Cell phone booster

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
P

petdoc4u

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2016
Messages
134
Location
United States
Vessel Name
EXILE
Vessel Make
HANS CHRISTIAN TRAWLER
I have a Rougewave WiFi booster which does not seem to be as effective as it once was at receiving WiFi signals. Furthermore, it seems that nearly all WiFi access points are locked making WiFi difficult to capture. Therefore I am looking to add a cell phone booster and likely retire the Rougewave. There are many cell phone boosters on the market and was wondering what kind of experiences others have had with cell phone boosters and which brands might be best. Thank you for your input.
-David
 
The Wiriepro is da bomb. I know the developer as a fellow cruiser, very bright guy and stickler for quality.

The Wilson/weBoost products are very good, but the Wirie is by boaters for boaters.

I'm in the cell biz, by the way.
 
George, not only are you in that biz, but you're in the right part of it!

At nearly $700 that Wirie Pro sounds pretty darn expensive to me considering David doesn't want Wi-Fi (and the Wirie system uses the exact same Wi-Fi amp -Ubiquity Bullet- that the Rogue Wave is based on). Plus, that is one small cell antenna!

David, I have a few questions for you:

1 - Which carrier do you use?
2 - Where do you plan to use a cellular connection (state-side or other/both)?
3 - Are you looking to boost both voice and data or just data?
4 - If just data above do you own a device that can take an external antenna connection?
 
Alaskan Sea-Duction said:
I have a older system from these folks. Wilson Electronics & weBoost Cell Phone Signal Boosters, Repeaters & Antennas


I also saw this from Shakespeare: Shakespeare Marine Antennas | Marine
Click to expand...

I have an older 3g booster from Wilson, used it all over the US on land in the last RV trip. It worked very well. Antenna would not have been marine worthy, not sure what to recommend there.

PS: Important to have multiple carriers. Verizon is the best domestically, hands down in terms of coverage. AT&T next, but T-Mobile is nice because streaming netflix etc doesn't go against your usage.

img_20120520_1310061.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have a system from Uniden that's the best I've ever had. I paid over 400 for it, so it isn't cheap, but it works like a charm.
 
petdoc4u said:
There are many cell phone boosters on the market and was wondering what kind of experiences others have had with cell phone boosters and which brands might be best.
Click to expand...

The radios in cell phones and even iPads are rather weak to extend battery life. What we found is a MiFi device has a much more powerful radio and in our land home case, convinced us not to spend big bucks on a cell phone booster to get better data through put. AT&T provided the MiFi device for $1 with a 2 year contract but was added to our data bucket plan for $20/month. There was also an activation fee. It is portable and can be taken anywhere with you or it can be plugged into an electrical or USB outlet. It also serves as a WiFi access point and router. You might want to consider that before getting something that requires hard wiring into the boat. I have been so impressed with it that we took our two cellular iPads off the plan and now use them as WiFi only.
 
Donsan said:
The radios in cell phones and even iPads are rather weak to extend battery life. What we found is a MiFi device has a much more powerful radio and in our land home case, convinced us not to spend big bucks on a cell phone booster to get better data through put. AT&T provided the MiFi device for $1 with a 2 year contract but was added to our data bucket plan for $20/month. There was also an activation fee. It is portable and can be taken anywhere with you or it can be plugged into an electrical or USB outlet. It also serves as a WiFi access point and router. You might want to consider that before getting something that requires hard wiring into the boat. I have been so impressed with it that we took our two cellular iPads off the plan and now use them as WiFi only.
Click to expand...

+1 However I think ATT is expensive. Most carriers only charge $10 a month.
 
Last edited:
Or buy a used, unlocked, MiFi (often around $30) and transfer a SIM card from a phone to it when you need to use it. Many MiFi models have external antenna jack's for even greater reception.
 
Interesting discussion. We have a Wilson 4G cell booster and I can't say it does very much. We also have a MiFi utilizing the Verizon network. My business depends on the internet and the MiFi has never let us down in 6-years of cruising the east coast.
 
Question for you experts....

Are we talking about hardware that simply extend one's current service?

Are there service options that give good coverage for cursing with reasonable rates with high speed internet?

I have Verizon, but there data plan is brutally expensive, at $50 per month for 4g, which is not close to enough for streaming movies.

I also have a TMobile account, but no data with it yet, but coverage is not as good.
 
hmason said:
Interesting discussion. We have a Wilson 4G cell booster and I can't say it does very much. We also have a MiFi utilizing the Verizon network. My business depends on the internet and the MiFi has never let us down in 6-years of cruising the east coast.
Click to expand...

