Aug 192018
 

I finally got around to mounting my Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Antenna on the roof. Here’s some pictures of the completed install. I’ve had this booster for a while and it’s worked great, however some new cell towers went up in the area, and I wanted to stop using the window mount and re aim the antenna.

Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Roof Outdoor Antenna

Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Roof Outdoor Antenna

For those of you wanting to read my original post on the Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Kit, installation, and a review, you can find it at https://www.stephenwagner.com/2017/06/01/cellmobile-phone-reception-issues-resolve-with-a-wilson-amplifier-cell-booster/.

The house that I live in, actually had a roof mounted satellite dish that was no longer in use (used before the provider ran coax in the area). The dish, roof mount, and coax were all in place, however the coax was cut so I couldn’t re-use it.

I was able to remove 2 of the bolts on the satelite dish to remove it from the pole mount, and proceeded to install the antenna on the pole using the outdoor mounting kit included with the cell booster. I was extremely pleased with the install.

See below for more pics:

Roof mounted Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Kit

Roof mounted Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Kit

Roof mounted Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Kit Cabling

Roof mounted Wilson weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Kit Cabling

Roof mounted Antenna pole mount

Roof mounted Antenna pole mount

The cabling goes through the pole, down to the eavestrough where I have it zip-stripped (yet elevated) along the roof until I get to the house’s siding. I was able to tuck it in the corner siding down to the wiring access panel for the house, then into the house through the hole.

After mounting it, it took around 30 minutes to aim it with the assistance of the “LTE Discover” Android app (available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery). Remember, when aiming your antenna, it’s important to unplug your booster for 5-10 seconds for it to fully reset for it to function with the new antenna position.

Again, make sure you check out my original post and review at https://www.stephenwagner.com/2017/06/01/cellmobile-phone-reception-issues-resolve-with-a-wilson-amplifier-cell-booster/!

Update – July 28th, 2019 – So here I am two years later. I live and swear by this signal booster. Since the original post, new towers have been erected in the area, however the coverage is still minimal and non-existant in the house. The roof mount (as discussed in the update above), as well as the signal booster provides me 100% full reception. The only issue I had is the power adapter (transformer) fried one day during a lightning storm. Replacing the power adapter resolved the issue and was an easy fix. For the 2 days I waited for the power adapter, I had no reception.

Jun 012017
 

Today I’m writing about something we all hate, issues with either limited or no cell phone reception. There’s pictures below so please scroll down and check them out!

We’ve all lived in a house or area where there’s no reception at some point in our life. In the house that I’m in right now, I’ve had no or limited reception for the past 2 years. Regularly I have missed calls (phone won’t ring, and I’ll receive a voicemail notification 2 hours later), or people will send me text messages (SMS) and I won’t receive them for hours. Sometimes if someone sends multiple SMS messages, I’ll actually even completely lose reception for 15 minute intervals (phone completely unusable).

This has been extremely frustrating as I use my phone a lot, and while I do have an office line, people tend to call your mobile when they want to get in touch ASAP. It became an even larger problem when clients started texting me for work emergencies. While I always stress to call the office, they are texting these more and more often.

Recently, to make the problem worse I switched from a Microsoft Lumia 950XL to a Samsung Galaxy S8+. When I received my new S8+, my phone wouldn’t even ring at all, while occasionally I could make an outbound call.

Update – July 28th, 2019 – After reading this post, make sure you look at the end for an update 2 years later!

For these reception issues, there are typically 4 ways to resolve them:

  1. WiFi Calling
    1. Routes calls, SMS/MMS (texting), and cell services through a traditional Wifi access point. Unfortunately Canadian carriers just recently started to implement this, also you’ll need a supported carrier branded phone. Wifi calling usually won’t work if you’re using an unlocked phone, or purchased directly from manufactorer (you’ll need to buy a phone directly from your provider).
    2. Provides easy handoffs from Wifi calling to the native cell towers.
    3. Unfortunately, if you’re in a low reception area, you’re phone will continue to scan and struggle to connect to cell towers (even though it’s sitting in standby). This will consume battery power.
    4. Easy as it requires no special hardware except a phone and carrier that supports the technology.
  2. Femtocell/microcell/picocell
    1. This is a little device that looks similar to your wireless router or wireless access point.
    2. Connects to your provider using your internet connection. The device is essentially a mini cell tower that your phone will connect to using its normal cellular technologies.
    3. These are popular in the United States with multiple carriers providing options, however my provider in Canada doesn’t sell or use these. I could be wrong but I don’t think any providers in Canada carry these.
    4. Easy as it requires only a single small box similar to your wifi router, and a carrier that supports it.
  3. Cell Amplifier / Cell Booster
    1. A device with two antennas, one indoor and one outdoor. Install outdoor antenna facing closest cell tower, install indoor antenna in your house. This boosts and amplifies the signal coming in and going out.
    2. This option is more difficult as it requires mounting an antenna either outdoors (for best reception) or inside of a window. Also cabling must be laid to the booster which must be a specified distance away from the outside antenna. This can be overwhelming and challenging for some.
    3. Most expensive option if you don’t move.
  4. Move to a new house
    1. Most expensive option
    2. Chances it may not correct, or even make your reception issue worse
    3. New neighbors might be crazy

