Verizon Network Extender

We just purchased a pole barn style home out of town where the cell phone coverage is almost nonexistent. I am looking for the best option to allow us to use our phones in the house for voice and text. We will have internet (about 4MB download) and wifi setup for data.

I am looking at the Samsung Network Extender http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/samsung-network-extender-scs-2u01/ sold through Verizon’s website. Does anyone have experience with these? The reviews look good. As I understand it, the calls are routed through your internet. Does this affect call quality?

I got one this spring. The call quality is good. It has an antenna for the gps. I have a south facing window and I just put the network extender next to the window and the antenna works good. If you don’t have a south facing window you may need to pull the antenna out of the network extender and use the wire it came with and put is somewhere it can connect to the satellites. It takes like an hour to connect to the satellites. One thing that I didn’t like when I first got it is that it would use the location of the hub that the internet was going thru as the location for location on your phone. I called and asked about it and they said that is how it is supposed to work. I don’t think they were telling the whole story. The location was like 70 miles away from where I live. I don’t know what changed, but it uses the correct location now.

If you call verizion and inform them you are having issues with your service after they do a trouble ticket to verify service issue they will either provide you the option to recieve a free network extender or be released from your contract. By law they have to do this. I just got done with this process. It took approx 2 weeks.

I called Verizon and told them I was having issues with their service, they came and verified the service was very good at my location. I tried to get the network extender for free and after some talking I got them to reduce the price $75. I had to call them 4 different times before they finally applied the discount to my account.

Tim Reszler wrote:

If you call verizion and inform them you are having issues with your service after they do a trouble ticket to verify service issue they will either provide you the option to recieve a free network extender or be released from your contract. By law they have to do this. I just got done with this process. It took approx 2 weeks.

Go this route, don’t buy the box if you don’t have to.

Went through the same process with Sprint to get what sounds like the same box. Sprit reception went in the tank, allegedly due to “network upgrades” that lasted 3 months and I had constant issues even though I live in the wilds of Oakdale. Yeah.

The box was completely useless for me. It actually made the problem worse. Basically, it’s turning your cell phone into a cordless VOIP phone whenever you’re within range of the box.

What I found out after numerous calls to technical service is the faster you internet connection is, the better the box works. They only asked if I had “broadband” when they set me up with the box. As it turned out, you need more than just “broadband” you need a smokin’ fast broadband connection.

YMMV as I don’t know what the minimum speed is, but that’s the limiting factor.

Grouse

YMMV as I don’t know what the minimum speed is, but that’s the limiting factor.

A 5/3 connection should handle most streaming situations. There are a few offerings less than that but not many.

I have had a Verizon extender for years and it works well. The only issue I have is if I am on the phone on the extender and get in my truck and leave the call will drop when I get out of range.