Anyone have experience with these?

[Bar Rat]

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x80 ... o-Headline

Cell phone boosters can help get signal virtually anywhere
Aug 24, 2008 @ 12:00 AM
By CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN
The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Cell phone users who are concerned about coverage whether they're traveling around the country or staying at home might want to consider purchasing a cell phone booster.

The device increases the cell phone's internal antenna wattage from one-half to three watts. The increased wattage makes it possible for a cell phone signal virtually anywhere in North America.

Michael Evans, assistant manager of Radio Shack in Logan, W.Va., said its supply of boosters has been selling out continually for the past six months. Feeding much of the demand are coal miners working in and around Logan who find it difficult to get a signal in the Buffalo Creek mine sites, Evans said. The store sells about five boosters a day, he said.

"We've had customers tell us they get signals while traveling in Canada and Mexico," Evans said. "The coal miners here work in the middle of nowhere so they need to have a cell signal whereever they go. These boosters give them the ability to make calls anywhere."

The store's top-selling mobile boosters, intended for use in a vehicle, are made by Wilson Electronics, out of California. A hardwired booster starts at $249.99 and the top-of-the-line wireless model costs $499.99. The main difference, Evans said, between Wilson's models are the number of phones that can work off the same booster. While the cheapest model can boost one phone's signal, the most expensive model can boost up to six phones.

Other products, made by Dyna-Boost and EZ Boost, are designed specifically to boost cell phone and Wi-Fi signals within the home. They cost anywhere from $299.99 to $399.99 and provide an increased signal for 2,500 square feet.

Evans suggests, however, purchasing a mobile wireless cell booster would be more beneficial than a home booster because it can be used both in a vehicle and at home. The only drawback is that the wireless models only boost the signal of cells phone no more than 15 feet from the router.

[sportsvoice]

I've done some looking around at this stuff for dealing with some of my high school sports remotes where I am stuck in a gym that's an RF "black hole" and can't get a land line. I've already gotten my hands on a Telular, which is a device that emulates a land line port and has a cell phone radio in it, but the radio is beefier than the regular flip phone (2 watts vs. maybe 600 mW). The next thing I may try is a small yagi antenna on a mic stand to try and get more gain.

As far as I know, Wilson stuff is pretty much top of the line when it comes to cellular boosters. I recommend direct connect if you can get it, although finding phones with external antenna connectors can be difficult. (I have two phones that do have connectors, I use a portable mag mount antenna to keep the RF out of my mixer.)

I've debated trying one of these boosters at my parents place in the hill country so they can dump their land line service or at least use their free long distance on the cell phone at home. Right now, they get little or no cell service at their place. Coverage only seems to be in town or along the state routes.

[Lester]

Got a friend that works for AT&T (after the Cingular buy-out). He says they're awesome as long as you can get a good shot going with the signal antenna.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/9823/

[Dave Loudin]

We use this device to route all our house phones via a cell phone. Buh-bye landline!

[Big Media]

We use this device to route all our house phones via a cell phone. Buh-bye landline!

RadioShack and the other "fine" electronics stores has a similar product form Panasonic that comes with a 6ghz cordless phone that works with a land line but also ties up to 2 bluetooth cellphones. I believe the industry term for the practice is called "fusion".

I have seen the zBoost YX500-CEL in action. Before the zBoost, we were lucky to get one bar by the window. Now, we get about 4 bars through out the facility.