This is one of our most popular products… the weBoost Home Multiroom cell phone signal booster. It’s the perfect solution to the problem of working at home or in an office with really bad cell reception, because it boosts the signal that it gets very effectively.
You may have also have heard of something called a “microcell.” Maybe the term sounds familiar to you, or maybe not. It hasn’t been used officially in some time. So what is a “microcell?” It sounds like it does the same thing. So what’s the difference? First of all there isn’t a “government standard” or anything that regulates the use of the term, but there are some definitions that fit the bill. We’ll tell you about those.
A microcell connects to a phone line or internet line, while a cell booster doesn’t. See, a cell tower relays your calls to the regular old phone system, and so it has to be connected to a phone line to do that. Sometimes it’s a microwave relay, but a cell tower is always connected to a phone line somehow. It’s the same with a microcell. A microcell uses your home phone line or internet connection to relay calls, and it acts like a tiny cell tower within your home. You can use a microcell where there is no cell service whatsoever and it will create cell service.
This was a solution used a lot by AT&T in the 2000s and 2010 for people who didn’t have good cell coverage in their homes. It wasn’t a perfect solution, because it only worked with one carrier. It also required the home user to have high-speed internet, which wasn’t a given back then.
AT&T stopped offering microcells in the mid-2010s. Their product only worked with 3G internet and it would have taken more investment to make a version that worked with 4G and LTE. My guess is that they didn’t really want to make that investment.
On the other hand, a booster doesn’t rely on a cell tower. It amplifies the radio signal from a cell tower and retransmits it all over your house. It also takes the signal from your phone and retransmits it to a cell tower. Because of this, a booster can’t create cell service where there isn’t any. It’s completely independent of your home internet. A booster will still work even if you have no phone or internet service, as long as it has AC power.
Cell boosters can give you better service inside than you’d get outside with just your phone. This is because they use a large roof-mounted antenna instead of the tiny antenna in your phone. Ideally, when using a booster, you should expect that the cell service you get indoors is about the same that you’d get outside by standing on the roof. If your service is so weak that you lose calls outside, a booster won’t always help. However, using that big antenna does make a big difference. People who get boosters find that they don’t know what they ever did without them.
Another great thing about a cell booster is that it works with all carriers, with 4G, LTE, and 5G. It works for voice and data and it’s incredibly reliable. This puts it head and shoulders above a microcell, which was never all that reliable and only worked with one carrier in 3G.
Unless you are really in the middle of nowhere, a booster is a better bet because it’s not relying on any other technology to make it work. Luckily you can find just the one you’re looking for at Solid Signal. If you need help choosing the right one, call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
The post What’s the difference between a booster and a microcell? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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You may have also have heard of something called a “microcell.” Maybe the term sounds familiar to you, or maybe not. It hasn’t been used officially in some time. So what is a “microcell?” It sounds like it does the same thing. So what’s the difference? First of all there isn’t a “government standard” or anything that regulates the use of the term, but there are some definitions that fit the bill. We’ll tell you about those.
Here’s what a microcell does (or used to do)
A microcell connects to a phone line or internet line, while a cell booster doesn’t. See, a cell tower relays your calls to the regular old phone system, and so it has to be connected to a phone line to do that. Sometimes it’s a microwave relay, but a cell tower is always connected to a phone line somehow. It’s the same with a microcell. A microcell uses your home phone line or internet connection to relay calls, and it acts like a tiny cell tower within your home. You can use a microcell where there is no cell service whatsoever and it will create cell service.
This was a solution used a lot by AT&T in the 2000s and 2010 for people who didn’t have good cell coverage in their homes. It wasn’t a perfect solution, because it only worked with one carrier. It also required the home user to have high-speed internet, which wasn’t a given back then.
AT&T stopped offering microcells in the mid-2010s. Their product only worked with 3G internet and it would have taken more investment to make a version that worked with 4G and LTE. My guess is that they didn’t really want to make that investment.
Here’s what a cellular booster does
On the other hand, a booster doesn’t rely on a cell tower. It amplifies the radio signal from a cell tower and retransmits it all over your house. It also takes the signal from your phone and retransmits it to a cell tower. Because of this, a booster can’t create cell service where there isn’t any. It’s completely independent of your home internet. A booster will still work even if you have no phone or internet service, as long as it has AC power.
Cell boosters can give you better service inside than you’d get outside with just your phone. This is because they use a large roof-mounted antenna instead of the tiny antenna in your phone. Ideally, when using a booster, you should expect that the cell service you get indoors is about the same that you’d get outside by standing on the roof. If your service is so weak that you lose calls outside, a booster won’t always help. However, using that big antenna does make a big difference. People who get boosters find that they don’t know what they ever did without them.
Another great thing about a cell booster is that it works with all carriers, with 4G, LTE, and 5G. It works for voice and data and it’s incredibly reliable. This puts it head and shoulders above a microcell, which was never all that reliable and only worked with one carrier in 3G.
Get your cell booster from Solid Signal
Unless you are really in the middle of nowhere, a booster is a better bet because it’s not relying on any other technology to make it work. Luckily you can find just the one you’re looking for at Solid Signal. If you need help choosing the right one, call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
The post What’s the difference between a booster and a microcell? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
