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Cell service booster good or snake oil?
So at our last camping spot, we had really crappy service. The wife and I have Verizon, and I have an ATT work hotspot. All of them where bouncing from 4G LTE to 3G to 1X to no service pretty much all the time. Phone service itself was meh also. I've seen at CW and online cell boosters. Does anyone have any practical experience with them? Are they worth it?
2001 MB
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #1 –
Quote from: henness  - 
So at our last camping spot, we had really crappy service. The wife and I have Verizon, and I have an ATT work hotspot. All of them where bouncing from 4G LTE to 3G to 1X to no service pretty much all the time. Phone service itself was meh also. I've seen at CW and online cell boosters. Does anyone have any practical experience with them? Are they worth it?

Yes, yes and yes.
Search the site for many past discussions on cell antennas and booster.
Wilson, now know as WeBoost is a major supplier.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #2 –
Quote from: henness  - 
So at our last camping spot, we had really crappy service. The wife and I have Verizon, and I have an ATT work hotspot. All of them where bouncing from 4G LTE to 3G to 1X to no service pretty much all the time. Phone service itself was meh also. I've seen at CW and online cell boosters. Does anyone have any practical experience with them? Are they worth it?

This is an excellent resource although some of it is behind a paywall.

Mobile Internet Resource Center - Mobile Internet Resource Center

Jim
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #3 –
I have this:

https://www.weboost.com/products/drive-4g-x-rv

I use Verizon (iPhone 6 and iPad 3), and often can connect with the signal booster on when others parked close to me with the same provider are "signal-less". Obviously, a cell signal booster is a dead piece of plastic if there is NO signal, but, if it can sense a signal at all, it can often pick up enough to allow a phone call. True, the call may drop, and internet connectivity may be slow as pitch or non-existent, but the cell booster does up the odds of getting a signal in marginal areas.

There are still many places and “lay of the land” locations  where cell towers aren’t (or, a cell signal doesn’t reach), but a cell signal booster *can* help in marginal reception areas.

As ever, YMMV.
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #4 –
The question I have is, for your cell phones, were you able to reliably connect and have a conversation without getting dropped calls?  If so, then the service issue was likely the server to which you were connecting, not the signal strength.  If you are close enough to the tower or antenna to get a reliable signal, a cell booster will not help significantly. 

Here is a sure way to test.  At peak time, usually around 3 or 4 PM, go to Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test and do a test.  Then, some time between midnight and 6 AM, do it again.  If there is a dramatic difference in speed, a booster is unlikely to help.

Where I have been hanging out for the last few months, I run into that issue.  At busy times, my download speed can be as low as 20 kb/sec., while late at night I may get over 1Mb/sec..  The issue is that the server does not have adequate capacity to accommodate all the users trying to connect to it, so it "time shares" everyone's data, slowing things way down, but cell service is fine.  Here, my booster does not add a thing to data speeds.

A booster is really useful if you are at or a bit beyond a fringe service area.  Both cell and data service will fade in and out.  A booster can make a dramatic difference in those places.  There is one boondocking spot in Oregon that I love.  It is on top of a mountain.  Without my booster, I have neither cell nor data service there.  There is not even a ghost of a signal.  When I turn on the booster, I get 4 bars of 4G, and I get fast up and download speeds.  I am just a bit beyond the ability of an unboosted signal to connect.  With the booster, I get great service.

Ken F in NM
'08 MB
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #5 –
Bob Wells from CheapRVLiving just published a video about cell phone boosters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fjbfzvb9j0

The result in short: Cell phone boosters work, and the comparatively inexpensive "weBoost Drive Sleek" ($170-200) is almost as good as the more expensive "weBoost Drive 4G-X" ($400-480).

The video confirms what I had also read in other places, and I have now ordered a weBoost Drive Sleek. I will test it with my Verizon hotspot both in my house and my RV. The idea is to be prepared when I move full time into the RV, and also to get rid of my cable Internet connection already now if possible. I'm using the hotspot already now almost all the time to connect with five devices to the Internet (including video streaming) in my house. However, since I'm about 1 1/2 miles away from the cell phone tower the speed varies greatly. I will see whether and how that changes with the booster.

As Joan said before, a booster can only boost when there is something to boost (like a weak signal). Boosting nothing results in nothing. However, the video also suggests to use an external directional antenna and then be able to pick up signals from far away towers (so that there is something that can be boosted). I will probably get such an antenna in a second step but first I want to see how the booster works alone.

Klaus
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #6 –
"Cell phone boosters work, and the comparatively inexpensive "weBoost Drive Sleek" ($170-200) is almost as good as the more expensive "weBoost Drive 4G-X" ($400-480)."
-----
The reception may be the same or similar between the Sleek and the 4G-X, but the Sleek works only with the cell phone in the cradle, and the cradle is usually in the cab. Since I travel solo, I decided that the Sleek would not be a good choice for me.

weBoost Drive Sleek 470135 | Free Shipping w/ 90 Day Guarantee

I wanted to be able to use the cell phone and the iPad "anywhere" in the rig, and also have connectivity available for a guest's phone and iPad.  It's true that one has to sit pretty close to the interior antenna for the best reception; in my old TK, the antenna nests in a cup holder on the shelf under the rear window, so this is not difficult. I know that any signal carries to the near vicinity, including outside; at a campout last winter, three "lurkers" were hanging out with their phones behind my rig.  ;)

As ever, YMMV. 
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #7 –
Quote from: Joan  - 
...the Sleek works only with the cell phone in the cradle...
The Drive Sleek works also with a mobile hotspot in the cradle which is what I have. This hotspot (Verizon Jetpack 7730L) works like a wireless router to which up to 15 devices can connect at the same time.

