If mobile service is awful when you step inside your house, there are now more options for mobile users everywhere that improve cellular signals indoors. T-Mobile offers its Hotspot@Home, while Sprint has the Airave. AT&T? Well, see more about this and the others below.

What spurred this post is the latest comes from Verizon Wireless, which just launched a femtocell or “mini cell site” for customers living on the fringe of the Verizon network. The new “Network Extender” device looks like a router. Plug it into your Internet connection and the Verizon signal will improve within a range of 5,000 feet. It reroutes cell phone calls over the Internet.

You don’t need a special Verizon phone and it’s not limited to your personal numbers (this can be managed online). Anyone with a Verizon phone will get better coverage — but it can only process three calls at a time within the 5,000-foot area. A second box is not recommended because of potential interference.

Technically, the extender creates a licensed spectrum CDMA network signal within the house. When a person starts talking indoors using the network extender, the calls are sent over the home’s Internet connection. But when the user steps outside, the call switches to Verizon’s mobile network. Calls, texts, data and Verizon’s other services are enhanced indoors when using this technology.

While the $249.99 price tag seems high, there are no monthly fees. And if it works, $250 would be worth it to people who rely on their cell phone, especially those who work at home! But as for Verizon’s claim, “Like Getting A Million-Dollar Cell Site In Your Home For $249.99,” we’ll have to see if signal strength really improves that much. So far, it’s too soon to know whether this product really does what it promises.

(A quote from a Verizon exec makes me wonder if this shouldn’t be free to users with poor indoor coverage: “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.)

Sprint, meanwhile, launched the Airave last July, and it does basically the same thing because it’s pretty much the exact same Samsung mini-cell-site device. Since Sprint’s device has been out longer, more details are available. It too works with up to three phones (Sprint only, not Nextel phones). You can add up to 50 cell phone numbers to its memory so a random neighbor isn’t mooching off the technology.

Sprint charges $99.99 for the device, but users also much pay $4.99 per month for coverage. Also, Sprint customers can pay for an unlimited calling plan while in Airave territory — $10/month for individuals and $20/month for families. 

And then there’s T-Mobile, which launched Hotspot @Home service in 2007. It still exists and also relies on a customer’s home Internet access. The big caveat is that only select T-Mobile Wi-Fi phones work with the technology. The service is $9.99 per month.

For AT&T users, there’s nothing official yet. But unofficially, the AT&T MicroCell service is on the way. According to Engadget, AT&T inadvertently posted its new “MicroCell” page, which similar to Verizon and Sprint, covers 5,000 feet. Engadget also reports it will also work with 3G phones. No price or launch date was noted.

From the Web:

New Femtocell From Verizon Wireless Falls Short (Information Week)

AT&T slips femtocell details (Ars Technica)

Meru Networks and T-Mobile Team Up for Femtocell-like Service (i4u news)

Map of poor cellular coverage 

Femto Forum, a group dedicated to promoting femtocell expansion

Recent mobile phone news on Gadgetress:

• Verizon Wireless’ pricey new home-phone service January 26, 2009
• AT&T improves cell service in 5 Orange County cities January 22, 2009
• Photos: Boost adds $50 phone for new $50 plan January 22, 2009
• SRS improves sound quality in cell phonesJanuary 21, 2009
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