+10 votes
by (320 points)
I'm wondering (hoping) someone can offer some insight or suggestions here. My mom lives in Western NC and has poor cell service, she has Verizon which is by far the best but it still breaks up quite a bit and often. I was wondering if something like WeBoost would be beneficial (or suggestion of an other product)?  
I'm wondering (hoping) someone can offer some insight or suggestions here.

8 Answers

+7 votes
by (310 points)
If she has a good internet connection she couple try and turn on the calling over WiFi in cellular settings.  
by (320 points)
@bumpy unfortunately no, same issue. Can barely even get on Facebook - oddly, works better in the morning, but still not good
+6 votes
by (610 points)
Wifi calling
by (320 points)
@ploughboy36982 not really an option as it is equally weak
by (610 points)
@bufflehead4748 most cell phone boosters work off a wired network. When you say "weak" wifi do you mean slow or you just have bad hardware?  
+2 votes
by (890 points)
Most cell companies will give you a booster (like a mini tower) and the more people who have them the better the coverage gets
by (310 points)
Problem with a booster is it requires a good internet connection and can drag on your data limits if you have them.  
by (1.1k points)
This network extender may work great, and it may be a constant source of frustration, depending on how many people nearby have verizon service. The last account I had, these devices only work in "open" mode which means anyone and everyone can connect through them if they are close enough. This can cause a couple of problems. #1 they are eating up your bandwidth and if you have a data cap you have strangers/neighbors blowing through your data. (from your home broadband internet provider) #2 If there are too many people nearby already connected to your device you won't even be able to connect to it. I've read where people in apartment complexes would buy these things and after getting home from work there were too many of their neighbors connected through it, therefore they were still connecting through the cell tower with bad reception. Hopefully they have updated the extenders to allow whitelisting devices and allow you to manage what numbers can and can-not connect to it like the way most of the old 3g devices worked.  
by (920 points)
@gog5842 a true cell phone booster is unrelated to your network. It’s just a directional antenna that picks up a cell signal and amplifies it
+2 votes
by (210 points)
Has she contacted Verizon to discuss her issues? I had similar issues years ago and, after I complained, I believe Verizon took some action in their infrastructure (possibly adjusted the radiation pattern on their cell towers) which improved performance. Also, not all cell phones are equal in their sensitivity and signal processing. Ask Verizon if they'll let her test drive a different phone. And when I was having these issues, I also looked into the Verizon-supplied cell booster, and IIRC it required an internet connection only for handshaking to initiate the call, not for the ongoing call signal exchange, which was handled as a normal cell call through the towers. Since that time I've relied on the wifi calling feature and haven't had issues.  
+4 votes
by (1.1k points)
Welcome to NC! The only answer we have found is wifi calling and in some cases Verizon need to take some action. For us it worked on one iPhone and demanded that we visit a store for the other. I would look at getting the wifi / internet connection up to snuff.  
+2 votes
by (420 points)
Diane, The only option you have is an antenna booster (not wifi as you already know). The good news is it's absolutly dooable! It's only a function of how much you want to spend. Your have the cost of the booster (starts at $100+) and the cost of labor as someone needs to install the antenna on the roof. You can spend $500+ just for an antenna alone. This will absolutly solve the problem, it's just a function of your financial investment. If you are getting a poor signal now and you are only looking at a voice solution, you can most likely get by with a solution for under $200 plus labor. My recomendation is to buy the best booster you can afford. Also, your booster is only as good as your antenna!  
+10 votes
by (920 points)
No experience with weboost, but i have used wilson pro cell boosters. It turned a 0-1 bar signal and made it 2-3 bars. It’s not cheap though, and you probably need to hire a professional to install and set it up.  
+1 vote
by (320 points)
I’ve invited my nephew into the group, as soon as he’s approved I’ll tag him into the discussion. He’s very handy.  
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