Wilson Cellular Signal Booster

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
:confused:Thinking of doing away with our regular phone at home which will also stop our DSL and just going with our Cell Phones and getting an air card for the internet. First question, will an air card work on a desktop? We have service with AT&T. We are only 2 miles from a tower but signal is weak because of metal roof on house. Am looking at a wilson cellular signal booster and having it set up for home use and on the road with our 5th wheel when signal is weak and we're not at a location with WiFi. The booster comes with cell phone adapter and an air card adapter that is used in conjunction with an outside ant.
Anyone have any experence with this type of setup?
Thanks, Bill
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Bill,

The USB data card will work on your computers with USB ports, be they laptop or desktop.

An external antenna should help in your case. Some of the USB data cards have external antenna ports as well.

If you have more than one computer at home and if those computers all need Internet access and the ability to print, you may want to consider a router that will accept your data card. The router will serve up Internet to each computer and may allow you to print to a common printer (Ethernet, Wireless or Print Server - depending on your printer's capability).

Jim
 

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
Thanks Jim, all help and suggestions are appreciated. The main thing I want to achieve is a set up that I can use at home and take on the road also. I do like the system of the router that the air card inserts into.
Thanks again
 

sjrellis

Well-known member
I bought a Verizon aircard and it did NOT work on my desktop. I called tech support and they said "no it will not work" (salesman said it would), but they walked me through different things to try to get it to work. They didn't have any other suggestions as to what may help it work, either. This was in January, so maybe things have changed. I have since bought a laptop.
 

erond

Member
We use the Wilson amplifier. Something to keep in mind is there are two major variations; the "mobile" version and the "building" version.

The mobile version isn't as powerful, but you don't have to worry too much about how far apart the inside and outside antennas are. The building version is more powerful, but you need significant distance (40 feet?) between the inside and outside antennas.

Both will help out with low signal strength, but neither can pick up a signal where one simply doesn't exist. I've also found that if the outside signal is fairly low, you can get what appears to be good signal strength on the phone, but data transfers are significantly slower than normal (but better than nothing. ;)).
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Jim,

An Air Card in the form factor of a card, be it a legacy device like a PC Card (PCMCIA Type II) or the current technology, the Express Card (narrower - higher bus bandwidth etc.), typically will "not" work on a desktop as desktop computers rarely have a card slot. They can be added and there are card to USB adapters etc. - Not sure how well those work.

My sense is that a USB Mobile Data Modem, with the right drivers, should work on most computers (PC or Mac / desktop or laptop), with current operating systems.

The router (mobile ones with AC and DC adapters) give you a lot of flexibility. I currently use a Junxion Box mobile router in the RV and in the truck.

Jim
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
If you have a PCMCIA air card already and wish to use it in a workstation you can purchase a PCMCIA adapter and insert it in the front of the workstation like you use to for a floppy drive. Most will have 2 card slots for PCMCIA. I used one when I was still living in a S&B. Of course you must load the management software for the aircard.
 

Ron Schoner

Tin Star
I have the Verizon Air card. I use it on both my lap top and on this computer I am useing now. With the air card I take my lap top when traveling and use it in the big computer when home. With Zerizon I no longer use our phone lines. And have disconnected the house phone. I have had NO problems using the air card.
 
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