Mobile signal booster

[BODs SR2]

New to boating I bought a smart tv and took out an unlimited data contract with 'three' with a view to using my phone as a hotspot to watch iplayer etc. Works ok but buffers in poor signal areas. Been looking at mobile network signal boosters and came across a few such as Nikrans LCD-300GD which claims to give 5 bars in poor areas. Wondered if anyone has experience of such devices.

Regards

Richard

 

[Mike Tee]

Might be cheaper to get a router and outdoor aerial, then get a cheap £20 per month smarty unlimited sim. We have that, and with two of us for example, watching separate films, it’s fine. Very occasionally one of us has to give up, but normally we get a minimum of 10 meg which is ample. One of our experts will be along shortly!

[matty40s]

Expert(at something or other) says you are completely correct 

[john6767]

I don’t believe OCOM have approved any mobile phone signal boosters for use on boats, only in houses and cars.  So anything you choose is going to be illegal to use.  Do you know that this one is approved for the use you want?

 

For most people boosting the mobile signal is not what they want anyway, what they want is wifi, in which case if the phone is not good enough for you then you need a mobile router with an external aerial.

Edited November 18, 2022 by john6767

[Chris John]

Waste of money. Router and outdoor aerial is what you want. 

[Slim]

44 minutes ago, john6767 said:

I don’t believe OCOM have approved any mobile phone signal boosters for use on boats, only in houses and cars.  So anything you choose is going to be illegal to use.  Do you know that this one is approved for the use you want?

 

For most people boosting the mobile signal is not what they want anyway, what they want is wifi, in which case if the phone is not good enough for you then you need a mobile router with an external aerial.

I understood that they were illegal in any 'mobile vehicle'. However, since when moored a boat is stationery one could argue that it's not mobile. Anyway,  that's the view I took. For a while I had one on my boat and it worked. Before fitting my mobile phone didn't work in the boat (portholes throughout) and obviously mobile data was the same. Presently it's stored in my loft but if the OP wants I can dig it out to check make etc.(wouldn't want to sell as I intend using it in my cottage in Devon).

Just to clarify I'm not talking about a cheap ebay special ,I'm talking about a proper booster with external aerial etc costing £200+

Edited November 18, 2022 by Slim

[Tony1]

 

My boat came with one of those signal boosters (repeaters?) on a 3 foot mast, and tbh I wasn't all that impressed by the performance of it in poor signal areas.  It sort of worked, but I was never really convinced it was as good as it was supposed to be.

I understand that they are not legal on boats, as john said above. If I remember correctly, it was said on here (by someone who knows their electronics) that they can interfere with the signal of other phone users nearby.

I spent last summer using it on the Llangollen and it did enough to sort of get by in most places, but in a few places it was little or no help.

 

Last winter I ditched the booster and got an external (Poynting) antenna, that is connected to a wifi router indoors.

I mounted the Poynting on a 6ft mast, and so far its given me as good performance as the booster thingy, although it was just as poor as the booster was when I tried it in that dead spot just east of Beeston Stone lock).

But I think the real test is still to come, because I'm back on the Llangollen, and I will be assessing the antenna performance against the booster performance by mooring in the same spots.

The first real test will come as I travel south from Whitchurch to Whixall in about a week, because I remember from last year there were some really poor signal spots along that route (near Platt Lane bridge I just couldnt get any usable signal on either of my SIMs, for example), and I'll make a point of pulling over and trying out the signal strength in the spots where the booster struggled. 

 

I don't suppose you'll ever get caught or punished for using a non-legal system, but if there is a legal alternative, and if it does work as well, then it makes sense to use it. 

Unfortunately, I don't know yet how well the mast mounted antenna works in comparison to the booster, when used in the really bad spots.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Tony1

[BODs SR2]

Thanks for your replies didn’t know about the legal aspect. I think I noticed somewhere it stated their device was legal which confused me at the time.  My existing thoughts were to save cash by using my existing available phone data. Alas as with anything you get what you pay for. Cheers. 

