How Mobile Phone Signal Boosters Work

[chribonn]

Hello,

I cannot fully comprehend the logic of mobile phone signal boosters. Basically all claim that you have an antenna on your roof that will communicate with the cell tower. An amplifier boosts the signal that is transmitted within your house.

No one says that your transmissions to the cell tower are boosted.

As cell phone communications (speech and data) are two way, boosting the incoming signal only wouldn't still constitute a problem?

Thanks

 

[mhar]

It is a two way amplifier however it is very unlikely to be licensed for use in this country

 

[Deleted member 26818]

They use some kind of booster in large shops and shopping malls.
Great big hollow cable run around the building.
Not sure if there’s an antenna on the roof or if there’s another way to connect to the various networks?

 

[Midwest]

I knew some important chap that had a mobile booster, with some small amount of gubbins on the outside of the house. Ran from an FCU. But he was very important, and not something he picked from Maplins.

 

[rhitey]

You can buy kits online but as is mentioned above they're not legal to use. We had a customer buy one and wanted us to fit it during a complete house rewire.
Kit consisted of 2 aerials 1 internal, 1 external and an amplifier box. Plug and play kit really. Should have been simple, aim it in the direction of the nearest mobile mast and away it goes but the damn thing just wasn't reliable. Sometimes it worked other times it didn't. Spent hours on the damn thing. Gave up in the end.

 

[chribonn]

It is a two way amplifier however it is very unlikely to be licensed for use in this country

Hello,

I will be using this in Italy. Why would it be illegal?

 

[Midwest]

Hello,

I will be using this in Italy. Why would it be illegal?

Just make them an offer they can't refuse.

 

[Strima]

Hello,

I will be using this in Italy. Why would it be illegal?

OFCOM regulate the radio frequencies within the UK, there’s very strict rules as to where, what type and the power output of radio equipment is used.

Poorly installed systems including WiFi have been known to interfere with critical systems such as emergency services radios etc.

Signal boosters within shopping centres etc are normally linked to the cellular network by hardwire and are under control of the network providers such as EE and Vodafone.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Apparently the one in Westfield Stratford has something to do with Police coms.
Must touch or else.

 

[chribonn]

Just make them an offer they can't refuse.

 

[dmxtothemax]

The reason why there is no boosting on the uplink
is because it is not needed.
It is already done as part of normal call proceedure,
When the cell tower receives the initial call from your phone,
they test the signal level,
The handset will adjust output power as needed
or even reduce it.
This is all normal.

 

[mhar]

M

The reason why there is no boosting on the uplink
is because it is not needed.
It is already done as part of normal call proceedure,
When the cell tower receives the initial call from your phone,
they test the signal level,
The handset will adjust output power as needed
or even reduce it.
This is all normal.

Isn't that what the problem is? If the amplifier goes into oscillationthen (apart from the local interference), the tower is unable to deal with this very high signal level and adjusts everything down. A bit like the automatic gain control on a tv tuner when it receives high signal levels from the 4g network.
The handset is continually adjusting it's output power which is why batteries drain quickly when in no or low signal areas.
I was under the impression that these signal boosters amplified both uplink and downlink or is it just the fact that because of the external directional antenna, the output of the phone has now become uni directional instead of omni and therefore only a fraction of the power is required?