Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster

by Cell Ranger

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 2 x 2 inches ; 5.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• ASIN: B001AY3IJA
• Item model number: Stix
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 29, 2004

Product Description

The Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster gives you more signal; better call quality for cell phones, and up to 100% faster download speeds for 3G data cards. The Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster fits in the 12V cigarette lighter adapter of cars, trucks, RVs, or boats. Order the Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster today!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ok but can not compare to a $200 repeater, February 10, 2011

By 

gecko - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster (Electronics)

Pros
-cheap at $20 vs $120+ others cost
-easy to install in a car

Cons
-can not beat a $200 3+ watt booster (works over 1000 ft and supports 2-3 cells at the same time)
-limited effect range (see test below)
-only can use with one cell at a time
-positioning the antenna can be a pain. (seams to work better the higher you go)

Conclusion
-for a in car system this is fine, but if you want to increase your reception at home go for a 3 watt repeater, they cost $200-400 depending on how many cells you want to be able to use at the same time but have a much better range. (1000-2000 sq ft vs 5-8 ft)


This thing is good for increasing your reception in the car, after installing the unit these are my test
Before test getting 0-1 bars in car/out of car.

In Car
3" to 1' -5 Bars -front driver seat
1' to 2' -4-5 Bars -front driver seat
2' to 3' -4-5 Bars -front passenger seat
3' to 4' -3-4 bars -rear driver seat
4' to 5' -3-4 bars -rear passenger seat
5' to 6' -2-3 bars -rear passenger seat/outside
6' to 7' -1-2 bars out side
7' to 8' -0-1 bar no increase

In Office / bed room
reception before 1 bar by window 0 bars by desk.
installed high on window, I was not able to get the power station to my desk due to cord lenght, but as it was 4 feet away i was able to get 3 bars at my desk that i was not able to get before

test
3" to 1' -5 Bars -office
1' to 2' -5 Bars -office
2' to 3' -4-5 Bars -office
3' to 4' -4 bars -office
4' to 5' -3-4 bars -office (where my desk is)
5' to 6' -3-4 bars -office (by my door)
6' to 7' -3 bars -office out side my office
7' to 8' -2 bars -out side my office door
8' + -0 bars again,

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not so good on Laptop with 3G card, April 14, 2009

By 

curly "zatman" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster (Electronics)

I really don't like to give bad reviews, so when I say that this product does not work well, keep in mind it did not work well on the equipment I tested it on. I live in a rural area where I typically get 1 bar for my wireless 3G service. So, sometimes internet downloads are slow (packet retries?). DSL is not yet an option.
What I had in mind was to use the CellRanger to boost the signal going to my laptop. I have a Toshiba Satellite M115 laptop with Sierra Wireless USBConnect 881 on an AT&T 3G Network.
When I got the CellRanger, the label on the package stated: "IMPORTANT For proper function, your Cellular device should be 12 inches or more from the CellRanger unit." Keeping 12 inches or more, I tried for 6 days in my yard, car, & house to get more bars with no success.
When I began an email dialog with CellRanger support, they stated that " CellRanger should be no further then say 5"-6" from your USB-881 you might need a 15" USB extension cable to position the devices." I tried this but when you got too close, the USB-881 kicked offline & had to be unplugged, then re-inserted before it would work again, so more bars means nothing if you can't stay online.
I relayed the above info to CellRanger support & no solution was supplied, just a comment about wireless being like medication, it doesn't work for everyone. Needless to say, I sent the CellRanger back.
In a nutshell: Unless you enjoy aggravation, keep the CellRanger away from your laptop.
The good news is that I found a much cheaper solution with 100x less aggravation (i.e. you simply plug it in and it works): Wilson Electronics model 301103 Magnet Mount 5dB Gain Cellular Antenna & model 359924 Adapter Cable for Sierra Wireless 595U Air Card. I've tried it in my house & car & it works great!
Wilson also sells an inline amp & marine antenna if (like myself) you wanna' use Google Earth on your laptop (on your pontoon, not bass boat!) while on the water.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works in the way I need/use it., September 29, 2010

By 

MH - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cell Ranger STIX 12V Cell Phone Booster (Electronics)

I went through a few new android cell phones until I found one I really like (Samsung Captivate/Fascinate/Vibrant), except for one big issue --- it doesn't have as good of a signal as other phones. The only place it is a big problem for me is in my office. I always had Sony Ericssons in the past and didn't have a problem, even though most other people did with their Motorolas, Nokias, etc. My office-mate may get a signal here and there but it always cuts out pretty quickly. I used to have no issue until I switched from Sony Ericsson to Samsung (unfortunately, I didn't like the Sony Ericsson Xperia).

I wanted to get the Cell Ranger USB powered signal booster, but it was priced way higher than this one. I bought the in-vehicle booster and also got a dc/ac converter so I could use it in my office. I have found that I have to be right by the base/power part --- I mean within a foot. I have it hanging from an overhead cabinet on my wall. It rests in the air about a foot or so above my desk and I leave my phone under it. I get 2-4 bars this way when I wasn't getting any signal at all before.

Because of the need to be so close to the base, I would think that you would definitely need a bluetooth to use the phone in the car so that you could keep the phone right next to the power supply/base. I definitely recommend this signal booster as long as you understand the limitations and they would work for you, because it DOES increase the signal significantly.