cell signal sticker booster

[ryanhull]

Hey Guys, quick question.... I am trying to improve my 3g signal on my phone, the phone is an imobile and whilst I usually get good 3g speeds sometimes in some areas of my house the 3g signal can drop.

I have seen these things kicking around for years http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mobile-phone-signal-booster-Cell-antenna-For-any-mobile-/121685423123?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c55043413

Question is, anyone ever used these and do they actually work? I would assume you can buy them at the IT mall in bangkok, but does anyone know for sure if you can?

Thnx

[peterjackson]

Apparently they dont work.

http://www.andybrain.com/extras/cellphone-antenna-booster-sticker-review-and-test.htm

[ryanhull]

Apparently they dont work.

http://www.andybrain...ew-and-test.htm

Thanks for the info and reply.

Does anyone know which are the best phones for reception? for example... I have a nokia Lumina, and an Imobile... both on truemove, both tested in the same spot... the nokia seems to get far better download speeds than the imobile, so that tells me the inbuilt antenna on the nokia is much better than the imobile... I do not really see this discussed much on the internet, I am looking for a phone with the best inbuilt antenna for 3g, Id probably assume the newer the phone the better the internal antenna is going to be for example a samsung s6 is going to be better than an imobile iq9.1 does anyone know of any comparison sites?

Thnks

[BB1950]

Does anyone know which are the best phones for reception? for example... I have a nokia Lumina, and an Imobile... both on truemove, both tested in the same spot... the nokia seems to get far better download speeds than the imobile, so that tells me the inbuilt antenna on the nokia is much better than the imobile... I do not really see this discussed much on the internet, I am looking for a phone with the best inbuilt antenna for 3g, Id probably assume the newer the phone the better the internal antenna is going to be for example a samsung s6 is going to be better than an imobile iq9.1 does anyone know of any comparison sites?

Thnks

It's not just the antenna. Antenna boosters also boost the noise and can distort the signal. It's the quality of the radio, components, shielding, etc... that helps separate the noise from the signal and reshape the signal.

AFAIK, There are no comparison sites that can offer that kind of information. There's a lot of variables involved in the quality and strength of the signal, which couldn't be accurately represented or reproduced. You can't just rate it by a number from 1 to 10. It requires complicated analysis with signal analyzers. Not by just holding a phone in the air. Also your body, what you're wearing, and the way you hold the phone will have an effect. Again the old phrase location, location, location, is in effect. Radio waves are tricky. They can be blocked, reflected, shunted, and distorted. You're just dreaming... There's no easy answer!

Edited July 15, 2015 by BB1950

[ryanhull]

It's not just the antenna. Antenna boosters also boost the noise and can distort the signal. It's the quality of the radio, components, shielding, etc... that helps separate the noise from the signal and reshape the signal.

AFAIK, There are no comparison sites that can offer that kind of information. There's a lot of variables involved in the quality and strength of the signal, which couldn't be accurately represented or reproduced. You can't just rate it by a number from 1 to 10. It requires complicated analysis. Again the old phrase location, location, location, is in effect. Radio waves are tricky. They can be blocked, reflected, shunted, and distorted. You're just dreaming... There's no easy answer!

Appreciate that but your kind of missing the point, given what I have said with two phones being in exacly the same position (location as you put it) and on exactly the same network... there clearly is a comparison in said phones hardware as my nokia gets far better download speeds than my imobile via 3g. So why do people not discus which phone has the best inbuilt antenna? why would one not include this as for some having the best 3g signal is the most important part of a phone especially when your using something like skype to call via 3g which requires a solid 3g signal. Why dont phones have some sort of antenna rating? for example if I was to get all the majour phones, iphones, samsungs, nokias, imobiles, etc etc all in the exact same position and all on the exact same network and do a download test I am sure the variation would be massive. So I know what your saying regarding variables but given what I have said the variables would only be the quality of the inbuilt antenna in the phone surely? I know for sure I had to get rid of my iphone 4 a while back becuase connecting to wifi was always slow.. I always got slow download speeds with skype calls dropping despite my rooter being 10 meters away, yet using my wifes samsung galaxy s3 mini in the same spot the download speeds plus skype calls was considerably better.... so that tells me phones do have a massive variation in inbuilt antenna quality, I am merely asking why this is not discussed more and why no one has compared them? surely people on here especially the skype users wether connecting to 3g or wifi know what I am getting at..... it genuinely interests me and really I wouldnt say I was a dreamer for asking such questions. Thanks

[ryanhull]

I see others are also asking the same question http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1348651

[BB1950]

You're missing the point. I believe there was an issue with the iPhone 4 where the antenna was a metal ring around the phone. A quick fix was to install a rubber bumper over the ring. People touching the ring were effecting the signal!