In my scenario, I decided to purchase a Wilson Electronics – weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Booster Kit. With my lack of experience with boosters, I decided to purchase the most cost-effective option that supported LTE and also which was a refurbished unit. I figured if it worked, I could upgrade it in the future to a better model that was brand new and a model higher.

Please see the links below for information:

https://wilsonamplifierscanada.ca/ – Canada Online Store

https://www.weboost.ca/ – Manufacturer website with information on products

The model I purchased:

Refurbished Part#: 470101R

https://wilsonamplifierscanada.ca/weboost-home-4g-cell-phone-booster-kit-refurbished-470101r/

New Part#: 470101F

https://wilsonamplifierscanada.ca/weboost-home-4g-cell-phone-signal-booster-470101/

weBoost Home 4G Product Page

https://www.weboost.com/products/connect-home-4g (United States Web Site)

https://www.weboost.ca/products/connect-home-4g (Canada Web Site)

Well, after a few weeks the booster finally showed up! Everything was packed nicely, and I was pleasantly surprised about the quality of the materials (antennas, cables) and the unit itself. With my specific unit being a refurbished model, it looked great and you wouldn’t have been able to even notice.

The unit comes with mounting supplies for different mounting options. I could either mount it on a pole (such as the plumbing exhaust port on the roof), against the side of the house, or use the neat window mounting option for window placement (neat little window mount that uses suction cups to affix).

I already was aware of the location of two towers in my area and had previously used cell surveying utilities to find areas where reception was available. If you purchase a cell booster, you can either follow the instructions for finding the best placement with cell service, or you can use apps on your phone to find the best placement.

Here’s some pictures from unboxing and testing. Please click on the image to see a larger version of the image:

weBoost Home 4G 470101

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Kit

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Unboxed

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Refurbished

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Outside Antenna Window Mount

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Outside Antenna mounted on Window

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Inside Antenna

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Inside Antenna

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Turned on

weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Turned on with full Green LED lights (operational)

And BAM! That was it, literally on the first test it worked great. Full bars in the basement with my main carrier! I tried a few other locations, and found at an alternative location, my other cell provider (I have 2 phones, with two providers), started to function as well!

See below for reception before and after:

As you can see there was a vast improvement! I tested it with phone calls, texts, MMS messages, and data, and it all worked fantastic! All lights on the booster were green (orange and/or red lights mean adjustments are needed).

Now since testing was complete, I decided to install it to make it look neat and tidy and hide all the wires.

I decided to leave it using the window mount since it was working so well (this was to avoid having to get on the roof, or drill in to the house). Underneath the window I have a cool-air intake so I was able to fish the antenna wire through the ventilation duct down to the basement. I was able to make everything look neat and tidy.

Below pics are final install:

Installed weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

Installed weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

Installed weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

Installed weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster

Installed weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Inside Antenna

Installed weBoost Home 4G 470101 Cell Booster Inside Antenna

The entire process was extremely easy and I’m very happy with the result. I’d highly recommend this to anyone with reception issues. This should be able to help as long as there is faint reception. Please note, if you’re in an area with absolutely no reception, then a booster will not function as there is nothing to boost.

You’ll probably need two people, both for testing the signal and adjusting the antenna, as well as fishing cable through your house. Most of the time required for my install was associated with running the wiring.

For testing signal strength, I used the “LTE Discovery” app on Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery)

Update – August 22nd 2018 – I moved to an outdoor roof mount and the blog post can be found here: https://www.stephenwagner.com/2018/08/19/roof-mounted-antenna-wilson-weboost-home-4g-cell-booster-project/

Update – July 28th, 2019 – So here I am two years later. I live and swear by this signal booster. Since the original post, new towers have been erected in the area, however the coverage is still minimal and non-existant in the house. The roof mount (as discussed in the update above), as well as the signal booster provides me 100% full reception. The only issue I had is the power adapter (transformer) fried one day during a lightning storm. Replacing the power adapter resolved the issue and was an easy fix. For the 2 days I waited for the power adapter, I had no reception.

