As iPhone 6 press reviews flag the new model’s Achilles Heel as its battery life, there’s a little known and generally unavoidable major contributor to battery power drain – poor signal – that can now be addressed, at least in the home and at the office.

Poor coverage or a poor signal is one of the commonest reasons for short battery life. Even when it’s not in use, your smartphone is in contact with the nearest tower, and if the tower can’t detect a signal from your phone, the network tells your phone to effectively ‘crank up the power’, with an immediate and ongoing impact on your battery life. This happens frequently, particularly when you are using the phone indoors and the building itself may be blocking the phone signal.

The Cel-Fi ‘smart repeater’ – now available for all the major mobile networks in Australia – can take a weak signal (just one bar is enough) and boost it up to five bars. The device is actually two units (each about 20cm tall), one that sits by the window and one that sits centrally in the home or office.

The window unit ‘grabs’ the 3G signal from outside, and the coverage unit boosts and rebroadcasts it inside. If it’s a very weak signal area, an external antenna can be fitted.

Using patented next generation technology developed in the US, the Cel-Fi is the only 3G repeater approved for use on networks in Australia because it has in-built network protection. Previous repeating devices have caused major problems with network interference and so have never been approved for use.

For more information visit the website at www.cel-fi.com.au.