Cellular - the worst technology we pay the most for (this is not a rant)
I have long been amazed that we all put up with the crap that cellular is. It's gotten a lot better, but when was the last time you said, "oh wait... can you still hear me? >shit< I think I'm in a bad cell area... or you are... Dick? Dick?" And you then sit for a second wondering if you should ring Dick back, or if Dick should ring you. (Probably yesterday.)
I have Verizon, and it's really very good here in Seattle. It's very good, except in one place: my actual home. Cross through my front door and you get a signal in the half-bar to none range. This time of year it's fine for me to stand in my front yard in my boxers yammering into the cell phone, but winter... meh. Wet, chilly. Because of this little flaw, I have remained attached to the world by a thin umbilicus of wire through Qwest for $55 a month.
I lost my cell phone on the 4th of July - it fell out of my pack on a motorcycle ride on a logging road up in the Cascades. There was going to be no finding it. It now sleeps with the squirrels. So I went to Verizon and threw myself at their shoes. I didn't want to spend $300 (full retail) to replace my phone; I wanted to get the discounted rate for signing for another two years. And they helped me out. (Talk about Stockholm Syndrome.)
This re-commitment made me re-awaken to my distaste of having to pay Qwest for a land line. So I went to work finding a solution for crappy cell service.
After not inconsiderable research, I bought a zBoost. Pardoning the stupid name, the device seems to be the answer to my dreams. (Pathetic dreams I have, yes, but dreams come in all sizes.) I went to the top of my house (I did this on the roof, though they say you can just put it in the attic) and I installed the foot-long z-wand. This receives the cell signal - which is adequate at the top of my house. I ran a cable from that to a base station, which I mounted in my kitchen.
I have Verizon, and it's really very good here in Seattle. It's very good, except in one place: my actual home. Cross through my front door and you get a signal in the half-bar to none range. This time of year it's fine for me to stand in my front yard in my boxers yammering into the cell phone, but winter... meh. Wet, chilly. Because of this little flaw, I have remained attached to the world by a thin umbilicus of wire through Qwest for $55 a month.
I lost my cell phone on the 4th of July - it fell out of my pack on a motorcycle ride on a logging road up in the Cascades. There was going to be no finding it. It now sleeps with the squirrels. So I went to Verizon and threw myself at their shoes. I didn't want to spend $300 (full retail) to replace my phone; I wanted to get the discounted rate for signing for another two years. And they helped me out. (Talk about Stockholm Syndrome.)
This re-commitment made me re-awaken to my distaste of having to pay Qwest for a land line. So I went to work finding a solution for crappy cell service.
After not inconsiderable research, I bought a zBoost. Pardoning the stupid name, the device seems to be the answer to my dreams. (Pathetic dreams I have, yes, but dreams come in all sizes.) I went to the top of my house (I did this on the roof, though they say you can just put it in the attic) and I installed the foot-long z-wand. This receives the cell signal - which is adequate at the top of my house. I ran a cable from that to a base station, which I mounted in my kitchen.et voila!
Suddenly from half-a-bar to four solid in my kitchen; three solid in my living room; one solid in my basement office. With a little moving around I will be able to improve the basement signal. All this for the cost of five months of Qwest. It will have paid for itself by Thanksgiving.
Upon this result - and I mean immediately upon this result - I called Qwest and cancelled my service. Now if I could just separate myself from the teet of Comcast cable....
zBoost cell antenna thingy link here
Suddenly from half-a-bar to four solid in my kitchen; three solid in my living room; one solid in my basement office. With a little moving around I will be able to improve the basement signal. All this for the cost of five months of Qwest. It will have paid for itself by Thanksgiving.
Upon this result - and I mean immediately upon this result - I called Qwest and cancelled my service. Now if I could just separate myself from the teet of Comcast cable....
zBoost cell antenna thingy link here
posted by C at 7:54 AM
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