Your devices get increased reception, and outgoing calls and data are amplified through the booster and sent back to the network. The outside antenna communicates back and forth with nearby cell towers. The signal booster amplifies any cell signals it receives from the outside antenna.
The inside antenna broadcasts these signals for use throughout your home or vehicle. Watch Video: How weBoost works. How outside signal strength influences booster performance The stronger the outside signal strength, the more effective a cell phone signal booster will be at amplifying the signal strength indoors. Top 10 benefits of a cell phone signal booster Fewer dropped calls and missed messages Less dependence on WiFi for internet Improved voice quality on any carrier Reduced occurrences of "dead zones" Faster streaming and data speeds Longer battery life on cellular devices Increased indoor coverage area at home Larger signal range while on the road Better use of unlimited data plans Peace of mind with reliable cell signal.
What makes cell signal unreliable? Distance - the farther away you are from the cell tower, the weaker the signal is. Terrain - Hills, mountains, trees, foliage, rocks, and other terrain features between you and nearby cell towers can prevent cell signal. Vehicles - Metal and safety glass, the materials making up the outer shell of most vehicles, do an excellent job of blocking cell signals.
Will a cell phone signal booster work for me? How much does a cell phone booster cost? As a general rule: The more powerful the booster is, the higher the price. A booster that provides more coverage area costs more.
One-device vehicle boosters cost less than a booster that supports multiple users and devices. Boosters that only work with specific carriers cost less. Why weBoost cell signal boosters With every weBoost product, you benefit from a company that was the first to design, build, and market cell signal boosters for residential use.
How long does it take to install a cell phone booster? Do cell phone boosters work in rural or remote areas? How can I find the location of the closest cell tower? Most people think the bars on their phone represent signal strength. Signal quality can limit the number of bars just as much as strength.
Understanding this fact is really important for installing a signal booster correctly. As we mentioned above, most cell networks utilize LTE for both calls and data transmissions. We'll show you how to measure each of these in the Measuring Signal Strength and Signal Quality section below. Modern cellular technologies such as 4G LTE use the same frequency bands to transmit signal from all towers. Inter-tower interference is one of the main common reasons we see weak signal in urban and suburban areas.
Cellular signal is weakened as it travels through space. Even if the signal outside the building or vehicle is strong, materials like drywall, wood, concrete, metal, and low-e glass can attenuate the signal, making it weaker inside a home, office, and vehicles.
In the same way that building materials block signal, your signal reception can be limited by attenuation from buildings between you and the nearest cell tower. A signal booster can help no matter which of these is causing poor cell reception. But in each case, there are slightly different nuances to ensuring you pick the right equipment. Cellular service runs on a number of different bands that are licensed to the carriers by the Federal Communications Commission FCC.
There are 4 main frequency bands used by carriers in the US. These four bands are supported by almost all of the boosters we sell:. No carrier uses just one frequency band in any particular area.
Your phone will automatically switch between the different bands depending on which band offers the clearest and strongest signal. The most important thing to know about frequency is that the higher the frequency, the more easily the signal is attenuated. So, for example, a MHz signal has a much harder time penetrating a building than a MHz signal. How does this affect a booster installation?
Even after you install a signal booster, the higher frequencies will still be attenuated more easily. As a result, boosting signal on the MHz band inside a building is typically easier than boosting signal on a higher frequency band.
A cell signal booster also known as a cell repeater works by amplifying the cell phone signal being sent to and from your phone to the nearby tower. There are three main components:. As we explained in the Understanding Bars section, signal strength and signal quality both impact the number of bars you see on your phone. Take a look at our comprehensive signal testing guide , or here's a quick summary Since the gain of broadband boosters is limited by the FCC, we recommend using a carrier-specific booster where possible if you have weak signal at the outdoor donor antenna location.
At the moment, the only carrier-specific boosters are made by Cel-Fi. Choosing the right outdoor antenna and aiming it correctly is one of the main ways that you can improve the performance of your signal booster.
There are two ways that the right donor antenna can help:. While directional antennas take a little more work to aim and install, we generally recommend them to anyone who has either weaker outdoor signal or in cases where signal is strong but noisy low SINR and RSRQ.
Some people worry that installing and aiming a directional antenna means that you improve signal for one carrier while sacrificing signal on other carriers. However, this only very rarely happens: cell towers are usually clustered in one area or even on the same pole , and generally the same direction is best for all carriers. You can still get great coverage from two towers on different carriers that are in opposite directions when using a directional antenna — one of those signals will usually be somewhat stronger, and using a directional antenna allows you to aim and equalize the signal coming from each.
