Off grid communication

Yankeesouth · February 18, 2011, 10:42:36 AM

Sorry if this was covered previously. If so direct me to that post.

Has anyone ever used or thought about using this device? (Magicjack?

) I get 0 cell service and was looking for some type of communication device. I don't even know how the thing works. Can one of these things be used living off grid? Do you need a phone line or just a computer?

muldoon · February 18, 2011, 11:21:09 AM

you need internet for it to work. It is essentially a voice over ip on a dongle. It will install software on your computer that will display commercials and advertisements. Essentially, it's the same as skype or google voice but it has a hardware component. If you have reliable internet and want to use internet voice, just use google voice and be done with it.

Of course, internet outage, computer outage, == voice outage. (in either scenario).

February 18, 2011, 11:25:14 AM

Hi there...
MagicJack will work if you have an internet connection (not sure if high speed is needed, though).
I've heard of poor performace with MagicJack-like devices (Voice-over-IP) and satellite internet.

At our place, we do not have cell phone coverage at the cabin site, but was able to find a couple of places up on the side of the hill behind us. So I used a Bluetooth-to-telephone adapter called XLink-BT to make a connection from my cellphone to a normal house cordless phone base. Once that is hooked up, I carry the cordless phone handset down the hill and have phone service in the house.

It's kind of a Rube-Goldberg contraption, but at least we don't have to go on a hike to use the phone anymore.
Here's a link to our blog entry describing the install.
Good luck... Randy

http://www.arizonaranch.org/?p=1634

Yankeesouth · February 18, 2011, 11:44:06 AM

peck,
that sounds like what i need. i have to take the truck up over the hill to get a cell signal and even then it is hit or miss.

sinner · February 18, 2011, 02:05:52 PM

I have had majicjack for about a year and a half I just renewed. It works great most of the time I put a filter on the phone line because when ever you were on the internet it would transfer sounds into the phone but that only happened the first few months. I do have DSL but it is the cheapest one so I would not really call it high speed. Also it only works when the computer is on and it has to be on and not asleep. But for twenty dollars a year I love it. The guy at best buy even told me to try it out with my internet and if it did not work they would take it back. Sorry I do not know if it will work with satellite internet. It does not down load any commercials or anything like that just the majicjack software.

February 18, 2011, 02:46:51 PM

The call quality of digital phone (IE magicjack) on satellite would be horrible.

The problem is not bandwidth, but "latency". How long it takes for the signal to travel from one end to the other. On DSL/Cable latency is fairly low, ideal for magicjack and the like. On satellite, it has to travel to the stratosphere and back, leading to choppy calls.

It sounds like peck has the best solution.

Yankeesouth · February 18, 2011, 03:35:21 PM

Thanks all. I was hoping for some miracle modern communication cure other than sasquatch wood knocking.

I won't have a way to get internet.

MikeOnBike · February 18, 2011, 03:53:59 PM

If you need emergency communication or communication to friends and family you might check into ham radio. We are completely off grid and 30 miles from a weak cell signal. We are only 30 mi. from a repeater site and can hit it very easily. That enables us to talk back to friends or family 100 mi as the crow flies from our cabin site. Some repeaters also have the ability to patch through to a phone. Limitations are that most of your friends and family won't be packing a radio, phone patches probably won't allow long distance calls and you can't conduct business over the radio.

MountainDon · February 18, 2011, 03:55:26 PM

http://www.findmespot.com/en/

February 18, 2011, 04:33:41 PM

We don't have a land phone line out to our place. (AT&T wanted $4G to string a new one!!)

Instead, we have a roof-mount cell antenna (no bars at all, otherwise) and a magic black box (you'd think it was an internet router, just to look at it) that our cell company sold us.
The antenna connects to it and through that we then get internet and house phone service.

Simple and relatively cheap. The antenna ran $120, the router/box another $200.
Service is $40 unlimited internet and $15 house service.

rick91351 · February 18, 2011, 10:35:31 PM

We use voice over internet on a wireless connection for our home service. The best tower they found is perhaps 7 miles away. Internet is great!

