There is a plethora of these used 4G LTE signal boosters from T-Mobile available on eBay currently.
Cel-Fi Duo or Duo+
SPECS:
Even though these are re-branded 'T-Mobile' units, you can still use the Cel-Fi WAVE app.
Mine was purchased for all of $20 shipped, already activated from the previous owner. The Cel-Fi Duo+ currently sells for around $700 when it is unlocked for multiple carriers.
Example: T-Mobile Cel-Fi Duo+ for $19.99 on eBay
In saying that, since it's tied to a specific carrier, the signal is legally boosted 100dB vs. 65dB. Huge difference.
The Cel-Fi Duo+ covers bands 2, 4, 12, 66. Cel-Fi Duo is Band 2 & 4.
The boards internally are small, and you could easily hard mount the signal booster inside the vehicle and the 'Window' unit outside remotely.
They are natively 12V DC (1.2A / 15W) with IIRC an 8mm plug. The AC adapters is 120V AC -> 12V DC.
In regards to performance, astounding. At camp (this case, State Park), I was averaging 0-1 bars of signal without the booster, with the booster, 4-bars all around the campsite. As soon as we'd walk back into our campsite, all of our messages would start incoming.
Unfortunately, they don't have an easy way to use an external antenna. The antennas are built into the physical circuit board (FCC requirement post-2015), but seem to work well. I'm working on that aspect now.
In realistic terms, this meant from not being able to surf the web, to streaming YouTube videos with no buffering at camp.
I hacked mine, and obscured the TX antenna on the window units circuit board, to trick it into believing the signal booster is much farther away, improving the boosters performance (range).
At work, we have several WeBoost Drive Reach models. They're 'okay'. If your phone isn't right on top of the transmitter, it's pretty worthless. I was very interested in a 'cradle' signal booster solution, but only I would be receiving cell coverage, and there is no provision for them to be used outside the vehicle while in camp (most of the time I actually need it).
For $20 - $30, this may be worth hacking into and spending a few hours rigging if you're not ready to spend $500 - $1,200 on something similar.
T-Mobile website for activating Signal Booster.
Cel-Fi Duo or Duo+
SPECS:
Even though these are re-branded 'T-Mobile' units, you can still use the Cel-Fi WAVE app.
Mine was purchased for all of $20 shipped, already activated from the previous owner. The Cel-Fi Duo+ currently sells for around $700 when it is unlocked for multiple carriers.
Example: T-Mobile Cel-Fi Duo+ for $19.99 on eBay
In saying that, since it's tied to a specific carrier, the signal is legally boosted 100dB vs. 65dB. Huge difference.
The Cel-Fi Duo+ covers bands 2, 4, 12, 66. Cel-Fi Duo is Band 2 & 4.
The boards internally are small, and you could easily hard mount the signal booster inside the vehicle and the 'Window' unit outside remotely.
They are natively 12V DC (1.2A / 15W) with IIRC an 8mm plug. The AC adapters is 120V AC -> 12V DC.
In regards to performance, astounding. At camp (this case, State Park), I was averaging 0-1 bars of signal without the booster, with the booster, 4-bars all around the campsite. As soon as we'd walk back into our campsite, all of our messages would start incoming.
Unfortunately, they don't have an easy way to use an external antenna. The antennas are built into the physical circuit board (FCC requirement post-2015), but seem to work well. I'm working on that aspect now.
In realistic terms, this meant from not being able to surf the web, to streaming YouTube videos with no buffering at camp.
I hacked mine, and obscured the TX antenna on the window units circuit board, to trick it into believing the signal booster is much farther away, improving the boosters performance (range).
At work, we have several WeBoost Drive Reach models. They're 'okay'. If your phone isn't right on top of the transmitter, it's pretty worthless. I was very interested in a 'cradle' signal booster solution, but only I would be receiving cell coverage, and there is no provision for them to be used outside the vehicle while in camp (most of the time I actually need it).
For $20 - $30, this may be worth hacking into and spending a few hours rigging if you're not ready to spend $500 - $1,200 on something similar.
T-Mobile website for activating Signal Booster.
Register a signal booster
Register your signal booster so it works on the T-Mobile network.
www.t-mobile.com
Last edited:
