As you drive around, are you frustrated by dropped calls and poor data rates? Do you find yourself having to repeat “Can you hear me now?” A cellphone booster might be exactly what you need.
Based on our detailed research, we have concluded that the SureCall Fusion2Go Max is the best cell phone booster for RVs, cars, trucks and vehicles available on the market today. The runner up and a strong contender for first place is the weBoost Drive Reach.
Read on for further details on our picks and selection criteria.
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The Detailed Review
- Our Top Pick: Surecall Fusion2Go Max
- Runner Up: weBoost Drive Reach
- Budget Pick: weBoost Drive Sleek
- Best for Trucks: weBoost Drive 4G-X OTR
- Best Value: weBoost Drive
- What is a Cellphone Booster?
- How we Picked the Best Cellphone Booster for Vehicles
- The Future of Cellphone Boosters
- Summary
OUR TOP PICK – Surecall Fusion2Go Max
Based on our research, we have concluded that the SureCall Fusion2Go Max is the best cell phone booster for vehicles available on the market today. This booster comes with an amplifier in the external antenna which amplifies the downlink (cell phone tower to vehicle) signal which compensates for the signal attenuation caused by the coaxial cable connecting the external antenna and the signal booster.
Furthermore, at 29 dBm, the SureCall Fusion2Go Max offers the highest uplink (vehicle to cell phone tower) power of any booster available on the market today. This booster supports multiple carriers and multiple user devices.
With its excellent performance and industrial grade construction, the SureCall Fusion2Go Max comes with an understandably high price tag. The booster only works with the shark fin antenna shipped with the unit.
Users owning more than one vehicle have reported that the SureCall Fusion2Go Max outperforms boosters from other manufacturers installed on their vehicles. Users also report that the FME RF connectors on the SureCall Fusion2Go Max are more reliable than SMB connectors found on other devices.
PROS
- High Gain
- High Uplink power
- Amplifier in external antenna
- Rugged construction
- Supports multiple carriers
- Supports multiple user devices
CON
Supports only the external antenna which ships with the unit
RUNNER UP – weBoost Drive Reach
The runner up cell phone booster is the weBoost Drive Reach. Like the SureCall Fusion2Go Max, the weBoost Drive Reach also offers excellent all-around performance. However, it doesn’t have an amplifier in the external antenna and the uplink power is slightly less at 28 dBm.
The weBoost Drive Reach supports multiple carriers and multiple devices in the vehicle. The CLA power cord on the unit features a USB-A connector for fast phone charging. The external and internal antennae need suitable separation to prevent feedback which could cause the unit to shut down.
Users have reported improved coverage, less dropped calls and higher data speeds when using the weBoost Drive Reach in areas where they previously faced bad connections. Some users prefer that the connectors on unit be on the same side rather than on the front and back as on the current unit.
PROS
- High Gain
- High Uplink power
- Rugged design
- Supports multiple carriers
- Supports multiple user devices
- Power cord includes USB-A port for phone charging
CON
- SMB RF connector lack reliability
BEST BUDGET PICK – weBoost Drive Sleek
Our budget pick is the weBoost Drive Sleek, which is designed to boost the signal for a single cellular device held in the cradle signal booster.
Reflecting its name, this product is sleek, is professionally built and is easy to install. At 23 dB, this booster offers less than the 50 dB gain offered by both our top pick and the runner up. The weBoost Drive Sleek supports only one device inside the vehicle which has to be positioned inside the cradle included in the shipment, while both our top pick and the runner up support multiple user devices.
Users have reported getting better signals while using this device compared to when they used their cell phone without any booster. However, for areas with sparse cell phone coverage, many users recommend using a more powerful booster than the weBoost Drive Sleek.
PROS
- Economical
- Supports multiple carriers
CONS
- Lower gain
- Supports a single user device
BEST FOR TRUCKS – weBoost Drive 4G-X OTR
The weBoost Drive 4G-X OTR is designed for use with trucks. The booster comes with a ruggedized, all weather OTR truck omni-directional antenna designed to provide maximum coverage. The device kit includes a 3-way mount which enables antenna mounting on horizontal and vertical bars having up to 1-inch diameter or to the vehicle surface.
