hughdrbf
Premium
join:2002-03-30
Gaithersburg, MD
|  Noob question: dsl modem w/WAP for cell phone WiFi?
I see it coming, so lemme say up front: total Noob question here.
I've got Verizon DSL via a Westell 6100 modem and have wired my home with Cat 5 ethernet. I barely get two bars on my Verizon cell phone (we're low in a geographic "bowl" of sorts, so cell tower line-of-sight is a challenge). My Curve 8330 cell phone doesn't have WiFi and I've been thinking about dropping the $250 for a Verizon network extender. I understand how that part hooks up and works.
I'm considering the Driod due out Friday which has WiFi. So I'm wondering...how does it work? Instead of investing in the Verizon network extender, how would I leverage my DSL modem (it's connected to a switch with a couple of open ports) to provide a WiFi signal that the Driod WiFi could use for phone and Internet?
Thanks in advance for being kind 
Hugh |
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jefe
Premium
join:2001-05-19
Northport, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
| I'm not a Verizon wireless subscriber so I haven't looked at the Droid, but I am familiar with other wifi capable cell phones, particularly the iPhone and Blackberry Bold.
The models I'm familiar with use wifi for data only. If you're someplace with wifi but zero cellular coverage you can send and receive email, browse the Net, etc, but you cannot make or receive phone calls.
On the other hand, I recommended one of those Verizon $250 femtocell extenders to a friend who had zero coverage at his house. He now has 5 bars everywhere at home and he and his wife are enjoying better utilization of their Verizon phones.
I'd suggest you look at the Droid specs carefully to see what it's wifi capability will let you do. Wifi will likely fix your coverage problem for data, but I doubt it will help you any if your goal is to be able to use the Droid as a phone. |
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Vchat20
Landing is the REAL challenge
join:2003-09-16
Warren, OH
clubs: 
| reply to hughdrbf
T-Mobile has UMA service and phones which essentially connects the phone directly to your WiFi connection and routes the phone calls over that rather than the traditional cell network. I believe they also have a blackberry model or two with this functionality in it.
May be something to look into.
--
I swear, some people should have pace-makers installed to free up the resources. Breathing and heart beat taxes their whole system, all of their brain cells wasted on life support.-two bit brains, and the second bit is wasted on parity! ~head_spaz |
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hughdrbf
Premium
join:2002-03-30
Gaithersburg, MD
1 edit | Jefe and Vchat20, thanks for your thoughtful replies - now I understand. From the info you shared, it sounds like the Verizon network extender will do the trick.
Thanks, much appreciated.
Hugh |
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hughdrbf
Premium
join:2002-03-30
Gaithersburg, MD
4 edits | said by hughdrbf  :...it sounds like the Verizon network extender will do the trick. With a bit more research on Verizon's network extender I read that it serves only the voice side - it does not support data or EV-DO.
So...if I want to improve signal strength for cell voice I'd add the network extender. If I want to improve both cell voice capability (I have 1- to 2-bar signal strength) and be able to surf the net from my Blackberry it looks like I'd need to upgrade the cell phones handset to Wi-Fi capable and add a WAP to my DSL router. Do I have that right?
Thanks. |
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jefe
Premium
join:2001-05-19
Northport, NY | Yes, the configuration you're proposing should work.
You'll find, too, that browsing on a smartphone using a decent wifi network is much faster than any of the current generation cellular data services. |
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hughdrbf
Premium
join:2002-03-30
Gaithersburg, MD | Thanks jefe, much appreciated. |
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jefe
Premium
join:2001-05-19
Northport, NY | You're more than welcome. Let us know how it works out for you. |
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