Home based cell booster

[gargoyle158]

I looked but haven't seen this issue discussed. Looking at adding a cell booster. They seemm to be a little pricey. Ran across a Weboost 4gHome, About 300.00. Only has a flat antenna so not good for use while driving. The RV models are 500 dollars and North. Here is the question, if I get the 4gHome and add an Omni antenna will that work while mobile? It has more power then FCC allows for mobile and the inverter would need to be on, but would it still work? I heard that the " home" units don't jump from tower to tower efficiently, that true?

[way2roll]

Big Katuna wrote:
That’s my experience. I never let no bars/ no service on my phone stop me from putting up my a Weboost and so far, I have always gotten a usable signal fast enough for streaming.

So for those that don’t have one that keep telling me no bars = no cell service I say keep on misinforming.

facepalm....

[Big_Katuna]

That’s my experience. I never let no bars/ no service on my phone stop me from putting up my a Weboost and so far, I have always gotten a usable signal fast enough for streaming.

So for those that don’t have one that keep telling me no bars = no cell service I say keep on misinforming.

[ktmrfs]

Big Katuna wrote:

way2roll wrote:

Curly2001 wrote:
We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

The answer is maybe. A booster won't do anything if there is no signal to boost. When travelling and requiring a signal I think the best approach is duplicity. Have a VZ and an ATT account for example.

Get the open signal app. It can tell you what towers, carriers and strength are in a particular area.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you don’t have a Weboost.

Many many times I have had none to one bar, poor to no data rate.

Plug in the Weboost and get 5-20 MBS. Two carriers help. Sometime you are throttled due to tower traffic by company eg Verizon will be slow but ATT is fast.

The sat signal and dB apps don’t tell the complete story.

Speed test does.

yes.

The signal strength needed by a booster to get a useable signal is much much lower than a cell phone will operate on, and often a signal level that a phone won't even operate on. The key is that the booster needs to have enough power to get a useable signal to the cell site antenna. If it can, then you usually can get a useable signal for the phone. If the signal is better than about -150db a cell booster will usually get you a useable signal. By constrast a signal level below about -120db is the threshold for a useable signal with a phone. So you can be in a place where your phone says no service and get a very useable signal with a booster. One in the vicinity of -80db which is around the "5 bars" level.

As to the OP's question about the oregon coast. Yes ATT or verizon has many spots with no or marginal reception. However we travel up and down the coast quite often and with my Weboost system I have had a strong useable signal with Verizon and ATT anyplace we have stayed at along the coast. By contrast there are many high use common campgrounds that without a booster you won't get reliable service with ATT or verizon.

[gargoyle158]

Doing some more research it appears that the stationary Boosters need much further separation in the antennas. 50 foot plus and a 20 height would be great. So using a stationary unit obviously won't work while mobile, not that I would do such a thing. But it appears my rubber roof and 6-foot antenna may not be enough separation. So I guess the Weboost RV will be getting my money. Thanks for everyone chiming in !!

[wa8yxm]

Curly2001 wrote:
We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

If you have a signal, just not a good one. A booster MAY help. (Some hints below) If you have NO signal. even when standing on the roof of the RV.. Forget it.

The hints.
Antennas come in two basic types. One is an "omni" (Sticks up like a finger) now a good Omni may have some "Gain" (Gain means increased range) But a good DIRECTIONAL antenna will have more gain in one direction. It will also ignore noise from off to the side or rear to some extent.. HOWEVER YOU HAVE TO AIM IT.. .

HEIGHT (up to a point) is MIGHT.. if you have one bar standing on the ground you might well have 2 or 3 standing on the roof. and an antenna say 20 or 25 feet up a flagpole may well have more still. Up to likely about 50-100 feet then the line loss in the coax beconmes an issuem but you are not going to have that kind of a mast (25 feet is about the limit for push up poles. aka flag poles)

[way2roll]

Big Katuna wrote:

way2roll wrote:

Curly2001 wrote:
We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

The answer is maybe. A booster won't do anything if there is no signal to boost. When travelling and requiring a signal I think the best approach is duplicity. Have a VZ and an ATT account for example.

Get the open signal app. It can tell you what towers, carriers and strength are in a particular area.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you don’t have a Weboost.