Available accessories for this booster include a 9.8-inch omni-directional antenna which is rated for marine applications and a 4-inch mini magnet mount antenna.
In general, users have reported their satisfaction with this product. For best results, users recommend following the installation instructions. Some users complained that three antenna accessories including in the marketing literature do not ship with the product and need to be ordered separately.
PROS
- High Gain
- Rugged OTR antenna
- Supports multiple carriers
- Supports multiple user devices
- Marine antenna available as accessory
CON
- Antenna mounting accessories need to be ordered separately
BEST VALUE – weBoost Drive X
The weBoost Drive X is a cell phone booster for vehicles which is available at a price point between the weBoost Drive Reach and the weBoost Drive Sleek.
Most users have expressed their satisfaction with this product. Some users have reported the booster turns on and off in urban areas with strong signals.
PROS
- High Gain
- High Uplink power
- Supports multiple carriers
- Supports multiple user devices
CONS
- Device might turn on and off in areas with strong cell phone signals
What is a cell phone booster?
“Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”.
“What happened? Is it an earthquake? A tsunami?”.
“No, my cell phone is not getting any signals?”.
“My dear, your reactions are very justified!”.
Well, you might say that this is a bit of an exaggeration, and you will be right because it is an exaggeration, but just a teeny weeny one. A few decades ago, nobody could have imagined the important roles cell phones would come to play in our lives. With the advent of apps and faster data connections, cell phones have become our go-to device for any situation. And since staying connected is so important, making sure that our cell phones always receive good signals becomes that much more important. This is where cell phone boosters come in.
There are many situations where we might not get good cell phone coverage because the distance from the cell phone tower is too high, or where the cell phone signal can’t propagate because of obstructions such as mountains or forests. This can occur for example on the highway, in rural or hilly areas or when we’re sailing close to the shore. A good cell phone booster helps to improve the quality of the cell phone signal and therefore helps to reduce number of dropped voice calls, and improve voice quality and data speed.
How we Picked the Best Cellphone Booster
While communicating using cell phones, there are two transmission paths which need to be considered: the uplink and the downlink. The uplink is the transmission path from the cell phone to the cell phone tower, and downlink is the path from the cell phone tower to the cell phone.
The transmissions in both paths need to be strong for reliable communication. As shown in the picture above, the cell phone booster amplifies or boosts signals in both directions.
The following is a list of major criteria we have used for selecting the best cell phone boosters.
GAIN
This is a measure of the amplification of the downlink signal. A cell phone booster with higher gain will be able to provide a higher boost for a weak signal compared to a booster with lower gain.
UPLINK POWER
This is the transmit power of the cell phone booster. The higher the uplink power, the further the cell phone booster will be able to reach.
SUPPORT FOR ALL CARRIERS
While on the move, we obviously want our cell phone to work with all carriers. Needing separate boosters for different carriers is a definite deal breaker.
SUPPORT FOR MULTIPLE CELLPHONES
Even though we may occasionally travel alone, we usually have friends and family who accompany us. Therefore, it is important that vehicle cell phone booster is able to provide good quality signal for all people in the vehicle.
EASE OF INSTALLATION
Most of the cell phone booster kits are designed for self-installation. Having to get them installed by professionals would increase the cost considerably.
POPULARITY
We picked boosters that were popular among many users; this way, we could check out reviews left by previous users with verified purchase history.
The Future of Cellphone Boosters
Cell phones have become an important part of our lives. If we can’t get a good signal, then we certainly can’t use the cell phone and all that it has to offer. Cell phone boosters provide an economical solution to the problem of weak signals. Especially for people who are working from home or are on the move, needing to stay in touch is far more important than it ever used to be. Maybe in the future vehicle manufacturers will offer cell phone boosters as options which we can select at the time of ordering a vehicle.
Summary
Cell phone boosters for vehicles help us stay connected while we are on the move. We have reviewed the best cell phone boosters for vehicles available in the market today, and based upon our research have selected the following:
- Top pick: SureCall Fusion2Go Max
- Runner up: weBoost Drive Reach
- Budget pick: weBoost Drive Sleek
- Best for Trucks: weBoost Drive 4G-X OTR
- Best Value: weBoost Drive X
