Do cell phone boosters for cars work?

[Darrell KSR]

Have seen these things go for several hundred dollars, and not sure I'd want to pay that, but I'd really like a (portable) option to improve my cell phone coverage.

99% of the time when I travel (save the Union City, TN area), I have cell phone coverage and can make calls.

But OFTEN when I travel on the interstates, my data coverage is weak. I like to listen to XM Radio or Iheartradio, and I can throughout my metro area, but when I get much out of Birmingham, it struggles.

I have a Samsung S4 4g LTE phone, and it does great "here." But "there" it becomes bad. I'd like to at least get it to "average," or "average-plus."

Will things LIKE this work for me? (I haven't researched it, and this might not even work, but just getting an idea.)

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electro.../dp/B0011GI94Q

[Darrell KSR]

Here's a cheaper one with good reviews (4.2/5.0, 447 reviews). $79.

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electro...signal+booster

[BigBlueBrock]

If you're looking to boost your 4G LTE signal strength in your car, the booster you linked will not work.

Supports CDMA, TDMA, GSM & AMPS, in addition to 3G data protocols such as HSDPA, EVDO & EDGE

Given how relatively new 4G LTE is for GSM carriers (AT&T and T-Mobile), you're going to have difficulty finding LTE signal boosters for cars or homes. Google searching found a couple of different antennae for Verizon 4G LTE, but none for AT&T or T-Mobile. The worse news is, due to the high frequency of LTE data signals, it's building and vehicle penetration is really awful unless you're right next to a tower. Your (and my) only hope for the moment is continued proliferation of 4G LTE towers.

[BigBlueBrock]

Though, to answer the question in the subject line - yes, cell boosters for cars do work. They just have to be able to accept the specific frequency band of whatever signal you're trying to boost. Almost all of them, even the cheapest, do the basic frequency for voice calls (reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies). Most or all will carry the frequencies for 3G and basic 4G. Few are, at least at the moment, compatible with 4G LTE.

[CitizenBBN]

Like Brock said, they do work, and are ideal for boosting voice. All wireless radios/antennas resonate at a particular frequency, the combo has to operate at that frequency. A 2.4Ghz antenna won't boost a 900mhz radio signal, etc.

I haven't researched at all for 4G, but Wilson is one of the better and more popular makers overall. Their systems will definitely boost your voice range. Looks like based on Brock's search they aren't readily available for 4G yet though.

[CitizenBBN]

I should add that different kinds and different phones do get different results. Last time I looked at them they had boosters that didn't connect direct to the phone and those that did. Been at least 2 years since I even looked at the systems available.

[Darrell KSR]

Well, dumb question.

First, I don't mind paying a little for a boost in cell phone reception anyway. I'm generally fine, and don't drop calls, but especially when I'm going to be traveling, I don't mind boosting it a little.

So here's the dumb question part.

Do I have to find a 4G/LTE T-Mobile booster in order to stream things like Iheartradio or Siriux/XM? Or would one that boosted 3G or whatever T-Mobile has when 4G isn't available "work?"

Sounds like I may have to wait to get what I REALLY want, but that I might get some benefit out of basic cell phone reception in the meantime.

[Darrell KSR]

Oh--and thank you guys for your descriptions and explanations. I don't really know what I'm dealing with; just know there's something different from cell phone transmission and streaming/websurfing, and on a scale of 1 to 10, when traveling, I could use a boost in cell phone transmission of about a "5," and on streaming, a "10."

[dan_bgblue]

Do not know about anyone other than this one. It does a terrific job

Darrell, you can call Wilson Electonics, and I do believe they can answer your questions as it pertains to their equipment. They are very knowledgeable and customer centric.

[jazyd]

Darrell I am surprised on the iheartvradio radio part. I have listened to it driving all over Miss in most rural parts w/o losing the signal. I listened to a Jackson station from a school 40 miles north of Columbus all the way back to Jackson clear as a bell

[Darrell KSR]

Jazy, that's the part that kills me. I can make calls usually, but driving from here to Huntsville, I don't have that kind of ability probably 75% of the time. Same from Huntsville to Nashville. Heading south, same from Birmingham to Montgomery, and when you get outside of Montgomery headed to beach area, it's pretty much done.

I get close to the major cities, fine. But not otherwise, even though I'm on major interstates. And one of life's great pleasures when traveling multiple hours on the road is listening to something you enjoy--particularly (for me), a ballgame.

Dan, thanks--I will check them out. You may not have noticed, but the one you linked is the same one I linked in my 2nd post in the thread. It looked good, but I hd no idea if it would work for my phone.

As I said, I'd like some improvement in cell phone coverage, although that's not a major deal. But the data reception is a huge deal. That's where I really need the assistance.

[Darrell KSR]

Is this reliable information?

http://www.ubersignal.com/tmobile-ce...ters-repeaters

Bottom Line

If you only get a 2G T-Mobile signal, get a standard dual-band cell phone signal booster. It’ll boost your phone calls now, and when T-Mobile migrates their 3G service to 1900 MHz, it will boost that as well.

If you get a 3G or 4G (HSPA+) T-Mobile signal now, you should contact T-Mobile’s customer service to find out what frequency is used in your area. Or, for best results over the long term, look for an amplifier that supports both 1900 MHz and AWS.

If you get a 4G LTE signal, an AWS specific amplifier will boost that signal. However, remember that phone calls are not currently transmitted over the 4G LTE network, so to boost phone calls, you’ll also need to boost T-Mobile’s 3G network. In situations where 4G LTE has already been deployed, the 3G network will have likely been transitioned to the 1900 MHz band. Therefore, your best best is to get a booster that supports both AWS and 1900 MHz PCS.

[Darrell KSR]

Maybe this Wilson?

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-812726F.../dp/B00BL85YK6

[BigBlueBrock]

That might do the trick, Darrell. I'd call Wilson customer service and ask about it, making sure you mention T-Mobile 4G LTE specifically.

[Darrell KSR]

I dropped the Wilson company a note explaining what I needed, and they emailed me within a couple of hours with the product that will boost 4g/LTE for T-Mobile. What a pleasure to deal with them.

813425- Sleek 4G
301125- 12” antenna
859970- Home accessory kit.

I do not need the home accessory kit, but I visited their website, and it looked really cool. My home and office get very good reception, so I don't think I'll get that, but I "may" get the other. The sleek 4g is $226 on Amazon, so I'm not sure how badly I want it lol.