Customer Reviews

Wilson Electronics 801213 Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit for Vehicle w, Hands Free Cradle - for Multiple Users

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Purpose for me writing this:

I am taking the time to relay my own personal experiences because of the ridiculous amount of hype and seemingly fact-deficient information about cell phone amplifiers and repeaters that I found while researching them on the Web, prior to buying the Wilson 801213 kit. As an example, one apparently exclusive dealer for another amplifier company appears to chase posters around the Web from blog to blog, every time someone asks a question comparing these type of devices, with what I perceived as "used-car salesmanesque" pushiness in response to their questions. He touts the product he represents as being superior in every way, without providing any third party testing/clarification to back it up, which is something I didn't see on the Wilson dealer sites. There seems to be a lot of that sort of thing with some of the other amplifier manufacturers too but I don't know if that really means anything in the end. In fairness, I shouldn't judge the product by the pushiness of its vendors. But hey, I'm only human...and slightly paranoid about getting ripped-off by a huckster too.

Another drawback I found in trying to objectively select the "best" amplifier is that you also can't walk into brick and mortar retailers who sell these devices and take a look at them in person, because they are almost exclusively sold online or by mail order.

One last thing, I did not buy this particular kit from Amazon (even though I love Amazon), so I can't comment on any of the vendors who sell the Wilson amplifiers on here. So, keep in mind that my comments are just my unscientific, yet unbiased opinions of the product itself (and worth what you paid for them - nothing).

Where my Wilson 801213 is mounted:
I bought the 801213 for use in a 2008 Dodge 4 door pickup. I elected to permanently mount mine (I hid the wires), with the cradle (which has the inside "repeater" antenna built into it) just in front of one of the driver's side air vents, facing slightly upward. The exterior magnetic-mount antenna is placed on top of a metal headache rack (for you city folks that is a louvered metal protector for the back window of a pickup) and not on the roof. The manufacturer suggests a roof installation for the large ground plane it provides, but my setup works just fine. I'm no two-way radio installer so let's hope I have it right. If I walk out tomorrow to a fully fire engulfed, flaming pickup truck, we'll know it didn't work.

If you plan on leaving the unit plugged in, you will probably want to put the power plug in your cigarette lighter receptacle that turns off when you turn the key off, otherwise it may drain your battery. It has a toggle switch on the plug with a little LED power indicator light, which is nice, but if you are perpetually zoned-out like me, you'll forget about it if it doesn't turn itself off.

My phone/data card:
Verizon Blackberry Storm and Sprint PCS Sierra Wireless 595u on a Fujitsu laptop.

Evaluation of the unit itself:
I live in the Fort Worth, Texas area and really don't have to use this device much in town because I usually have a good enough signal. However, my use of this device is primarily when I leave the city limits and head to the country (mostly in West Texas- from Fort Worth to Lubbock) along Texas State Highway 114 which is one long, notoriously dead area. Usually, just one flip of the cigarette plug switch and my phone goes from no/weak service and "zero bars" to at least 4 and usually 5 bars of usable cell service (but it does vary widely sometimes) and I'm able to talk continuously through areas that I never had been able to before.

I recently drove through 260 miles of open (long areas with clear, multi-mile line of sight topography) rural highway, and kept turning the unit off and on to compare the normal (non-amplified Blackberry) signal I had inside my truck, with the amplified signal and external antenna. The difference was phenomenal. I was getting close to -80db (which is what I get in town) most of the way where signal reception normally varies from the high -90s to -115 db (crappy). Although I'm not sure if the signal bar/ db readout is just the phone reading the signal strength of the repeater signal inside the vehicle or what, the end result was the same because I had constantly strong cell coverage (data, text, voice).

With this unit, I can talk continuously on the phone through some of the smallest dots on the map, that normally have weak or no usable signals. The usual dead areas in West Texas (partial counties at times) all but go away with the unit turned on. That alone proved to me that this thing works.

The unit works best (as far as signal amplification goes) when you actually have your phone mounted on the cradle itself and are using Bluetooth or some kind of external earpiece to talk. If you get your phone too far away from the cradle (like more than ~ a foot), at least in my experience, the "repeater" signal gets much weaker but still works. Several of Wilson dealer Websites also mention that the repeater unit (like this one) is best suited for urban use and direct connect units are best for weaker signaled, rural areas, which I would imagine is true. Unfortunately, I don't have the option of having a cell phone with an external antenna, which you have to have for the higher powered direct-connect amplifiers (like the 811201) to connect to. I can see where the direct-connects would work better in the sticks, but this wireless one works great for me anyway.

The cradle is independently adjustable on both sides to get around all of the side mounted buttons and jacks your phone has, which is another nice feature. If you are going to use it with more than one phone/data card, you'll probably have to remove your phone from the cradle to let the "repeater" signal emanate to the other in use phones/cards, but that's just my anecdotal observation.

