In my first product review of the weBoost cell booster for RVers, I mentioned that the real test would come the next time we were in a location with very limited cellular coverage. Well, we’ve visited plenty of locations with limited or no cellular service throughout our Alaska RVing adventures!
I also described how I mounted the indoor weBoost antenna to the ceiling inside our RV. That has since changed, since discovering the affect of oscillation created by positioning the indoor antenna in close proximity to the outdoor antenna on the roof.
Tips for Boosting Your the Cell Signal inside Your RV
After testing the weBoost Drive 4G-X RV cellular signal booster in various locations with little or no cell service, we’ve discovered a few important tips for improving the cellular phone service in and around your RV.
1. Cellular Booster Antenna Position Matters!
While the ceiling mounted indoor antenna I described in my first weBoost review was convenient, I discovered that the oscillation caused by its close perpendicular proximity to the outdoor antenna made a big difference. When placing the indoor weBoost antenna on a counter–instead of mounted to the ceiling–I noticed an immediate improvement in the boosted cell signal inside the rig.
2. Best Mobile Broadband Hotspot Location
Next–for those who use a mobile broadband hotspot or the Personal Hotspot feature on their cell phone–I discovered that the closer you position your device to the indoor broadcasting antenna, the stronger the signal you will receive. Rene works behind a wall in the back of our RV where I built her mobile jewelry workshop. When she placed her phone closer to the antenna on a counter near the front of our trailer, she noticed a vast improvement in her internet usage.
3. The weBoost DOES improve cell service!
We have lived and worked online from at least a few locations that had absolutely no cell service, until we turned on the weBoost Drive 4G-X RV cell signal booster. Literally. There is a certain satisfaction from finding that perfect camping spot, discovering there are no bars on your phone, then turning on your weBoost cell phone booster and discovering you can work from anywhere after all!
Yes, we can always rely upon our RVDataSat 840 satellite internet to get online anywhere. But Verizon service is much cheaper, and redundancy is key when working online as a location independent entrepreneur.
I have to say I am amazed that you got service using the WeBoost Drive in an area with no service. We just tried this product on remote area along the western end of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We have Verizon service on our iphones and were seeing no service, 3G, or 1X extended showing our our phones and the WeBoost did nothing to improve that. So we scouted out other camping locations and found one that had at least 1 or 2 bars of LTE so we moved our campsite and set up the WeBoost. Like you, we work from our camper so connection is often critical. I admit that the WeBoost showed up to 3 to 4 bars LTE on my iPhone 6s and 2-3 bars LTE on hubby’s iPhone 5LE. Still, that was just the bars on the phone but the connection itself was pretty awful.
We were mostly sending/receiving emails with no attachments (or very small – less than 2MB) and still the connection was spotty and emails did not send and receive very quickly at all. Webpages were also very slow to load. I do web administration for a few websites and trying to connect to those was a painful experience.
Overall, we decided to the $500 price tag for the WeBoost was simply not worth it so we are sending it back. I’ve been researching our options which is how I found your website. I’ve read a bit about personal hotspots being better – but not sure that is the case. Do you have any insights on that?
We never said that. If there is no service, you will have no service, booster or not. The weBoost does, however, boost any minimal signal to improve service. That is what it is designed to do. It cannot create a cell signal where there is none, but it will improve any poor signal you may have when living on the fringe of broadband networks.
Any personal hotspot still requires broadband connectivity. They require cellular broadband connectivity. The weBoost can help improve that, IF any signal exists. But the only true option for connectivity anywhere – where cellular service is nonexistent – is satellite internet.