The comparison

WiFi Calling or a signal booster: which one suits you

We are the last people who should be writing this page, because one of the two options is free and the other is the one we sell. We write it anyway, because anyone who fits a booster without first trying WiFi Calling usually regrets it, and because we would rather lose a sale than make a bad one.

What each one does

WiFi Calling (VoWiFi) makes your phone use your home internet to call instead of the mobile network. Your number stays the same, the person calling notices nothing, and it costs nothing: it comes with your plan. A signal booster does something different: it brings the actual mobile network inside the house, so your phone works as it would in the street, with no dependence on the internet.

Try WiFi Calling first. Always. It is free, it takes two minutes to switch on and it needs nobody to come out. How to switch it on, operator by operator.
If it works for you, that is the end of it. We will tell you so ourselves if you write to us: we do not want to fit equipment for somebody who does not need it.
If it does not work, or it is not enough, then it makes sense to talk about an antenna and a booster.

Where each one falls short

WiFi Calling falls short the moment you leave the house: in the garden, at the pool, in the garage or in the street there is no WiFi any more and the phone goes back to the mobile network, which is the one you do not have — that is why so many calls drop just as you cross the doorway. It falls short when the power or the internet goes down, which is when it is needed most. Not every handset and not every plan supports it, particularly foreign lines. And it depends on the router working and on the WiFi reaching the room where you talk.

The booster falls short when there is no signal on the roof to pick up: it spreads, it does not manufacture. It costs money, between 590 and 1,190 €. It switches off when the power goes, just like the router. And it cannot be installed without your operator's prior authorisation — we request it, but nobody can promise it will be granted.

Neither of the two guarantees 112 or emergency calls. With WiFi Calling the location the emergency service sees may not be the real one; with a booster you depend on a network that is not ours and on there being mains power. Always keep another way available.

Which one suits you, in one line

You have fibre, you always talk indoors and your phone is recent → WiFi Calling. Free. Do not call us.
You have fibre but your calls drop as you step into the garden → a booster, because the problem is outside the house.
You have no internet at home, or it drops often → a booster; WiFi Calling has nothing to lean on.
You have several phones at home, some of them old, and you want them all to ring → a booster: it does not depend on each handset's model.
A British or other foreign line → look at this page first: there are roaming conditions that change the answer.

FAQ

Questions about this

Can I have both?

Yes, and it is what most of our customers end up with. WiFi Calling stays switched on and the phone uses whichever is better at each moment. They do not get in each other's way.

If WiFi Calling is free, why do you sell boosters?

Because they do not work for everyone. They do not cover the garden or the street, they go down with the power, not every handset supports them and some houses have no internet. When they do work, we say so and we sell nothing.

Does WiFi Calling use my data allowance?

No: they go over your home internet connection and are billed as ordinary calls on your plan. It is worth confirming with your operator, because each company sets its own terms.

Not sure which one is yours?

Tell us whether you have fibre, where your calls drop and which provider you are with. With that we will tell you which of the two — and if it is the free one, we will say so all the same.

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WiFi Calling · Mobile signal booster · Calls drop out at home · UK mobile · Improve mobile signal at home