Cell Phone Booster Guide

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You're in the middle of a phone conversation, or you need to make important call, and all of a sudden the reception on your cell phone is nonexistent, or you can only get a bar or two provided that you're standing in a specific place within your home. This means that picking up or making mobile phone calls is extremely inconvenient and frustrating. If you've ever been in this situation, read on for frequently asked questions and information on using a cell phone booster to improve the clarity of your phone calls and the reception of your mobile phone.

Q. What makes a cell phone booster work?

A cell phone signal booster essentially amplifies the signal and reception available to your cell phone by utilizing a powerful antenna. One of the most effective solutions is an indoor/outdoor cell phone repeater unit. With this set up, the outdoor antenna intercepts the signal coming into your mobile phone, and then relays it to the indoor partner antenna, which then gives your cell phone a boost, allowing you clearer calls and up to three or four bars of signal strength.

Q. What if I am unable to mount a cell phone booster outdoors?

There are more compact cell phone repeater units available for home use. These may not necessarily offer the same strength of indoor/outdoor units, but they work well to amplify the signal strength for people who live in apartment buildings, condos, or are otherwise unable to spend the money on or properly mount a unit with an outdoor antenna. You can source an inexpensive yet effective cell phone repeater like this from manufacturers such as Wilson and zBoost.

Q. What if cell phone service isn't even available in my area?

An option you may want to look into is called a femtocell. This is an alternative to a cell phone booster in which a virtual mini cell phone network within the radius of the unit routes calls through a cable or broadband internet connection. It's is perfect for those who simply cannot get mobile phone service in their area, or for whom cell phone reception is extremely poor. While this is a relatively new technology, you can currently obtain this type of unit through Sprint PCS, and additional providers are expected to be on board with femtocell technology by the end of 2009.

Using a cell phone antenna booster or signal amplifier may just be the answer you've been looking for to increase the quality of your mobile phone calls and the overall strength of cell phone reception in your home or office.