Cellular Boosters for Mobile Data Performance
Boosters are a popular (and pricey) option to get a better cellular signal for stabilizing cellular signals.
But are they the right choice for cellular data performance, and more important - for your mobile internet arsenal?
One of the problems with cellular-based internet is that your data performance can vary greatly depending on many different factors:
- The location of the cellular tower relative to your location
- Weather
- How many people are using the tower
- Local terrain - mountains, valleys and even trees
- Nearby buildings
- The structure of your RV or boat
- The antennas & modem built into your cellular device
- Terms of your data plan
But not all of these situations can be improved with extra equipment like boosters and antennas.
Cellular boosters are just one of several signal enhancing options.
They can be lifesavers, making a finicky signal usable enough to get online to surf the web, get work done, or even stream video.
However, in many places boosters might not make a difference at all... or might even degrade your cellular data speeds!
As boosters are a pricey investment, we strongly encourage you to learn more about this technology, and signal enhancing in general, before investing.
We're not here to convince you to get a booster, but rather to help you make an informed choice to determine if a booster will make a significant enough role in your setup to merit the cost and installation efforts.
If you decide a booster is a fit for you, you'll find some of the most popular models featured at the bottom of this page. We have full reviews and hundreds of hours of hands-on time with many models to share.
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Cellular Booster Basics
Let's start with the very basics.
A cellular booster is a signal enhancing device that you can purchase to help you get a better signal to your smartphone, mobile hotspot, tablet or cellular embedded router.
A cellular booster works by using a more powerful and better located antenna than the one built in to your cellular devices. It then electronically amplifies the received signal - rebroadcasting that signal indoors.
It also works in reverse - amplifying your transmissions back to the cell tower.
A cellular booster is kind of like a hearing aid and megaphone rolled into one - designed to help your cellular devices to better communicate with your carrier's tower.
Using a booster effectively can create a stronger signal within a small area of your RV, vehicle or boat.
A stronger signal can result in a more stable connection, fewer dropped calls, sometimes faster data speeds, and even improved battery life, since your devices do not need to work as hard to communicate.
But a booster is not a magic bullet - and it is important to understand how it works, and when it is appropriate to use one.
The Three Parts of a Booster
External Antenna
Also called the donor antenna, the external antenna is placed on the top of your RV or boat, or perhaps even in a window. Theoretically, it should be more capable and better positioned than the antennas built into your phone, mobile hotspot or tablet.
Amplifier
This is the box part of many booster designs that the received signal passes through. It contains electronics that amplify the signal and then re-transmit it. It's the brains of the setup.
Interior Antenna
Most boosters work by broadcasting the amplified signal wirelessly through an indoor antenna, allowing any cellular device within range to receive an improved signal for both voice and cellular data.
When your device transmits back to the cellular tower, this is all done in reverse – and the more powerful transmitter inside the amplifier allows the tower to be better able to hear your cellular device. That's the megaphone part of the equation.
Because of the stronger transmit power of the booster, it's quite common to see increased upload speeds when using a booster, even if download speeds might stay the same, or even be reduced when the booster is engaged.
Boosters and Oscillation
One challenge all boosters face is "oscillation" - the potential feedback loop that happens when the outdoor antenna picks up the boosted signal broadcast on the indoor antenna.
This is similar to the loud squealing feedback that happens when you walk in front of a speaker while using a microphone, only it is the booster hearing the squeal - not your ears.
Boosters are designed to automatically detect oscillation and shut down when it happens - but the need to avoid oscillation limits booster power and antenna placement options, particularly in smaller vehicles. Thus mobile boosters tend to only cast an amplified signal a few feet at best from the interior antenna to prevent oscillation and powering down.
We'll talk a lot more about oscillation in the member section below.
Do You Need a Cellular Booster?
Cellular boosters are often promoted online as being a game changer, that every RVer and boater should absolutely should have onboard.
This is a result of effective marketing by booster manufacturers - they've done a great job of getting boosters into the hands of social media influencers with affiliate links.
And in the right situations, boosters CAN make a huge difference and they might indeed be an appropriate fit for your setup. But that might not always be the case.
Boosters vs MIMO
Despite the high price tag, boosters are not always the best signal enhancing option for data performance - which is our focus at the Mobile Internet Resource Center. And the reason boosters are often not so great for data performance is because of a core technology called MIMO, or Multi-In Multi-Out.
All modern cellular devices have at least two antennas built in - similar to how you have two ears. Each antenna hears a slightly different signal, which gives your modem more to work with resulting in increased speeds and stability.
Boosters, however, use just a single exterior antenna, taking that signal and amplifying it. That single amplified signal is then broadcast to your cellular device, losing the redudancy of multiple signals received. It's equivalent of plugging one of your ears. You can still hear, but not as well.
