I have struggled for so long at home with a poor mobile phone signal. I have to stand in the doorway to send a text. I am afraid to pick up the phone in case it is a business call that is going to get cut off.
Today I have installed one of the best gadgets since sat nav! It is a mobile phone signal repeater. My very own mobile phone cell site! We now have a 4 or 5 (out of 5) bar signal right round the house.
The AT-600 from AnyTone is a 60dB amplifier with a high gain (11dB) outdoor yagi antenna and an indoor 2.5dB omni-directional antenna. This kit works in the 900Mhz band which means it is suitable for O2 and Vodafone.
Installation is a breeze. The first thing to do is ring your service provider and find out where your nearest cell site is. You may find that the person you speak to cannot give you this information. You should thank them very much, put the phone down and ring back. Repeat this process until you have found a clued up customer service person and managed to plot all the cell sites in your area.
In my case I found that the nearest O2 cell site was 4 miles (6km) away and exactly south west from here. I was wondering how and where I was going to erect a mast to put the outdoor yagi antenna on. My other half hates the sight of aerials on the roof and wondered why it couldn’t just go in the loft with the TV antenna. Brilliant idea! Saves me some work and the signal should be fine from up there.
So, the yagi is wedged in the loft and pointing directly south-west. The AT-600 and the indoor antenna is mounted in the cupboard under the stairs. I have a solid mobile phone signal. Fantastic!
There are several suppliers of this kit on eBay. The one I chose is called flash-mart and is located in Hong Kong. At the time of writing he has a 100% feedback score and over 5,000 sales. I asked a couple of questions before I purchased and he came back quickly with knowledgeable answers.
The photos I have used belong to him so here’s a link to his eBay listing. His photos and very descriptive text are excellent so take a look. If you have any questions about this kit then do post a comment and I will be happy to help.