything else to try? I know there are other VoIP apps around but I don't know of any which you can use with your existing mobile number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPhoboS Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Not a solution here just saying from experience... I use the vodafone thing, you pay for the hardware (about £50 iirc) and that's all you have to pay. Obviously it piggy backs onto the broadband, so if you're downloading tons of stuff using up all of it's speed - your signal will suffer. It works fine, just ensure it's centrally located in the house or you'll have to wander near it if you need to talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartynB85 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Not a solution here just saying from experience... I use the vodafone thing, you pay for the hardware (about £50 iirc) and that's all you have to pay. Obviously it piggy backs onto the broadband, so if you're downloading tons of stuff using up all of it's speed - your signal will suffer. It works fine, just ensure it's centrally located in the house or you'll have to wander near it if you need to talk. Thats a 'Vodafone Sure Signal' box, we hand out loads of them to our sales reps with poor/no signal at home, they work pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Thanks guys, it does sound like the Sure Signal could be the way to go, the main issue being that they currently have two phones on O2 and one on Vodafone so they'd have to switch networks. From what I've read, getting a Boostbox from O2 which is essentially the same thing is difficult or impossible for most people. They've just got BT Infinity in the village which they've signed up for so hopefully the broadband congestion won't be too bad. Another option I've just found is a mobile signal repeater which is even more expensive but if it works would give more flexibility as it’s not linked to just one network or any particular devices, although wherever they put the aerial would need some sort of signal: http://mobilesignal.co.uk/products/166/iBoost-GSM-900/ Can't seem to find any reviews or tests on similar products which is a little worrying as if they worked they would probably be really popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Also I have a Vodafone signal booster you can have for a small sum of money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.