Edited July 15, 2015 by BB1950

[ryanhull]

https://erhvervsstyrelsen.dk/sites/default/files/media/mobile_phone_antenna_performance_2013.pdf

I think this is exacly what I was after.... view page 6 with a comparison table.... quite a comprehensive test of mobile phone inbuilt antennas.... and fair enough about the iphone 4 issue... but still the above shows there is a huge different in phone antennas, cheers

[maxtwo]

My wife and I both have iphone6 on same carrier.And they never show same signal strength.

[ryanhull]

My wife and I both have iphone6 on same carrier.And they never show same signal strength.

Thats strange, in the same position? does one have a case? maybe one was made a slightly different time or one has a slightly displaced wire inside? Im just guessing

[maxtwo]

No case and no saying which phone will have best signal.I have had 1 bar her full strength and vice versa.

[BB1950]

I think MAXTWO just demonstrated. It's just a guess.

[maxtwo]

We some times have one showing 3G other 4G.But that settles down in a few seconds.I think it is some times down to huge joins a cell first and how much it is being used.

[WhizBang]

You say you are on TrueMove, and therein lies your problem.

I used to have TrueMove. Outside the phone worked fine 90% of the time, but inside my condo it worked maybe 10% of the time. I would get dropped calls, and sms would not go, I had to send sms multiple times before they would actually go. Plus the signal level was all over the place. Sometimes 4 bars, sometimes none.

I eventually dumped True and went AIS. Have not had a problem since.

Bottom line, TrueMove is crap.

[IMHO]

This vendor sells 3g/4g cell boosters that *work*

http://www.hispeedaircard.com/

Using one of these at my father's house, I was able to get reliable 3G from a cell site over 10KM away. Without it, there was not enough signal for 3G data at all.

Edited July 16, 2015 by IMHO

[ryanhull]

You say you are on TrueMove, and therein lies your problem.

I used to have TrueMove. Outside the phone worked fine 90% of the time, but inside my condo it worked maybe 10% of the time. I would get dropped calls, and sms would not go, I had to send sms multiple times before they would actually go. Plus the signal level was all over the place. Sometimes 4 bars, sometimes none.

I eventually dumped True and went AIS. Have not had a problem since.

Bottom line, TrueMove is crap.

Hey, I do have AIS sims aswell, but I am not in bangkok you see and up north east true is considerably better 3g reception, I have done many tests between them, a friend in Bangkok says he prefers AIS also but I think that is possibly Bangkok only where by AIS has better signals... one thing I do like about AIS is they offer more for your money with data packages (12gb). Cheers

This vendor sells 3g/4g cell boosters that *work*

http://www.hispeedaircard.com/

Using one of these at my father's house, I was able to get reliable 3G from a cell site over 10KM away. Without it, there was not enough signal for 3G data at all.

Thanks alot for the link, looks like they sell a good selection of kits at good rates, and good to know the boosters are working with true plus some good looking wifi antennas they have... I have added them to line so hopefully as I am visiting Bangkok this weekend I can pop into there shop if they have a physical shop that is, thanks again

[bamnutsak]

This topic has come up quite a few times here in the past; and a search might point you towards solutions?

I remember looking at a few threads; and some found acceptable solutions (bosters/repeaters) for voice, but they didn't seem to be as effective for data. And there were links to shops offering kits.

I suspect some phones are better is rural areas, but not sure how you figure out which are best?

I would experiment with TrueMove H (their 850 service via CAT might offer the best coverage), then maybe DTAC as they too have 860 coverage. Also talk with proplr who live nearby to see what works for them. If your home is an a unique spot, then there may well be nothing you can do short of relocating. AIS used to have the most (geographic) coverage with their GSM900 service, but that was for voice only, and will be going away in a few months.

[phoneguy702]

As someone involved in the installation of Mobil Phone Antenna Sites i can tell you that the differences in phone design, use and the quality of the build of the particular phone in question do enter into the question. But the biggest factor of all is the location and coverage pattern of the Antenna being used by the provider that is connecting your phone to the Local Exchange. While many of the installs are well planned, the quality of the install is the single greatest variable in your mobile phone reception. You can have two phones in the same location with one connected to one antenna and the other one using a different antenna or a different channel on the same antenna. so simple tests like "I have my phone and my mates phone both laying on the table and we have different connections values and speeds is not surprising. Your best bet is to use the sim of the provider with the best coverage in your area and use a quality device, Samsung, Iphone etc. The stick on antenna boosters are a joke, but I wish I had come up with the idea as many people who should know better will tell you they work. Active signal boosters for your home or office can work but they are often a source of electrical noise and can actually work against you unless you have had a Frequency Spectrum test done to see how much carrier saturation you have in the area in question.

So buy a good phone, and use a Sim from a provider with good signal in your area and you will be rewarded with reasonable signal strength. In places where the infrastructure is not up to par, like much of thailand you are going to have dead spots or places with too many users competing for too little space on the antenna. it will improve, every day more and more antenna upgrades are being done but the providers have to see profit to be willing to upgrade their antennas.