Like the iBooster, both of these units have cradles which hold your cell phone, boosting signal while you use a hands-free kit or Bluetooth device. With a close connection to the cell phone, both the C-Booster and U-Booster improve signal greatly.

Wilson 805206 C-Booster for BlackBerry Curve

The Wilson C-Booster for BlackBerry Curve (805206) is designed specifically to boost signal for the BlackBerry Curve. The cradle fits the BlackBerry Curve perfectly, boosting signal whilst charging your phone.

The C-Booster features the same award winning technology as the iBooster. A powerful 40dB of gain helps users reduce dropped calls, increase data rates, and place calls from “dead spots”.

Available Now!

Wilson 805221 Universal Signal Booster (U-Booster)

The Wilson Universal Booster (805221) is designed to fit all other phones. The cradle can be adjusted to fit all cell phones.

The U-Booster also features the same award winning technology as the iBooster and C-Booster. A powerful 40dB of gain helps users reduce dropped calls, increase data rates, and place calls from “dead spots”.

Available December 2009. Pre-order Now!

If you have any questions on either the C-Booster or the U-Booster, then please check out the product pages, or contact us.

Pictured here, the new SignalBoost Pro is a dual-band repeater which works with all carriers (except Nextel). It plugs into a USB port, which makes it exceptionally portable. It’s ideal for a small office environment. Wilson are also releasing an in-car version, the 801241, which likewise uses a USB port.

The SignalBoost Pro comes with a high-gain antenna. More technical specifications will be available very soon. It is expected to be released in the 2nd quarter of 2008 and we are looking forward to featuring it here at RepeaterStore.com.

We have been testing the YX300 in real world situations since we received a test unit from Wi-Ex, and have had very positive results. The performance of the kit depends quite strongly on the signal strength at the window where the unit is installed. With reasonably strong signal at the window, we found that the unit provides significantly improved call coverage and can eliminate dropped calls and voice quality issues. However, we found that it is very important to maintain separation between the window unit and the indoor antenna – the unit oscillates easily and has to be reset each time this happens.

Overall, we recommend the zBoost zP YX300 for users with reception problems and a limited budget, but users who need a larger coverage area should consider installing a larger zBoost YX-510 kit.

A wired version of the zP, called the zBoost zP YX100, is due within the next few months. This will be a wired direct-connect amplifier that will complete Wi-Ex’s low-cost zP repeater line.

For more information and complete specifications visit our zBoost zP YX300 product page.

Unfortunately, if there is no EVDO/HSDPA coverage at all in your area, there’s no way of improving the signal. However, if you have at least 1 bar of signal somewhere nearby, it’s possible to use a high gain antenna and repeater to amplify the signal and provide reliable broadband access. Since all of our recommended units are dual-band, they will work with services from any of the major carriers, and will also improve voice signals if used with a normal cell phone.

Here are our recommendations:

Universal wired kit: Wilson Signalboost ($219)
For users who want a mobile solution for their broadband woes, we suggest the Wilson Signalboost Kit. The Signalboost amplifier boosts the broadband signal and channels it through a velcro patch that is stuck directly onto your data card or cell phone. Since the Signalboost uses this easy universal connection method, it can be used with cell phone and data card devices from any manufacturer. The kit comes with a 12V DC Cigarette Adapter as standard, but add a Wilson 12V AC Adapter to make the kit usable anywhere.

Direct Connect kit: SignalWide Clickitbase ($249)
For users who need an additional signal improvement, it’s possible to connect a cell phone repeater directly into the antenna port of their data card or cell phone. For these situations we recommend the SignalWide ClickItBase, which is sold with a custom connector for your phone or data card. The ClickItBase is designed specifically for 3G applications, but will improve all signals.

Wireless kit: Wi-Ex zBoost zPersonal zP ($169)
Wireless Extender’s new zP unit is a very low-cost wireless kit that can be used to cover a radius of up to 6 feet from the indoor antenna. To improve broadband coverage throughout a room or small building, we highly recommend Wireless Extender’s zBoost YX-510 repeater kit. The zBoost YX-510 comes with 35 feet of cabling that connects an outdoor antenna to an indoor unit that amplifies and rebroadcasts the signal. The standard YX-510 kit can cover up to 2,500 square feet from a strong outdoor signal.

Wilson Electronics recently announced the 801247 Signalboost Desktop DT, a new dual-band repeater kit called that competes directly with other low-priced dual-band kits such as the zBoost YX-510 and Digital Antenna DA4KSBR-50U.

