WeBoost

JimboT

Member
What are your experiences with WeBoost? I need to stay in touch via Email with my office. I will be traveling mostly in the Western US.
 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
It wont give you a signal if you dont already have a signal to begin with, same thing with data.. those things just solidify a weak signal so its more consistent.. Data Rates are largely dependant on how far away you are too, you can have 5 bars of great 3G/LTE signal but if your a couple dozen miles away its not going to negotiate anything but the lowest rate because you'd use up too much airtime otherwise.

Western US I can go quite a while before I see signal w/data.. most of the time you are lucky just to have SMS capabilities.. I use a paging system to shoot me SMS's if there's something work related that needs my attention, its much easier to find a spot where SMS works and wait a few mins to see if they been trying to page you.
 

LandCruiserPhil

Expedition Leader
I have had WeBoost for several years and without them, my communication and internet would be greatly reduced. Many times Im not able to call but I can text. Turn on WeBoost now we are talking. Same experience with the internet.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

Active member
Weboost has helped us out here in CO, UT, AZ, WY & MT. Whether it be for the tmobile or verizon signal. Its even came in handy when home internet went down, go out into the garage, flip a switch, boost the signal of my hotspot, and walk back inside my house and jump back onto the computer. I only get 1 bar of cell service at my house.
 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
oh yeah they definitely help w/signal issues, priority is SMS -> Voice -> Data and it often kicks you up a tier, so if you got SMS, the boosters can often give you voice.. and if you have voice, the boosters can often give you data.. usable data becomes the hardest, something like email can work as long as you let it soak and understand your on dialup speeds more than likely.. web browsing is hit and miss, and video streaming is an extremely rare luxury..

Its just many people think these work miracles, creating a signal where there is none to boost.. If there's a mountain between you and the tower, no booster is gonna make that work.. You still have to be hunting for locations that have some form of cell signal to boost.

In the next couple of years T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon are sunsetting the legacy systems.. I worry about whats gonna happen then, its very rare I find an LTE signal far away from any city.

us-3g-shutdown.png
 
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2Jeeps&PatriotX1

Active member
Just to add to my comment, I could care less if I have voice signal service, I bought the weBoost setup so wife and I can can work remotely during our trips. The fact we can set up camp on a cliffside overlooking Sedona and conduct zoom video calls with our colleagues is awesome. Turn the weBoost off in the same camp spot and trying to load a web browser page takes eternity or doesn’t load.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Alloy

Well-known member
We have a Bolton Ultragain 26 (there are others) that we'll use with a weBoost. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.......some places we'll have signal during the night and nothing during the day so I'll leave it set up overnight.

Some places will have signal at certain times of the year or the signal will be lost completely from one year to the next.
 

Mgyver1

Observer
I have a Smoothtalker amplifier and it has worked great. Just this weekend I was in Kolob (outside of Zion) and no one had service. I got in my truck with the booster and I had 3 bars and was able to make a phone call, but I had no internet (Verizon). So yes amplifiers will give you better signal but there has to be something to amplify. If your phone shows no signal that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s nothing to amplify as the large antenna on top of your vehicle will get better reception than the small one built in to your phone that’s only a couple feet off the ground. But if you’re in the complete middle of nowhere it can’t make something from nothing.
 

MountainBiker

Experience Seeker
Thanks for the great info everyone! I've been thinking about working remotely as well, but as a mechanical engineer, my work typically requires a better signal than what you need to just read and reply to email and make phone calls. I'm pretty sure I would need wi-fi to be efficient for an 8 hour work day, but I'm exploring my options. Just yesterday I was driving all over in Mendocino National Forest (Northern California) while looking at the GaiaGPS Verizon coverage map trying to get a signal for a conference call (FYI, I believe the GaiaGPS maps are based on the carrier's simulations, which means that they aren't very useful for finding a usable signal.) There were many places where Gaia showed that I should have signal and I had no bars, and several places where I had 1-2 bars and SMS connectivity showing on my phone, but I was unable to use it. I believe that if I had Weboost and/or some other devices I would've been able to use those phantom signals for my conference calls. Keep the great ideas and actual usage reports coming!
 
I didn't make it up sequoia this weekend but did test the weboost drive reach on Kitchen Creek rd at Mount Laguna. It went from zero service to a signal usable for text and email(slow). Used both the stock antenna and the trucker, antennas didn't have noticeable differences in service. Used google fi and signalspy app to check sprint, t-mobile, us cellular(verizon?) and picked up a strong 2g telcel signal.
 

1Louder

Explorer
Mine hasn't worked worth a d@mn. First one failed. WeBoost sent a new one. It doesn't do a thing. I am very tech savvy, tried both antenna, and different locations. Tests show no signal gain. It's a paper weight for me. An expensive one at that sadly.
 

Boltripper

Member
I have had WeBoost for several years and without them, my communication and internet would be greatly reduced. Many times Im not able to call but I can text. Turn on WeBoost now we are talking. Same experience with the internet.

Phil -

Watching the videos do you really have to have the phone right next to that antenna cradle?

I was hopeful I could mount it in the camper but still have better signal in the truck ?


Appreciate any insight on this...


Best,

John
 
My wife and I are also looking to work remotely for a little while. But we would need a decent amount of bandwidth. I've got to run SAP.
 

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