We could not make the call. We barely had one bar of cell service. However, this FJ was equipped with a Wilson Electronics cell phone booster cradle. He turned the booster on and the call was made. We got the advice we needed and the FJ started.
The next week I purchased a Wilson Electronics cell phone booster cradle. Since September 2019 we have been testing the latest whole-vehicle cell booster offering from Wilson Electronics, sold under their weBoost brand, the Drive Reach.
You can stop reading here – it works. See the booster on/booster off iPhone screenshots:
The Drive Reach provides 29.5 dBm in uplink-output power. We toured the weBoost factory in St. George, Utah (made in the USA with some imported components) and had amazing meetings with the engineering and design staff. A tremendous amount of thought and technology goes into these devices. The Drive Reach works on all available networks and serving multiple devices in your vehicle simultaneously. Hang the inside antenna over your camp chair and it works there as well.
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In all cases it made a differnce. The most striking example is from a friend’s off grid cabin an hour and a half from Denver. I have been going there regularly for 12 years. No one has ever gotten a cell signal there. You can drive to one spot a few miles away and sometimes manage to text. With the Drive Reach and OTR antenna I texted and made a phone call parked at the cabin. Not enough signal for internet, and the calls dropped a few times. But from nothing ever to text and talk - I'd call that a win.
The Drive Reach OTR kit includes a mounting bracket, push-on SMB antenna connections, a cigarette lighter style 12VDC power cord with 5V, 2.1-amp USB-A port for charging (a hard wire kit is available), and a Mini Magnet-Mount antenna or a higer gain “over the road” (OTR) antenna. Yes, the OTR antenna works better. We mounted ours on the Rhino-Rack Folding Aerial Bracket (part number 43196). The booster can be installed “permanently” or moved between vehicles. I’ve even used it in my tent.
Site: www.weboost.com
