Re: Do these cellular amplifiers work for all cellphones?

On 2022-04-09 13:32:06 +0000, Martin Brown said:

> On 08/04/2022 20:22, gtr wrote:
>> Do these cellular amplifiers work when your cellular signal is low?
>> https://www.weboost.com/boosters/vehicle-car
>> 
>> How low?
> 
> Hard to say. It will depend on which of the various frequencies the 
> nearest cellular network is using and what the phone supports.

I called the company who told me they work with all cellular carriers.
They said their best amplifier/transmitter has a 65dBm maximum boost.
But they said the cellular signal needs to be greater than -115dBm.
That would amplify -115dBm up to -50dBm which is a strong cellular signal.

> It would 
> be illegal to use in the UK - but not to sell them to punters :(

Why would it be illegal to listen to ANY signal that is over the air?
That's something only the autocratic repressive regimes do isn't it?

If it's illegal simply to have a basic simple radio in the UK (which is what 
this is), then I will change the followup to remove the UK telecom. 

Is just having an omni cellular /antenna/ also illegal in the UK?
https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-electronics-omnidirectional-cellular-antennas/
700-800 MHz: 2 dB
824-894 MHz: 2 dB
880-960 MHz: 2 dB
1710-1880 MHz: 4 dB
1850-1990 MHz: 4 dB
2110-2170 MHz: 4 dB

A directional Yagi should be legal anywhere in the free west, shouldn't it?
https://www.pssstore.net/products/doorking-1514-014-cellular-directional-antenna-kit
 
> What will limit its utility in the end is the time gating on mobile 
> masts so that they refuse connections from more than ~35 miles away 
> (that figure for UK networks I don't know what it is in the USA).

All that is going on is the same thing that happens in the Marconi Radio of 
the 1900's (it's just picking up /existing/ signal and then amplifying it).

If a basic radio is illegal in the UK, then I feel sorry for those of you 
who are in the UK, but more important, I apologize for asking on the UK 
newsgroup and I have set the followup to remove the UK newsgroup. Sorry.

> I have a pair of passive yagi antennae and a Mifi with external antenna 
> capability that will let me connect to remote nodes provided that there 
> is direct line of sight and they are not too far away. No use in a car 
> since the highly directional antennas need careful pointing.

Thank you for mentioning the /passive/ antenna, which is what the front end 
of _all_ these devices is. Is at least a passive antenna legal in the UK? 

I was looking through this web site which explains how to put an omni 
antenna on the roof of your car to passively pick up cellular signal.
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/cellular-resources

But without the 65dBm amplifier (if it's illegal in the UK), I'm not sure 
how the smartphone would interface with the received cellular signal as the 
output of the omni cellular antenna above is an N-type female or an F-Type 
female and the output of the Yagi above is an RG58.
 
> It was useful to get a fast reliable data link to the mobile network in 
> an area like mine with poor signal (and even worse wired ADSL service).

I find it appalling that anywhere in the free world you're not allowed to 
have a radio that simply amplifies the signal that is already legally there
but I have removed u.t.m from the followup.

What I'm looking for is widely available in the US but I am just trying to 
find out if they're /practical/ as a lot of things work in theory but not in 
practice (often because they're too cumbersome or too fragile or too 
complex). 

That's really all I wanted to know where I was hoping to find people who 
have already added a cellular antenna to their car or camper or home.