Are WeBoost worth the money?

[wecoyote]

We frequently travel to places where our cell signal is 1-2 bars. Since we have unlimited mobile data, we use our cell for internet and working remote.

Looking at what's out there, it appears the most popular 4G signal boosters are from WeBoost. However, they certainly are proud of them!

Are they worth the money?

We are considering the Drive 4G-M | 470108 or RV 4G | 470201. Any recommendations?

[OTRA15]

FYI there are plenty of earlier threads on weBoost:

https://www.google.com/search?q=webo...=airforums.com

Good luck!

[carl2591]

search youtube as well.. there are many full time rv'ers that use the we boost system with good success. they are not all the expensive if you have a mifi and need external antenna to help with signal.

here is a real popular model. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Wilson and we boost are the same company.

[bbandeddie]

So what I wonder about these and maybe folks here can help is this. All those videos talk about how “I had 1 bar and now with weboost I have 3 or 4 bars” I don’t recall any of the videos I’ve watched saying “I pulled in to my camp and had zero bars on my phone, turned on the weboost and got service” maybe this happens but they never seem to mention it. Also, I’ve heard them say talk about data being faster but none of them have said they ran a speed tester before and after and reported the difference.
Why this is a question for me is that even at Home and in the general area of things I routinely have only one bar and my phone seems to work just fine. So my question: if you have one bar you have service so what is the weboost really providing? What am I missing here?

[KJRitchie]

Weboost do boost the signal but doesn't mean the data rate is any better. You are still subject to the local tower and it depends on your carrier. Get the 4GX RV package.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-1q6hfl7PM

Kelvin

[AirstreamJim]

Originally Posted by bbandeddie

So what I wonder about these and maybe folks here can help is this. All those videos talk about how “I had 1 bar and now with weboost I have 3 or 4 bars” I don’t recall any of the videos I’ve watched saying “I pulled in to my camp and had zero bars on my phone, turned on the weboost and got service” maybe this happens but they never seem to mention it.

It boosts the signal. To boost a signal, there has to be a signal. If you are in a location with no signal, you will not magically get a signal with your WeBoost cell booster.

Jim

[bbandeddie]

Originally Posted by AirstreamJim

It boosts the signal. To boost a signal, there has to be a signal. If you are in a location with no signal, you will not magically get a signal with your WeBoost cell booster.



Jim

Okay. So if the phone has zero bars the weboost doesn’t find anything. My phone seems to work just fine with 1 bar so what benefit do I get by installing a weboost? Just the comfort of seeing more bars?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by bbandeddie

Okay. So if the phone has zero bars the weboost doesn’t find anything. My phone seems to work just fine with 1 bar so what benefit do I get by installing a weboost? Just the comfort of seeing more bars?

Hi

Your phone stops dropping words and no longer sounds like you are talking on a pair of tin cans connected by string. Your data rate goes from 17.23 Kbps to 1.9 Mbps.

Yes, a lot depends on exactly *what* the situation really is. If your phone only has three bars, then the steps are a bit different than on a phone with six bars. There is no definition of what "one bar" really means ....

Bob

[bbandeddie]

Thanks Bob. That was sort of the performance comparison I havent seen or heard anywhere yet.

[Daquenzer]

I have a weboost in my vehicle that I transfer to the AS. The vehicle one is different than one for say a house. The vehicle weboost needs the phone within a few feet. It doesn’t work well when you use your phone as a modem unless your phone is very close to the interior antenna. Otherwise it does make using your phone in the AS easier and does improve data on the phone. If you want really good reception in your AS you need to get the one for say a house. That interior antenna has a larger signal strength. But then that means 2 units and that’s not cheap (about $900 just for the units). One thing I did was buy a suction cup that I put on the outside when I am parked. That way I didn’t have to drill holes in the AS.

[waninae39]

yes , get a we boost

i makes the most difference in fringe areas

[daleyocum]

We installed a Drive 4G-M and would never consider heading out into the wild without one. Many times we were able to get a signal on Verizon when our fellow campers were getting nowhere. It’s a safety thing for us, if there were an emergency it could make all the difference.

[OriginalMrT]

Yes they work. On again off again one bar becomes solid two or three bars in our experience.

[65CV]

Traveling through the backroads of West Texas, we had no service. Set up the WeBoost in the truck and we had 2 bars -- enough to stream audio.

I had a little difficulty inside the Airstream. I set the antenna up at the top of a non-conductive pole and wasn't getting the amplification I wanted. Customer Service recommend at least a 4" diameter ground plane for best results. (A ground plane is a flat surface that conducts electricity). I screwed the biggest fender washer I could find to the top of the pole and sat the antenna on top of it -- that worked. It's smaller than recommended and I'll change it to something larger if necessary.

I carry a Trucker's antenna just in case, but have never needed it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Ok, let's back off a bit and look at the physics.

The WeBoost amplifies cell signals. It does it on exactly the same frequency into the device as out of the device. If you get to much gain (amplification) you get feedback and the device oscillates. That's just physics. It is no different than a mic and a speaker. Crank up the gain on the amp and you get a yowl.

Put a great big signal out inside the trailer and it will "leak" back to your main antenna. The system will oscillate. You will not get any performance at all. Since your main antenna is right on top of the trailer, it's only a few feet away from the internal device.

The net result is that you need to get close to the WeBoost internal antenna. In an RV setup, there really is no choice. The number of bars you get go up as you get very close. Since you don't always *need* the WeBoost, you can get faked about what's going on ....

Bob

[TRIPPPIN]

Originally Posted by bbandeddie

Thanks Bob. That was sort of the performance comparison I havent seen or heard anywhere yet.

bbandeddie, Check the Youtube video Kelvin posted above it shows some actual experience and quantifies it for that situation.

Keep in mind if you have one bar at your home or outside, the Airstream inside signal will be reduced because the Airstream acts like a Faraday cage and blocks the cell signal unlike fiberglass trailers.

One bar may work on a conversation but in my experience one bar means some dropped words, unclear conversations and dropped calls. If you want to use it to browse the web it may not work - and forget about streaming video it will be too frustrating to watch it stopping etc.



If you are not sure if you need a cell booster check your destinations' RV reviews, Trip Advisor or other reviews for your specific carrier signal issues. If you are mainly travelling to major centers you may not need one at all if there are nearby towers. We go for State parks and many have poor signals. If you are going to use your Canadian cell provider know which provider they trade with in that region. We used our Bell service in previous years and found they use T mobile and AT&T mainly. Verizon has the best overall cell service in the US (especially in the West) but I am not sure there is a Canadian provider that uses Verizon any more.

This year we are going for a US cell provider and picked AT&T because we can use our unlocked Bell phones which cannot be used on Verizon. We are installing a Weboost mobile 4g-x with an omni antenna so we will have web access in hopefully all our destinations in south Florida this year.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you are deep in the woods, keep in mind that all your "stuff" (TV and cell) may be affected by heavy rain. When all those trees get soaking wet, they block signals.

The whole "which provider" thing is a lottery here in the US. In general AT&T does better in the east and Verizon does better in the west. There are numerous exceptions to that rule. There is no one provider that alway is best.

Bob