Unlicensed signal amplifiers receive a boost from Amazon

If Khanifar was trying to register the unauthorized recall with his carrier, he might not have allowed him to use it. The FCC requires that everyone registers their boosters – including older models purchased before its rules came into force in 2014 and if acquired rights were conferred on it. If Khanifar was driving the booster anyway and that caused interference, his mobile operator or the FCC could come to his home and ask him to close it. In any case, that would mean that he spent nearly $ 200 for a device he was not allowed to use.

Khanifar thinks that Amazon could do more to help consumers. "Amazon should at least ask users to write the FCC ID very clearly on the page," he says.

WIRED found six third-party vendors on Amazon that sold signal amplifiers that, in cross-referencing with the FCC database, appeared to be unauthorized, including KKBSTR, SHWCELL, HJCINTL, Phonelex, Subroad, and MingColl. Each of them had associated trademarks registered with a natural or legal person located in China.

Many vendors appropriated notices of other Amazon products, a tactic commonly used by vendors to make their products appear more popular than they actually are. "It's the second time I buy these curtains. I love them, "said a critic about a Phonelex reminder, for example, which has since been deleted. On the Amazon page of a HJCINTL device since removed, several critics have referred to wheeled wheel replacement wheels. A five-star review of a SH · W · CELL booster said: "I love my new bling box for my iPhone 7 Plus!". The manufacturers themselves are hard to reach and do not seem to have a website.

In reviews that appeared to be in fact signal amplifiers, some customers noted that these amplifiers had caused interference problems. "The ATT service technician knocked on my door and said that this unit had destroyed three cell towers in my area," reads an article on a MingColl device. "He said that it was not a copy of FCC, but a bootleg from China." In an Amazon star review on a reminder of the Phonetone company, which has since been removed from the Amazon site, Scotty Wideman, an AT & T representative came to his home and "informed us that this amplifier was harming and if we were not, the FCC would contact us. " AT & T refused to comment.

"Improperly configured signal amplifiers can affect mobile networks, which is why we encourage our customers to contact us to find a solution that works, such as our free Personal CellSpot with a unique software that will not interfere with the wider network, "said T-Mobile. spokesman said in a statement. Sprint did not comment in time for the release.

Legitimate manufacturers claim they have been trying for over a year to warn Amazon of non-compliant boosters on its market. "This creates a bad reputation for our industry and reduces the sales of companies that do what is right," says Matthews, of SureCall. He said he had tried to contact Amazon many times, including sending a letter to the company's legal department, but that he had only received generic replies in return. Khanifar, the other booster seller, claims to have also contacted Amazon without receiving an answer.

The problem is not limited to the United States either. Earlier this year, the India Cellular Carriers Association, a professional group representing the wireless industry, asked Amazon and other e-commerce sites to stop selling illegal signal boosters, according to local information. In a letter sent in response, Amazon claimed that sellers and buyers were responsible for all legal obligations, and that it only worked as a market. This is a common chorus of society.

Can you hear me now?

Dennis McColl has been with Verizon for over 20 years. As an associate member of his group of radio frequency systems, responsible for solving problems such as network interference, he claims to have witnessed many noncompliant surges. They can cause two types of problems. If the two ends of the device are not far enough apart, they can enter a feedback loop, like what happens when a microphone is turned on. approaching too much of a speaker, which causes a malfunction of the amplifier.