bad cell phone reception

August 31, 2005 3:12 PM

I have Nextel and my cell phone reception is absolutely terrible at my house. What would be my best bet for improving my reception? I would rather not switch phone services because I would have to buy out my contract. I live in Mass. my area code is 781 and my zip is 01773 just in case that helps.
posted by pwally to Technology (5 answers total)

Complaining to nextel is probably the best way... might help too if we knew what phone you have, because there are occasionally aftermarket antenna help made for particular models of phones. There isn't much you can do yourself, though, besides figuring out where in your house signal strength is the strongest and standing there while on your phone.
posted by SpecialK at 3:42 PM on August 31, 2005

Just a thought I've been having lately, as I have had this exact problem for almost a year now (in two different locations). I'm married to my cell phone provider because the plan I'm given is better than anything currently sold on the market. Anyway, if your phone is bluetooth-capable, I would buy a bluetooth headset, put your phone in a place where location is best, and just keep the headset handy for any incoming calls. That way, your phone receives a fairly consistent signal at all times and allows you to move about the room you're in.

I don't know of any truly consistent ways to boost cell signal performance.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 4:27 PM on August 31, 2005

I have an antenna I plug into my phone at home. It's magnetic and sticks on the ceiling. 15 foot cable which reaches my desk. I forget how much it was. Less than $100. It helped.
posted by nonmyopicdave at 4:48 PM on August 31, 2005

This isn't exactly what you asked, but it could be a solution. I forward my calls to my home phone line when I'm home. The forwarding happens at the mobile provider's end, not at my phone, so its reception doesn't matter. It does use up my mobile minutes, but, hey, wouldn't I be using them up if I just answered the mobile phone?

Also, I found that when Nextel phones lose service, they really lose it. It was all-or-nothing for my Nextels.
posted by MrZero at 6:07 PM on August 31, 2005

I purchased this (cell antena) for my soon-to-be-father-in-law. It is expensive as hell ($400+) but it works like a charm on his cinderblock home in Florida. It boosted his signal from 0 to 3 bars.

I bought the smallest one (CAE-50). You just call and tell them which service you've got so that you can the right model.

This is more than buying out your contract would be of course. But you didn't mention if you'd like to keep your current service for some other reason, then maybe it's worth thinking about.
posted by zpousman at 6:40 PM on August 31, 2005