Many many times I have had none to one bar, poor to no data rate.

Plug in the Weboost and get 5-20 MBS. Two carriers help. Sometime you are throttled due to tower traffic by company eg Verizon will be slow but ATT is fast.

The sat signal and dB apps don’t tell the complete story.

Speed test does.

The fact that Weboost's own website will tell you, you can't boost a signal if it doesn't exist is almost a moot point. You can't create what isn't there. Unless of course your weboost is magical and creates a signal.

Granted it will pick up and boost a weak signal, (that's it's sole purpose) perhaps weaker than a phone can detect, but it can't create a signal out of thin air.

Open signal app has a speed test among a lot of other directional and live coverage indicators.

Telling you this seems silly though, as you seem to already know everything.

[Big_Katuna]

way2roll wrote:

Curly2001 wrote:
We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

The answer is maybe. A booster won't do anything if there is no signal to boost. When travelling and requiring a signal I think the best approach is duplicity. Have a VZ and an ATT account for example.

Get the open signal app. It can tell you what towers, carriers and strength are in a particular area.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you don’t have a Weboost.

Many many times I have had none to one bar, poor to no data rate.

Plug in the Weboost and get 5-20 MBS. Two carriers help. Sometime you are throttled due to tower traffic by company eg Verizon will be slow but ATT is fast.

The sat signal and dB apps don’t tell the complete story.

Speed test does.

[ktmrfs]

Curly2001 wrote:
We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

oregon coast is hit and miss for good coverage w/o a booster for verizon and ATT. In some places it's good for one or the other, some places for neither, some places good for both. However I have found with the weboost RV booster every place we have been on the coast we get excellent coverage with Verizon. In marginal or bad areas, there has been a tower close enough that a booster can get a good enough signal for voice and data.

Some places you would expect good coverage (Ft.Stevens) have very marginal coverage. Others that seem out of the way have very good reception.

We've camped up and down the coast from WA to CA on many occasions. With the booster never been w/o decent signal.

[Curly2001]

I think you are right with a second service. Probably should ask around and see who's service is most popular there and look at it.
thanks,
Curly

[way2roll]

Curly2001 wrote:
We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

The answer is maybe. A booster won't do anything if there is no signal to boost. When travelling and requiring a signal I think the best approach is duplicity. Have a VZ and an ATT account for example.

Get the open signal app. It can tell you what towers, carriers and strength are in a particular area.

[Curly2001]

We are going to be on the coast of Oregon pretty soon this year and cell phone coverage is terrible there, at least for us on Verizon. Would a cell booster be of any benefit there for us?
Thanks,
Curly

[gargoyle158]

wa8xym, Thanks for the comment. Pretty much my thought process as well. To the other commenters, yes I am well aware of the FCC regulations. Looking for good communications while parked but doesn't make sense to have two boosters in the RV. I also have this suspicion that adding the words "RV" or "Marine" to a package increases the costs considerably. Maybe I am just cynical. The only other difference is 110volt compared to 12 volts. For me, that is not a deal-breaker.

[ktmrfs]

allen8106 wrote:
I use the Weboost RV and have it mounted to the top of my 20 foot flag pole which is mounted to the back bumper of the camper. So I didn't have to drill holes in my camper I ran the cable from the antennae to the cable TV connector then hooked the indoor section the output of the cable TV connector on the inside. Works great.

I do similar with my Weboost RV. For a pole I use a fiberglass RV washing pole with the antenna mounted to it. I use a flat 75 ohm 12" cable to go through the rear window.

Works great.

[wa8yxm]

Lwiddis wrote:
More power than FCC allows would make it illegal. You not advocating illegal behavior are you?

Gee... I remember the glory days of CB with folks converting amps to 11 meters...

To the orginal poster

There are very few differences between Home Cell boosters and RV/Truck/Auto

The outside antenna may be different (Made to be attached to a mast instead of the auto body.

The inside antenna may be different as well Not that it matters much

The power cord will be a wall wart.

The black box that does all the magic.. Identical

Now about that mast mounted antenna.

If you only plan to use it Parked.. A push up telescoping mast (AKA Flag Pole) an get it up higher than the body of your RV and HEIGHT IS MIGHT..