Verizon's $250 In-Home Cell Phone Booster
Verizon has a new, $250 router-sized device that will boost cell phone signals inside the home, promising connections that will make it easier to dump that old-school landline.
The catch with the Wireless Network Extender is that it requires connection to a broadband Internet line. While the idea seems like another VoIP gimmick, the company stated earlier today that the WNE is ideal for homes where location, geography, or structural conditions interfere with reception. Unfortunately, the device only works with Verizon phones, however the company said that Verizon Wireless customers will not be charged any additional monthly fees to use the WNE.
“Our new Network Extender device will bring the full benefit of the Verizon Wireless voice network to the small but important segment of customers who may experience a weaker signal in their homes because of geographic or structural conditions,” said Jack Plating, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Verizon Wireless. “Current and prospective customers have told us they want this, and we are responding to that demand. For those who have wanted to sign up for Verizon Wireless service but hesitated because of reception problems unique to their home location, this is the answer.”
The device, manufactured by Samsung, serves as a "mini-cell site" (femtocell), routing Verizon Wireless calls through the customer's broadband connection (minimum speed of 300 kbps is required). According to the company, the WNE provides coverage in an area up to 5,000 square feet. However, it does not support EV-DO speeds and services that require it, V Cast and Location Based Services (VZ Navigator, Chaperone). Verizon said that consumers could still use those services, but only from the nearest Verizon Wireless cell tower.
Last year, Sprint began selling a similar device, the Airwave (also made by Samsung), for $100, but charges an extra $5 a month for its use. AT&T plans to release a femtocell as well, and is currently testing the technology in employees' homes, however unlike the other two, AT&T's femtocells will support 3G data connections. According to the Associated Press, T-Moblie USA chose not to take the femtocell route, and instead expand indoor coverage using Wi-Fi routers.
But even though the new WNE device has its limits, Plating seems optimistic about its benefits. "It’s like getting a million-dollar cell site in your home for $249.99,” he said. “Network Extender makes Verizon Wireless’ reliable network even more reliable, filling in nooks and crannies for customers who see the need.”
if it's anything like sprint's setup, you wuold be able to limit who get's access based on phone number
Ok so you have limited cell coverage in your area and you install this mini cell tower device that allows you to use your cellphone inside your home and this mini tower connect to your broadband network
so your paying a cell bill each month to make call inside your house using a device that you
had to buy and that you may be charge a monthy fee on a broadband network that you pay a monthy fee all just to make a call inside your house Daaaaaaaa landline or at least if you have a small signal outside look into a signal repeater ( antenna outside- repeater- antenna inside
We have to pay for a signal booster to boost the poor signal Verizon offers???
Just fix my signal, don't try to sell me more crap!!!
They offered me a discount on the extender is said "no"! Then they called me and said they would send it to me for free. Well, that's more like it. Haven't received it yet though.
You do NOT Have to pay any monthly fee! We've had the extender since it first came out and have not had any monthly fee. It's a one time $250 fee. To me, it's worth it to make the phone usable. The problem is where I live the landlines are in the ground and have been for 30+ years. They are bad - so bad even on a bright good day, there's nothing but noise. If it rains or snows, you can't use a landline at all. Not to mention everything is long distance and we had to pay more than what we pay for 4 cell phones. So for us, this was a great thing.
My problem and what led me here, which is of no help, is like computers, is there a time when the darn thing needs to be replaced? Like I said, we had ours once they first came out - so that was roughly 2009. It's now 2013. Our worked great for years. Now, though, it needs restarted often and once you get it working again, instead of full strength signal (like it had been for years), it's not just a bar or two if you are lucky. Still makes it work for texts, but calls are being dropped if they are even picked up at all. I'm searching to see if these things have a expiration time period, which I'm thinking heavily that they do. I don't want to spend that kind of money IF that's not the case. And of course, Verizon says all is just peachy keen on their side and say I should get a new one. Of course they'd say that. I was looking for others on their experiences. Apparently I'm going to have to just bite the bullet and buy a new one and see if that fixes the issues we have. But this is a really great thing for those that are in poor/no signal areas - such as my family. As I said, I live so far away from everything, after this came out, we finally got a garbage service to come to our home - though we have to all have dumpsters because they only come out once a month. But at least that's better than what we had been doing. The point is this is a great device and like all electronics there are issues here and there. But in the end, it was so worth the cost of it and there is NO monthly charges.