Experience with WeBoost WiFi Amplifier?

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sammy999

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May 23, 2013
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We are looking into the purchase of the WeBoost Drive 4G-X Marine Essentials Kit. PN 470510-M. The goal is to boost our cell phone and wifi range. We have Verizon cell phone service and a Verizon Hotspot to connect our laptop to the internet; however, we would like to connect to the marina wifi internet vs the Verizon Hotspot if possible. We are not sure if the WeBoost also amplifies the wifi signal or if it just boosts the cell phone signal. Any insights are very much appreciated!
Thanks!
 
I've found most marina WiFi signals to be marginal at best and really not reliable. Some yes but if you really need reliable WiFi best to have a MiFi unit. My verizon unit worked well at almost every stop on the ICW and Chesapeake.

At those marina's that did have good WiFi I would use their signal to upload pictures to google +. Sometimes I would have to go to their lounge to do it. That's where a booster may help, but I think if you're thinking of streaming video you will be disappointed. - Just my experience.
 
The WeBoost 4-GX only amplifies a cell phone (voice and data) signal. It is not a wifi booster.
 
OK, I realize now the OP is requesting info on extending cellular data and voice range. I know there must be a need for this but in my experience cruising the ICW and Chesapeake and using my ATT phone and verizon MiFi unit I was maybe 1 or 2 times not within celluar or data range on either one. Why would you spend $400-$700 to extend voice and or data range when the cellular companies have such good coverage?
I know there must be a need, I just don't know why.
 
Not sure why I would need to extend cellular...

But wifi, definitely.

WiFi is our only entertainment and streaming is important much of the time.

Many marinas have pretty bad wifi and being able to reach xfinity towers for open wifi (with family Comcast access) or even less used access points at marinas can mean the difference.

You can have a decent wifi amplifier setup complete for less than $400 and if you buy the components sparately, the setup is around $200.
 
Xfinity with Comcast allows you to log on where ever they have open wifi...in fact in some places there are just open generic wifi sites that if you have an acount through Comcast or other providers...you can use a password and log on. In Ft Pierce we use xfinity when the marina is too slow.
 
On the cellular side, be sure the amplifier handles LTE. That is down between 700-800 MHz so a 3G/4G amp won't help it.

Tom
 
psneeld said:
Xfinity with Comcast allows you to log on where ever they have open wifi...in fact in some places there are just open generic wifi sites that if you have an acount through Comcast or other providers...you can use a password and log on.

So as I understand it, with a Xfinity account you can log on to their WiFi and stream video, etc. What do you mean my "other providers". Does an account with Xfinity allow access to those "other providers" and how do you know which other provides will grant you access.

psneeld said:
You can have a decent wifi amplifier setup complete for less than $400 and if you buy the components sparately, the setup is around $200.
Click to expand...

Is there a web site with detailed instructions on how to set up a WiFi receiver, antenna, amplifier, and what ever else is needed?

I didn't know there was a comprehensive nationwide WiFi network like Xfinity. With your setup are you able to access Xfinity WiFi most of the time and places?
Click to expand...
 
timjet said:
psneeld said:
Xfinity with Comcast allows you to log on where ever they have open wifi...in fact in some places there are just open generic wifi sites that if you have an acount through Comcast or other providers...you can use a password and log on.

So as I understand it, with a Xfinity account you can log on to their WiFi and stream video, etc. What do you mean my "other providers". Does an account with Xfinity allow access to those "other providers" and how do you know which other provides will grant you access.



Is there a web site with detailed instructions on how to set up a WiFi receiver, antenna, amplifier, and what ever else is needed?

I didn't know there was a comprehensive nationwide WiFi network like Xfinity. With your setup are you able to access Xfinity WiFi most of the time and places?
Click to expand...

AT&T has something similar. The issue I have had with it and I suspect Xfinity is similar, is knowing where the hotspots are. For Xfinity, you normally need to be in one of their service areas and be lucky enough to have a hotspot nearby. IMHO, it is pretty much a roll of the dice.
Click to expand...
 
Donsan said:
timjet said:
AT&T has something similar. The issue I have had with it and I suspect Xfinity is similar, is knowing where the hotspots are. For Xfinity, you normally need to be in one of their service areas and be lucky enough to have a hotspot nearby. IMHO, it is pretty much a roll of the dice.
Click to expand...

Yes I was wondering if you can really rely on this type of service. Presumably with a WiFi booster that would expand your capability, but even so can you rely on it in most places?

My verizon MiFi unit works everywhere but it gets expensive if you stream video.
Click to expand...
 
No on Xfinity most places...but many small cities/towns seem to have it. Probably have a map on their website.

There was an open broadcast called " public wifi" I believe and when you logged on...it allowed you to pick one of a half dozen cable providers. You picked one and put in your ID and password and got internet. They also carried Comcast/xfinity in addition to xfinity being stand alone in the area.

As far as a home made set up....all you need is a ubiquity bullet, an antenna for it, a power over ethernet adapter and a router. When you purchase the bullet, there are videos on the ubiquity site to help as well as dozens of boater blogs and utube videos to help.

