Anyone know of a cheap and fast way to increase indoor signal strength on a cell phone?

[woowoo]

Act sick
Tell your boss that you forewarded the call because you are SICK!

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, there are some heartless people here. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, this is ATOT, after all.

Sorry, I don't know of any way to boost the signal. I often have to stand near a window in the 2nd floor of my house to get a better cell phone signal. Is there any way you can dial into the conference call?

I'm sure many of us would love to work at home but aren't allowed, but we don't do it anyway and then blame it on our employer having an "outdated" policy. Many employers don't let people work at home for very good reasons, not because they haven't gotten around to update their policies in the last 15 years.

Lying to your boss is a very stupid thing to do.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: TheGizmo
you can go to radio shack and buy one of those cell phone antennas.. usually there is a rubber piece hiding the external antenna port on your cell phone, but most phones have this port... just plug in the large antenna and that oughta do the trick... if you can, place that antenna by the window for better reception

hmm... i've had 5 cell phones from 3 different companies and none of them have had an external antenna port.

 

[iroast]

find a nearby cafe in which you get strong signals. work from there.

 

[hypn0tik]

/wait for the "My boss found out I didn't show up to work today so he fired me" thread.

 

[EKKC]

Originally posted by: Arkitech
Yet another tale of office horrors

So here's the dilemma, I just started having a weekly conference call with my boss every Monday. He always calls me at my desk, but because of the distance I usually work at home. My job is almost 70 miles from my home and when I add the time and distance in after I drop off my son at the babysitter I've driven more than 100 miles and spent almost 3 hours in traffic. So naturally I try to avoid driving into the office at all costs. Unfortunately my company has a very outdated policy on telecommuting so I when I work from home I'm taking a risk.

Anyway getting back to the story, I drove in yesterday for the meeting only to find out at the last minute it was cancelled. My boss wants to reschedule for today, so since I did'nt want to drive back out to the office again (I've had a really bad cold the last couple of days) I forwarded my office phone to my cell phone. And to my horror I realized that for whatever reason today, I can't get a decent signal inside the house.

So does anyone know of a cheap and quick way to boost cell phone strength?




Working for other people sucks, can't wait til I'm self-employed. I'll telecommute right from the bathroom.

i think if you're just honest with your boss he should be okay with you telecommuting and calling from home... most people i work with never have a problem with that. even though your company has a strict policy, sometimes the boss can back you if you reason with him. i mean, wasting 3 hours in transit that could've been better spent working or doing your personal tasks, who wouldn't understand that?

that said, you should think about IP Phone if you work from home a lot and you don't have a land line.

 

[Modular]

Originally posted by: woowoo
Act sick
Tell your boss that you forewarded the call because you are SICK!

Seriously. This is the best and most obvious solution. Especially since you really are sick (or at least claim to be ) Just pick up the phone and say: "I apologize if my connection is weak, I'm at home sick, but since this meeting is important I set it up so that a colleague forwarded the call to me here." Now you look super-dedicated and will likely get a raise and a new company car. Nice work!

 

[PlatinumGold]

seriously, thats why i LOVE working for myself. been working from home all day, tomorrow morning i'll be playing 18 holes of golf with friends, i do a couple of sales calls while i'm out in the field and i'm done for the day.

 

[wheresmybacon]

yeah my company has on outdated policy on telecommuting too: we call it "skipping" and if we do it and get found out we get fired.

sounds like your company's outdated policy is the same as mine. good luck with your call but you're playing with fire man.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: hungfarover
yeah my company has on outdated policy on telecommuting too: we call it "skipping" and if we do it and get found out we get fired.

sounds like your company's outdated policy is the same as mine. good luck with your call but you're playing with fire man.

LOL!!

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: altonb1
How about do the right thing and drive in to the office?

exactly. people make me sick.....taking advatage of the system or their employers then asking for everyone to help them stay out of trouble.

I'm not taking advantage of anyone, most weeks I work 7 days straight. On an average I put in 60 hours per week (only get paid for 40). I hardly see how I'm taking advantage. I can't take care of my family work 60 hours a week and still spend 5-6 hours in commute. Maybe you should learn more about a situation or a person before you pass down judgement.

does your employer allow telecommuting? obviously NO
does your employer know you are telecommuting? NO

you are violating your employers rules so you are taking advantage of them. If your work requirements are at odds with the home requirements FIND A NEW JOB.

