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Using a Cellphone in a Basement?

Posted by Cliff on from the repeaters-and-signal-boosters dept.

Nimsoft asks: "I recently moved into a basement flat and as a result I get no cellphone coverage in there. This is incredibly frustrating as my cell provider is so much cheaper than landline offerings I rely on my cell as my primary means of telecommunications. I can pick up a signal the second I step out of my front door and friends on other networks can sometimes pick up a weak signal within my flat. What would the geek solution (must be cheap!) to this issue be? Would attaching a larger antenna to my phone work, or can I hack together some sort of repeater and put an antenna outside somewhere?" While thousands of offers of repeaters and signal boosters are only as far away as the nearest Google search, what recommendations or experiences would you care to share on the subject?

2 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Bluetooth headset by Badfysh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Get a Bluetooth headset. Maybe you can leave your phone upstairs or near a window for a signal. You don't have to wear it all the time, just put it on when the phone rings.

    --

    I was conned by an old man in a cloak. It turns out those *were* the droids I was looking for.

  2. Vague/sketchy details by Kehl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why are "Ask Slashdot" questions allways so generic and vague?

    Try posting some more information ..... just a thought?

    ie.

    Location - What County/City/State? ..... even a Country/CONTINENT would help!

    Cellphone Service Provider - Would be handy.

    Current Cellphone - Make/Model - as above.

    Somebody may have had exactly the same issue in the same region with the same phone/provider and could answer your question in one sentence.

    Please when posting "Ask Slashdot" questions be a little more concise! .....

    My thoughts .....

    A basement is an enclosed space (I will assume you have no windows/sky lights) however there must be a means of circulating air around the "basement" - im thinking ..... air vents.

    Have a look at the car antenna kits that are compatible with you current phone - remember these antennas are normally installed in the rear car window and after trailing the cable around the window/sills/footwells you could easily use 6-9 metres of cable.

    Next ..... trace any wires/pipes/air vents that come into your building - could you follow any cable/phone/water inputs to the outside world? If so how far would it be to get a cable to there?

    Then stick a car antenna on the wall .....

    If you own the place then get out a 2 foot long drill - bang a hole through the wall - problem solved ..... or are you renting? (you never said)

    Even if you have to follow the path of an existing cable/pipe that runs "upstairs" - measure the distance - then talk to somebody who knows about signal loss /vs/ cable length when using car antenna (hint usenet) - from what I know the are shielded coax ..... so they *may* be useable at 100 metres.

    Then spend about (rough guess £40) on a bluetooth headset ..... as you phone will be pinned to the antenna cable ..... depending on max cable length