[Mike Tee]

If you can be bothered to take the sim out the phone and stick it in the router every time you come home then that’s the most economic way to go. Then while on your boat your expensive phone should work on WiFi so still useable. Of course you will have to remember to put the sim back in your phone when you go out ............

[john6767]

15 hours ago, Slim said:

I understood that they were illegal in any 'mobile vehicle'. However, since when moored a boat is stationery one could argue that it's not mobile. Anyway,  that's the view I took. For a while I had one on my boat and it worked. Before fitting my mobile phone didn't work in the boat (portholes throughout) and obviously mobile data was the same. Presently it's stored in my loft but if the OP wants I can dig it out to check make etc.(wouldn't want to sell as I intend using it in my cottage in Devon).

Just to clarify I'm not talking about a cheap ebay special ,I'm talking about a proper booster with external aerial etc costing £200+

There was always a separate class of repeater for use in motor vehicles.  But the use of them was specifically excluded from boats.  However I see there there were some updates to the regulation in June 2022, and whilst there is still a separate class for motor vehicle (which would not include boats), a quick scan on the main “indoor” type of repeater I can not spot an exclusion for boats anymore.  It uses a definition of “indoor” as

“indoors” means inside premises, which— (i) have a ceiling or a roof; and
(ii) except for any doors, windows or passageways, are wholly enclosed;

So your argument that a boat, once stationary, could fit the definition of “premises”, may be true.  Not so sure personally, but it is not a specific exclusion for boats.

 

What the updates are really about are allowing more choice of repeaters, there were only a couple listed as compliment to the original 2018 regulations.  They are allowing more choice by allowing the unlicensed use of repeaters that support more then one operator, so what the OP was proposing actually could be legal as of June this year, so my apologies for stating it would not be legal, it may be (just questionable on a boat being premises).  There are still other requirements that a specific repeater needs to meet, but supporting multiple operators does not immediately exclude it anymore which it previously did.

 

Personally for use on a boat I still think the wifi route will be more successful, and clearly legal, as having the phone on wifi and allowing it it use wifi calling is not an issue.

[Phoenix_V]

3 hours ago, john6767 said:

 

Personally for use on a boat I still think the wifi route will be more successful, and clearly legal, as having the phone on wifi and allowing it it use wifi calling is not an issue.

Its the way to go and probably cheaper. You can by routers that allow an ordinary dect phone to plug in and use minutes on the sim card for calls https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNLOCKED-HUAWEI-B535-235-CAT7-300Mbps-4G-LTE-WIFI-ROUTER-WITH-RJ11-TEL-PORT-/195472234450?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c6

 

and add an outside aerial https://www.3grouterstore.co.uk/oldstore/Poynting-4G-Antenna---Cross-Polarised-LTE-4G-Antenna---Outdoor-Omni-Directional-4G-Antenna-with-5m-cable-and-SMA-Poynting_4G_Antenna.html

Edited November 19, 2022 by Phoenix_V

[Tony1]

50 minutes ago, Phoenix_V said:

Its the way to go and probably cheaper. You can by routers that allow an ordinary dect phone to plug in and use minutes on the sim card for calls https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNLOCKED-HUAWEI-B535-235-CAT7-300Mbps-4G-LTE-WIFI-ROUTER-WITH-RJ11-TEL-PORT-/195472234450?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c6

 

and add an outside aerial https://www.3grouterstore.co.uk/oldstore/Poynting-4G-Antenna---Cross-Polarised-LTE-4G-Antenna---Outdoor-Omni-Directional-4G-Antenna-with-5m-cable-and-SMA-Poynting_4G_Antenna.html

 

This could be really handy for me - I could use my EE SIM without having to take it out of the phone, in those places where the normal O2 SIM has no signal. 

The idea of simply plugging the phone into the router and then using the phone SIM is great.

Do you need an adaptor for the phone?  Presumably it would be micro USB or maybe type C at the phone end, with an RJ11 plug on the other end to plug into the router?

 

[BODs SR2]

18 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

This could be really handy for me - I could use my EE SIM without having to take it out of the phone, in those places where the normal O2 SIM has no signal. 