Dec 052010
 

A new device that I’ve been extremely excited to do a review on is the new Samsung Focus. We’ve long awaited the new release of the next generation of Microsoft’s mobile operating system platform, Windows Phone 7.

In the past, I’ve been an almost religious user of Windows Mobile Device. First the simplistic yet powerful functionality, the capabilities, and main reason being Exchange Push (Outlook Mobile).

Rogers, had a limited web release earlier this month, and due to the condition of my previous cell phone, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to upgrade. I went ahead and purchased the device. 5 days later I got my hands on it.

First Impression:

When receiving the phone, I liked the way it was boxed, the material that came along with it, and the general style of the phone itself. Simplistic, and thankfully I didn’t get the “I’m missing something” feeling I get when I usually receive new toys.

After popping in the SIM card, battery and plugging it in to charge, the phone turned on.

The initial configuration was very easy and friendly. I activated the phone with my Windows Live account, and Facebook details. I don’t like using cell phone providers proxy’d internet, so I pay for the “VPN” option which provide me a real external IP address on the internet, configuring the apn “internet.com” was simple, and I didn’t have to go fishing through the menu’s.

First configuration:

As soon as the initial configuration was done, WOW. This phone is slick. The menu’s, tiles, and all usage of the phone pretty much glided as smooth as could be. I have NO complaints when it comes to general usage.

First things first, I went into the settings menu, and tried to configure pretty much every setting I could. I did this with absolutely no problems and had the device completely configured to my liking, even with absolutely no experience with the phone.

I actually configured so much, that buy the time I was done; I felt I became an expert with the phone usage. I immediately was comfortable with the phone.

Real Usage:

After I was done configuring the phone, I went ahead and started to play. The phone interface was a pleasure, the “People” interface was a pleasure, and pretty much every single little feature that this phone shipped with was a pleasure. It even added all my Facebook contacts to the phone’s phonebook (I wasn’t so hot about this, but disabled it later).

The camera is amazing. Both picture quality and video quality is AMAZING. Camera app allows you to upload directly to Facebook, even add a caption.

One thing that makes me a little upset is the lack of ability to upload videos to the internet from the phone. You have to sync with Zune, and then upload using computer.

Marketplace:

First thing I wanted to do, was check out this “Marketplace” that everyone has been talking about. I’ve seen numerous other websites and reviews commenting on the applications that you can install, particularly the Facebook client, and Twitter client (I’m big on social media). I went ahead and installed both applications. After setting up my various accounts with them, they worked flawlessly. Both clients support ALL features of the two social media sites (except for Facebook places). The interfaces were easy to use, and I actually enjoyed using them on the phone!

One thing I’m choked about, is that Microsoft Marketplace doesn’t sell music to Canadians, we are stuck with applications, and video.

Wi-Fi:

After a few hours of continuous use, I realized I was probably eating away at my data plan (I installed 20+ applications, a game, and numerous other stuff). I decided to give Wi-Fi a try on the phone. Turning it on and connecting to my secured AP was super simple and super quick to do. I also have to add that there was a visible performance increase in applications getting information off the web faster.

Data speeds:

Both, internet access via the cell network, and Wi-Fi were extremely fast. This is very important when using applications that continuously access, or rely on information from the internet. The experience was so nice, that I had no complaints or problems with loading time of large amounts of information which I would have guessed would have taken a lot longer on the device.

Business/E-Mail Configuration:

The first and only major issue I had with this device was configuration of my Microsoft Exchange account. Since the new Windows Phone 7 operating system doesn’t really have a user-accessible file system, and also doesn’t have the capability to play with files, I had to find a way to install the certificate for my Exchange server on my phone.

There are two ways this can be done, either a) setup a different type of e-mail account (gmail, Hotmail, etc…) and e-mail yourself the certificate and run it to install, or b) upload the certificate to a website, and then navigate to it using the browser on the phone.

I don’t have any other types of e-mail accounts, so I just uploaded the certificate to my site, typed it in on Internet Explorer on the phone, and confirmed I wanted to install it.

After this, I configured my exchange account, and the configuration went very smoothly. It downloaded the messages, and it was all done.

Overall:

Overall, I love the device. I’ve been using it non-stop for the past 3 weeks and have no major complains. People have been complaining about the new way of using memory cards and their limitations, however with the amount of storage already shipping on the phone (I think 8GB); I don’t even really need a memory card.

