Cellular repeater

A cellular repeater (also known as cell phone signal booster or cell phone signal amplifier) is a type of bi-directional amplifier used to improve cell phone reception. A cellular repeater system commonly consists of a donor antenna that receives and transmits signal from nearby cell towers, coaxial cables, a signal amplifier, and an indoor rebroadcast antenna. Common components Donor antenna A "donor antenna" is typically installed by a window or on the roof a building and used to communicate back to a nearby cell tower. A donor antenna can be any of several types, but is usually directional or omnidirectional. An omnidirectional antenna (which broadcast in all directions) is typically used for a repeater system that amplify coverage for all cellular carriers. A directional antenna is used when a particular tower or carrier needs to be isolated for improvement. The use of a highly directional antenna can help improve the donor's signal-to-noise ratio, thus improving the quality of signal redistributed inside a building. Indoor antenna Some cellular repeater systems can also include an omnidirectional antenna for rebroadcasting the signal indoors. Depending on attenuation from obstacles, the advantage of using an omnidirectional antenna is that the signal will be equally distributed in all directions.