The setup isn't easy if not networking literate, but the videos may get you there without issues.

Someone else may have put one together based on some boating blog...maybe they have a link....I don't have it on this tablet so we will see who else may have done it.
 
timjet said:
Donsan said:
Yes I was wondering if you can really rely on this type of service. Presumably with a WiFi booster that would expand your capability, but even so can you rely on it in most places?

My verizon MiFi unit works everywhere but it gets expensive if you stream video.
Click to expand...

No, it's not most places. Especially not in anchorages. But it is out there and expanding.

For reliable internet, a hot spot is the ticket still....unless really remote and the satcomms like Kevin Sanders discusses is necessary. But not really necessary for Atlantic ICW cruising.

And the reason to spend the $$$ for the booster is to be able to stream and it is less expensive than biting the bullet for satellite TV.

And please...all of you that don't watch TV at anchor...great...we are all different.
Click to expand...
 
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psneeld said:
No on Xfinity most places...but many small cities/towns seem to have it. Probably have a map on their website.

There was an open broadcast called " public wifi" I believe and when you logged on...it allowed you to pick one of a half dozen cable providers. You picked one and put in your ID and password and got internet. They also carried Comcast/xfinity in addition to xfinity being stand alone in the area.

As far as a home made set up....all you need is a ubiquity bullet, an antenna for it, a power over ethernet adapter and a router. When you purchase the bullet, there are videos on the ubiquity site to help as well as dozens of boater blogs and utube videos to help.

The setup isn't easy if not networking literate, but the videos may get you there without issues.

Someone else may have put one together based on some boating blog...maybe they have a link....I don't have it on this tablet so we will see who else may have done it.
Click to expand...

You can definitely do a home brew but I would just purchase a Wirie Pro which will amplify both your wifi connections and your cellular connections for about $700 and use my time to drink more Pussers.
 
Haven't had the need to amplify cell yet, or even read too many others feel the need.

So for basic wifi..it all depends if someone thinks saving 100 to 200 dollars is worth an hour or two of their time.
 
From what I've gathered from this discussion a WiFi booster may help you receive signals from Xfinity and certain other providers that have agreements with Xfinity. The locations where these signals are available even with a booster is still somewhat limited, so your choices for reliable internet access is limited to cellular or satellite.
 
psneeld said:
As far as a home made set up....all you need is a ubiquity bullet, an antenna for it, a power over ethernet adapter and a router. When you purchase the bullet, there are videos on the ubiquity site to help as well as dozens of boater blogs and utube videos to help.

The setup isn't easy if not networking literate, but the videos may get you there without issues.

Someone else may have put one together based on some boating blog...maybe they have a link....I don't have it on this tablet so we will see who else may have done it.
Click to expand...

Kinda like this + a router:
 

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timjet said:
From what I've gathered from this discussion a WiFi booster may help you receive signals from Xfinity and certain other providers that have agreements with Xfinity. The locations where these signals are available even with a booster is still somewhat limited, so your choices for reliable internet access is limited to cellular or satellite.
Click to expand...

Correct...but my my point is that a wifi booster is worth the money whether cheapo or top dollar if.... one.... you like to stream and... two ....if you do stay enough in marinas or free docks or nearby anchorages.

The money in my mind, especially if done for a couple hundred, is quickly paid back if you can shave a few gigs off your data plan. This is an assumption that you don't need the data when not crushing and you are cruising enough that there is a money tradeoff.
 
psneeld said:
Haven't had the need to amplify cell yet, or even read too many others feel the need.

So for basic wifi..it all depends if someone thinks saving 100 to 200 dollars is worth an hour or two of their time.
Click to expand...

If you stick to the ICW, you probably won't hit too many dead zones but there are some. Timjet uses Mifi which is basically a cellular wireless access point. In dead zones or areas with one or bars, the Wirie Pro could help him get much better reception. Many smartphones and tablets also have the ability to be a cellular WAP. I don't have one but will probably add one. Our marina doesn't have wifi and we only get one or two bar cellular connections there. Really depends on where you are and what your needs are but there are quite a few boats with Wirie.
 
Donsan said:
If you stick to the ICW, you probably won't hit too many dead zones but there are some. Timjet uses Mifi which is basically a cellular wireless access point. In dead zones or areas with one or bars, the Wirie Pro could help him get much better reception. Many smartphones and tablets also have the ability to be a cellular WAP. I don't have one but will probably add one. Our marina doesn't have wifi and we only get one or two bar cellular connections there. Really depends on where you are and what your needs are but there are quite a few boats with Wirie.
Click to expand...
The beauty is....if you aren't streaming, the connection doesn't have to be very good.
 
psneeld said:
yep that's all you need......

And the average 9 year old to help you network it. :D
Click to expand...

Heading toward the nearest elementary school. :thumb:

What this set up really does is amplify any WiFi signal whether it's Xfinity's or a nearby marina or Starbucks. Correct??
 
timjet said:
Heading toward the nearest elementary school. :thumb:

What this set up really does is amplify any WiFi signal whether it's Xfinity's or a nearby marina or Starbucks. Correct??
Click to expand...