The battery life is amazing on the device, and actually got better overtime. The general belief is to fully charge/fully discharge a cell phone to maintain the battery. In my opinion, I noticed batteries survive longer if you just charge it whenever you get the chance (whether once a day, or a few times every day). The battery with normal usage, and Exchange Push for e-mails I’ve noticed can last longer than 3 days, however I haven’t fully drained the battery yet. Without Exchange, and lighter usage, I can’t even guess how long it would last!

One thing I don’t like, is how light the device is, accompanied by the fact that the phone feels very plastic. I like heavy phones, the kind that have a metallic case, the kind that doesn’t feel like it’s going to slip out of your hand.

Another thing I would like to address is the complaints of the lack of multi-tasking and copy/paste. First off, this phone is so responsive that the lack of multi-tasking doesn’t really bug me. Applications load fast, information is always available, and even thought it would be nice to have multi-tasking, it’s not on my list of complaints. I can live without copy/paste, however it would be nice.

Overall, I’d buy this phone again if for some reason I lost or broke this one. I’d also recommend this phone to all my friends, INCLUDING clients. This is seriously the first phone I’ve owned that allows me to do both business, and social stuff!

Pros/Cons/Would be nice:

Pros:

-Very fast interface

-Battery life AMAZING

-UI is very intuitive

-Amazing speeds (over cell network, or Wi-fi)

-Supports Microsoft Exchange push

-On-screen keyboard easy to use, accurate.

-Facebook/Twitter run great!

-Applications are actually decent!

-Web browsing works great!

-Youtube works great!

Cons:

-If you type fast, chances are you’ll hit the “French” button on the on-screen keyboard, annoying

-Very light phone, plastic feeling

-Cannot upload videos to any type of site, must use your computer to sync, and then upload

-Skipping/Fast-forwarding support is horrible for music and video

Would be nice (please note these are NOT cons, and just exactly what they are, would be nice):

-File system access

-Copy/Paste

-Multi-Tasking

Apr 222010
 

For the longest time I’ve been on Fido with a unlocked (direct from Sony) Xperia X1a. I’ve never had any problems with it at all. Everything worked flawless. It was a great setup. Exchange, connecting to my VPN, etc…

Recently I setup a corporate plan with Rogers. Ended up getting a bunch of Xperia X1s at a discounted rate since I signed a 3 year on a bunch of lines… Turns out Rogers charges you for an “external IP” that you can use to connect to your business VPN. If you don’t add this option you will not be able to connect to a VPN.

After setting up the VPN.com apn on the new rogers (rogers firmware) Xperia X1s, I noticed that everything worked except simple web page browsing (in both browsers). No errors, just loaded completely blank pages. When changing apn back to internet.com everything worked fine. I automaticly assumed this was related to a “hidden proxy” configured somewhere on the phone.

From this behavior I went ahead and checked the config on the device, no proxies were configured anywhere. Rogers denied the proxy existed, I’m not sure if they do this because they don’t want anyone knowing their internet is being filtered/monitored, or if tech’s simply do not know.

While waiting for a call back from Tier 2 support, I went ahead and started fishing through the registry. I found a bunch of very odd registry entries pertaining to proxies. There was a SOCKS proxy configured, along with what appeared to be a HTTP Proxy, a few other entries also existed which were configured.

After removing these “odd” proxy registry keys, all of a sudden everything started working. Please note that if you modify these settings, you may break your configuration. Any of your providers “online” services (such as ring tone marketplace, application marketplace, etc…) also may cease to function properly (as these services are probably being hosted on their internal network).

To Remove:

1. Open your phone’s registry using any Windows Mobile Registry editor. I use “CeRegEditor” available at: http://ceregeditor.mdsoft.pl/

2. Open “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE”, then open “Comm”, then open “ConnMgr”. Under this value, you should be able to see all the devices configured GPRS/HSPA/HSDPA data connections. Browse through the folders and look for a “Proxy” entry. The “Proxy” entry is the configured hidden proxy. I simply deleted this key. If you find anything that has a value of “inet-new” or “inet-corp” you can safely ignore these as I have found they are part of the standard Windows Mobile firmware.

3. Take a look at the other folders under “ConnMgr”, you may notice a few items called “SOCKS”, and “HTTP”. Go into these folders, and remove the proxy values. As I mentioned before if you see any keys with the values “inet-new” or “inet-corp” you can safely ignore these.

Please note that this worked in my specific case. Your results may vary. Also insure that you have made a backup of the keys you have modified in case you need to revert back. Depending on the way your provider has configured your device you may also be tampering with other services (ie. MMS, WAP).