The devices will give you a signal reading that includes both RSRP signal strength and SINR signal clarity , making it easier to try different antenna locations and directions and find the best signal.
Many of our in-building signal boosters come with options that include multiple additional antennas. So, how many antennas do you actually need? Signal travels much more easily through coaxial cable than it does through air or through walls and doors.
As a rough rule, we recommend installing one antenna per 1, square feet of coverage for home and small office applications. If the space is more open and there are fewer walls, you can use fewer antennas. There are two main types of indoor antennas: dome antennas and panel antennas.
Many of our kits are available with the option to choose which you want. If the space is long and narrow, then a panel antenna may be a better choice. Panel antennas are typically mounted on walls. Panel antennas focus signal in a beam. Typically the beam is relatively wide around 45 degrees , but some specialty antennas are narrower. Yes, they do! Signal boosters amplify both the signal being received by and sent from your phone, resulting in stronger signal.
And if you use a directional outdoor antenna , you can also improve your signal quality as well. Yes, a signal booster will almost always help you increase your data rates, whether it's for a hotspot or a phone.
That being said, your data rates depend on a number of factors, and boosting signal strength is only a small part of the equation. There are three things that can cause bad cell phone reception: weak signal, low-quality signal, and congestion on the cell network.
You can fix each of these with a signal booster. Weak signal can be amplified by the booster and a directional outdoor antenna can be used to improved signal quality. By amplifying the signal of higher frequency bands and making them available to your devices, a cell phone signal booster can also help you overcome tower congestion.
Higher frequency bands travel less far and penetrate buildings less well, so they are generally less congested than lower frequency bands. Dropped phone calls are almost always caused by either low signal strength or low signal quality. Today's 4G LTE phones use a technology called "Voice over LTE" for calls - which means your phone calls are transmitted in almost exactly the same way as data. By increasing your signal strength and signal quality, you'll be able to boost both your cell service and your data rates.
That means that each time you park your RV, you'll need to pull out the 25' extendible mast, and aim your outdoor antenna towards the nearest tower. But the included mast allows you to get above obstructions to the best cell signal available, and means for those willing to take the extra time, they'll see even better results than with our top-recommended Drive Reach.
Signal attenuates quickly as you move away from rebroadcast antenna, so for best result devices should be kept nearby. When you're out on a boat, signal gets weak as you move away from shore.
The key to better coverage is a booster with high uplink power, and that's where the Drive Reach Marine shines. No other booster compares. You won't get a huge coverage area, and might want to consider tethering or using a hotspot to give other devices access via WiFi. Make sure you understand the coverage limitations of the Drive Reach.
You'll need to keep your phone or hotspot right near the Drive Reach's paddle antenna for best results. We've been told time and time again that it provides the best coverage when you're off-shore. The reason the Drive Reach Marine kit works so well on boats is that it's been designed to have the highest uplink power possible 26 dBm!
When you're at the edges of cell coverage, uplink power is what helps you stay connected for voice and data calls. That means it is limited to 50 dB gain. The result of this lower gain number compared to "stationary" boosters is that it won't provide much of a coverage area - just a few feet at most.
So, for best results, you'll need to keep your cell phone or hotspot near the kit's rebroadcast antenna. The best option for boosting signal for 4G and 5G routers and modems actually isn't a traditional "signal booster" at all.
We actually recommend connecting MIMO antennas directly to your hotspot, without any kind of booster at all. These antennas have relatively high gain, and work best if you know the direction of your nearest towers, and ideally if you have line of sight.
Most hotspots have either TS9 or SMA external antenna ports, but some hotspots don't have external antenna ports at all, and can't be used with these antennas. You can also look for your hotspot in our device-specific external antenna guides. If you're looking to get the very best data rates possible, using MIMO antennas with a 4G or 5G hotspot or router is your best bet.
MIMO antennas work even better than boosters. Log periodic antennas are highly directional antennas with between 8 and 11 dBi gain. These log periodic antenna kits combine two antennas in a MIMO configuration and include ultra-low-loss coax cable, adapters, and a J-Mount. Not only are MIMO antennas cheaper than boosters, but they also get you the very best data rates. We couldn't recommend them more highly. Slightly lower gain than our top pick. Use these for an easier, simpler install if you don't know the exact direction of the nearest towers.