I tried to use the hotspot functionality of my phone to connect also other devices to the Internet but it was not 100% reliable. For example, the Amazon Fire TV Stick would sometimes loose the connection in the middle of streaming a video. That happens never with the hotspot. My situation is similar to that of Jim Barnaby (the guy in the video who did the actual testing of the boosters), and for that the Drive Sleek seems to be great. For others, like you, the situation is different and therefore the Drive 4G is probably better.

Klaus
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #8 –
The Sleek will boost one device only, the one in the cradle.  Klaus, it, and all WeBoost boosters, rely upon an exterior antenna.  It will not work without one.  In an area where speed varies greatly, I would expect little benefit from any booster.  In an area where the signal comes and goes, dropping calls and internet connections, a booster is likely to stabilize that connection.

Ken F in NM
'08 MB
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #9 –
Quote from: Kenneth Fears  - 
The Sleek will boost one device only, the one in the cradle. 
Correct - the mobile hotspot to which all other devices are connected through Wi-Fi and then "benefit" from the boosted hotspot. According to weBoost the Drive Sleek works as well with a mobile hotspot as it does with a phone.

In the RV I will probably sooner or later want to have an external directional antenna. In my house, where the tower is visible but 1 1/2 miles away, I will test the system for now without that and just use the multi-directional antenna that comes with the Drive Sleek.
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #10 –
Quote from: Klaus  - 
In the RV I will probably sooner or later want to have an external directional antenna. In my house, where the tower is visible but 1 1/2 miles away, I will test the system for now without that and just use the multi-directional antenna that comes with the Drive Sleek.

The Sleeks work fine but for those who want the strongest signal or camp in very remote areas, a directional antenna, using high-end antenna cable and a better amplifier, will provide a signal where others do not. The Sleeks have the smallest, lowest gain antenna that WeBoost (Wilson) sells. Upgrading to a better antenna can help.
I built several of these, mostly for folks who needed to stay in contact with the world for business purposes.
Directional cellular antenna | Flickr

Our LD has had the same system for seven years, without failure, and if any detectable signal exist, it's able to access it.
An omnidirectional antenna works OK for most folks, is a lot easier to use and is what I recommend for most applications.
In stronger signal areas, I do not bother hoisting the directional antenna up, in the down position, the antenna still works to a degree.
As Ken pointed out, having a strong signal doesn't mean there is any bandwidth. In touristy areas, mid-day, there is plenty of bandwidth but come sundown, the net comes to a halt, with too many trying to access too little bandwidth.   
       
Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #11 –
I'm wondering whether it would be possible to attach the directional antenna somehow to the existing batwing tv antenna mechanism. It would make it quite easy to find the right direction from the inside of the rig. Did anybody ever try that?

Klaus
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #12 –
I've added an omni-directional phone antenna to the existing batwing antenna. So adding a directional one should be possible as long as the phone antenna dos not hit anything when the TV antenna is down.
David
Quote

I'm wondering whether it would be possible to attach the directional antenna somehow to the existing batwing tv antenna mechanism. It would make it quite easy to find the right direction from the inside of the rig. Did anybody ever try that?
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath

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Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #13 –
Quote from: Klaus  - 
I'm wondering whether it would be possible to attach the directional antenna somehow to the existing batwing tv antenna mechanism. It would make it quite easy to find the right direction from the inside of the rig. Did anybody ever try that?

It's a possible modification. One issue is the TV antenna does not swing a full 360 degrees. Knowing how wide the yagi antenna's beam width is will help determine if the lack of full rotation will cause problems
Using a telescopic pole allows the antenna to be raised much higher off the roof, useful in weak, fringe areas.

The OTA TV antenna has been used for mounting cellular and WiFi antennas by many. No reason not to try a mounting directional antenna to it and seeing how it works.  Using a better quality coaxial cabling will also help in pulling in weak signals, I use the thick LMR-400 low-loss cable on premium installations, along with soldering the connecting plugs' terminals.
                
                                                                         

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #14 –
There is one more issue that folks don't seem to think about.     The cell phone itself may be a major part of the problem.    Cheap cell phones can be 'improved' with a 'better' addon equipment.    IMHO most of what folks blame on the cell providers is a problem with the cheap cell they have.

When I say cheap I mean anything below $700.

glen
personal fine art photo stuff
TF Mack | Flickr
It's all good .......
2014 Twin King
Re: Cell service booster good or snake oil?
Reply #15 –
Quote from: Klaus  - 
I'm wondering whether it would be possible to attach the directional antenna somehow to the existing batwing tv antenna mechanism. It would make it quite easy to find the right direction from the inside of the rig. Did anybody ever try that?

Klaus
After trying several different mounting locations, I mounted my Wilson Truckers Cell antenna on the batwing antenna mast. Not so much for the ability to rotate it, but more so that it lay almost flat on the roof when the antenna was down. Those little rods on the antenna are quite brittle and break off very easily if struck by a tree branch. Here's how I did it.