WeBoost (Wilson Electronics) Drive 4GM Cell Signal Booster

setters posted:

I think,if I remember right @Big E said he bought two different antennas and said he felt the stubby one worked the best....

He did. I was looking at non weboost branded cell antennas. I'll keep it as is for now though.

Doug - I don't expect it to create signals, I just hope it expands on the fringe singals. As a benefit though, I am on Google Fi, which is (Sprint/T-Mobile/US Cellular) and my wife is on Verizon... so we'll see who does better.

The only thing I could think may work better for us is instead of the hersey bar internal antenna is the dome or wide area antenna for houses. That way you wouldn't have to sit with the antenna in hand.

My instructions say about three feet from antenna is max, when I did the first test I had it laying on the passenger seat

I bought an AC adapter for mine.  So, when not traveling it goes in to work where I have the antenna stuck to a window a/c unit outside,,, out from under the metal roof.  Now I don't have to go outside to take a phone call!  I just hold the transmitting little block/pad thing up to the back of my phone and now I get 3 bars vs 1 before!  Still love it!

Chris, do you notice any difference running it from the AC adapter vs the 12 volt adapter???

Nope, none.  I got one of those AC adapters that you can adjust the plug to match and switch the DC/OUT to match what you have. So, I just made it exactly what it was for my truck.  At the price it cost I am not going to over juice it for fear of busting it.

I hear ya......

For a little more info, and a decent video, the rv bloggers "Wheeling It" published just today a review of the weBoost 4G-X OTR product. They also reviewed 3 different antenna options and compared the new box to the cradle unit they had before.

Wheeling It Booster Review

Okie Doke. I installed this today in about 5 minutes. I say installed, but really I just plugged in everything and tried it. I am using the pre-built platform for my WIFI antenna. I have an junction box that was already on my roof from my Solar, so I previously installed two plates to it. Sealed it with sealant, and then would shove my vertical wifi antenna in when not in motion (or when I needed it). 

I adjusted it by backing out the screws slightly. I bought an L, and an steel electrical junction box cover (as did Big E). This sits firmly into the two straps, and then I tightened it down.

Powered up the unit, and went from 2 bars to 5 bars LTE (to be fair, I'm near a major metro area and do not normally have cell problems) I will be traveling to Asheville and can check it later this month. Ironically, I had no problem with this at the front of my camper and the interior antenna in the front of my camper. However, had more issues the further I went away from it. The dinette was about as far as I could go, and then it started oscillating. If I went to the back couch, it was fine again.

So the next thing I am going to purchase and test is this antenna: https://www.amazon.com/weBoost...RJ5PS45616Z759VBNBSK

It's a little different then what Big E tried.

To make my interior a little more permanent, I'm also going to try an internal antenna like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Wilson-...ords=weboost+antenna

I will compare between this and stock.

Edit: Just watched that video. Cool. Seems like they had about the same between the stubby and the OTR, but I'm willing to try it. I'll probably mount it to my roof rack. I might mount it to my flag pole, but I don't know if I have enough cabling. And the longer the cable the worse the reception.

I've mounted the OTR antenna to my roof. It's beefy. Probably about 2 feet long. It added maybe 8" clearance to my unit. I'll have to double check the height next time it's on the truck. I'll be testing it in the NC wilderness in a couple weeks. Until then, I ran the antenna wire inside the rear slide and zip tied it to the wall in various places.

The upgraded internal antenna doesn't seem to do well with the higher channels, though my phone doesn't operate on them. I'll do a whole test on this when I get back.

Looking forward to hearing how that new antenna works.  I've had my eye on it, thanks for being the test case.......

 with Erick.

On youtube, The Jade and John Show. Married couple from TN that are truck drivers. We Boost gave them a set up to try out and make video of what they thought. John used to be an IT guy and had built his own booster for the truck from home version type stuff. They were impressed with the We Boost mobile system they tried out.

Erick -

The RVgeeks just uploaded a video a few minutes ago that goes nicely with your thread -

Cool video Jeff.  Thanks for posting it.....

Hmmm...very tempting!

Thanks for posting that vid Jeff. I have a question for those in the know........if I wish to not install this permanently, where would you bring the antenna cable into the trailer? I'm thinking of running it in through the slide window but if it rains, I'll be having to remove it to be able to close the window.

Randy don't you have a pass thru storage compartment that is accessible under the bed.....?

setters posted:

Randy don't you have a pass thru storage compartment that is accessible under the bed.....?

