weBoost vs Wilson cell phone signal booster for car

weBoost vs Wilson: List of updated cell phone signal boosters for cars

Wilson Electronics upgrades vehicle cell phone boosters and brands them as weBoost boosters for consumer use. It launches a new line of commercial grade cell phone signal boosters for business and commercial buildings under the new Wilson Electronics brand, Wilson Pro.

weBoost signal boosters replace older models for better results. If you’re looking for a car cell phone signal booster, then it is important that you have a booster that best meets with the current trends and requirements of the market. Since this market is ever evolving, it is critical that the devices and the peripherals of the phone keep up with the technology. In the past, Cellphonesignalbooster.us has relied upon the latest technology to provide the best solutions to increasing you cell phone signal. The new models continue our dedication to having the best products.

Why should you have a car cell phone signal booster anyway?

Cell phones are a bit fickle, especially when it comes to securing a signal. Being mobile does not add to the experience. In fact, in a great many situations, the vehicle that you are driving may cause the signal to be disrupted. Add to this the exterior environment, and your phone may only get one bar while traveling, if not zero or “no service” message beside the antenna symbol in the to right or left corner. A cell phone signal booster, generally, can help to increase your signal strength while in the vehicle. It should be noted that we’re not encouraging you to text or to talk on the cell phone while driving - That is a big NO-NO! All we’re saying is that increasing your cell phone signal’s strength can help with signal and phone synchronization with vehicles that offer hands free calling by accessing the phone (and its signal) through an infotainment system.

Is it your phone or is it your signal?

Before you invest in any device that boosts your cell phone signal’s strength, it is important that you determine whether or not the issue is with your signal or with your phone. While there are several variables which can play into your weakened signal, there are a few areas which can be tested to see if your cell phone is the problem or if the signal is the issue.

• Check your cell phone for updates. The .NET and the framework of your phone may need to be updated in order to get the best reception on your device. If you have not checked your update status in a while, then this should be your first step. Additionally, if you’re using an older model phone, you may want to check with your service provider to see if the phone is compatible with the towers that they use. Where it may be true that you can get a signal from these towers, if the towers no longer technically support your phone, your signal will be affected by it.
• Check your car to see if it is the cause of your weak signal. While the technology in newer models has advanced a tremendous amount, the ability to maintain a signal in a great many vehicles has not. This is primarily due to one of three reasons. The first is that the sound proofing of the vehicle from all those external noises and such (as they market) causes the signal to be kept out as well. Secondly, the new technology electronics may cause the signal to be disrupted, much like a signal which crosses the frequencies of a wi-fi network or such. Last, the metals and actual materials of the vehicle may cause problems. To test if any of these are the issue, simply review the signal strength of the phone prior to getting in the vehicle, and after you are in the vehicle, with it turned on. If you find that the signal is weaker inside the car, a car cell phone signal booster may help to increase the signal strength.
• Look for obstacles. Granted, you may have the best car and the best phone on the market. However, if your commute takes you through a dense sector of the city/neighborhood, the buildings may be obstructing the signal. Even if you live in a rural area, this can be true. Trees and other dense external elements work as a wall that weakens or eliminates a signal. Commonly, these are known as drop zones. Yet, if your whole commute is one weak signal or drop zone, you probably just call it frustrating.

How can a car cell phone signal booster help?

Cell phone signal boosters act by taking the signals which are available and giving them a boost. Cell phone signal boosters do not create a signal. They are a tool to help recondition the existing signals. To explain. Usually, there are a great many signals in the air. However, most of these signals cannot be detected by the typical cell phone as they are “too weak”. As such, the cell phone ignores these frequencies/signals and tries to find something that is stronger. If one cannot be found you just do not have any bars.

When a car cell phone booster is used, the booster looks for all the signals in an area as well as the strongest signal. The booster then takes these signals and combines them into a stronger signal and then sends the strong signal back to your phone resulting in more bars and fewer dropped calls.