However phone service is not so great. $:-\$ When we started using it, it was that or satellite if we wanted higher speed than dial up. So we dropped Ma' Bell and went wireless! We were sort of pioneers in our area neighborhood using this. It works okay for us, however we both have cell phones as well. So we are not dependent only on voice over internet. In fact one of their techs was out a couple days ago, and eluded to the fact the phone quality is not what it was thought is was going to be. At times we have poor voice quality. It goes digital is the best way to describe it. In the same token it might work very well for a period of time then flake out again. I / we are not impressed. However their high speed internet is real nice. AAA+++

rdpecken · February 20, 2011, 11:40:33 AM

Quote from: Yankeesouth on February 18, 2011, 11:44:06 AM
peck,
that sounds like what i need. i have to take the truck up over the hill to get a cell signal and even then it is hit or miss.

If you have to go over the hill to get cell phone coverage, then the Xlink/Cordless Phone solution would probably not work.
In order to work, you need a line of sight from the place where you can get a cell phone signal, back to your house. Some trees will likely not affect the path, but a hill likely would if it blocks your view to your house.

I also use Ham Radio at the LittleHouse site. It is by far the most reliable link in an emergency. But as stated, you do need to get a license before transmitting with it.

We had a pretty heavy rainstorm on night last fall, and the weather caused the cell phone site to go down. But the Ham Radio still worked fine, so had there been an emergency, I could have contacted someone for help.
Good luck... Randy

Erin · February 21, 2011, 10:13:52 AM

If you have an roof-mount antenna, though, you don't need line-of-sight.

rick91351 · February 21, 2011, 11:17:12 AM

There was a discussion on cell phone boosters on I think this forum a year or so back. If I remember correctly one person claimed to have no signal without a booster. With a booster he did, not real good but it was service.

The ham /short wave radio thing is something I have always wanted to get involved with but never had time or money to jump into. I did look to classes here, they are offered at one high school in the evening and at one Radio Shack also in the evenings. I am always on call so it is hard to do something like that. But I think try and pick that up as a hobby when I retire in a September.

February 21, 2011, 03:28:34 PM

Quote from: rick91351 on February 21, 2011, 11:17:12 AM
But I think try and pick that up as a hobby when I retire in a September.

The first level license is really pretty easy to get. There are no Morse code requirements for any of the ham licenses. I think most people can pass the test by studying the book and taking the online practice tests. When you are scoring in the 90% range on the practice test you are ready for the real thing. You only need ~75% to pass. Good radios for local repeater based communications are only about $200 with the antenna.

The Book
http://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/0872599639

Erin · February 21, 2011, 05:31:31 PM

Quote from: rick91351 on February 21, 2011, 11:17:12 AM
There was a discussion on cell phone boosters on I think this forum a year or so back. If I remember correctly one person claimed to have no signal without a booster. With a booster he did, not real good but it was service.

An antenna and a booster are two completely different things...

Though the two together would probably be the BEST combination.

rick91351 · February 22, 2011, 12:04:04 AM

Quote from: MikeOnBike on February 21, 2011, 03:28:34 PM
Quote from: rick91351 on February 21, 2011, 11:17:12 AM
But I think try and pick that up as a hobby when I retire in a September.

The first level license is really pretty easy to get. There are no Morse code requirements for any of the ham licenses. I think most people can pass the test by studying the book and taking the online practice tests. When you are scoring in the 90% range on the practice test you are ready for the real thing. You only need ~75% to pass. Good radios for local repeater based communications are only about $200 with the antenna.

The Book
http://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/0872599639

Thanks for the pointer Mike. I think I will order one of those. I do know there are a couple repeaters that they get on up there at Prairie. One is on the west side and to the north some where. Could be toward Idaho City I guess. I do know that because one of the families who owns one of those huge ranches up there stopped by and was using it one day. They said they thought it was over that way any way. If we are going to be moving up there it would be good to be able use something like that! We are able to have land lines up there but in case of stuff hitting the fan more ability is better.

river place · February 22, 2011, 11:10:38 AM

Ham radio is a possible option. The other option is to find out what type of cell phone coverage is available in your area. A carrier using 800MHz cell band coverage uses a signal that can travel twice as far as a 1900Mhz PCS band signal. You could use a Yagi type antenna that is direction which could provide additional signal gain.

Keep in mind most cell phones today don't have the external antenna/booster ports on them. Phones today usually have test ports only. While you can connect to these I can't say how long the connector would last if used a lot or would this impact a warranty.