No, we have the sofa conversion and besides, running the antenna cable in through one of the pass-thru doors would mean that it stays open during the time we use the We-Boost which I would like to set up and leave it until we leave the campsite.. Not sure I like that scenario.

Run it down the fridge vent I think that's what I'm going to do.....then run an extra phone antenna from the camper into the truck cab so I can use it when driving...also getting a mini so I can run one hidden in side the roof panel of the new Jeep...then I just have to swap the unit between the vehicles/camper.....

Wow!!

This unit is literally priceless. I used it in the Pisgah national forest (Camping here: https://goo.gl/maps/5uNX8QPbxxH2 ) and the Ocala national forest recently. I had 0 bars on either phone in Pisgah [My wife has Verizon/ I have Google Fi]. Using the booster I had 4 bars, 3g with US Cellular (This is a Google FI Carrier). In the middle of the night we had a freak windstorm that luckily I was able to pull up radar for from my phone, so I knew exactly how bad it was going to be. I was only able to test the OTR antenna in this configuration. The stubby was mounted ontop of my truck and had 0 bars (But it was under the cabover, so obstructed).

Testing the different antennas, in the Ocala national forest, the base on T-Mobile (Google FI) was -107db. With the booster stock antenna mounted on a ground plane forward over my bed (outside), my signal was -90 db, with the OTR antenna mounted on the rear, my signal was -91 db. So the OTR/Stock in this case were the basically same.

Do I think the OTR was a good investment? For me? Yes. It allows for a semi-permanent installation that looks nice and I don't have to move the magnetic stubby around when I switch to my truck.

I now leave the stubby on my truck cab, and the other ontop of the camper.

Tom, your signal acquisition success is what I meant when I said it often saves the day!  

Communication-wise, you literally got something out of what was otherwise...nothing. 

I'm very impressed. I'm going to continue comparing different types of antennas and see if there's a difference. 

Ask Doug, he left me use his in Vogal SP in Georgia, for about an hour or so, and by the time I got back to PA I had one ordered.......

I'm interest in this OTR antenna....but if the little one works as good, I'll just stick with one mounted onto a small metal plate glued to the fridge vent....

Randy, why don't you want it permanent?

I was thinking to get this unit and rotate it between the TV and TT based on my location at the time, but I would leave the antennas mounted in each location.

Kent Smith posted:

Randy, why don't you want it permanent?

I was thinking to get this unit and rotate it between the TV and TT based on my location at the time, but I would leave the antennas mounted in each location.

Well, that there just might be the best solution. Get two antennas and permanently mount one on the trailer and keep the spare for those rare times we might need a boost in the truck.

Sometimes my penny-pinching ways can definitely cloud my ability to see the easiest answer to my woes. Thanks for shocking me back to reality. 

You might make a trip or two before you permanently mount it.  We move our antenna around quite often to obtain a better signal. 

Randy, I'm planning on using the suggestion to get the kit with the mini mag mount (for the truck) and then separately order the larger spring mounted antenna to place permanently on the TT.

I think I want to use a semi-permanent mount on the TT in a relatively short position on the roof to have good clearance but still have the ability to quickly reposition it on a taller rod/staff for those more remote locations where height helps, per Nutman's feedback.

setters posted:

I'm interest in this OTR antenna....but if the little one works as good, I'll just stick with one mounted onto a small metal plate glued to the fridge vent....

It did. But I'll try when I get to more fringe areas of service. Though it won't be for a little while. My next trip in April is two weeks and going to Montana, Wyoming and California.... from Florida.

This was another stop in Pisgah. But only with the OTR antenna. This is on/off. At -77dbm, service is very very usable. Not quite LTE, but very consistent. It should be noted that I have the 4GX.

First time I have needed a boost to get data, here parked alone Rockhouse Rd near Borrego. Unwrapped the weboost and stuck the antenna up on the truck hood. Inside, went from almost nothing to 4 bars of 4G. This will be really nice up in the mtns of Colo, where signals go to die.

I like it. New project on my list, a permanent installation. Now, how to get the coax thru the roof?

Thanks for all the great information.  Is the magnetic mount antenna an option?  The 4G-X comes with a bolt-through-the-roof antenna.  Assuming I can get a magnetic mount antenna, can I glue it to the roof of my trailer and have it work properly?

Thanks in advance!