I recently aquired a WeBoost Drive 4GM cell signal booster. The 4GM isn't the latest and greatest offering, that would be the Drive 4GX. I was initially drawn to the 4GX plus RV essentials kit which retails for $619.99. The Drive 4GX by itself sells for $479 and the 4GM for $379. I purchased the Drive 4GM from Amazon Warehouse Deals (technically used) for $273.
Both the 4GM and 4GX are rated to boost cell signal by up to 50 db. The difference being the 4GX is supposed to be twice as powerful and able to pull signals from further away. The 4GX is newer and reviews seem to be somewhat up and down. The 4GM has been around longer and has more consistent reviews.
The Drive 4GM comes with a stubby magnet mount outside antenna and a flat "Hershey Bar" inside antenna....
After talking to a few tech reps from Wilson Electronics I decided to add the RV/Trucker antenna part #318433 and inside panel antenna part #311135
The inside panel is much bigger than it looks in the pic. After trying to use it I discovered the phone still had to be extremely close. Moving the phone away even a few inches decreased the signal boost. The supplied inside antenna seems to work just as well so that's what I went with.
The outside RV/Trucker antenna doesn't seem to work any better than the included magnetic antenna. In fact at this point I'm convinced the magnet mount antenna works better. Specs indicate it has better gain on the band widths for 4G LTE and 3G LTE internet.
When I first started this project I had big ideas about a hard install with wires permanently run and hidden. Well, that didn't quite work out. The biggest problem was getting the inside and outside antennas far enough apart. If the two antennas are too close together it creates an oscillation condition and the booster quits working. In the small confines of my truck camper the roof entrance point I wanted to use and placement of the inside antenna just didn't work out. What I found that works well for my situation is to place the magnet mount antenna on a piece of metal attached to the roof rack and run the cable in thru a window. The inside antenna can be moved to the other side of the camper providing enough space between the two for proper operation. I found that actually placing the phone on top of the inside antenna works best. It can be positioned that way and left laying on a counter or table for internet use. To make a call I simply place the antenna and phone in my hand.
We had a good opportunity to test this system out this week at Alabama Hills Ca. On a previous visit we could tell it was a fringe area for cell signal as our phones would bounce between searching for service and leaving service area, never actually working. On a smart phone you can select a screen that shows the signal strength which is measured in negative decibels. -50 is pretty much considered a great signal and -100 pretty much no signal. With the signal booster it took the signal from about -120 to -73, huge improvement making the phone(s) totally useable. I made a test call to our daughter and she said it sounded great. It also provided an internet connection, tho it was pretty slow. The internet connection is where I really noticed the difference between the two outside antennas with the advantage ultimately going to the smaller included magnet mount antenna.
Here are the two outside antennas mounted to the roof of my camper. The magnet mount antenna must be on a piece of metal at least 3.5" in diameter. I took a cue from an internet video I watched and used an electrical junction box cover. The Trucker/RV antenna provides it's own ground plane. In the future I plan to make a mount that will elevate the magnet mount antenna a little higher.
Here are a few pics of the inside antenna in use. Instructions say you can have the phone up to about 18" away but I found moving it away even a few inches decreased the signal boost. One side of the antenna is Velcro. One video I watched the guy put a piece of Velcro on the back of his phone and attached it.
Just FYI, pink phone cover re wife's phone......
My conclusion is that for us this was a good investment. The ability to make an emergency call where it might not have been possible before to us is worth it. Being able to have internet is a bonus. That being said keep this in mind, These are signal boosters, not signal creators. If there is absolutely no signal available to boost, this thing won't do anything to help. Also want to add, the booster will support up to 4 phones at once. The boosters also support most all carriers.
If you choose to purchase a signal booster, know that FCC regs require you to register it before using it. Not a difficult process, especially if you have Verizon. Just fill out and submit an online form.....
Hope somebody finds this useful, Erick
