Different Kinds of Cell Phone Signal Boosters - Which One To Choose?

Not all cell phone signal boosters are created equal. Although they all have the same function of taking weak cellular signals and boosting them to distribute them to specific areas, the difference comes in depending on what exactly your circumstances are. Some obvious differences are how big the area is that you want to cover, whether you're looking for signal booster for a home or office, or for a vehicle, in which country you are, and whether you need the signal for multiple cellular devices to be boosted at the same time, or if boosting the signal to only one device is enough.

Irrespective of which exact cell phone booster you ultimately choose, it needs at least some cellular signal to work with. If there is no signal at all, it won't work. When it does work, you will get clearer voice communications and faster data transfer speeds after you install a cell phone signal booster. In today's connected world, this is important as you don't want to be in a situation where you can't connect to the outside world.

Once you experience superior signal strength for your cell phone, you won't want to be without it again!

In this article, we will look at 4 different types of cell phone boosters and highlight the features of some specific models for each type.

1. In-home/ office.

As the title implies, this type of signal booster is used inside buildings, such as a home or home office that has 2 or 3 rooms that need to be covered. Compare Residential 4G LTE Signal Boosters for Homes, Offices to see which one will meet your requirements best. The biggest difference between these boosters is the size of the area that they can cover. This typically ranges from anything between 2,000 and 4,000 sq. ft. What is achievable with a specific model will however depend on the signal strength available before it is boosted. Different types of antennas, both inside and outside will also determine how the unit performs. Antennas are also selected depending on the exact circumstances and requirements.

2. In-vehicle.

Different in-vehicle signal boosters are available, including boats. While some are designed to fit just about any vehicle, there're specialized models available for larger RVs and Motor homes, and even for big trucks. Compare Vehicle 4G LTE Signal Boosters for Cars, Trucks, RVs, Boats to find the one that is most suitable for your unique requirements. Smaller (and less expensive) models typically support only 1 user at a time and has a lower gain than the bigger, more expensive ones. The units come with different types of outside antennas designed for vehicle use and, if you are handy, you should be able to install it yourself with the instructions provided.

3. In-building.

In-building signal boosters are different from in-home/ office buildings in that they can cover a much bigger area to boost the signal to. As mentioned, in-house/ office units typically cover between 2,000 and 4,000 sq. ft., whereas in-building signal boosters can typically handle anything between 6,000 and 100,000 sq. feet. There's a sub-division with this type of signal booster with the smaller range referred to as commercial signal boosters, while the range that can really cover huge areas known as industrial signal boosters.

Commercial grade signal amplifier kits are pre-approved by carriers - they only require registration with service providers after installation is complete, but before their use. However, they do require professional system design and professional installation. Industrial grade signal amplifiers also require system design and installation by certified installers but they also require approvals from respective service carriers.

If you need to cover an area of between 6.000 and 50,000 sq. ft., compare Commercial 4G LTE Signal Boosters for Buildings to find the one that will work best for you.

If the area you need to cover is bigger than 50,000 sq. ft., you may need an industrial signal booster to do the job. Compare Industrial 4G LTE & Public Safety Signal Booster Installations if this is the case. Public safety signal boosters are industrial signal boosters. They are used to improve in-building wireless (IBW) reception for Public Safety cellular networks.

4. M2M.

The last type of cell phone signal booster we will discuss are M2M (Machine to Machine) signal boosters. These are used for Internet of Things and Machine to Machine devices using cellular connected applications. Such applications include vending machines, Bank Automated Teller Machines (ATM), and any application that uses mobile connectivity to transfer wireless data, usually without human intervention. It is a direct-connect signal booster meaning the cable from the signal amplifier directly connects to the cellular modem, tracking, monitoring and other cellular data device containing a SIM card to ensure signal reliability and increase data speeds in poor signal environments. That SIM card requires consistent wireless connectivity to operate the M2M or IoT machine properly by utilizing paid wireless subscription service.

The 4G LTE M2M Signal Booster for Verizon and AT&T 4G LTE can only be used for AT&T and Verizon cellular networks, while the Pro Signal 4G IoT / M2M Signal Booster is available in an American and Canadian model that can respectively be used for any mobile carrier network in those respective countries. Due to the purpose for which they have been designed, these signal boosters can only be connected to one cellular device at a time.

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