Cell Phone Boosters

[Gonefishin]

I got the $500 trucker model because If I were going to spend anything at all, I wanted the strongest and easiest booster to use. I also wanted some portability. The truck model fit this need. I got tired of needing to go outside the trailer, into the truck, or hold my phone up to a window to get a decent signal in which to talk or use the internet. Same with using the phone as a hot spot, I got tired of moving the phone around to get a strong enough signal to use the laptop. I also listen to Sirius radio via the internet. Now, I just hook up my booster, clamp the antenna outside the door, and I'm full-throttle. Yes, I have to be in some kind of signal area, but many of the areas I frequent have a useless signal of weak 3g or 4g that comes and goes. Now its loud and clear. If I have one bar of anything, I can boost that signal into something productive and useful. Over time, it's worth the $500 to me since I'm already paying for the phone and data every month. MIght as well be able to use it for the 12 weeks I'm on the road. I've become addicted to my data I also work and communicate with clients on vacation.

[featherliteCT1]

Gonefishin,

Well said .

The amazon link you posted a while back shows the Weboost 4G-X OTR unit that is not the newer, supposedly more powerful, “Reach” model I am “probably” going to buy.

I say probably, because after I initially decided to buy the Reach model as previously posted, I am having second thoughts about the Reach unit because it uses SMB connectors and LMR 100 cable, whereas your model uses SMA connectors and RG58 cable.

My greatest concern is that the SMB connectors might not accommodate frequent disconnects.

One place here

https://powerfulsignal.com/support/prod ... ive-reach/

says “SMB connectors are less likely to come loose over time, especially with a booster that gets hot like the Drive Reach. They don’t remove as easily as SMA connectors, however; they’re designed to be inserted and left in.”

I find nowhere (text or photos) on the Weboost web pages any indication of the gender of the SMB connectors (i.e., male vs. female). All Weboost says is that they are “SMB”.

To make matters more confusing, it appears that “As an industry rule of thumb, we always say that a “Plug = male and a Jack = female”. SMB connectors unfortunately do not follow this rule. An SMB Plug actually has a female basket within a male coupling nut mechanism, while an SMB Jack contains a male center pin.” See http://www.l-com.com/customer-service?ID=4873

In other words, according to this last link, the SMA vs. SMB connector terminology is reversed. However, the first link above shows pictures of SMB connectors with gender identity captions using the contrary “industry thumb” rule used for SMA connectors.

I will call Weboost on Monday and ask them about the SMB connectors.

Depending on what I find out after talking to Weboost, I may decide to get the same unit you have for all the reasons you stated and more.

Gonefishin, what is the vertical and horizontal separation between your more powerful trucker antenna and your unit? My understanding is that the stronger the antenna, the more separation is needed. It would be nice to know your real world experience.

[Gonefishin]

Not sure exactly what you mean by vertical and horizontal separation. I have the antenna right outside my rv door and it clamps to the latch frame outside the door. The base of the antenna is about 6 inches below the roof line, with the antenna itself extending above it. The booster is velcro mounted to the wall inside the trailer about two feet aft of where the antenna is clamped outside. The little "transmitter" that plugs into the booster is also velcro mounted on the wall very near the booster. I did find once or twice, in a near-zero-service area, that I got the best signal on the phone when I placed the transmitter to the booster within inches of the phone. The closer the better it seems, despite the literature from Weboost saying 18 inches is optimal. I'm not too versed on the terminology of all this stuff! I take the antenna off, and disconnect the wire to the booster so I can bring the antenna inside, every morning for security and/or travel puprposes. Its all put away for the winter, so not sure if I have any photos. Probably not.

I bought it on Amazon fully expecting it to be overrated and overhyped, and returning it after the first trip. I decided to keep it just a few nights in, and have no regrets of such wallet pain. I know I'll usually have decent service. One example is a deep remote canyon on the South Fork of the Boise River in Idaho. I never had usable service there except to get a text through once in a while, barely. One afternoon I hooked up the antenna just for the fun of it, and there it was. Three bars of 4G out of nowhere! This happened a couple other places too. Areas where thick forest blocks signals. Canyons. Low spots along rivers. Fringe coverage areas, of which there are a ton out west.

[featherliteCT1]

Gonefishin,

Thanks, your explanation helps me a lot. I should have asked the distance between the two antennas rather than between the unit and the exterior antenna. In any event, you have been most helpful!

[Gonefishin]

The distance between each part of the whole mess is just a few feet! Three feet and a wall between antenna and booster. 12 inches between booster and inside antenna. One to three feet between inside antenna and phone, generally. I've had the phone 6 to 7 feet from the inside antenna, and also had the antenna right behind the phone, touching it. Works best closer to the phone. I haven't experienced any type of interference regardless of the proximity of the inside devices to one another. I have a hunch the wall between the inside parts and the outside antenna might help? The trailer wall is one of the reasons I got this set-up. There's always a big difference between inside reception and outside without the booster.