The new 801247 Signalboost Desktop DT is a complete kit that includes a 50dB dual-band amplifier very similar in specifications to the Wilson 801245 SOHO Desktop. This Signalboost DT is available as a complete kit with a 5dB gain cradle antenna (for a total of 55dB of system gain) and 50 feet of 75-ohm RG6 cabling. This is the first Wilson product to use 75-ohm cabling, and the switch means that the system can be easily extended with RG-6 cables available at any electronics retailer. The 801247 is also the first complete wireless kit sold by Wilson – a departure from their usual model of selling kit components separately.

As the first complete dual band in-door kit manufactured by Wilson, we expect this to be a very popular product. There is no word on pricing as of yet, but you can find all the details and availability information on our store’s product page: Wilson 801247 Signalboost Desktop DT.

View our Top Wilson Amplifiers here / View the Full Wilson Amplifiers and Antennas Catalog here

About a month ago we wrote about Wi-Ex’s announcement of two new repeaters: the zBoost zP Personal and the zBoost zP Wireless. At the time, Wi-Ex didn’t release any tech specs, which left us to wonder how effective a sub-$100 repeater could really be.

Courtesy of Wi-Ex we are now able to reveal that the zBoost zP repeater will have +31 dB gain in the wired “zP Personal” version and +43 dB total system gain in the “zP Wireless” version (measured @ 800 MHz). The difference between the two is down to the gain of the internal antenna that is included as part of the zP Wireless version.

Now, it’s always very unreliable to compare system gains for repeaters from different manufacturers, so to put it in perspective within Wi-Ex’s existing product range, the YX-200 Wireless Vehicle Repeater has a total system gain quoted as +50 dB. This is a difference in system gain of +7 dB between the two wireless repeaters, but taking into account the difference in price tag of around $130, this shows the zP repeater in a reasonably favorable light. However, there is a limit to how much you can learn from a product’s specifications and a more telling test will be when we put this repeater into practice in a real world situation. We will be doing this soon, hopefully before the zP’s scheduled release, which is rumored to be around mid-June.

Regardless, the zboost zP was never about raw amplifier performance and perhaps the most important specs to be released are the price: $99 for the wired version and $169 for the wireless version, and the weight: 10 Oz, or slightly more than half a pound. These figures represent significant reductions when compared with any other repeater available on the market. With dimensions of 4 x 5 x 1.3 inches, the zP is a truly portable repeater system. To have crammed a dual band repeater (i.e. a repeater compatible with all cellular networks other than Nextel) into such as small package is a remarkable achievement. The real question is whether Wi-Ex have managed to achieve this portability without sacrificing performance. On this, the jury is still out.

The full technical specifications are now available on our zP product page: Wi-Ex zBoost zP Repeater

Cellular signals in the US are broadcast on two frequencies, either the 800MHz frequency or the 1900MHz frequency. The 800MHz frequency is also regularly referred to as the 850MHz frequency. This is because signals are actually broadcast on bands ranging from 824–849MHz to 869–894MHz. 800MHz and 850MHz is the accepted shorthand for these frequencies, and whenever you encounter them you can be assured they refer to the same thing.

Some networks, like T-Mobile or Cricket, will use only one frequency (1900MHz in this case) for all their services across the US. All customers can be assured that only a single-band repeater will be required.

Unfortunately, other providers are much more confusing. Some use a mixture of 800 and 1900MHz bands. Verizon, for example, use the 800MHz band for their voice services in most of the US, but in some areas, notably much of Texas and Florida, it uses the 1900MHz band. In all other areas 1900MHz is used for broadband.

The situation with Cingular is even more complicated. Since their merger with AT&T, they use a complete mix of frequencies across the US. Most of their voice services use the 800MHz, with exceptions in North and South Carolina, but this is by no means a hard and fast rule. Cingular hold licences for both frequencies in many areas, and often use both.

The source for some of this confusion lies in the irregular expansion of cellular providers in what is still a relatively young industry. Companies bought licences to use particular frequency bands in certain parts of the country. When providers merged, as with AT&T and Cingular recently, their licences did not always line up with each other. Many licences are now redundant, or overlap within areas.

This means that some customers may find a single-band repeater is not enough to solve their coverage problem. There are two main situations in which a customer might need to purchase a dual-band repeater.

The first is when a household uses two or more cell phones, on networks using different frequency bands. For example, if you are with T-Mobile, but your son or daughter’s network is Alltel, you may be using both the 800 and 1900MHz frequencies. If you wish to improve coverage for both phones, you will need a dual-band repeater.

Additionally, if you wish to improve both broadband data services and voice services, you may need a dual-band repeater. Our FAQ pages have more information on how cell phone repeaters do not just improve call quality and reduce dropped calls; they also help to speed up data transfer rates with broadband services. Many networks use the same frequency band for both cell phone signal and wireless cellular data cards (for example, Sprint). Other networks use different frequencies for both (like Verizon). Still others use different bands in some areas and the same band elsewhere (Cingular). If you wish to improve both services, you may need a dual band repeater.