Which Wilson booster do you have? The best option is a direct-connect amp (with external antenna) that connects to the antenna port on the MiFi. They have phone cradle products that are marginal. It also takes a rather large vessel to have enough separation between an external and internal antenna for a repeater-type setup.
 
Seevee said:
Question for you experts....

Are we talking about hardware that simply extend one's current service?

Are there service options that give good coverage for cursing with reasonable rates with high speed internet?

I have Verizon, but there data plan is brutally expensive, at $50 per month for 4g, which is not close to enough for streaming movies.

I also have a TMobile account, but no data with it yet, but coverage is not as good.
Click to expand...

Yes, we're discussing hardware that improves reception and transmission to and from towers. I would not recommend 4G service as your primary entertainment/TV source. There's a reason there are data caps and streaming movies is the primary reason. It takes a lot of bandwidth to stream HD video. I find satellite TV to be a better entertainment solution.
 
Last edited:
mixman said:
Yes, we're discussing hardware that improves reception and transmission to and from towers. I would not recommend 4G service as your primary entertainment/TV source. There's a reason there are data caps and streaming movies is the primary reason. It takes a lot of bandwidth to stream HD video. I find satellite TV to be a better entertainment solution.
Click to expand...

Mixman,

Thanks, interesting. If you don't recommend 4G, what would you recommend?

Not up to speed on satellite TV, need to research that... can you get netflix there?
All of what I watch is netflix, and the Admiral only needs other channels for news and sports.
 
That is an excellent article, thanks for posting it. I've had a similar system to what the author has. I still find it better to forgo the below-deck antenna setup and hard-wire to something like a MiFi. This method greatly reduces both interference and installation complications. And, in the spirit of KISS, it is sometimes better to simply have a hi-gain external antenna and not an amp. Amps can overdrive cell towers and actually decrease throughput speeds.
 
mixman said:
Or buy a used, unlocked, MiFi (often around $30) and transfer a SIM card from a phone to it when you need to use it. Many MiFi models have external antenna jack's for even greater reception.
Click to expand...

I don't know about you guys, but I have yet to get a sim card to work in a different mifi or USB LTE modem device other than the one it originally come in. I've tried Telus, ATT, Verizon sims, and never been able to get any combination to work other than as originally purchased.

I know it's supposed to work, but has anyone actually been successful doing this?
 
You'd have to hack the things to get them to work on different carriers within the CONUS. Most are unlocked for foreign SIM cards (like Bahamas, Europe, etc. - I'm not sure about Canada) but they are typically carrier-locked when State-side. However, at around $30-40 used on eBay you could buy one for each US carrier and have them with you.
 
Seevee said:
Mixman,

Thanks, interesting. If you don't recommend 4G, what would you recommend?

Not up to speed on satellite TV, need to research that... can you get netflix there?
All of what I watch is netflix, and the Admiral only needs other channels for news and sports.
Click to expand...

US (CONUS) satellite TV options are DirecTV and Dish Network. Netflix is a streaming-only service so you need an internet connection for it. Technically, 4G can handle it unless there are multiple users connected to the same tower, but, as you know, it comes at a premium for the amount of data required (roughly 3 GB per hour for HD video programming). One would hope that Wi-Fi would be an option but I've never run into public (especially marina-based) Wi-Fi that had enough bandwidth. Granted, at my home slip I can do it but that's because I installed the Wi-Fi system and am the only one using it! If a marina has a cable modem with 30Mbps (a typical commercial account with Comcast) and more than 10 boats are trying to stream movies, it ain't going to turn out well!

I don't think you're going to be in much luck for NetFlix on your boat (unless you stay in your home slip and have great Wi-Fi). But satellite TV does give you some options. I have Dish at my home so the boat only costs me an additional $7/month for the receiver. You'll need a satellite dish antenna to receive the signal. A rough idea of options:

Stationary dish mounted to a piling: $100.
Ugly and you can't take it with you (easily).

"Carry out" dish (not in-motion) that you set on a pier - $300-$500.
Would work decently mounted on a boat if tied to a floating pier. These units will acquire satellite signal but do not keep it if in-motion or at anchor.

Marine-grade dish that mounts on your boat and can "track" sat signal:
$900-$15,000. These work in motion at anchor, in a slip, etc. Lower end functions fine state-side.

Sorry, you asked for it! :)
 
Seevee said:
Question for you experts....

Are we talking about hardware that simply extend one's current service?

Are there service options that give good coverage for cursing with reasonable rates with high speed internet?

