When people think of cell phone signal boosters, they generally think of something that connects to their phones. That makes sense, of course. That’s how most people use cellular technology. But, there’s another whole class of device. The industry calls them M2M (machine to machine) or IoT (internet of things) boosters. You’ve probably never heard of them, because they’re sort of a specialized part. We don’t even list them at SolidSignal.com, because they’re only available through our enterprise team.
You know how you used to put actual coins in vending machines? These days it’s much more common to have vending machines that take payments from your device like Apple Pay or Google Pay, or take credit cards. I personally never carry change unless I just got it for some reason. I bet you don’t either. Using a card or phone to buy a soda may have seemed ridiculous a decade ago but today it’s just how we do stuff.
Another thing to wonder: how to do those ATMs in the middle of nowhere actually work? If there’s an ATM attached to a bank, it’s probably using the bank’s internet connection. But what if it’s just out there in a parking lot?
All these devices have cellular modems in them. They communicate with the internet over a cellular connection, the same as you do when you use your phone. And just like you when you use your phone, there can be signal issues. Imagine a soda machine nowhere near a network connection, but in the middle of a building. It probably gets pretty poor cell service. The same with that ATM. It might not get good enough cell service to be reliable. So what can you do in a case like that?
You use a booster like this one. It connects straight to the device, and to an outdoor antenna. It doesn’t have much boost but it doesn’t need as much since signals aren’t traveling through the air. The small amount of boost mostly compensates for longer cable runs to get the signal where it needs to go.
This sort of booster has been around for years. When the “internet of things” started becoming a thing in the ’10s, this sort of booster seemed like it was going to be really important. I think that would have been true if everyone really got into smart homes like we thought they were. But, the real truth is that most people use their Echo Dots for setting timers or playing music, and that’s about it. So, the M2M booster has remained a fringe product.
Here’s the argument: If you put in a M2M booster, you’re giving good cell service to only the device that’s connected to it. That may be the right choice sometimes, but I’m betting most of the time it’s not. On the other hand if you put in a small booster like the weBoost Home Room, the person standing in front of the device gets great signal too. That seems like the smarter way to go if possible. The cost of the devices is about the same and it’s pretty clear to me that the Home Room is going to have better customer satisfaction.
Obviously a product like the Home Room is designed for personal use, not business use. In business cases I’ll generally recommend a larger, more comprehensive system. And, you may already have something like that and it may just have a dead spot near the soda machine. It happens. You can add a small booster like this to an area that’s not served by a larger cell booster system if you want. Just make sure that you’re really getting zero boost in that area. If one booster encounters signal from another, both will generally reduce power to compensate.
The scenarios above are just one possibility where you might choose a M2M cell booster or small booster. Whether you’re in a home, vehicle, or business, our team can help match you up with the right cell phone signal booster. We’ll even design custom solutions for large spaces! Give the experts a call at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below and we’ll get right back to you!
The post Should you use a “M2M” booster (IoT booster) for your connected devices? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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Here’s what I’m talking about
You know how you used to put actual coins in vending machines? These days it’s much more common to have vending machines that take payments from your device like Apple Pay or Google Pay, or take credit cards. I personally never carry change unless I just got it for some reason. I bet you don’t either. Using a card or phone to buy a soda may have seemed ridiculous a decade ago but today it’s just how we do stuff.
Another thing to wonder: how to do those ATMs in the middle of nowhere actually work? If there’s an ATM attached to a bank, it’s probably using the bank’s internet connection. But what if it’s just out there in a parking lot?
The answer: cellular technology
All these devices have cellular modems in them. They communicate with the internet over a cellular connection, the same as you do when you use your phone. And just like you when you use your phone, there can be signal issues. Imagine a soda machine nowhere near a network connection, but in the middle of a building. It probably gets pretty poor cell service. The same with that ATM. It might not get good enough cell service to be reliable. So what can you do in a case like that?
You use a booster like this one. It connects straight to the device, and to an outdoor antenna. It doesn’t have much boost but it doesn’t need as much since signals aren’t traveling through the air. The small amount of boost mostly compensates for longer cable runs to get the signal where it needs to go.
This sort of booster has been around for years. When the “internet of things” started becoming a thing in the ’10s, this sort of booster seemed like it was going to be really important. I think that would have been true if everyone really got into smart homes like we thought they were. But, the real truth is that most people use their Echo Dots for setting timers or playing music, and that’s about it. So, the M2M booster has remained a fringe product.
Is a small cell booster better?
Here’s the argument: If you put in a M2M booster, you’re giving good cell service to only the device that’s connected to it. That may be the right choice sometimes, but I’m betting most of the time it’s not. On the other hand if you put in a small booster like the weBoost Home Room, the person standing in front of the device gets great signal too. That seems like the smarter way to go if possible. The cost of the devices is about the same and it’s pretty clear to me that the Home Room is going to have better customer satisfaction.
Obviously a product like the Home Room is designed for personal use, not business use. In business cases I’ll generally recommend a larger, more comprehensive system. And, you may already have something like that and it may just have a dead spot near the soda machine. It happens. You can add a small booster like this to an area that’s not served by a larger cell booster system if you want. Just make sure that you’re really getting zero boost in that area. If one booster encounters signal from another, both will generally reduce power to compensate.
Need help choosing the right product?
The scenarios above are just one possibility where you might choose a M2M cell booster or small booster. Whether you’re in a home, vehicle, or business, our team can help match you up with the right cell phone signal booster. We’ll even design custom solutions for large spaces! Give the experts a call at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below and we’ll get right back to you!
The post Should you use a “M2M” booster (IoT booster) for your connected devices? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
