Add a Femtocell to your Cell Plan for Better Cell Service

Femtocells

If you have long been suffering from no or poor cell phone service from your very own home; you are in luck. Personal cellular towers are now available. Sometimes called “femtocells” these devices are small enough to put on your desk and will get you the reception you’ve been missing. How they work is quite simple. They connect to your home broadband network and route your cellular calls over the internet. These devices are said to help overall network congestion so your network connection may eventually improve even if you don’t have one.

At this time, you must purchase the femtocell. This is an additional cost to your regular cell plan. Let us take a look at what is available from the three major wireless carriers.

ATT MicroCell

An ATT MicroCell will cost you $150 upfront and $20 per month for unlimited calling. Or choose to have minutes used by the device deducted from your cell plan. The tower supports both voice and data up to 5000 square feet and up to 4 users at once. It works with any ATT 3G phone. The device allows you to restrict unauthorized users.

Sprint AIRAVE

Sprint’s tower is named the Sprint AIRAVE. It is priced at $100 and connects up to three phones simultaneously. There is an additional $5 monthly charge for limited calling plans and $10 per month for an unlimited cell plan. Twenty dollars per month gets you unlimited calling for the whole family. The device does allow you to prevent other cell phone users from connecting.

Verizon Network Extender

The Verizon Network Extender will cost you $250 but there is no monthly charge. The device only works for voice reception, not data. Like Sprint’s AIRAVE the device looks simliar to a wireless router and is very easy to set up.