Looking for a good cell phone booster
We are wanting to camp at the local national forest and the campground is about 5 miles from the nearest cell signal. Will a booster help with this? If so, what do you recommend? We have service with ...
Forum Discussion
YC 1 wrote:
If you get any signal there a booster will help. If zero signal, not likely. However if you get aggressive with a good roof top antenna there is a chance. Someone suggested standing on top of the RV with the phone and check for signal. If none, then a booster will not help.
you do NOT need to have any bars or any recieved signal strength with your phone alone to still have a booster work perfectly fine. I've been 3-5 miles past where I have any signal without the booster and can still end up with 3-5 bars with the booster.
Why? well the booster broadcasts with a 3W signal to the tower from your phone. if the tower gets a signal from the booster, it will adjust transmit power on your channel until it reaches a certain SN ratio and BER (bit error rate) with CDMA. Not sure exactly on GSM carriers, but similar process. Only if it can't increase power enough will you not get a signal. However, the system is designed to work both directions with a 3W phone, which is what is in a car phone like onstar.
Basically the external boosters, like the wilson units, are turning your handheld phone into a 3W phone like you may have in your car.
