We're thinking of moving to a new house, but it's tucked under a ridge and has only a very faint mobile signal (Optus). Is there anything you can get -- like an outdoor antenna or something -- to boost the gain on a handset inside the house?

I need to have access to the phone in the house because I work from home and the mobile is my work phone.

There's a very strong signal just a couple of hundred metres away.

(Originally posted December 2006)

Peter Scott, Sydney, NSW

You can buy external antennas, but they may not be suitable. They're useful in places such as metal buildings - you install them outside, up high, and run a cable down to the phone. The trouble is, they have to connect to the phone's antenna. This is often done via the car-kit connector as there isn't usually a removable antenna with a socket. In some cases you'd have to swap to a new phone to get the connectivity. Probably the best place to ask is a large car radio outlet.

This solution works by getting the antenna up high where it's much more likely to have a clear line-of-sight to the nearest base station. Unfortunately I think that what you want is a device that will rebroadcast the phone signal so that you can walk around the house with the phone. Although mobile phones could be designed that way, I don't know that there are any on the market in Australia. Here are some alternative ideas, but I think its likely that a reader will come up with a better solution.

Other carriers. Ask the neighbours of the place you're moving to, or even the existing owners. Are there any mobile phone services that do work in the house? The different carriers run different base stations, and there may be one that provides a much better signal at that spot. Not only could you change to a Telstra or Vodafone GSM phone, but also look at Telstra NextG and Three. You should be able to keep your number so there won't be a problem with your contacts. Just make sure you try it out thoroughly before changing 0 carriers may tell you what you want to hear.

Think it through. Do you really need to use your mobile phone in the house? If you'll be working there full time, consider using the home phone or a second line for business. You could even get a VoIP phone as I assume you'll be getting broadband? For a while you could put a message on your mobile (for when it's out of range) telling people what the new business number is.

Combine technologies. You could keep using your mobile phone with the external antenna, but connect it to a cordless phone so you can roam around the house. This isn't a simple job, but can be done. A good phone shop should be able to help. You could also maintain your mobile phone service, but have it forward to a fixed or VoIP number in the house when it isn't hearing the signal. This will cost extra though.

Bluetooth. If you need the freedom to walk around,, but the antenna sounds a good idea otherwise, simply use a Bluetooth headset. But do your homework and find out if the range will suit you. You should be able to get enough range to walk around a room.

Wait a while. New technologies are coming out all the time. For instance, it won't be long before someone puts out a mobile phone that becomes a fixed line phone when you're at home. One number, but two types of use.

You should also ask Optus (your carrier) and visit a couple of phone stores to see if they have some ideas.

Please let us know how you get on.

Paul Zucker