[featherliteCT1]

I talked to Weboost technical support today and was told:

1. The SMB connectors are easily connected and disconnected without problems.

2. The internal and external antennas used with the mobile units (as opposed to the home base and RV units) do not need to be separated very far from each other because the mobile units do not have enough power to make the two antennas interfere with each other.

3. Respecting antenna extension cables, the RG58 antenna cables only lose about 1/2 dBm per additional feet of length added and that each additional connector will only cause about 1/8 dBm of loss per connector.

4. Respecting the mobile Reach units, all of the various antenna choices for the Reach units are compatible with the Reach units.

All of the above means that I can change antennas and increase the length of the antenna cables without problems.

[flboy]

Sounds like a nice system. Best of luck with it. They do work well.

You did your research so you know the Mobile system is different as noted with lower power so phone needs to be super close to booster antenna. Literally almost on top if it in some cases and models.

Likewise, that is why the home system has higher boost antenna power and needs antenna separation. For most home or RV specific users, you will want to be able to roam around the house or RV with your phone.

I use a home system in the CTC so multiple users can use the booster without being on top of boost antenna. I also do not use the booster in the tow vehicle which would be almost impossible with the Home system due to antenna separation requirements.

Note that, if you are using the Mobile system for a wifi hotspot and data only, then it probably does not matter and you can leave the hotspot near antenna and pickup the wifi on phone or laptop within wifi range. Most people want the booster for data anyhow, so this works well.

If you have unlimited data on your phone and can access data as a tether only so as to not incur a separate expense for hotspot from the phone, then maybe not.

Alot of options out there. Always good to do the homework and understand pros and cons for your individual needs and wants.

Let us know how it works on your trip. I bet you will be glad you have it!

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

[featherliteCT1]

Flboy,

Thank you for the excellent tips . If I had not previously done sufficient research, I would not have appreciated all of the points you made. I suspect that I will learn even more when I install the unit.

[Gonefishin]

Everybody's input has helped me to know I made the right choice in a mobile unit. I went by feedback I found on various RV forums, including this one. I can never be more than 6' from the booster or booster antenna in my 6X12, and usually its less than that since they are roughly at the mid-point of my living space. I did find that while using the phone as a hotspot, I just cradled it near the inside antenna and it worked perfectly. Hope I didn't overspend if I didn't need to, but either way it worked beyond my expectations.

[dirtsailor2003]

Funny here you all are trying to stay connected and I'm still hunting for camp spots where my damn phone doesn't have service!! Which is becoming far a few between these days. Still a few but not like there used to be. Most of my go to spots that never had service have coverage now. Thank goodness for airplane mode (gotta be able to use the camera).

[featherliteCT1]

191207 Weeboost .jpg (58.54 KiB) Viewed 2983 times

Here is the mobile Weboost unit I purchased directly from Weboost for $450, plus tax, with free shipping. I am very happy with the performance so far. So far, I have used it in my home and in my pickup truck. Notice that it has the small, 4 inch tall exterior antenna with the magnetic base. I velcrowed the very lightweight interior antenna to the back of my iPhone to make sure that the antenna stays close to the phone and so I do not have to hold them close together with my hand . Here are few of my thoughts:

1. I have noticed that with the unit turned on I consistently get two extra bars of signal strength on both my phone and my MIFI. Unfortunately, there is no way to view the actual change in dBm’s with the newer versions of the iPhone software like my iPhone has. All I can see are the changed number of bars. My understanding from talking to a Weboost tech that that for some reason Apple does not want you to know signal strength. FYI, when I use up all my monthly 15 gig of "unlimited" data on my Iphone, I switch to the MIFI to get another round of 15 gig of "unlimited" data.

2. The little SMA connectors pop on and off easily which makes it easy to move the unit from one location to another.

3. The diameters of the antenna wires are quite small at approx. 1/8th inch, although the exterior antenna wire is a bit smaller in diameter. The smaller exterior antenna wire does not appear to be pinched by the shut door of my truck because of the rubber door seals. Both antennas are hard wired to the respective cords so that the cords cannot be detached from the antennas themselves. Both cords are round, not flat.

4. Eventually, I will glue a little piece of steel the size of a fifty cent piece onto the roof of my aluminum trailer so I can attach the exterior antenna.

5. The unit has a light that glows solid green when the two antennas are not interfering with each other. It blinks on and off red when the the antennas are interfering with each other because they are two close. Vertical separation is more critical than horizontal. The antenna cords are both ten feet long. I have to use every bit of the full ten feet of exterior antenna cord length to make the light stop flashing red and go solid green. My iPhone and interior antenna sit on my console as I drive.

6. The unit consistently draws 1 amp hour (12 watts) of power.

7. The only negative comment I can make is that with both my Iphone and Weboost, I have a mess of four tangled wires on the console of my truck, which is a bit annoying, but well worth it.

Overall, a big thumbs up.