I have Verizon, but there data plan is brutally expensive, at $50 per month for 4g, which is not close to enough for streaming movies.

I also have a TMobile account, but no data with it yet, but coverage is not as good.
Click to expand...

$50 is not much...

I rely on connectivity too, my cell bill averages $350/month. we use about 60GB/month on cellular networks, over 150GB if good wifi available. (cellular networks is mostly verizon, three devices, plus t-mobile mifi for streaming and backup)
 
kev_rm said:
I have an older 3g booster from Wilson, used it all over the US on land in the last RV trip. It worked very well. Antenna would not have been marine worthy, not sure what to recommend there.

PS: Important to have multiple carriers. Verizon is the best domestically, hands down in terms of coverage. AT&T next, but T-Mobile is nice because streaming netflix etc doesn't go against your usage.

img_20120520_1310061.jpg
Click to expand...


Same one I have except mine has a marine antenna. Worked well with my Verizon in Canada....
 
mixman said:
I don't think you're going to be in much luck for NetFlix on your boat (unless you stay in your home slip and have great Wi-Fi).
Click to expand...

I have T-Mobile One (their newest plan) which offers "unlimited" streaming. Unlimited actually means 26 gigs a month. That works for me.

Today I watched part of Cheaper by the Dozen (the original, and no it's not nearly as good as the book) and some of Zootopia too.

T-Mobile also has a Binge-On plan where Netflix, Youtube and such do not count against your data plan. I tether (hotspot) and last month on that plan used 18gigs watching without worries. Plus I use the account to tether (connects my computer plus Kindle)

So Netflix does work, at least for me. However, when I lose the LTE service the Crackle (free tv) would not keep up with the buffering. Netflix didn't have that issue.

Granted at present I'm in St. Pete (populated area) so my signal should be strong. I'm not so sure about remote areas... Anchored nearby I had no problems watching via T-Mobile...
 
kev_rm said:
$50 is not much...

I rely on connectivity too, my cell bill averages $350/month. we use about 60GB/month on cellular networks, over 150GB if good wifi available. (cellular networks is mostly verizon, three devices, plus t-mobile mifi for streaming and backup)
Click to expand...

What do you get better service with, Verizon or Tmoble? Seems like Verizon has better coverage but TMobile has cheaper data and is better for movies?

And, a bit confused on what a MiFi adds. Doesn't it only allow an internet connection to multiple devices, and if the phone is receiving a signal, can you do same with it using the personal hotspot on the phone?
 
mixman said:
US (CONUS) satellite TV options are DirecTV and Dish Network. Netflix is a streaming-only service so you need an internet connection for it. Technically, 4G can handle it unless there are multiple users connected to the same tower, but, as you know, it comes at a premium for the amount of data required (roughly 3 GB per hour for HD video programming). One would hope that Wi-Fi would be an option but I've never run into public (especially marina-based) Wi-Fi that had enough bandwidth. Granted, at my home slip I can do it but that's because I installed the Wi-Fi system and am the only one using it! If a marina has a cable modem with 30Mbps (a typical commercial account with Comcast) and more than 10 boats are trying to stream movies, it ain't going to turn out well!

I don't think you're going to be in much luck for NetFlix on your boat (unless you stay in your home slip and have great Wi-Fi). But satellite TV does give you some options. I have Dish at my home so the boat only costs me an additional $7/month for the receiver. You'll need a satellite dish antenna to receive the signal. A rough idea of options:

Stationary dish mounted to a piling: $100.
Ugly and you can't take it with you (easily).

"Carry out" dish (not in-motion) that you set on a pier - $300-$500.
Would work decently mounted on a boat if tied to a floating pier. These units will acquire satellite signal but do not keep it if in-motion or at anchor.

Marine-grade dish that mounts on your boat and can "track" sat signal:
$900-$15,000. These work in motion at anchor, in a slip, etc. Lower end functions fine state-side.

Sorry, you asked for it! :)
Click to expand...

Mixman,

Wow, now I'm really confused... but at a higher level:)

Looks like lots of options, but my goal would be to have a satellite receiver on the boat, not dock..... if I went with satellite. My past experience with satellite (Disk or Direct) was a failure. Wanted it to carry with me for multiple locations. It was a pita and unreliable.... but maybe better today?

Overall, I don't care to watch ads so rarely watch TV of any sorts. Netflix fills the bill. When the Admiral's Verizon term is over, I'm throwing it out.

It just seems that one good internet source could cover all basis... movies, weather, emails, web, etc.
 
A MiFi brings better receptionist N and performance with the option (in many cases, depending on device) of adding an external antenna.