Find a new thread to crap in.

it's not crapping juist because you disagree with reality. you can attempt to justify it all you want, but it's just empty reasoning.

You strike me as the kind of person who loves to disagree. So I'll leave it at that, have a great day.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, there are some heartless people here. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, this is ATOT, after all.

Sorry, I don't know of any way to boost the signal. I often have to stand near a window in the 2nd floor of my house to get a better cell phone signal. Is there any way you can dial into the conference call?

I'm sure many of us would love to work at home but aren't allowed, but we don't do it anyway and then blame it on our employer having an "outdated" policy. Many employers don't let people work at home for very good reasons, not because they haven't gotten around to update their policies in the last 15 years.

Lying to your boss is a very stupid thing to do.

I had to make a choice, either spend 4-6 hours per day in traffic and neglect my family or work from home and try to find a way to balance secular responsibities and family time. Obviously I chose to do the latter and I'm willing to deal with any consequences that might come about from that decision. Despite your comments I'm far from stupid, my family is my first priority.

 

[FoBoT]

so, how did the CC go?

 

[sourceninja]

or you could find a new job that allows you to telecommute.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, there are some heartless people here. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, this is ATOT, after all.

Sorry, I don't know of any way to boost the signal. I often have to stand near a window in the 2nd floor of my house to get a better cell phone signal. Is there any way you can dial into the conference call?

I'm sure many of us would love to work at home but aren't allowed, but we don't do it anyway and then blame it on our employer having an "outdated" policy. Many employers don't let people work at home for very good reasons, not because they haven't gotten around to update their policies in the last 15 years.

Lying to your boss is a very stupid thing to do.

I had to make a choice, either spend 4-6 hours per day in traffic and neglect my family or work from home and try to find a way to balance secular responsibities and family time. Obviously I chose to do the latter and I'm willing to deal with any consequences that might come about from that decision. Despite your comments I'm far from stupid, my family is my first priority.

Family = first priorty - check
Job wont allow telecommuting - check
Pretending that job does allow it and going ahead with it - no check
Finding new job - check

If your job doesnt fit for your family, then you need to look for a new job. Skirting around/breaking company policies is just going to earn you an unemployment vacation.

That said, I don't know any cell phone tricks. I would try calling your landline company and seeing if they can disable your protection system.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
so, how did the CC go?

Well I took the advice from some of you guys and I routed my cell phone calls to the land line. Now I'm just waiting for my boss to call me.


I did'nt think that idea would work but its perfect. Normally when I route my company phone to my house line "privacy manager" kicks in. But since I'm going from work phone to cell phone to house phone, privacy manager only sees the cell phone number and does'nt block or filter out any of the calls.

thanks guys :thumbsup:

 

[dmw16]

i agree with a lot of others. you are breaking the rules, take your lumps or tell him you were sick. but if your life doesnt work with your job find a new job.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, there are some heartless people here. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, this is ATOT, after all.

Sorry, I don't know of any way to boost the signal. I often have to stand near a window in the 2nd floor of my house to get a better cell phone signal. Is there any way you can dial into the conference call?

I'm sure many of us would love to work at home but aren't allowed, but we don't do it anyway and then blame it on our employer having an "outdated" policy. Many employers don't let people work at home for very good reasons, not because they haven't gotten around to update their policies in the last 15 years.

Lying to your boss is a very stupid thing to do.

I had to make a choice, either spend 4-6 hours per day in traffic and neglect my family or work from home and try to find a way to balance secular responsibities and family time. Obviously I chose to do the latter and I'm willing to deal with any consequences that might come about from that decision. Despite your comments I'm far from stupid, my family is my first priority.

Family = first priorty - check
Job wont allow telecommuting - check
Pretending that job does allow it and going ahead with it - no check
Finding new job - check

If your job doesnt fit for your family, then you need to look for a new job. Skirting around/breaking company policies is just going to earn you an unemployment vacation.