If you don't know the exact direction of the nearest cell tower, and you don't have clear line of sight, this MIMO panel antenna kit is the best choice. The MIMO panel has lower gain than our log periodic antennas. As a result, they're less directionally sensitive. That makes them easier to set up and aim.
Check to see if you can find the location of your nearest cell tower. If you know the exact location and direction of the nearest tower, you might benefit from using log periodic antennas instead.
These antennas have slightly lower gain 8 dBi than our log periodic antennas 11 dBi. That makes them meaningfully more forgiving: they're easier to set up and less sensitive to the exact direction of the nearest tower. Easy returns. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Talk to a signal expert: Email. Toggle navigation. Account Register Log in. Last update: October 20th, It's hard to tell them apart. But not all signal boosters are the same. I've been testing and installing boosters for the last 15 years. I hope it's helpful to you on your journey to better signal! How a Signal Booster Works Boosters work by conditioning and amplifying the signal that's coming to and from the nearest cell tower.
I made a short video explaining how they work. Hit the play button to give it a watch:. Boosters and Gain Gain is a measure of how much a booster can amplify a signal. Why gain matters For most people, gain is the single most important signal booster spec to look at. Gain matters most if you are: Boosting signal in a home, office, or stationary RV and The signal outside that you'll be amplifying is quite weak.
Boosters and Power Cell phone signal boosters have maximum "downlink power" and "uplink power" ratings. A booster's power ratings only matters in two situations: Downlink power matters if the outdoor signal is strong If you're installing a booster in a home or office and the outdoor signal is very strong, the maximum downlink power might be important.
Uplink power matters for cars, trucks, boats, and moving RVs. Frequency Bands Cell towers communicate with your phone on a number of different frequency ranges, called "bands. Is T-Mobile Your Carrier? In fact, we think there are Finding the right booster depends on your budget, and how and where you need better signal. Choose your application to see our favorites:. Skip to your application. The basic structure is explained in these two graphics: Every cell phone signal booster has three main parts: An outdoor antenna that communicates with the tower.
A signal amplifier that's "bi-directional" - that means it boosts the signal both the "uplink" and the "downlink" paths. An indoor antenna that that communicates with the tower. We based our results in this guide on three main sources of information. Lab measurements We thoroughly tested all the amplifiers in this list alongside many others in our lab to confirm their manufacturer-advertised specs. Real-world testing But nothing beats real-world testing. Our team of Signal Specialists Last but not least, we got feedback from our team of Signal Specialists, who provide technical support to thousands of customers each year.
Looking for a booster to be used in a home, office, or other building? If the signal outside the building is strong greater than dBm RSRP , then the most important booster spec is the downlink output power. You won't need much amplification to max out the booster, so the gain specification doesn't matter as much. But if the signal outside the building is weak less than dBm RSRP , then the most important booster spec is its gain. You're unlikely to reach the maximum downlink output power of a booster, so the higher its gain, the greater the coverage of your booster.
You don't have to, but it might be helpful! The best signal boosters in this guide will work even when the outdoor signal is very weak. Unfortunately not. There are many different options, and it depends on your exact application.
The weBoost Home Installed Complete because it comes with nationwide installation. The weBoost Drive Reach for cars and pickup trucks. The SureCall Fusion4Home if you're looking for a home booster on a tight budget.
MIMO antennas will allow you to achieve the very best data rates at home or at the office. Yes, absolutely. Here are a few of the things that differentiate cheaper cell phone boosters from more expensive units: FCC certification: For a booster to be legal to use in the US by consumers, it must be certified by the FCC.
We've carefully vetted all the boosters in this list to make sure they're all compliant and certified. Carrier-specific boosters can have much more gain, and provide more advanced diagnostics to help aim the outdoor antenna. However, they're also more expensive than broadband boosters that amplify all carriers by a lesser amount.
Frequency Bands: Not all boosters support the same frequencies. There are 5 main frequency bands that the FCC allows boosters to amplify. Some cheap boosters only amplify a subset of these bands. Gain : Gain is a measure of how much a booster amplifies the signal. If you're in a weak-signal area, it's the single most important specification of a booster.
Downlink Power: The maximum downlink power rating of a repeater determines its maximum coverage area. If your outdoor signal is strong, it's the most important booster spec. Uplink Power: The maximum uplink power rating of a signal booster determines how well the booster will perform at the very edges of cell coverage. For mobile boosters used in cars and RVs, this is often the most important specification.
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