Mobile signal booster

[nexxo698]

I was looking at getting a Netgear M2 and MIMO antenna for internet but then came across these...

Best Pro Mobile Phone Booster for All Networks | Signal Repeaters (boostersdirect.com)

I seem to remember ages ago that these were illegal due to licensing but that seems to have changed.
Would it not be better to use one of these so I can use my phone and existing contract? Seems the same principle of fitting an antenna, just avoids the extra router and mobile contract. In the future, if I want a mobile router and contract for use abroad, it just uses the same signal booster instead of connecting it to an antenna.

Anybody fitted one?

 

[Jev88]

Interesting but i can't see the difference between this and a typical MIFI and external aerial?

 

[Lenny HB]

It may work but will be a pain to set up everytime you stop, as it uses a directional log-periodic aerial. Also it only works up the 1800mhz band doesn't include the 2.7ghz bandwidth. The spec shows high gain figures for frequencies way below any used for mobile phones. No mention of gain at real life bandwidths.

 

[Lenny HB]

Interesting but i can't see the difference between this and a typical MIFI and external aerial?

Totally different, a MiFi is a receiver with a wifi router built in, this is just amplifier that works at mobile phone frequencies & I'm not sure it's actually legal.

 

[autorouter]

As Lenny HB says, it has a directional antenna to connect to the phone mast, a signal amplifier and an omnidirectional antenna to provide the signal for your phone to connect to. It amplifies whatever it picks up from the phone mast. If the signal is rubbish, you will get amplified rubbish. If the signal is weak but clear, you will get a stronger clear signal. So it may or may not work in your situation.

There are regulations to limit the power of phone masts and handsets, and this setup could be used in situations that would contravene these regulations. There are good reasons why the power is limited, to avoid interfering with neighbouring phone masts for example. But extending the coverage of a phone mast in a weak signal area in the countryside is probably OK in terms of interference. Whether it's legal or not, I don't know.

This is different from a mifi. A mifi connects to a phone mast, and translates the mobile phone signal into local wifi, which is similar but not the same as a mobile phone signal. This signal booster connects to the phone mast, and gives out a stronger mobile phone signal (ie not wifi)

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[Trevor Wbm]

Mobile signal repeaters were made legal in 2018 - BUT - that's as long as they are compliant with the regs governing their technical spec including power output.

Here's links to those, which I don't understand in detail, but if I've muddled through it successfully mean one that's sold for static in-building use may not be legal for a vehicle.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/399/regulation/2/made .... which refers to .... https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/112291/IR_2102.pdf

I still reckon using my pole mounted old mobile phone in a waterproof box as a WiFi hub works well enough.

 

[nexxo698]

I'd read this...

To qualify as licence-exempt, a repeater must only boost the signal of one network at a time. You can buy wideband repeaters that cover multiple networks, but these are illegal to use in the UK without a licence, as that they can impact every network in the area at once.

With a static indoor repeater, the uplink antenna also has to be located inside a building, rather than outside, to minimise interference. Similarly, a low-gain mobile repeater must only assist coverage inside a road vehicle, not inside a static caravan or boat.

Best mobile signal booster 2023: Fix your flaky 3G or 4G signal with the top, fully legal boosters | Expert Reviews

Struggling with a signal blackspot? Find out if a mobile signal booster can help

www.expertreviews.co.uk

Which seems to suggest that the one I've listed earlier would be illegal as it cover multiple networks.

 

[nexxo698]

As Lenny HB says, it has a directional antenna to connect to the phone mast, a signal amplifier and an omnidirectional antenna to provide the signal for your phone to connect to. It amplifies whatever it picks up from the phone mast. If the signal is rubbish, you will get amplified rubbish. If the signal is weak but clear, you will get a stronger clear signal. So it may or may not work in your situation.

There are regulations to limit the power of phone masts and handsets, and this setup could be used in situations that would contravene these regulations. There are good reasons why the power is limited, to avoid interfering with neighbouring phone masts for example. But extending the coverage of a phone mast in a weak signal area in the countryside is probably OK in terms of interference. Whether it's legal or not, I don't know.

This is different from a mifi. A mifi connects to a phone mast, and translates the mobile phone signal into local wifi, which is similar but not the same as a mobile phone signal. This signal booster connects to the phone mast, and gives out a stronger mobile phone signal (ie not wifi)

My thinking was that I would just be replacing the mobile router & antenna with a "wireless" (to keep it simple!) antenna so that any cellular device in the van would have a better signal and use it's own data connection rather than paying for a separate contract for mobile data.
The directional antenna may make it a non-starter though and not worth the hassle.