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Mobile phone home booster?

oleum
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎10-01-2017

Mobile phone home booster?

Rather than post in this----> https://community.plus.net/t5/General-Chat/Mobile-phone-home-booster/m-p/1209880#M180571  necro thread I thought I'd start another now plusnet has its own mobile service.

The simple thing is that I have a poor signal downstairs at home in my house. Downstairs no signal. I was on O2 could get 2G only. I contacted Plusnet customer service and they do not support ee signal box which I believe would be the solution.

Any ideas?

Nick

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ITWorks
Superuser
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

@oleum

 

O2 have the Tugo app "lets you call, message and check your voicemail over wifi"

Three have Intouch app , which does the same as Tugo

Vodafone SureSignal "Vodafone Sure Signal creates a 3G signal - ideal if you live where it's difficult to get good reception."

EE do the signal box ( as you have posted )  , which is the same as Vodafone.

 

I was on O2 with Tugo for a couple of years but found the app unreliable , now on Voda and find SureSignal very good 

 

Regards

Mike

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oleum
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎10-01-2017

Re: Mobile phone home booster?

Thanks but I probably forgot to mention that I am with plusnet mobile now so basically the EE network, hence the question about whether or not it was possible to get a signal booster. The EE signal box routes calls through your internet connection (I am quite happy for that to happen), which would allow me to get the incoming calls I need for work.

TuGo which is the O2 solution was a bit flaky and did nothing for the battery life of my phone (I used to have it running on an iPad to get round this. I don't really want to switch back to O2 - more expensive and generally in this area a much less reliable signal. O2 3G let alone 4G is pretty much nonexistant.

 

The solution of some kind of femtocell is really just about perfect for my situation. I just need to find out how to blag one and get it set up on the EE network (or T-mobile) or Orange apparently. I'm seriously considering my plus net account for a month switching to EE then getting a signal box to install, presumably it will continue to work when I switch back from EE?

ITWorks
Superuser
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

To use the EE box or any of the other solutions , you have to be on that network direct ,  MVNOs  like PN will work with any of the solutions. as you have assumed , you will need to move network .

 

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oleum
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎10-01-2017

Re: Mobile phone home booster?

Will it continue to work when I switch away from EE?

May still be worth taking their cheapest monthly plan as an additional number for a minimum term?

oleum
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎10-01-2017

Re: Mobile phone home booster?

I'm thinking more and more about this. Could I take the box to my mates house when I go there and plug it in to his broadband? I assume theres no way to pin down an IP address. I could set it up to go through my vpn to appear at any one of many cities in theory. Hmmm, so if thats the case whats stopping people with previously registered boxes that have left EE/T-mobile/Orange from selling their old boxes which are still registered?

 

ITWorks
Superuser
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

I am a little confused , as your second post, said you was with PN mobile not EE.

Are you in the process of porting your number from EE to PN Mobile?

If your query is regarding will the signal box work still if you move from EE , no , it will only work with EE sims 

 

 

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ITWorks
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

Nothing stopping them, i know on Vodafone , there are registered to your account and mobile , and each time you want a mobile to use SS ( first time)  you have to login and register it . So if i  sold mine with out de registering it would be useless with out my account login details 

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oleum
Hooked
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Registered: ‎10-01-2017

Re: Mobile phone home booster?

Currently I am with PN

I am considering moving to EE so that I can get access to one of their femtocells - Signal box. From looking around in various forums it seems as though T-mobile Orange Virgin and Tesco mobile will all work with the EE Signal Box (all use the same network). I would like to know better just how it works before I go setting up an EE account just to get access to their femtocell device (which can be had on e-bay and perhaps in their physical stores)

 

 

ITWorks
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

How does it work?

Signal Box works by providing 3G coverage with a range of about 15 metres, so anyone with access can make a call or send a text just as normal. Any Orange, T-Mobile or EE plan holders with a 3G or 4G handset can use the same box.

Once set up, you can use Signal Box to make and receive calls and texts. For data we recommend you connect to your home WiFi because it saves on your monthly data allowance and is generally faster

Looking at EE and Voda offers, Voda seem to be the best at the moment .

Depending on what you have with PN you can likely get in for the similar price if not less on a 12 month sim deal, when taking 6 months half price and cashback, see here  The SS box is £69.99 not sure the cost of EE they dont say.

 

 

Three also do a signal box for free but they don't promote it, and you can only have one if networks agree that signal in your area is bad . see here 

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oleum
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎10-01-2017

Re: Mobile phone home booster?

OK I looked around some more and also posted in the EE forums to ask.

This helped. Looks like it will "just work" if I can get hold of a box.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyGcjZZdgMc&spfreload=10

ITWorks
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

I set one up last month , if its new , when you get in out the box you need to ring EE to get it setup on your account , then an hr or so later its active,

 

Activation

To activate your Signal Box you'll need to call Customer Services with the IMEI number, which is printed on the packaging and the Signal box itself, along with the post code where the Signal Box will be used.

  • If you're on an Orange plan call 0800 079 0275
  • If you're on a T-Mobile plan call 0800 956 3146
  • If you're on an EE plan call 0800 956 6141

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Mustrum
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

Depending on your phone, EE do WiFi calling, no need for a signal box, your phone can use any WiFi network you happen to be on.

Ironically my last employer switched from Vodafone to EE and a third of my team ended up needing signal boosters, which we wereobliged to authorise to allow them to continue working!

ITWorks
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

Things is with their "Wifi Calling" you have to have bought your phone and plan from them direct , and only works on a select few phones 

 

WiFi Calling is available on all versions of the iPhone 5c and later models of the iPhone, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Lumia 550, 650, 950, 950XL, HTC 10, Blackberry Priv, Blackberry Dtek 50, Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL.

It's only available on the EE version of all other compatible Android and Windows devices which can only be bought directly from us in one of our store

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adrens
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Re: Mobile phone home booster?

An EE signal box will allow up to 8 handsets to "logon" to it - they can be on EE or MVNOs like BT Virgin or Plusnet. You don't need to specify which SIMs can use it either - it just allows the first 8.

 

I have one on my EE account and my wife's phone uses it fine (been on Virgin then BT and trying a plusnet SIM (but have the silly no data drama!) which all work with it.

*BUT* AFAIK you need to have an ongoing account with EE - if you move away from EE then they will deauthorise the Signal Box

As for WiFi calling - you can on some handsets flash the EE version of the firmware, such as the Samsung S5, then get them to activate it on your SIM - it works I have done it but you need to happy to tinker with your phone.