[Discuss] Cell phones and towers

[tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)]

Scott Ehrlich wrote:
> I have been tasked with finding a way to get strong cell service to a
> residential/business address in Massachusetts whose closest tower is
> about 2 miles away, and whose visitors, residents, and employees have
> different carriers.
> 
> I have researched some range extenders, such as Wilson products.

I gather using VoIP over WiFi isn't an option? Some carriers provide
apps so this works seamlessly when the cell network is unreachable.


> If we believe antennasearch.com, the closest registered tower is about
> 2 miles away and happens to be Verizon.

What about the other towers? You said you needed to support multiple
carriers.


> What are the best options for bring multiple carrier signals to the address?
> 
> I looked for an email address for AT&T Wireless...

So if you want a multi-carrier solution and you are considering RF range
extenders, why would you be seeking to contact AT&T. They're unlikely to
recommend or support a range extender.

What AT&T and some of the other carriers might offer instead is a
femtocell[1]. A small cellular base station that connects to the
Internet for its "backhaul". Effectively turning your cell phones into
WiFi/VoIP phones without using WiFi or requiring special software.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femtocell

I know people who were in AT&T deadspots, and AT&T's solution was a
femtocell. Beyond this, I don't have first-hand experience with this
problem, and can't offer any recommendations for specific products or
service companies.

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA
"Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting."
http://www.theperlshop.com/