Cell Phone Boosters

There are several different brands of cell phone signal boosters out there, each priced differently. We won't tell you which brand is better, we'll just tell you how to tell the difference between a good system and a bad system.

First off you should make sure your cell phone booster has the three main parts: an outdoor antenna, an amplifier, and an indoor antenna. The outdoor antenna mainly communicates with the local cell phone towers to pick up the existing signal, the amplifier then boosts that signal, which then is sent to your phone back and forth through the indoor antenna.

There are several different outdoor antennas available depending on your application. One typical type of cell phone antenna that you often see is called a Yagi Antenna, or the type with a dozen or so filaments sticking out. You can also get marine antennas that are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions.

You also should check which frequency band your cell phone provider broadcasts over. Although not always the case, Alltel, AT&T, and Verizon usually are on the Cellular band (around 800 mhz), while T-Mobile, Sprint, and Metro PCS are on the PCS band (around 1900 mhz). If you're not sure, or if you're going to get a system that works on a variety of phones, you'll probably want to get a dual band system.

Having a strong signal where you work or live doesn't just make phone calls more convenient, it also helps to prolong your phone's battery life. For instance I just got a palm pre which is notorious for a short battery life. After installing my cell phone signal booster system, the batter probably lasts at least 33% longer.