Mobile network coverage is too weak?Well, maybe buy a signal amplifier on the Internet and install it?Apparently, such a repeater improves the quality of calls and speeds up the Internet ... Well, no!We do not recommend this solution - the use of this type of equipment exposes us to severe punishment, and it does not solve problems with the network.On the contrary - it magnifies them even more.Mobile networks are systematically expanded by operators who invest billions of amounts in it.However, users are not always satisfied with the outreach.It is not even about remote places in the mountains or forest backwoods, but also about the centers of the largest cities, including the interiors of buildings.There are many reasons for this, and one of them is network overload and limiting its capacity using the still most popular LTE standard.More and more smartphones, modems and IoT devices log into the network, and we sometimes find it difficult to receive e-mail, visit Facebook or chat on WhatsApp.The structure of the building or the topography of the area may also have a negative impact on the range of cellular networks - suppress the signal or interfere with its propagation.There is a problem, there is a solution - your own network signal amplifier.It is enough to buy such equipment in an online store, install it and use it as much as you want, enjoying good-quality voice connections and stable data transfer.Such advice seems tempting, but there is little truth in it.This is a very bad idea that could do more harm than good.Even lead to a tragedy.But let's start from the beginning ...GSM / UMTS / LTE repeaters, also known as repeaters, are active radio devices that mediate signal transmission between a cellular base station and a smartphone or router.Amateur devices of this type are offered by sellers as a remedy for the poor quality of indoor mobile phone coverage.You can buy amplifiers with different technical parameters in online stores.These are devices usually imported from China without any certification, with a range usually covering an area of ​​about 200-500 m2.The sets consist of the amplifier itself and two antennas - internal and external directional.They operate in the GSM, UMTS, LTE standards, most often in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands, although there are many offers with full band coverage.The whole thing is to be guaranteed by a signal gain of 60 - 70 dBi.Vendors offer repeaters as devices that increase network coverage in homes, offices, factory halls or warehouses.This type of equipment can be purchased for as little as PLN 300-400, and the huge selection of offers suggests that we are dealing with a legal device, recommended from a technical point of view.However, it is not so.Illegal signal amplifiers are becoming a real scourge, and their use is aimed at all of us, users of cellular networks.Every quarter, Orange Polska sends several hundred reports on illegal repeaters to UKE.The actual scale of this phenomenon may be greater, because the number of offers for the sale of such equipment is not decreasing.The amateur GSM / UMTS / LTE amplifiers available on the Internet in Poland are not approved for self-assembly and use.While you can buy them without breaking the law, installing them on your own is non-legal.There is a strict technical justification for this.First, this type of equipment usually does not meet the technical standards in force and its operation is completely uncontrolled.Repeaters non-selectively amplify the entire frequency or band, e.g. LTE 2100, and thus disrupt not only our network, but also the networks of other operators.Base stations located near the site of illegal installation will receive noise - interference emitted by the repeater - which will lead to deterioration of the signal for all mobile users within a radius of several hundred meters.Less interference from cellular networks can be felt up to 10 km away!Moreover, the cheap signal amplifier works continuously regardless of whether or not any end terminal is connected to it, so it interferes with the operation of the base station constantly, causing a permanent state of deterioration of the network quality.Each base station can serve a specific number of users.Our smartphones or routers transmit useful signals to the base station, but at the same time interfering signals from the repeater are emitted to it.When their sum exceeds a certain level, the quality of connections will drop drastically.The illegal amplifier non-stop disrupts the operation of the base station on the entire available frequency, takes up its capacity, which results in poor voice connections and breaking the Internet.Installation is also crucial - when the repeater is installed without professional analysis, too close to the base station, it can significantly raise the level of electromagnetic background in the vicinity of the network transmitter.The internal antenna of the amplifier should also be separated from the external one, otherwise their operation will be looped.Practically speaking, it is impossible to independently, amateurly, install such equipment without causing serious damage to the operation of the network.The effect of incorrect assembly will be catastrophic, opposite to the expected one.A badly installed GSM / UMTS / LTE repeater will limit the range of the base station, and one of the consequences is the problem of disconnecting connections - not only for the owner of this equipment, but for hundreds or even thousands of phone users in the area.In extreme cases, difficulties in establishing a connection with the base station will mean the inability to call an ambulance, fire brigade or other emergency services.Photo source: Shutterstock, UKE, AliExpress, Signaflex,Text source: Telepolis.pl