Because of this, it's not at all uncommon for a booster to actually result in decreased data speeds, despite a better signal reading. Using a cellular device's built-in antennas or externally connected antennas can often outperform a booster.
In our extensive testing over the years, MIMO antennas are the optimal signal enhancing choice for data about 70-80% of the time.
You'll have to decide if the high cost of a booster is worth the 20-30% of the time a booster might be the best option.
Boosters make the most sense for:
- Smartphones, tablets or devices without antenna ports. Boosters deliver the enhanced signal wirelessly, which is the only way these types of devices can get an improved signal.
- In fringe or very weak signal areas, the extra amplification of a booster might perform better than antennas alone.
- Where upload performance is the priority, as a booster adds amplification to your signal back to the tower. This can be important for those conducting video casting, video conferences or large file uploads regularly.
As a general rule of thumb:
- If you're going to be traveling to different locations, and rely on:
- Cellular devices without antenna ports (smartphones & tablets) then having a booster on board can be a great .. even necessary.. tool in your mobile internet arsenal.
- Cellular devices with antenna ports (mobile hotspot devices, routers) then having a booster on board might be worthwhile as a secondary option to try - but we recommend direct antennas as your primary solution.
- While MIMO antennas will likely be your primary way you enhance your signal, if UPLOAD speeds are important to you then a booster could prove to be useful enough to have as part of your arsenal.
- If you're mainly stationary and:
- Getting poor signal, then trying a booster or antennas might help.
- Already getting a good signal & data speeds - then a booster is probably not needed, but antennas might improve things further.
For a plain English explanation of MIMO vs Boosters, check out our video:
As we mentioned, cellular signal enhancing is big topic. There are a lot of variables.
It helps to understand a bit more about frequency bands, decibels, signal to noise ratio and MIMO to help decide on your signal enhancing strategy.
For more, our in-depth guide on signal enhancing:
Will a Booster Work With All Carriers or Devices?
Most boosters on the market today are multi-carrier compatible, however they only cover a small handful of the frequency bands utilized by the carriers. This is mostly a restriction due to FCC regulations.
The bands legally approved for mobile consumer boosters include Bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 13 and 25.
This covers the most important longer range bands for Verizon. Some for AT&T and T-Mobile. And only occasionally Sprint. With over a dozen LTE frequency bands currently in use by the carriers, cellular boosters are not as capable as an antenna-only solution that can cover the entire range of frequencies.
Before purchasing, always compare the bands that your carrier and devices support with the frequency bands the booster is rated for.
This guide goes further:
Understanding Cellular Frequencies
Frequency Notes:
AT&T: No consumer-grade booster handles their now fairly important Band 14, which is a longer range band now commonly found in more rural areas where boosters can be useful.
Sprint: No consumer-grade booster handles Sprint's Band 41 (due to the way this spectrum works). Band 25 is only directly supported by some of the latest boosters on the market, and the remaining Band 26 isn't directly supported by any booster, but can benefit from some 'spill over' from other bands. We dive in deep to give the super-geek explanation on why Sprint (and thus T-Mobile) is a challenge for boosters later in this guide.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile's critical long-range Band 71 (600 MHz spectrum) is not yet approved by the FCC for consumer boosters, so no current mobile booster supports it. And now T-Mobile is also utilizing Sprint's former bands since the merger.
Boosters can work with any cellular-enabled device - smartphones, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, embedded routers, connected cars and embedded laptops.
Single device boosters (such as cradle style boosters) are designed for just one device at a time, but may work with multiple devices within very close proximity.
More powerful boosters are designed for multiple devices to be enhanced at once, so any device within range of the interior antenna will benefit from the amplified signal. However, boosting multiple devices at once will reduce the enhanced signal received by each device, as they share the power of the amplifier. To optimize data performance to a single device, keep only that device active within the reach of the interior antenna.
Avoid Boosting Your Expectations
Boosters can be an amazing complement to your mobile internet setup, and can make the difference sometimes in whether you can make a particular location work or not for your connectivity needs.
But they are not miracle devices, and there's a lot of confusion over what they can and can not do.
A booster can help with these signal challenging situations:
- Distance to the cellular tower
- Overcoming obstacles that may be between you and the tower
- Your own RV or boat's construction (metal rigs like Airstreams and steel hulled boats can actually block signals).
A booster cannot help in these situations:
- Using an overloaded tower
- No signal to begin with
- Improving an already great signal (boosters can actually decrease data speeds on already good signals!)
- Getting around hard throttles or network management on your data plan
You also should not expect a booster to provide an improved signal throughout your entire RV or boat.
Do Cellular Boosters Help Wi-Fi?
There's also a good bit of confusion between cellular and Wi-Fi - they are both, after all, wireless signals. But they operate on very different frequencies.
