Mobile signal boosters: What’s legal?

Most mobile reception boosters on sale in the UK – especially online – are illegal to use. However, there are a couple of legal options, namely femtocells and smart repeaters.

I’ve tested both over the past few months, but let’s totally nail the legal issue first. I know that some of you are still confused about the rules. Femtocells supplied by mobile networks are legal, but what about mobile boosters and, in particular, smart repeaters?

Mobile boosters occupy a grey area and the official advice from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom can be confusing. For example, one page on its website claims “you won’t find these devices for sale on the High Street or through your mobile phone company”, and “if you are having coverage problems, don’t be tempted to try and boost your signal with an illegal mobile repeater”. But a different page on the same site says the regulator can make “regulations exempting the installation or use from the requirement for a licence”, although it “has not granted any licences for the installation or use of repeaters nor made any exemption regulations”.

So, are smart repeaters legal or not? And are they “Ofcom-approved” (a phrase you’ll often see used in reviews)? I tried to untangle these contradictions by speaking to a couple of parties in the industry, including Andrew Williams who is the EMEA technical support manager at Nextivity, the leading manufacturer of smart repeaters.

“Technically, Ofcom doesn’t actually approve anything,” he said. “It does, however, take an opinion on what’s legal or not, and can take enforcement action against devices used illegally. The important things to note regarding smart repeaters are: they aren’t licence-exempt like a phone and, therefore, must operate within the terms of the mobile operator’s licence conditions (only on its specific frequencies and not interfering with other frequencies); and the network must be able to control them. In practice, this means the network must be able to turn the repeater off if Ofcom tells it to.”

I also asked Ofcom for clarification on its position, given the somewhat confusing statements on its website. An Ofcom spokesperson said: “The use of a smart repeater may be authorised under the licence of an operator when connecting to their network. The device would not necessarily have to be supplied by the network, but its use would have to be with their agreement. It would be helpful for the supplier’s website and point-of-sale advice to be clear on this.”

The last point is certainly true. If you look at the companies selling Nextivity’s Cel-Fi RS2 smart repeater online, none make it clear if they’re selling the equipment with the approval of the mobile networks or not. After chatting with the relevant parties, I’m fairly certain – despite it not being explicitly stated – that smart repeaters on sale via third parties are network-approved.

Ofcom’s spokesperson also reinforced a point made by Nextivity’s Williams: “Although smart repeaters may be installed in user premises, a key feature is that they are monitored and controlled by the host network to ensure they only operate within the terms and conditions of the network operators’ licences, under which they are authorised. Other types of standalone repeater that are neither covered by the network licence nor exempted from licensing are not authorised, and their use would be illegal.”

As it becomes widely known that only smart repeaters are legal in the UK, I’d expect illegal kit websites to start flogging their products as legitimate smart repeaters. After all, they already make bogus claims about legality and, in many cases, even falsely show a PC Pro logo on their website, claiming the publication has recommended them. Please, therefore, be careful when buying a smart repeater. If the kit has a Yagi antenna, long coaxial lead or looks like the amplifiers youths put in their Citroëns, it’s probably an illegal booster.

Also bear in mind that, even if you buy a legal smart repeater, you could end up paying £500 for the kit – only to have it remotely deactivated by your mobile network.

Mobile signal boosters: Vodafone Sure Signal

That’s the legal situation clarified, but how do these devices actually perform? I’ve been testing the latest Sure Signal femtocell from Vodafone and the Cel-Fi RS2 smart repeater from Nextivity, both of which are updates to devices I reported on a few years ago.

The Sure Signal is actually the third version of this device, but Vodafone doesn’t use version numbers in its sales literature so each iteration is simply marketed as Sure Signal.

The design of the latest Sure Signal is substantially different from previous models, which came as standalone boxes and looked like broadband routers with external power bricks. This model is far more compact – a plug that inserts into a 13-amp mains socket, with a passthrough so you can still use the socket. The size of the device, similar to some powerline network adapters or plug-in air fresheners, is very convenient. It’s narrow enough to not block the adjacent plug when inserted into a standard double socket.