The idea of simply plugging the phone into the router and then using the phone SIM is great.

Do you need an adaptor for the phone?  Presumably it would be micro USB or maybe type C at the phone end, with an RJ11 plug on the other end to plug into the router?

 

I’m interested in the phone/router interface too please 

[rusty69]

I have been using a Huawei B525 successfully with a cheap BT phone for making calls via the inclusive sim card minutes for a number of years. Mine requires a BT to Rj11 adapter. Not all models of Huaweis are born equal though, and it is a bit hit and miss if it will work or not.

[Slim]

6 hours ago, Mike Tee said:

If you can be bothered to take the sim out the phone and stick it in the router every time you come home then that’s the most economic way to go. Then while on your boat your expensive phone should work on WiFi so still useable. Of course you will have to remember to put the sim back in your phone when you go out ............

Who would? 

[Rob-M]

48 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I have been using a Huawei B525 successfully with a cheap BT phone for making calls via the inclusive sim card minutes for a number of years. Mine requires a BT to Rj11 adapter. Not all models of Huaweis are born equal though, and it is a bit hit and miss if it will work or not.

Never tried that, I have the B818 which now I've just looked on the back has an RJ11 port marked Tel.  Have to dig out an old handset to see if I can make calls through it.

[Phoenix_V]

2 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

This could be really handy for me - I could use my EE SIM without having to take it out of the phone, in those places where the normal O2 SIM has no signal. 

The idea of simply plugging the phone into the router and then using the phone SIM is great.

Do you need an adaptor for the phone?  Presumably it would be micro USB or maybe type C at the phone end, with an RJ11 plug on the other end to plug into the router?

 

As said you need a BT / RJ11 adapter abou £3 on ebay and apparently a dect type phone. I am testing one now with an Asda (vodaphone network) sim which works fine at least on that network! - the phone I am using is  is a BT4000. The only drawback is those phones need a 7.5 volt supply either from  a mains adapter or a 12 volt adapter. You need the 235 variant of that router the normal version sold in the UK does not have the phone socket you can see the socket on the photo on the ebay link I posted if you look at one of the other variants it is clearly absent.

[Tony1]

9 minutes ago, Phoenix_V said:

As said you need a BT / RJ11 adapter abou £3 on ebay and apparently a dect type phone. I am testing one now with an Asda (vodaphone network) sim which works fine at least on that network! - the phone I am using is  is a BT4000. The only drawback is those phones need a 7.5 volt supply either from  a mains adapter or a 12 volt adapter. You need the 235 variant of that router the normal version sold in the UK does not have the phone socket you can see the socket on the photo on the ebay link I posted if you look at one of the other variants it is clearly absent.

 

I've misunderstood the discussion here.

The BT4000 is a landline type phone, right? What I was hoping was that you could use an adaptor to connect an android smartphone to a wifi router, so that the router would use the smartphone's SIM. I suspect the OP is ideally looking for something that saves him having to swap his SIM from the wifi router into his smartphone every time he leave the boat. 

It would be a very handy feature for a lot of people, I bet. 

 

 

[Phoenix_V]

16 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I've misunderstood the discussion here.

The BT4000 is a landline type phone, right? What I was hoping was that you could use an adaptor to connect an android smartphone to a wifi router, so that the router would use the smartphone's SIM. I suspect the OP is ideally looking for something that saves him having to swap his SIM from the wifi router into his smartphone every time he leave the boat. 

It would be a very handy feature for a lot of people, I bet. 

 

 

I suspect that is not possible. The reason we do is that we have minimal credit on the separate mobile phone number/simwhich we obviously use when off the boat but just for calls and not data. But we have a large call/   datapackage on the router sim so it seems to make sense to use the router phone as much as possible.

[LadyG]

My twin antennae , magnetic, cost £20, the mifi router was over £100, it has twin sockets, I leave it wired to USB permanent, good signal, nearly always, occasionally slow.

Edited November 21, 2022 by LadyG