Cellular boosters are designed to only work with cellular frequencies, and can not help with getting a better Wi-Fi signal. If you're looking to get a better connection to your campground or marina's Wi-Fi network, you'll need different gear (See Getting a Better Wi-Fi Signal).
The confusing part is that many cellular devices can create their own Wi-Fi network that you connect to, such as the personal hotspot off your smartphone, or connecting to your Jetpack. So when you enhance your cellular signal your entire internet experience may improve. But you're not actually improving the Wi-Fi signal itself with a cellular booster, just the cellular connection that your Wi-Fi network is distributing.
Confusing sometimes, we know.
Here's more on this:
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Here's a sneak peak at the member exclusive topics in this guide:
Types of Boosters
What kind of booster do you need? Mobile or residential, analog or digital, cradle or multi-device, wideband or dual band, machine-to-machine?
Boosters & Antennas
This section goes deeper into the difference between using a booster or antennas only, using different antennas with a booster and explaining how MIMO and boosters are different.
Booster Installation
From grounding planes for your antenna, avoiding oscillation, options for a towable RVing setup to stationary booster considerations in a mobile environment.
Special Case Boosters
This section covers using two boosters in a MIMO configuration, boosters in a 5G world, and geeks out on why Sprint's network is mostly unboostable.
Troubleshooting, Tips & Tricks
Having trouble with your booster? This section goes over tips for when your booster just doesn't seem to be doing anything - from no change in bars, no change in performance to even decreased speeds despite a better signal.
Mobile Cellular Boosters On the Market:
Below are some of the popular/featured boosters that have either excelled in our independent testing or offers some unique features. Click on over to our full Mobile Cellular Boosters Gear Center to see all of the options currently on the market.
Beware Illegal Boosters
With the introduction of newer cellular bands like T-Mobile's Band 71 in addition to 5G devices, unscrupulous makers are starting to sell illegal boosters that are not certified by the FCC on popular online retail sites like Amazon and eBay.
These listings will sell boosters that claim to boost frequencies and bands that are not authorized by the FCC for the US. Currently, the FCC only permits cellular boosting for parts of the following frequencies:
- 700MHz
- 850MHz
- 1700MHz
- 1900MHz
- 2100MHz
Legitimate consumer wideband LTE boosters will cover these five frequency ranges and are advertised as "quint" or 5-band cellular boosters.
Illegal boosters will claim to cover additional frequencies, usually 600MHz and 2300MHz, and advertise themselves as 7-band cellular boosters. The FCC does not permit consumer cellular boosters to boost these frequencies.
Using these boosters can result in a knock on your door by the FCC. Using them is not legal even though they are sold on Amazon, eBay, and other legitimate sites and appear to be legitimate. Some have even appeared on Amazon with the "Amazon Choice" label.
US law and FCC regulations state that consumers can be liable for penalties of over $100k for using non certified devices, although we have not heard of anyone receiving fines.
Spotting an Illegal Booster
Usually, illegal boosters will come from second-tier brands in the booster marker or manufacturers that you've never heard of. Common brands that are sold illegally include Phonetone, Anntlent, and Anycall, but there are many others. These boosters are typically shipped directly from China. Here are some signs that a booster is illegal:
- Product claims to be FCC certified but provides no FCC certification number
- Boosting frequencies other than 700/850/1700/1900/2100 MHz
- Claims to be able to boost any of the following bands: Band 71, Band 30, or Band 41
- Claims that the booster is a "7" band booster
- Bogus reviews - Sellers will copy or create false reviews, sometimes using reviews from completely unrelated products.
Summary: Boosters Can Be Helpful, in the Right Circumstances
In the right circumstances, a booster can be an integral part of your internet arsenal. But before you invest in one, make sure you understand what they can and can't do.
They can improve a cellular signal, particularly if you're far away from a cell tower. But it won't typically help if you don't have a signal to begin with, or if you're experiencing throttling or network management.
In many situations an antenna might be a better answer, so be sure to do a good analysis of your current needs and set up before committing.
Cellular boosters can be quite useful for boosting the signal to a smartphone to get a more solid phone call. But when it comes to enhancing cellular data performance, things get more complicated.
Because of a technology called MIMO (multiple in multiple out) that is essential to LTE and 5G data, often times the internal antennas on a smartphone or hotspot don't benefit from an amplified signal. Boosters also only cover a handful of the frequency bands the carries use for data.
But a booster can play a role in a mobile internet arsenal - as they excel during times when you are really far from a tower, or where upload speeds are important (such as video broadcasting).
For more on understanding boosters vs. MIMO - check out video:
For more on signal enhancing, including understanding boosters and the many forms they come in - follow up with our guides:
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