Janice brings up a good point that current T-Mobile plans are an option for those in an area with good coverage. However, their towers only have so much traffic they can handle and enough users streaming will slow everyone down. Personally, I don't get the mobile streaming craze. Video takes a lot of bandwidth and performs best on a dedicated wired network. Perhaps I find myself in poor coverage areas too often but I find satellite TV and radio to be the best performing and best value solutions.
 
Last edited:
Seevee said:
Mixman,

Wow, now I'm really confused... but at a higher level:)

Looks like lots of options, but my goal would be to have a satellite receiver on the boat, not dock..... if I went with satellite. My past experience with satellite (Disk or Direct) was a failure. Wanted it to carry with me for multiple locations. It was a pita and unreliable.... but maybe better today?

Overall, I don't care to watch ads so rarely watch TV of any sorts. Netflix fills the bill. When the Admiral's Verizon term is over, I'm throwing it out.

It just seems that one good internet source could cover all basis... movies, weather, emails, web, etc.
Click to expand...

The only way I can see satellite TV being unreliable is in a fringe area (lots of trees) or a poor installation. Dish has portable units for "tail gaters" and the RV crowd that set up in minutes.

I find Internet great for weather, email, browsing, remoting to office, etc. But HD video is a bandwidth hog. A 300k connection works for browsing and email but you'll need 10 times that speed for HD video streaming.
 
Last edited:
mixman said:
The only way I can see satellite TV being unreliable is in a fringe area (lots of trees) or a poor installation. Dish has portable units for "tail gaters" and the RV crowd that set up in minutes.

I find Internet great for weather, email, browsing, remoting to office, etc. But HD video is a bandwidth hog. A 300k connection works for browsing and email but you'll need 10 times that speed for HD video streaming.
Click to expand...

Kurt,

Good point, it's been ~10 yrs since I tried satellite and most times it rained or thundered there was an issue, and we had rain and thunder most every day here in FL. Both me and the neighbor dropped it. Is it better now?

And even with satellite, one still has to deal with the ads. So, now you have to set up a recorder and pay a fee for that. Did that for a year and was a PITA. There's virtually nothing that I need to see on TV that's current, so Netflix does it all. (Excepting the weather channel reruns).:)
 
Seevee said:
Kurt,

Good point, it's been ~10 yrs since I tried satellite and most times it rained or thundered there was an issue, and we had rain and thunder most every day here in FL. Both me and the neighbor dropped it. Is it better now?

And even with satellite, one still has to deal with the ads. So, now you have to set up a recorder and pay a fee for that. Did that for a year and was a PITA. There's virtually nothing that I need to see on TV that's current, so Netflix does it all. (Excepting the weather channel reruns).:)
Click to expand...

Unless there's a severe/heavy storm a correctly aligned dish shouldn't drop signal that much. I've had my boat in FL many times with a tracking dish with great success. With Dish Network there are two groups of satellites to choose from (DirecTV just has one). I find the "Eastern Arc" to be easier to receive from up and down the east coast (likely the same where you are).

All I can offer is what I find works with me. With Dish Network and the 211 series of receivers there is a one-time $40 fee to attach external hard drives to the receivers and create DVRs (that is one time $40 per account, unlimited drives and receivers). I take my HD with me to the boat and our vacation home. The drives are programmed in Linux so making a backup is rather easy for safety-sake.

However, if you prefer NetFlix, by all means don't change. You just need to find enough (within your budget) bandwidth to stream it successfully.
 
Seevee said:
What do you get better service with, Verizon or Tmoble? Seems like Verizon has better coverage but TMobile has cheaper data and is better for movies?

And, a bit confused on what a MiFi adds. Doesn't it only allow an internet connection to multiple devices, and if the phone is receiving a signal, can you do same with it using the personal hotspot on the phone?
Click to expand...

On land, I think you are OK with using mobile hotspot on your phone, but for external antenna/booster you'll probably need a mifi.

Tmobile coverage in less populated areas doesn't hold a candle to Verizon..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Cell phone boosters
Replies
14
Views
1K
Seevee
Seevee
wkearney99
New Peplink gear
Replies
8
Views
975
wkearney99
wkearney99
mvweebles
WiFi Network Config for Weebles (Simple - sorta)
2 3
Replies
68
Views
4K
pjtemplin
P
R
Vessel Monitoring? What do you do?
2
Replies
43
Views
6K
fgarriso
fgarriso
Adopo
Lawsuit Rocks the Yacht-Sales World
2
Replies
51
Views
8K
FoxtrotCharlie
FoxtrotCharlie

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom