Will a cellular repeater help?

[vvvvvvv]

I'm about to buy one, but wanted to check with someone more familiar with this stuff than me.

My signal strength is as follows (measured for 10 minutes in each location using an Android app):

inside house: -102dBm to -107dBm
ouside: -92dBm to -100dBm
garage (+14ft+/-): -82dBm to -89dBm

I don't have the balls to climb to the top of the 35ft tower and get a reading without a harness for when I get to the top, but on the garage I can barely make out the top of one of the two known cellular towers that I am halfway in between, so I assume the additional 20ft+/- will give me LOS.

I can hold a call outside, no problem, but I'm lucky to even have the phone ring inside.

 

[jeffsoward]

The repeater will help, but only if it's antenna is in a decent location.
The repeater I installed for the south end of our plant had decent connections for an antenna (but it was pricey, around $900 IIRC). I put a nice Yagi way up high.
But for a SOHO repeater, the external panel antenna mounted on the garage where you can "see" the tower should be fine.

 

[morganjokc]

I ma not sure how much you are looking to spend but a repeater would definitely help you out. I have put in a couple of these for my work, they work awesome!! The outdoor antenna has a 9dB gain then it amplifies that inside even more. We use one of them for a two story cinder block industrial building. 100' x 60', it gets you cell service anywhere inside.

http://www.amazon.com/CellPhone-Mate-CM2000-WL-55-DUAL-BAND-AMP/dp/B0038OEDRG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288459985&sr=8-1

 

[vvvvvvv]

Yeah, I plan on putting it near the top of the tower. I figure higher is better. The $350 range is what I'm planning on spending.

Basically, what I'm trying to clear is a hill in both directions. And like I said, I can barely make out the top of one of them from the garage, and the array on that particular tower is right close to the top (I can't make out the array, though).

So what I'm basically needing to know is what would be sufficient gain to shoot for (as in am I in a workable range), and what would be a recommended unit from a trustworthy site.

 

[BoomerShooter]

Are you on ATT or what? I know ATT came out with that indoor micro cell tower that should help if you are on that...

 

[vvvvvvv]

Are you on ATT or what? I know ATT came out with that indoor micro cell tower that should help if you are on that...

Sprint.

AT&T won't even hold a call outside.

 

[BoomerShooter]

What about a sprint microcell tower?

http://shop.sprint.com/en/services/airave/index.shtml

 

[vvvvvvv]

What about a sprint microcell tower?

http://shop.sprint.com/en/services/airave/index.shtml

My internet connection won't handle it. It barely handles Skype. (70-80kbps typical... 300kbps when everyone's sleeping, lol)

ETA: If a repeater works just fine, that gives me a backup 3G internet connection via tethering.

 

[jeffsoward]

http://www.cellantenna.com/index.php?id=cae50pcs

The cable on the $350 model is only 33' so you'll need to factor that in. $425 for the 50' model.