Yes....

The ubiquity software is built right into the bullet (radio/ wifi) so when you go to the software to chang access points ..you see a list of access points, the same as you would on a smart phone...but much longer usually.

There is some other great built in software that my IT son showed me that is some of the best out there for seeing just what the signals are really like...but it was over my head at the moment
 
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I have a RogueWave wifi antenna and the strongest signal from my Seattle marina is xfinity. The speed test showed 6-10Mbps, about twice that of Beacon at the marina which you have to subscribe to. The xfinity hotspot is very reliable and will stay connected for days.
 
timjet said:
Heading toward the nearest elementary school. :thumb:

What this set up really does is amplify any WiFi signal whether it's Xfinity's or a nearby marina or Starbucks. Correct??
Click to expand...

That is one way to look at it, but from a networking perspective, it is more complicated. I configured my bullet as a router, and re-configured my wireless router to be a wireless access point. It is easier to setup the bullet as an access point, leaving your existing router configuration largely unchanged, but the problem with that is you can't easily get to the bullet to change its settings (ie, the wireless network you want to use it to access) through your network (since it will be on the other side of your router's firewall). Not being network savy, I spent probably 100 hours figuring out how the network needs to be configured (the bullet's website is very hard for non-network engineers to understand, and for the basic configuration, it recommends only that the bullet be configured as an access point), and optimizing the bullet and access point configurations, but now it is really simple. One mouse click and I am on my bullet's internal web page from which I can know/reconfigure everything about its current connection to the internet. Similarly, my wireless access point (used to be router) is also accessed from my browser with one click and I use that to limit the devices that can join my network -- not only is a password required, but if I have not previously approved a device's mac address, that device doesn't get access.

The end result is that where ever I go, I can see a list off all available access points, their respective signal strengths, and whether they are open, making it easy to find one that works.
 
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Ughhh...there are too many people confused about cellular amplification and high-gain WiFi.

To the original question about the WeBoost Drive 4G-X...

Without doubt, do not get that product unless you meet one of these criteria:
- You have a steel boat
- You have a 75' trawler
- You have a sailboat with a 50'+ mast

Unless you meet one of those, never buy a wireless cellular amp for your boat. It's a complete waste of money. I've been involved in helping a thousand boats with cellular amplification. The ones who love their setup use a wired amp. There is another, much less expensive WeBoost that is wired. Time after time a boater invites me over because the amp "I suggested" isn't working. I show up on their boat and they have a wireless amp, completely contrary to my suggestion.

That said, I wouldn't leave the dock without a cellular amp. I've been using them since 2004 when I had to build one myself because they didn't exist yet (definitely not for boats). With a cellular amp, we get 15 nm access offshore. It's even better in the Bahamas where I didn't even check until we were 20 nm out and shocked to get full connectivity.

Even inshore, if you have 2-3 bars normally, you'll get 3-5 bars with an amp. That will mean faster connections and less dropping/stuttering of data. A cellular amp also gives you a single gateway to internet connectivity that can easily be distributed through a boat's WiFi router. That's beyond this conversation but will become very important in the next few years.

There are a lot of things to consider with a cellular amp like true 4G frequency compatibility. For the WeBoost, you'd also need a pizza pan which will triple the output.

I've written extensively about all of this in ActiveCaptain newsletters. Use Google to find all the information there.

I think every cruising boat needs a high-gain WiFi modem solution as well. That's a completely separate thing though.
 
Jeffrey S said:
Ughhh...there are too many people confused about cellular amplification and high-gain WiFi.
I think every cruising boat needs a high-gain WiFi modem solution as well. That's a completely separate thing though.
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like OP wants both, so there is probably less confusion than you think.
 
Jeffrey S said:
Ughhh...there are too many people confused about cellular amplification and high-gain WiFi.

I think every cruising boat needs a high-gain WiFi modem solution as well. That's a completely separate thing though.
Click to expand...

So many people are confused because there is no explanation that I know of to education people who don't have an IT background. Starting at what a modem does through what a router is through why and what networking is and so on. I know all this info is available on line but you must be motivated to spend the time to track all this down, and when you think you understand you'll find your research omitted some important thing and you get confused. Been there done that. So Jeffery don't criticize your buddy too much for installing a wireless amp when it should have been a wired amp. He probably did just enough research to get himself in trouble.

In my experience a cellular booster is not necessary provided you are not going off shore. Even in the Abacos I was able to receive WiFi signals (not cellular) to get sufficient weather info to cruise safely. But I understand the need for some to have internet connection 24/7 even in very remote areas. However using cellular for streaming video or other entertainment purposes can get very expensive.

And with that said I would like to get info on Jeffery's second statement; a high gain WiFi solution. I'm not sure what high gain means but I think it mean the ability to receive WiFi signals from a distance or at least farther that your notebook's internal WiFi can provide.
 
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