Well, I live way out in the boonies, and getting a decent cell signal has always been a pain. I mean, sometimes I’d have to walk halfway up a hill just to send a text! So, I started looking into this whole cell phone booster thing. I wasn’t sure it’d work, but I was getting desperate.
First, I did some digging online to see what my options were. There are a bunch of different boosters out there, and it’s a bit overwhelming. I learned that there are different types of antennas, like Yagi and LPDA. It said that LPDA antennas are stronger but more of a hassle to put up. Yagis are apparently easier and work pretty well if you’re not too far from a cell tower. I figured since I’m in the middle of nowhere, I am going for the LPDA.
Then I had to figure out which carrier to go with. They say that Verizon is pretty good for coverage out in the sticks, but AT&T has better speeds. I started with Verizon, and while it worked most of the time, the speeds were just killing me. I use a lot of data, you see. So, I made the switch to AT&T’s prepaid unlimited plan. They had this deal going on, and it seemed like a good fit for me. And the speeds? Way better! I could actually stream stuff without it buffering every two seconds.
Anyway, I ordered a booster that came with an LPDA antenna. Setting it up was a bit of a project, I won’t lie. I had to mount the outdoor antenna as high as I could, which involved some creative ladder work. You want to make sure it’s pointing towards the nearest cell tower, which I found using one of those cell tower locator websites. It’s not rocket science, but it does take some time and patience.
Once I got the outdoor antenna up, I had to run a cable inside to the booster unit. Then, there’s another antenna you put inside your house to broadcast the boosted signal. I placed mine in the living room, where I use my phone the most.
- Mounted the LPDA antenna outside, high up and pointing at the nearest tower.
- Ran the cable inside to the booster.
- Set up the indoor antenna in the living room.
- Turned it all on and…bam! Full bars!
I couldn’t believe it! Suddenly, I had a strong, stable signal all over my house. Calls were clear, texts went through instantly, and I could finally stream videos and browse the internet without wanting to throw my phone out the window. It was like night and day.
So, yeah, if you’re struggling with bad cell service in a rural area, a cell phone booster can be a total game-changer. It’s a bit of an investment, and the setup can be a little tricky, but trust me, it’s worth it. I can finally use my phone like a normal person, even though I’m miles from civilization. Pretty cool, right?