I already have a booster but I have a weak signal. Why?

As stated at the beginning of this article, technology and the engineering of phones and cell phone boosters is continuously changing. This is why you cannot take a phone from 1980 and effectively use it today (apart from the bulkiness, it is just not compatible). Some GSM, TDMA and CDMA networks have been shut down because that old technology took just too much bandwidth. It just cannot support the volume of usage that now occurs with high penetration of cell phones in the world today. Practically every person carries a cell phone and some carry more than one - Personal cell phone and a business cell phone. When they get home, they put away or turn off their business phone and just use the personal phone. Despite network efficiency, the reception indoors and in cars is a persistent problem.

In addition to the possibility that your phone or booster may be out of date, you may also have the wrong type of cell phone signal booster. Car cell phone signal boosters are specifically made for the vehicle. If you are using a residential wireless cell phone signal booster in your vehicle, it is not going to work real well as this is not the intended purpose of the device. Ensure that you are using a booster which is made for your car, boat, RV, or ATV for the best results. In fact, it is not allowed by FCC because inside coverage of home boosters is much larger than needed in cars so car boosters much be used to boost signal in cars.

Which Booster Kits have been updated?

While there have been many updates to the phones and the cell phone signal boosters, Wilson Electronics has updated the branding of six of their consumer car cell phone signal booster kits which are most common vehicle cell phone signal boosters as well as implemented a new weBoost product line. These updates are:

• weBoost Drive 3G-S 470106 replaces Wilson Sleek3G 460106
• weBoost Drive 4G-S 470107 replaces Wilson Sleek 4G 460107
• weBoost Drive 3G-M 470102 replaces Wilson Mobile 3G 460102
• weBoost Drive 4G-M 470108 replaces Wilson Mobile 4G 460108
• weBoost Drive 3G-X 470111 replaces Wilson Mobile Maxx 3G 460111
• weBoost Drive 3G-Flex 470113 replaces Wilson MobilePro 3G 460113

The new most powerful product line being introduced to cell phone signal booster’s website for car, RV, Boat, and ATV cell phone signal boosters is the weBoost Drive 4G-X 470510. All of the updated models are manufactured with weBoost branding. To see a side by side comparison of the models please visit the car and vehicle portion of our site.

Does 3G or 4G matter?

There is a difference in the 3G and the 4G devices and you should take note as to these differences. The cell phone signal booster is designed to amplify phones that already have the capacity to receive either 3G or 4G signals. If your phone is a 3G and you purchase a 4G cell phone signal booster it will work because it is backward 3G and forward 5G compatible. It is ill advised from any company which claims that by purchasing a 4G or 5G booster that your 2G or 3G phone will transform into the 4G or 5G version of that brand. If you have a 4G phone, ensure that you buy a 4G booster so you can boost 4G, LTE, and LTE-A data transfer speeds that you phone and cellular network can run on!

Can one booster work on all the phones in the car?

This really depends upon the type of booster that you choose. If you purchase the Drive 3G-S booster or the Drive 4G-S, you will be limited to boosting reception for one phone of a person in the vehicle, car, truck, van, RV or boat. However, if you choose the Drive 3G-M, Drive 4G-M, or Drive 4G-X car cell phone signal booster, you will be able to provide multiple persons the ability to boost their signal within the car, truck, van, RV, or boat. Keep in mind that on the multiple person cell phone signal boosters for cars, that the signal can still be weakened if too many people try to access the booster simultaneously. While the booster is ideal for the family van or for families, it is not useful for professional commuter vehicles. In such cases where a commuter/professional vehicle requires a cell phone signal booster the Drive 3G-X or the Drive 4G-X models would be appropriate because they are more powerful drawing signals from 60% farther which is very helpful as trucks such as 18 wheelers typically drive long distances on highways with cell towers farther away.

