Love repeaters but hate laying cable and putting up antennas? Well the zBoost ONE could the cellular repeater you’ve been waiting for! The Wi-Ex zBoost ONE (or YX400 in Wi-Ex’s mysterious language) requires absolutely no installation, save from putting it near a window and switching it on.

Those clever boffins down at Wi-Ex Central have managed to cram the antennas, cable and amplifier into a single, sleek 2lbs unit. This means that to use the Wi-Ex YX-400 zBoost ONE all you need to do is find a window where you currently get a bit of signal. Place the zBoost ONE near the window, switch it on and you instantly have up to 1,200 sq ft of usable signal.

zBoost ONE YX-400

Compatibility

The YX-400 works with the 1900MHz band, used by loads of US cell phone networks.
Click here to confirm the zBoost ONE is compatible with your network.

Availability

The Wi-Ex zBoost ONE has only just been announced and we do not currently know when they will be ready to ship. The latest we have heard is around Q4, in time for the holiday period.

Product features

• No installation – just plug it in and you have coverage
• Single piece kit – no external antennas, internal antennas or cable
• 1900MHz PCS band, compatible with T-mobile, Verizon (Texas/Florida only), Sprint, Metro PCS, AT&T (some areas only)
• Wireless – no connection to your phone needed
• Good coverage area – cover up to 1,200 sq ft with improved signal
• Single unit measures just 10″ x 9″ x 3.5″

This week, RepeaterStore.com attended CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas. The conference featured over 1,200 exhibitors encompassing all aspects of the wireless industry. Needless to say, our eyes were fixed firmly on the cellular repeaters.

Over the course of the 3-day conference, we met many of our current suppliers (Wilson Electronics, Wi-Ex, Digital Antenna) and others we are planning to add to our store in the very near future (Shyam, Cell Ranger, and more). We discussed the current repeaters on the market, as well as some new products manufacturers are releasing this year.

The following posts will expand on the new products we saw. We’ve taken some photos and we hope you enjoy this glimpse at CTIA Wireless 2008!

Wilson had originally informed us that their new SignalBoost DT product would be available December 15th, but this has now been revised to December 21st. The release of the sleek new desktop repeater kit has been highly anticipated as it positions Wilson to compete directly with the Wi-Ex zBoost products, particularly the zBoost YX-510, which has dominated the budget repeater market.

We hope to have a unit in our hands for testing as soon as possible. You’ll find our preliminary thoughts and a full product review (once it’s available) on our Wilson Signalboost DT review page.

You will be able to star pre-ordering at the Wilson SignalBoost DT product page as soon as we have confirmation from Wilson as to what quantity will be included in our first shipment.

Update: It turns out that the delay was cancelled. We now have the Wilson SignalBoost DT available for immediate shipping.

New EVDO and HSDPA services available from Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, Alltel and Cingular Wireless have made broadband mobile services a reality. But as many users are finding out, the speed of the data connection depends strongly on the signal quality. Data services are considerably more sensitive to errors in transmitting and receiving signals than traditional cellular services, so the same signal that works adequately for a voice call is often incapable of providing reliable broadband signal.

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.

We have just added two new premium versions of our single-band Wi-Ex YX500 products. These premium kits include the same amplifier and cables as the standard kits, but add upgraded external antennas. These upgraded kits are recommended for low signal situations (i.e. 3 bars or less outside), but can also be used to extender the coverage area of YX500 products when stronger signal is available.

The zBoost YX500-CEL Premium kit includes an upgraded YX026-CEL Yagi Antenna, and the YX500-PCS Premium Kit includes the YX023-PCS panel antenna.