cell phone boosters that work

Several years ago I bought a 9db cell phone antenna, LMR 400 coax cable and a signal reach booster. It worked great but technology is advancing at a steady pace.
Now with the progression of what was basically just a cell phone, we've progressed to 3G, 4G and now 4G LTE. So, I decided I needed to keep up with technology and bought a new Wilson 4G booster. It turned out to be a step backwards - unfortunately I already tossed my old but good equipment.
So, not being scared, I went and bought still another booster that was according to the ad the bestest goodest technology you could buy. A surecall booster. Hahahahaha still junk in my book.

I want to buy something that works and confirmed by a knowledgeable user. I do have good antenna (9db) and good coax (LMR 400 flexible. I forget the name of this)

What kind of booster do I need to make my samsung cell phone work?
Anyone?

ps If this is not the proper forum, please direct me tp where I need to go.


Jim

The major cellular providers carry products that are actually a micro cell base station that you install at your house and connects to your internet router. It functions as a cell site not a booster, when you set it up you enter the id of the users you want to access your site, so folks driving past don't access it. You can handoff out to a surrounding cell but not back into your personal cell site. All that's required is a internet connection and for your unit to be able to receive a gps signal.

pls note a booster or repeater is illegal in the most country if you have no permission from the operator who is boost the signal and or all operator who use the freq.

carojae said:

What kind of booster do I need to make my samsung cell phone work?
Anyone?
Jim

Click to expand...

Couple of questions:

I'm familiar with your area, but help me out a bit.
-How far off is the closest cell site for your carrier?
-Are you confident that the issue is not with the antenna/cable? Water intrusion into improperly waterproofed connections can cause a lot of issues. Salt air can do a lot of damage.
-What type of antenna, exactly? Older cellular system were often 800MHz only. Now, it's entirely possible they are on 700MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz, etc. depending on the carrier. Your current antenna may not be up to the task.
-I'm assuming you set up the booster correctly and it was showing it was working correctly? Having the outdoor antenna and indoor antenna too close together can create a feedback loop and the amplifiers are designed to shut down when this happens.

Surecall and Wilson are -usually- pretty good manufacturers for consumer grade systems like this. To have two bad units would be rare, but not impossible.

mmckenna said:

Surecall and Wilson are -usually- pretty good manufacturers for consumer grade systems like this. To have two bad units would be rare, but not impossible.

Click to expand...

I've seen some pretty shoddy engineering on some Wilson units, to the point that I personally have taken them off the list of "pretty good manufacturers".

I agree but for a consumer unit, that's better than the Chinese junk on e-Bay. I had a Wilson many years ago in my truck that worked well, but the plastic case was cheap and flimsy.

A networked hot spot might be a good solution.

mmckenna said:

... I had a Wilson many years ago in my truck that worked well, but the plastic case was cheap and flimsy.

Click to expand...

There's no shielding inside that plastic case. None. How about a booster that oscillates because the outside donor antenna is coupling directly to the circuit board inside the plastic box? No amount of antenna isolation would settle it down.

I jump up and down and say 'Not Wilson!' every time the subject of cellular boosters comes up. I can't tell you how many of those damned things I've DF'ed and shut down because they're garbage.