cell signal booster???

[tungularafishcamp]

I will be spending a couple months in Oregon every winter and we have very slight cell service on the family farm and none at all in any of the buildings. Is anyone aware of any kind of antenna or booster that will up the signal strength for area instead of those metalic stickers for the cell batteries? Was thinking of trying cell service for the internet too but would be a drag to have to go up on the hill in the rain just to get on tbn
Rick

 

[CurlyDave]

I have had two over the years, and have found them to be "iffy" at best.

Will sometimes get a good signal, and will frequently get no signal despite placing the antenna in a high location.

The one I have now is the zBoost made by YX company, or something phonetic like that.

The antenna is 35' above grade, and if I reboot the device and stay within 10 feet of the broadcast antenna, I get reception for about 10 minutes. Then something goes haywire and the device must be rebooted again to get another 10 minutes use out of it.

All in all, it sort of works, but hardly worth the effort.

If you want one get a different brand.

 

[nikdfish]

There are quite a few firms selling both boosters/repeaters & hi-gain antennae. You can either get a solution that ties directly to a phone via an external antenna port or a repeater style solution that works for multiple pones within a given physical area. Costs vary based how involved the approach is. A simple in-house repeater system could run $300 - $500 using a simple omni directional antenna. Add a good hi-gain directional antenna (pointed at your nearest service provider tower) & cable for another couple hundred. If you need a mast or tower for the antenna, then you need to figure that in.

Talk to a few system providers & find one that can tailor a package to your requirements rather than just sell you a generic package off the shelf.

Google the keywords: cellular, repeater, and ampllifier and you should get plenty of leads to start looking at.


Nick

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Thanks guys, I did do a google search and saw all the different units. When I was trying to increase my fm signal out here at fish camp(preinternet) I tried several units and none of them worked. Before I plunk down a few hundred I wanted to find one that I know would work as I have had a hard time getting any money back on electronic items.
Rick

 

[LostInTheWoods]

We have one of the ZBoost devices. Basically, you mount the antenna as high up in the eaves of you home/building, or somewhere outside. A cable runs from the antenna to the ZBoost device inside your home. You then have an area inside surrounding the device where you can connect.

The distance we can get from the Zboost device is about 25 feet.

You must at least be able to pick up a weak cell signal at the location you mount the antenna. If you are too far from a cell tower to at least have that, the ZBoost will not help.

 

[LostInTheWoods]

The one I have now is the zBoost made by YX company, or something phonetic like that.

The antenna is 35' above grade, and if I reboot the device and stay within 10 feet of the broadcast antenna, I get reception for about 10 minutes. Then something goes haywire and the device must be rebooted again to get another 10 minutes use out of it.

All in all, it sort of works, but hardly worth the effort.

I have never had the rebooting issue with our ZBoost. There are different models (or were when we ordered ours 3-4 years ago). You have to make sure the type you buy is compatible with your carriers signal type.

 

[thatguy]

I have been researching the same thing and 'Wilson Electronics' seems to come up quite a bit as a leading provider for boosting cell signals.. From reviews on different forums i can boost a signal quite a bit - but only if you have a signal available..

Cell Phone Antennas and Cell Phone Boosters at Wilson Electronics

I just ordered a Wilson Sleek for my mifi - it can only be used with one phone at a time though.. Ill let you know how/if it improves the signal

Brian

 

[Pirate]

Does your cell phone have an external antenna jack? I did and used a welson trucker antenna with an amp. That sucker worked great. I think they make models if you have no jack. Call the 3g.com store, they will hook you up.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

My phone doesnt and at different places on the farm we can get signals from 2 different towers. There are 5 different houses on the farm(more like a family semi retirement community now) so was hoping to get one or several that could boost the signal to all the houses as well as the metal barn and outbuildings. If I located it centrally the farthest building is less than 250 yards away.
Rick

 

[dex3361]

I use a Cellphone Mate with a cradle the picks up inductively meaning any phone will work but it has to be in the cradle to work. Without the booster I cannot use the phone. I would buy another if this one failed it works so well. I have the same unit in my truck. I purchased from WPS Antennas.

 

[Code54]

I put Wilson boosters in our work cars and they do a good job "boosting" our signal. It helps you get through the area where I would normally lose signal. I never used their home systems but can attest that their car ones do work

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Thanks guys, sounds like we will have to put one in each house as well as the barn to get signals, was hoping one better quality one could do it all. Probably won't come out with that technology until we get a half dozen of the smaller units:laughing:

 

[hilld]

I have a Wilson BDA (Bi directional amplifier) in our studio. The problem is the studio is an all metal building and kills any cell signal. There is an external antenna, an amplifier and an indoor antenna. The entire setup works great, but it wasn't cheap. Several years ago, it was in the $400 range, but since we have a business in the studio and only use cell phones, we didn't really have a choice.

The only catch is when you buy one of these, you have to buy it for the correct type of service as each service uses different frequencies. In our case it is Sprint, but if we were to change to AT&T we would have to change our BDA for one with the correct frequencies.

 

[johnrex62]

I am using a Wilson unit at my home and have found it rock solid in performance and reliability, although it is a bit pricey for a system that will give any significant coverage.

I went cheap and bought a unit off Ebay (841245 kit for $375). I have Sprint service and it will cover about 15-20' around the indoor panel antennae due the PCS frequency penetration. Wilson had recommended a different unit that would work better for Sprint, but it was almost double what I paid on Ebay.

Since it covers a good portion of one end of my house I am happy enough with my results. I could get another indoor antennae and split the broadcast, but it would reduce each coverage circle by almost half.

 

[ronjhall]

I 2 different cellphone Antenna and booster/amplifiers from Wilson Electronics . One is hard wired to a Trucker antenna in my RV. Works great. Will take 1 line signal and bring it up to 3-4. Other is for home use. Includes a outside antenna, amplifier and in-house antenna. I do not use this one very often since AT&T installed a new antenna near my home. Do turn it on when my son comes over to help his Verizon signal. This unit will increase signal 1-2 lines. Bought both of the units off EBAY for far less than Wilson's prices on their site.

 

[dooleysm]

We have the Wilson booster in our building at work. We are on the second floor (out of 3) of a metal/concrete buliding. No signal without the booster. With it we get about a mid-range signal throughout the floor. We have 2 internal antennas, 1 on each end of the floor. Works very well.

 

[EarPlug]

I was researching this subject a while ago and Cell Phone Signal Boosters and Cell Phone Repeaters | JDTECK seems to be a step up from Wilson and the others. They do cost more though.

Jack

 

[SpringHollow]

My Zboost works great - i have had it a while now. Before, we had no reception in the house. Now we get voice and data. The antenna is in the attic where we were able to get 1 -2 bars on a phone. The zboost rebroadcasts to our whole house.

Ken

 

[linniebee88]

Hey tungularafishcamp,

I saw your post, and just wanted to let you know that I can answer any questions about Wilson Electronics that you might have, (I work for them). It looks like you are getting some great advice/info from everyone here, I just wanted to let you know that if you are looking for specific info, you can always shoot me an email at twhite@wilsonelectronics.com. Hope this helps, and that you find something that can cover allll your buildings