SoHo Cellular / Smart Signal Booster
Hello … You have reached this specific page on our website most likely to inquire about a “Cellular Repeater / Signal Booster” for your home, or Small Office. This tells us that you have at least started some basic research into what they are, and have questions to ask. We will hopefully give you a better understanding of their capabilities, and unbiased opinion if it’s what you really need.
BroadbandSoHo specializes in the installation of carrier approved professional consumer rated cellular repeaters. We have a vast experience in the installation of carrier-grade repeaters directly for the carriers themselves, and only install the highest quality consumer rated repeaters that are trusted in the professional industry. All the products we install are carrier agnostic, meaning the repeater will support (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon) these carrier networks for voice, and LTE services. This not only provides you better service with your specific carrier, but also your co-workers, visiting business associates, and family members at your home.
What is a cellular repeater / signal booster ?
Cellular repeaters also known as signal boosters are also professionally referred to as BDA’s (Bi-Directional Amplifiers) aswell. You may hear one of these terms, but it’s generally referencing the “cellular repeater”. As the acronym BDA implies this is exactly the internal processing function of the cellular repeater. It captures your carriers cellular RF signal from the nearest cell tower via what’s called a “donor antenna” that is typically mounted on your rooftop. This captured signal is the most critical part to the overall quality of service (QoS) to the installed system. Why you may ask, very simple if the donor antenna reference signal (RSSI) is not at an acceptable level the device will not have a good reference signal to be amplified to then continue to the repeaters internal amplifier electronics, that will then be passed to the “serving antenna”, which is located inside providing service to your cellphones. We want you to please keep in mind that a cellular repeater can only provide QoS to you only if the input signal from the “donor antenna” is adequate enough. There’s a saying which truly holds to a repeaters QoS, “garbage in, equals garbage out”. Again, this is why we highly recommend a complete on-site RF signal survey for the outdoor donor antenna, and inside to the location of the serving antenna.
Are repeaters illegal, and do I need a license ?
The cellular repeater for your home, or small business is FCC rated as “consumer” grade, and we only install professionally rated carrier approved products that comply with the new FCC rules mandated for wireless signal boosters that went into effect on March 1, 2014. These are not illegal, and don’t require a license. However, it does require you to register the newly installed approved device with the carriers. We will assist you in completing the registration online at the carriers website taking ten minutes of your time. This registration is a one time (no fee) record for the carrier to have just in case your device did become defective and create interference back into the network. They could quickly identify it, and ask you to turn the system off to clear the interference issue.
What type of results can be expected with one bar presently on phone ?
As stated above it’s very critical the donor antenna signal is well within the acceptable RSSI level. This along with the distance to the serving antenna inside can adversely affect the repeaters rated coverage area. Example the repeater is rated at 5000 sq-ft, but if your donor signal is less than adequate you may only be able to get 1000 sq-ft of coverage. With that said every situation is unique simply due to RF characteristics, and distance from repeater to serving antenna inside the desired location. In regards to how many bars show on your phone, we want you to keep in mind under realistic RF theory, every carriers cellphone with its unique radio chipset has a different “skewed” level to the “actual” signal your receiving versus how many bars show on your phone. We guarantee our installations to give you the best QoS based on donor antenna input signal to give you the best (better) voice, and data throughput you had before system installation.
What does the install consist of, and how long to complete ?
Typical repeater installation will consist of the following components (Donor Antenna, RF Cable, Repeater Unit, and Serving Antenna), and will be installed to each best location for RF performance. As stated above the “Donor Antenna” is typically installed on the roof-top of your business, or home. Donor antenna RF cabling is then connected to the newly mounted repeater unit inside, and the additional RF cabling to the “Serving Antenna” inside is then installed. Once physical installation is completed we will then perform a QoS test against RF signal inside, and complete any additional RF tuning for optimal service. Depending on desired square footage coverage inside, and if multiple serving antennas are required it can vary from a few hours for a home, and possibly two days for a warehouse location. Every location is unique, and strongly recommend site survey prior to make the installation process streamlined for your business location.
Smart Repeater (BDA Bi-directional Amplifier)
Cellular repeaters are cost-effective compared to small cell, or DAS deployment when you have a location that can clearly be served from an existing macro cell tower via donor antenna, and don’t require a very large serving coverage area. We look forward to speaking with you to help you choose the best option for your requirements. Again, we are an authorized installer, and fully compliant with adhering to the new FCC rules for repeaters due to the adverse affects it can have on today’s LTE networks, and only use carrier approved consumer / smart repeater solutions.
- RF / RSSI Site Survey walk test with Donor (Pre/Post)
- System Installation (Antennas / Cabling / Splitters)
- Repeater Integration / RF tuning
- Assist with carrier FCC registration
