Why Do I Need a Cell Phone Repeater?
Posted on 6/23/2020 by Nicholas Jones
Ever drop a call? Ever lose a signal in the middle of a conversation? Have trouble connecting to a video conference call or can’t FaceTime with the family? The reason for all of this is that your cell phone is getting a weak signal from the cell tower.
It may make it sound archaic, but cell phones work on radio waves. Each phone is a receiver and a transmitter, and when you talk into one (or type) it gets turned into radio waves and sent to a cell phone tower, and from there to another tower, and on and on until it reaches your friend. But just like a radio, when you’re too far away from the tower, you lose the signal and you’re stuck scrolling through channels trying to find something to listen to out in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately, there’s a solution to your problem–whether you’re on a long car drive through the middle of nowhere, or in a large house, or in a cabin in the woods: a cell phone repeater. A cell phone repeater is a device that, simply put, takes the one-or-two-bar tower signal, and boosts it into a four-or-five-bar signal. Calls are restored, messages sent, videos streamed faster.
How do cell phone signal repeaters work?
A cell phone repeater is a fairly straightforward piece of equipment that consists of three parts: the outside antenna, the repeater, and the inside antenna. It’s probably not hard to guess where these parts go on your house or vehicle: the outside antenna is a very sensitive antenna that detects electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) and shuttles them to the repeater. The repeater cuts out the noise, amplifies what’s important, and then sends the EMFs to the inside antenna, which then connects to your cell phone.
It’s different from a wifi router: it’s not something that is hardwired into anything and you don’t need a password to connect to it. Instead, it’s like you suddenly have a strong cell phone tower right there in your car, RV, semi, or house, and you can connect to it just by turning on your phone. Your phone will pick up the boosted cell signal and it works on all phones, networks and cell carriers. There are different repeaters for your unique application like RV cell phone boosters, cell phone boosters for home, and cell phone signal boosters for cars.
Why do I need a cell phone repeater?
There are lots of reasons why you’d want a cell phone repeater. You’ve probably experienced these issues with bad cell signal before: dropped calls, lagging video, and long download times. Having a cell phone repeater solves those issues and ensures you can connect when you’re struggling with weak cell service.
Imagine you’re a salesperson who covers two states and spends a lot of your time on the road. There will be times, driving through cities, where your phone works like a dream (although you can still have poor signal in cities). But there will also be times out in rural areas, headed off to a customer in a tiny town, and you just can’t connect to the office. Maybe you’re at the customer’s business and they have a problem you need to fix–and your phone just refuses to connect.
Imagine you’re on a vacation in your RV, traveling in your retirement, and your grandkid calls you on FaceTime to connect with you–and you just can’t see the video. The audio goes in and out, the video lags, and you just want to tell them you love them.
Imagine you’re a long haul trucker hauling a load across the middle of America, and you want to call your wife with important news, but the phone won’t connect.
Imagine you’re in your very own home — and no one can call you in the basement? Or the metal roof blocks all incoming calls? You need a way to boost cell signal at home.
The Benefits of Having a Cell Phone Signal Repeater
A cell phone repeater or cell phone booster can solve all of these problems. An antenna can’t magically create a signal out of nothing, but if you can get one bar the weak signal is sent to the repeater to amplify and filter the signal, and then it’s broadcasted through the inside antenna to give you four or five bars. Suddenly, a good signal, and you can make that call to the office, to the grandkids, to your wife, or use your phone in your own home.
Do cell phone repeaters boost signals for all carriers?
Yes, a cell phone repeater works with all U.S carriers. Any carrier can connect to it without needing a password or key. If outside your house you can’t get a signal, but inside you’ve installed a repeater, walk inside and your phone will act like you’re in the middle of a city. It doesn’t care what kind of phone or service you’re using.
Do cell phone repeaters boost signals for 3G, 4G, and 5G?
Absolutely. 5G phones are just appearing on the market, and a few cities are rolling out the infrastructure to handle 5G, but if the cell phone tower your repeater is connected to is 5G compatible, then your weBoost cellular repeater will work just fine. We’re ready for the next decade and beyond.
How to install a cell phone signal repeater
For a car or truck, the repeater is a cinch to install. The outside antenna goes outside your car (obviously) and secures with a magnet (so it doesn’t damage your paint job and doesn’t need glue or any type of mechanical attachment. Just stick it on your roof, and you’re ready to go. No tools needed.
For an RV, we have an antenna designed for when you’re parked that comes with the Connect RV 65 booster kit. It takes ten minutes to put up–not rocket science–and its 25’ telescoping antenna picks up great reception even if your in the middle of Yellowstone Park or the backwoods of Tennessee. Or the Drive X RV comes with an outside antenna that can be attached to the outside of your RV and allows you to travel with it installed.
For a semi, there are simple-to-follow instructions to attach your 17” antenna to your rig and be on your way. Typically, they attach to the mirror arm or the top of the mirror and are unobtrusive.
And if you get the weBoost Installed | Home Complete, our techs will come out and do the installation for you–in all 50 states. You can do it yourself with our other models like the Home MultiRoom or Home Room–there are instructions for that–but if you don’t want to be crawling around in your attic or crawlspace, our certified installers will be glad to do it for you.
Why choose a weBoost cell phone repeater?
For one reason: customer satisfaction. We offer the best product with top quality and top performance, with the easiest installation. For a quick look at some of our glowing cell phone signal reviews, check out our blog here.
Cellular Repeaters for Cars
Drive Reach
- Reaches the farthest cell towers
- Boosts multiple users/devices
- Ideal for passenger cars/SUVs
- Best booster for remote areas
Drive X
- Reaches far away cell towers
- Boosts multiple users/devices
- Ideal for passenger cars/SUVs
- Good booster for remote areas
Drive Sleek
- Works in remote locations
- Single-user cradle booster
- Ideal for passenger cars/SUVs
- Great for daily commuter use
Cellular Repeaters for RVs
Connect RV 65
- Powerful stationary RV booster
- Boosts multiple users/devices
- Ideal for campers and trailers
- For use only when RV is parked
Drive X RV
- Reaches far away cell towers
- Boosts multiple users/devices
- Ideal for RVs, campers, trailers
- Use when parked or in motion
Cellular Repeaters for Trucks
Drive 4G-X OTR
- Reaches far away cell towers
- Boosts multiple users/devices
- Ideal for semis and OTR trucks
- Good booster for remote areas
Drive Sleek OTR
- Best booster for solo truckers
- Works in remote locations
- Single-user cradle booster
- Ideal for semis and OTR trucks
Cellular Repeaters for Home
weBoost Installed | Home Complete
- Reaches cell towers up to 26% farther than the Home MultiRoom
- Enhances cell coverage for an entire home
- Versatile inside antenna fits on wall or shelf
- Ability to target cell towers from any location
Home MultiRoom
- 2nd most powerful home booster
- Coverage for up to 3 large rooms
- Targets home’s weak signal areas
- Tool-free installation option
Home Room
- Our standard home booster
- Covers up to one room
- Ideal for small homes/apts.
- Tool-free installation option
Where do you need to boost your signal?
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