Cell phone signal booster

The Wilson 4G-X was great, if there is signal to be boosted in the area. Certain areas even with good signal may still have poor data/call signal as the carriers haven't spent money to upgrade systems in the area.

 

I don't know what carrier you are with but that is the most important factor. In the last 30 yrs I have only used 3 carriers. T mobile is a real POS and so is their customer service. I was with Verizon for many years, good coverage but the customer service really sucks. They would not give me a senior discount after 25 years with them, so I told Verizon to go pound sand. Now with ATNT good phone service, about the same as Verizon but A T N T customer service is far superior to Verizon and they speak English. I you get a good quality phone like Samsung Galaxy and good carrier you should be better off. Just remember if you run out west and into the Rockies you will lose your signal on occasion, but a lot of the times you can still text when when you can't make a call.

 

One thing about Verizon I like is their pre-paid service. If you don't really need all those bells and whistles that come with post-paid, you can really save some money switching to pre-paid. I use post-paid, but one of my neighbors uses pre-paid and pays only $25 a month for unlimited texts, calls, and 5 GB of data. It's not $25 to start with, but you get money off the monthly bill for setting up automatic payment and after about 9 months it drops to $25. I use very little data on my plan because I also carry an iPad A2428 with T-Mobile when out of my home.

 

I have use a cell booster since 2014. I started with a Wilson 3g signal booster that had a phone mount that your phone had to sit in for the signal to be boosted and it worked great for 1X/2G/3G etc.

I have the newest WeBoost Drive Reach OTR that is compatible with 5G now and it works well with 4G/4GLTE/5G. If I am in an area with a weak signal the amplifier has always been able to give me a good enough signal to keep the calls from dropping and as long as I have a signal I can get some kind of data to be able to search the web for whatever I need.

 

Where do you run? I have Verizon and don't even remember the last time I did not have service except some remote areas in WY.
You can also have a Verizon phone, plus get another spare Att phone and you will have coverage virtually anywhere.

 

At&t is worthless in Wyoming, Verizon is getting worse with the 3G shutdown an T-Mobile has never had good coverage. The weBoost units do seem to help.

Wyoming may be a special case but it dates back to Ma bell not caring about the state and a modern era where the big three won't work with the rural Telecom companies on the 3G shut down.

So probably not the best place to decide what provider to use unless you live here.

 

A signal booster seems like the long way around the barn. Maybe if you have an older phone or you're on some off-brand MVNO with a de-prioritized network connection. I've never needed a signal boosted or had a problem with dropped calls. Of course, my phone is never more than two generations behind the newest flagship and I'm on a first-tier plan.

Face it, you NEED a reliable way to communicate on the road. Even if you're a hermit you will still need to reach a dispatcher, a broker or roadside assistance. I spend less than $50/mo. for a phone and plan. There are other places to skimp.

 

3g shutdown is dramatically reducing cell coverage in rural areas unfortunately.

Verizon reduce coverage in my home town of 15,000 along I80to 'secondary' meaning of you don't have coverage at your house you are SOL.

I am sure it is not the only place that they will reduce coverage rather than develop new towers in mountain country which is expensive

 

I think you get better "bang for your buck" by getting phone service from Verizon or ATT. There are what is called MVNO companies that buy bulk cellphone service from Verizon and ATT but sell to customers much lower than Verizon and ATT. Visible is a Verizon-owned company and uses Verizon network. You can sign up for Party Pay. Party Pay lets 4 strangers share a 4 lines for $100 plan. I have one as my backup phone. It costs me $25 per month, no additional taxes or fees, just $25 per month. It has unlimited talk, text, and data.

Another good service is US Mobile. I think their plan is $30/month for unlimited everything. If you have Comcast/Xfinity TV or internet service at home you can sign up for Xfinity Mobile. Unlimited talk, text, and 20GB of data for $45 per month. The only downside is if you use your phone as a hotspot with XM they limit the data speed to 5 Mbs. I think they slow data after you use 20GB on your phone. If you don't have Comcast/Xfinity TV or internet at home, you can use Xfinity Mobile but they charge another $25 per month. Check with your home internet provider to see if they have a cellphone plan, but only if it puts you on the Verizon or ATT network. The other providers have big dead spots.

A cellphone booster only boosts a signal if there is a signal. Too many people chose a phone plan based on the cost and nothing else. Several big cellphone services only have good signal in the big cities and on the interstate highways. Customers are spread all over. You are not saving money if your phone only works in the cities but you drive everywhere.

Go read Howard Forums. That site has experts on everything related to cellphones. You need to know where you will be going to get the best service on the road. Verizon and ATT are "almost everywhere", the others are "in most places".