Mounting considerations

Apart from the functionality, intended amount of people accessing it, and the Gs your phone requires to work at its best, the mounting of the device in the vehicle should be considered. weBoost Drive3GS and Drive 4GS are not bolt mounted. The larger model boosters such as the Drive 3G-M 470102 require bolt mounts as they come with NMO antennas that can be drilled through the roof or trunk of vehicles. If you have a newer model vehicle and you do not want to attach the cell phone signal booster in this way, you will need to seek out an alternative mounting method or cell phone booster model. Consider also that the antenna and the booster work better when they are in close proximity to one another. Mounting the booster in the cargo area of a vehicle and having the antenna mounted nearby on top may be a solution. The vehicle’s composite works in favour of keeping separation between the two to prevent disturbance or oscillation. However, you should check your booster and antenna to find the best location on your vehicle to suit your placement and functionality needs.

Does it matter if I get a no name brand made in China?

Yes, it does. Generic brands typically fall into two categories. Both are hazardous not only to your phone but also to the towers and the networks that provide a signal to the phone. The first category is a refurbished (fixed) booster. This should be a red flag from the beginning. This means that there was something wrong which had to be fixed/refurbished in order to make if functional for the buyer. While they may have done a great job on the refurbishment, you are better off getting a new product that has a warranty then hoping that the glitches were fixed on the faulty product. The second category is that the generic model is made from cheap and generic parts. These parts may not be compatible with the phone you have and may fry your internal components causing you to lose all your data and contacts. Worst case scenario would be that you cause the towers and the network to go down. In this case you would get a not so friendly knock on your door followed by a very large bill to fix the error. Apart from this, generic models typically are not within the specifications for the legal use of a cell phone signal booster (as they have to be registered to your network service provider). Therefore, they are typically also not FCC certified which is illegal in itself.

What a car cell phone signal booster cannot do

Car cell phone signal boosters are an assistance tool for your cell phone. As such, there’re some limitations as to what the car cell phone signal booster can and cannot do. A booster cannot:

• Hack into a network or tower. You must have access to a networks towers (usually through a paid monthly or long term contract subscription). Any booster that claims to be able to give you a signal without the need for a phone network service provider should be avoided as they are sure to be non-compliant with the standards regarding legal use of a cell phone signal booster.
• Booster cannot add data and minutes to your existing plan. While the booster does maximize the efficiency of your phone by minimizing dropped calls and the battery life of the phone, it cannot add minutes and data to your phone. You should be conscious of the minutes and the data consumption that you use. That being stated, those which use a signal booster tend to have 2 hours or more of usage as they are not using such data to connect to the network and reconnect.
• Create a signal where no signal is present. The car cell phone signal booster works by reconditioning and amplifying existing signals into a strong signal for your phone. Being as this is the base principle behind the device, if no signal is present (which is rare but it does happen) then no signal can be created. Check with your phone service provider for any known issues with your phone or with reception trouble area signals and signal strength prior to purchasing your booster.
• Give you internet access. Granted, your phone’s signal to the 3G and 4G networks can increase up to 5 bars which will allow you easier access to the network, but the booster is not a server or a personal network. If internet access is not part of your phone plan then your phone will not be able to receive the internet from the booster. Additionally, if you wish to have your WI-FI devices receive a stronger signal it is advised that you use a WI-FI booster and not a cellular signal booster because a cellular signal booster will do no good if you want to boost a home wi-fi Internet connection.

Do you need help in determining the right booster? We can help!

Contact us or try our product selector to help you find the most suitable booster if the details on our car cell signal booster page does not suffice. We specialize in cellphone signal boosters. Unlike other companies that offer an array of products and “oh yeah” cell phone boosters on the side, we focus our services and products on just that. If you have any questions about car, truck, RV, boat, or van cell phone signal boosters, or if you require assistance in determining which model is right for your needs, please let us know. We understand that models and brands vary and that you may want to know the differences between these models. Even if you find a model which is not offered on our site, if you have a question about the product as it compares to the models which we offer, please let us know. We are here to help you.