It’s a pity the Sure Signal doesn’t include a built-in HomePlug chip or a Wi-Fi transmitter, which would’ve made it a really elegant solution. Instead, you need to run an Ethernet cable from the device to your broadband router, making it slightly ugly. This also means you probably won’t be able to put it in the centre of your house or office, because broadband kits tend to be located near an external wall, where the cable enters.

Before you can use the Sure Signal, you’ll need to pre-register the numbers of up to 32 phones using it. Obviously, these have to be Vodafone phones. If you have a large enough broadband pipe, the device will handle eight simultaneous connections.

As with the smart repeater below, Sure Signal only works over 3G so, if you have an ancient GSM-only phone or one that only uses 3G for data, you’re out of luck. However, phones bought in the past few years should be fine.

Speaking of data, although this femtocell provides for mobile data connections, voice and SMS, you’d be mad to use this data facility unless you really have to. That’s because it comes out of your mobile allowance. Anywhere you’ve installed a Sure Signal will almost certainly have Wi-Fi too, which is bound to be cheaper and faster. If you insist on using Sure Signal for data, it will support up to 7.2Mbits/sec downloads and 1.4Mbits/sec uploads.

If you’re experiencing problems with the Sure Signal, as others have expressed with previous models, it’s generally down to security measures on Vodafone’s network. Thankfully, Vodafone staff are able to whitelist devices and IP addresses to allow more reliable connections. It’s definitely worth persevering with Sure Signal, since it will work well once you get it up and running.

Officially, the device costs £100 direct from Vodafone’s website, but you may be able to get a better price, or even a free one, if you live in such a poor signal area that you’d otherwise change to a competitor. Vodafone’s retentions department will often send you one as a sweetener, if you’re on the verge of leaving.

Mobile signal boosters: Nextivity Cel-Fi RS2

The other device tested in the lab was the Nextivity Cel-Fi RS2 smart repeater. It comes in different versions, depending whether you’re on T-Mobile, Orange, O2 or EE, and costs £450.

The RS2 is an improvement over the RS1, supporting three times more 3G radio channels and a 28Mbits/sec HSPA+ version of 3G, while the RS1 could only manage 7.2Mbits/sec.

Physically, its two boxes look quite different from the older version, but the principle is the same – locate one unit at the place with the best mobile signal, usually near a window, and the other as far away as possible. The mobile signal is passed between the two boxes over a 5GHz RF link and repeated from the second box. The strength of the repeated signal is ingeniously modulated so the “window unit” can’t pick it up and cause a feedback loop.

It’s worked flawlessly during my testing, so there isn’t anything to report. It just sits there doing its thing and giving my phone a five-bar signal. When I tested the RS1, I found it would lock up occasionally and need a reset, but I’ve had no such problems with the RS2.

Unlike the Sure Signal, you can use a Cel-Fi RS2 in places with a bad or even nonexistent broadband connection. I can see my local BT exchange from the upstairs rooms of my house, but I routinely get faster connections over 3G than I do via ADSL2+, especially for uploads. That’s why I’m so pleased the latest RS2 version supports higher data rates.

The RS2 is available directly from some of the mobile networks, who usually stick their own name on it (for example, EE calls it the “Signal Booster”). That said, you might have trouble finding a salesperson who knows about it – one reader asked their account manager for a box to test, only to be told EE doesn’t provide signal boosters. After he pointed out the relevant page on EE’s website, the network soon admitted it does.

Whether you use a femtocell or a smart repeater, one thing you’re bound to notice is that your phone battery lasts longer. Anyone who does a lot of travelling will have spotted that their battery lasts far longer in a major city than out in the sticks. This is because your phone has to do more hunting when the signal is weak, and increase its transmitting power to reach more distant cell towers.

This is another reason why online arguments about phone battery life are redundant. One person might claim to get three days from a particular phone, while another might need to charge the same model every night. Both of them could have similar usage patterns, but simply live in areas with different mobile signal strengths. Both the Vodafone Sure Signal and the Nextivity Cel-Fi RS2 will give you a full, five-bar signal in your home or office, something your phone’s battery will really appreciate.