Cell phone booster

[Raspy]

I'm ready to get one, but I don't know how much gain they offer or which one to get. Suggestions please.

[redbarron55]

There are several kinds.
Some cheap ones work with some carriers and on a discrete frequency band.
I have on that works with Verizon on band 13 at my house as that is the nearest tower for my house.
It moved me from maybe a connection to 4 bars of 4G.
Others work on all carriers and bands and are much more expensive.
There are antennas that are omni- directional and those that are directional and need to be aimed at the cell.
To work the best a telescoping pole that attaches to the trailer to get as high as possible and probably omni-directional would be best as you don;t know which direction your signal would come from.
That said since the cell towers fairly sharply direct the signal along the path chosen by the provider it there is not a signal on the ground there might not be one higher either.
These include a booster amplifier as well and can help get a signal.
I was willing to spend $80.00 for the cheap one for my house, less willing to spend $400 for a do it all for travelling

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Raspy

I'm ready to get one, but I don't know how much gain they offer or which one to get. Suggestions please.

Oliver offers one as an option. Maybe we could get some information from them. One would think that they would have done some research before choosing a unit. Right now I am using an AT&T unlimited tablet plan that is $23 and change per month. It is working fairly well but a booster would be nice.

What would be even better is being able to move the unit from your RV to your house. You could have a permanently installed antenna in each and just move the electronics.

[Osos1]

WeBoost amps are IMO the best way to go. I recently upgraded my 3G amp to 4G and was fortunate they had recently released their newest version. Combines with their OTR(over the road ; replaces trucker) the performance is phenomenal. Below is a link to a discussion on Escape Forum.

Newest WeBoost Cellular Amp - Escape Trailer Owners Community

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Osos1

WeBoost amps are IMO the best way to go. I recently upgraded my 3G amp to 4G and was fortunate they had recently released their newest version.

If I get one for a 4G system, will it also work on 3G? I guess some older towers in remote areas are 3G, and those are likely the ones I want to reach.

This booster will only be used in my trailer and not at home, but we are using the AT&T towers with our Consumer Cellular provider.

Out in Death Valley for instance, earlier this week, we could get occasional signal, but only for a minute in very specific locations, while walking around, and not enough to make a call or send a text reliably. So I know it's there and it would be nice if it could be amplified enough to be reliable in the trailer. One guy told me it was a 3G system too. We get out of range a lot and need an improvement. An external large antenna might work sometimes, but not often.

Any Oliver owners that have one would be good to hear from.

[Osos1]

4G amps are backwards compatible so yes, it will work on 3G.

[Jon Vermilye]

I wouldn't worry about 3G, at least with Verizon. They are dropping ALL 3G service at the end of the year. It appears the AT&T will keep it going a bit longer, but there are already devices that only do 4G for example, Verizon's 8800L hotspot.

[DavidJS]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Any Oliver owners that have one would be good to hear from.

Hi John,

We got the WeBoost Drive 4G-M Cellular Signal Booster as an option installed in our Oliver. We have been happy with it, and it definitely boosts the cellular signal, between 1 to 2 bars. I have had a number of campsites where I had no signal initially, but I did with the booster turned on.

I used to use the Field Test Mode to get more accurate readings of the cell signal, and how much the booster affected the cell signal; unfortunately, starting with iOS11, my iPhone can no longer be placed in Field Test Mode.

Before buying our Oliver, I saw some people on the Oliver forum said that the WeBoost did not work; I suspect they did not follow the instructions. The phone or jetpack must be within 18-36 inches of the interior antenna over the dinette, and you need to cycle into and out of airplane mode so that the phone lets go of the distant cell tower and connects with the “closest cell tower,” the WeBoost.

Also, before buying the Olivier, I bought and read a copy of The Mobile Internet Handbook, made by the Technomadia people, fulltime RVers. The book was very good, and they tested and reviewed a bunch of boosters, and at that time WeBoost Drive 4G-M was the best one. That was several years ago, and technology does not stand still.

On my Oliver, the external WeBoost antenna is mounted on the roof. From what I have read on Airstream forums, you would probably get a better signal by mounting the Antenna on a flagpole.

David

[Raspy]

Thanks David, That is an excellent report. Really helpful.

[Carol and Mike]

John, I second Davids report. The booster in our trailer works as advertised and provides at least one bar when sitting at the dinette. Sometimes I do have go into airplane mode for a few seconds so I pick up the boosted signal when I turn it back on. Will be interested in where you will put one in your HQ19! Mike

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Raspy

I'm ready to get one, but I don't know how much gain they offer or which one to get. Suggestions please.

This is the best video I have seen that does a sensible test of the unit in a weak signal area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uaLJZ1HjlM

[Raspy]

I ordered a WeBoost RV65 with the extendable mast. Designed for stationary applications with a 65 DB boost. As I understand it, 50 DB is the max allowed for systems working on moving vehicles. This has the directional antenna and must be aimed at the signal.

It looks like the mast will attach and work perfectly on the rear of my HQ19, with a custom bracket.

On our last trip to Death Valley, I could make a weak call sometimes, if I stood in the exact right place at the exact right time. But nothing else. So, I know there was some signal available.

Thanks for all the excellent comments! I'll report back how it works. If I get it before Thursday, I'll take it with us on the next adventure, starting at the end of next week, to Valley of Fire, Quartzsite, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms and possibly Death Valley.

I've been spending a lot of time working on the trailer and it will be nice to hit the road.

[Osos1]

That model is a big hassle for a small RV unless you stay for extended periods at one place. You have to have 25' of separation between outside/inside antenna. Better to go with new Drive Reach with OTR antenna for less money.

[Raspy]

I may be wrong here, but it looks like the Drive Reach is designed to be used while driving, and has an omni-directional antenna. As I understand it, those antennas are less effective than a directional ones and the boost is limited for moving vehicles to 50 DB.

I am not worried about boost while driving, only while parked, but he 25' minimum separation could be a problem.

[ZachO]

I'll be interested to hear how it works for you.

I have a Wilson, which has a cradle for the phone and just boosts what's in the cradle. It works for me. But the antenna is magnetic. I could build something so it can clamp, but the way it is, it's meant to be stuck to the roof of a vehicle. So in my camper or in some of the houses I sometimes stay at, I have to kind of rig it to work. But it does work! It needs a USB plug-in for power.

The shortest, easiest explanation is if you have a signal but can't get a text out, the booster allows you to get a text out. If you can get texts but can't make a call, it'll boost enough to make the call, plus allow you to get email. It's been really helpful for me.

[Osos1]

Used a mag mount for years on a steel disc I could attach to a pvc mount. In a pinch I could also use my bbq cover placed on the roof.

Wilson's OTR antenna is a huge improvement. Am seeing them more often on campers and even motorcycles.

[ZachO]

This is what I have. Apparently "discontinued by manufacturer".

This is beside the point, but I like to avoid too much exposure to wifi and cell signals, so personally I like that this booster is very "localized", only boosting what's in the cradle, rather than everything within a 20ft radius. We are the experiment in whether this type of radiation is safe. I still think it would work fine for a home office in the camper, since you can set your phone in it and use the phone as a hot spot, or if you own an actual dedicated hotspot, you can set it in the cradle. Anyway...no matter what the signal is getting boosted and you're getting it just like your computer is getting it.