That said, I don't know any cell phone tricks. I would try calling your landline company and seeing if they can disable your protection system.

I'm trying to hang in here at the company for a little while longer. I'm picking up valuable Unix experience, so the more I learn the easier it will be to locate a new job.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: dmw16
i agree with a lot of others. you are breaking the rules, take your lumps or tell him you were sick. but if your life doesnt work with your job find a new job.

It's all about the timing, I'm waiting for the best time for me and the family. I know I'm breaking the rules, but I'm also working my butt off so I don't feel as if I'm cheating the company or stealing from them. Sometimes you have to make a hard choice and go with the decision that works best for the current situation. If I get fired I can live with that and I'll deal with it, but right now I'm just doing what I have to do.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, there are some heartless people here. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, this is ATOT, after all.

Sorry, I don't know of any way to boost the signal. I often have to stand near a window in the 2nd floor of my house to get a better cell phone signal. Is there any way you can dial into the conference call?

I'm sure many of us would love to work at home but aren't allowed, but we don't do it anyway and then blame it on our employer having an "outdated" policy. Many employers don't let people work at home for very good reasons, not because they haven't gotten around to update their policies in the last 15 years.

Lying to your boss is a very stupid thing to do.

I had to make a choice, either spend 4-6 hours per day in traffic and neglect my family or work from home and try to find a way to balance secular responsibities and family time. Obviously I chose to do the latter and I'm willing to deal with any consequences that might come about from that decision. Despite your comments I'm far from stupid, my family is my first priority.

I didn't say you're stupid, I said lying to your job is stupid. I don't think you're stupid for putting your family before work - I took a $15k paycut to work 85 minutes closer to home so I could spend more time with my wife. It's unfortunate that your company does not allow telecommuting, and I honestly hope it doesn't bite you in the ass before you're able to move to a more suitable job.

 

[TheGizmo]

the thing about this thread is that it doesnt matter to any of you whom are passing judgement whether he keeps his job or not, he asked how to make his cell phone reception work better, not if he was doing a good job. he is clearly ready to take whatever consequences this job throws at him for his actions if neccisary... you guys ought to keep it on topic and stop flaming him or trying to put his priorities in order for him, work on your own lives. seriously. why come into this thread simply to flame him then offer him no help on his current situation, get a life.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: TheGizmo
the thing about this thread is that it doesnt matter to any of you whom are passing judgement whether he keeps his job or not, he asked how to make his cell phone reception work better, not if he was doing a good job. he is clearly ready to take whatever consequences this job throws at him for his actions if neccisary... you guys ought to keep it on topic and stop flaming him or trying to put his priorities in order for him, work on your own lives. seriously. why come into this thread simply to flame him then offer him no help on his current situation, get a life.

I just felt like being a dick.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: chambersc

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
forward your cell phone to your land line phone?

Yeah, cingular has this option. I'd suggest you do that.

I have privacy manager on my landline. It filters out those calls from corporate numbers and telemarketers.

call your land line provider and tell them to turn off / disable call filtering for today only, effective immediately.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Suture
Wow, there are some heartless people here. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, this is ATOT, after all.

Sorry, I don't know of any way to boost the signal. I often have to stand near a window in the 2nd floor of my house to get a better cell phone signal. Is there any way you can dial into the conference call?

I'm sure many of us would love to work at home but aren't allowed, but we don't do it anyway and then blame it on our employer having an "outdated" policy. Many employers don't let people work at home for very good reasons, not because they haven't gotten around to update their policies in the last 15 years.

Lying to your boss is a very stupid thing to do.

I had to make a choice, either spend 4-6 hours per day in traffic and neglect my family or work from home and try to find a way to balance secular responsibities and family time. Obviously I chose to do the latter and I'm willing to deal with any consequences that might come about from that decision. Despite your comments I'm far from stupid, my family is my first priority.

Family = first priorty - check
Job wont allow telecommuting - check
Pretending that job does allow it and going ahead with it - no check
Finding new job - check

If your job doesnt fit for your family, then you need to look for a new job. Skirting around/breaking company policies is just going to earn you an unemployment vacation.

what about moving closer to work?