As for using a data card, I keep my laptop resting on the center console of my front seat with the data card facing the cradle, about 18 inches away. I notice a big difference in the data card signal (down to ~ -47 db in town), and a big difference in signal when in rural areas too, but, admittedly, I need to do more research with the data card. I've only used it a few times with the amp but it does seem to help significantly. My problem is that much of the rural area I was using it in was roaming (no fault of the amp) so I cut it off.

Pros:
Signal amplification makes a tremendous difference in areas with spotty coverage and is well worth the money if you need to be able to use your phone.

Unit is easy to install, especially if you just want to hook it up for trips out of town.

Cons:
The cradle and the wiring (antenna) are not exactly heavy industrial grade, so if you are going to beat the daylights out of your interior (oil field, ranching, construction), keep that in mind.

A bit pricey and that price varies widely from site to site.

Don't expect the interior repeater unit to magically detect and rebroadcast signals from any significant distance away from the cradle, because you need to be within a few feet of it. I'm sure there are variables such as location of the interior antenna/cradle that make a difference.

Summary:
This unit works really well and if you work, live or drive in an area with pathetic or marginal cell coverage, and need greatly improved coverage, these things are wonderful. I love mine.

I hope this helps somebody!

I love this Wilson cellular amplifier. AT&T has very poor coverage in my sales territory in Minnesota. My sales manager had recommended I purchase one of these and it eliminated all my frustration with dropped calls. [...]

I was scepticle of this product because I didn't think it would work without a direct connection to the phone. Boy was I WRONG. Put it in my big rig, and without even mounting the antenna, I went to FULL signal from 1 bar. I don't drop calls much anymore (unless there just isn't a signal to be had). Great product, and I recommend it to ANYONE who drives for a living.

I love this thing. I just throw the antenna in the back seat. I don't even bother attaching the antenna to the roof of my car. I had just a few places where I dropped calls in the car and it was driving me crazy. I've got 4 bars in those spots now. Plus, I had poor reception at home. Since I've never really "installed" it (i.e antenna is thrown in back seat). I move it in the house when I need to and get 5 bars there. I just plug it in at the house using a Walmart car/wall adapter.

After getting my booster I went on a 3 hour road trip between Kansas and Nebraska. I started my phonecall at the beginning of my trip, and lost the call only once. I have a friend that is a tower technician and he explained the drop. The only drop that I had was just after I crossed the state line. You see, companies design their towers NOT to hand off at the state line just incase they sell that market. I maintained a 3 hour phone conversation and only lost the call at the state line. Without the booster, there were at least 10 places that I had dropped a call on previous trips. Worth every penny in my book!

Been camping in a family spot for 15+ years and have never had cellular service. Basically, had to drive up the mountain to call home, etc. Installed this puppy in my truck and also set it up so that I can easily transfer this device to my RV when parked. Had digital signal throughout, was able to utilize Google Maps and some layers I had created to mark a new way to get to the remote site. The whole time I was at the site I was able to have a signal, basically going from no signal to 3 bars. Well worth the money in my opinion!

Great product! I live in the sticks of WV. Lucky to have cell at all. I took it to one area with no bars, and now I have full cell service. Very pleased. One thing to remember is - to turn it off or it will drain your battery in one day (been there). But overall, this thing works Great! Plus Amazon has a great price. One satisfied user. And believe it or not - made in the USA (Bonus)!

I was a bit apprehensive with purchasing a booster for my cell phone, but was getting frustrated with the "dead zones" I was experiencing.

After doing some research, I decided to make the big investment and purchased the Wilson Electronics 801213 Signal Booster. I was truly amazed with the improvement in my cell phone service in previously dropped call areas.

I now have confidence that when I am traveling by myself in some pretty awful Wisconsin weather that I will always have cell phone service available! What a great product! Thank you, Wilson Electronics, for such a superior product.

I bought this to help my son increase his signal during the time he is working in the mountains of PA (near Williamsport and Lock Haven). He said it worked well for 3 days and now does not at all. He has no signal. His friend who has AT&T can use this booster fine at the same location. My son has Verizon and apparently there is some problem. This may be a cell tower problem rather than any fault of the Wilson booster. I would suggest trying someone else's before purchasing to see if it will work at the location you are buying it for.

All I can say is - WOW! This thing really works.

I was extremely skeptical, until I installed it. Only took a few minutes to install, and came with very easy to follow directions. The cradle I received is much better than the one shown, and I opted to include the cup holder mount which works great with my phone (HTC Thunderbolt) even with extended battery.

I live in the country, with marginal service. At my home, I'm typically running 1 bar at most, and usually can't get 3G/4G unless I'm in a certain place around the house. As soon as this is turned on and the phone in the cradle, I am instantly up to 4 bars (max) with 3G (no internet before) and 30-40db according to a program I use. There are even areas where I had no signal or no bars showing that I now get service.

I also live around many dead spots, which are now not dead spots at all. I used to drop calls in a certain area, but now I have 3 out of 4 bars, and clear reception.

I travel a lot, and my pickup truck is my office - I definitely recommend this product if you are using your phone in your vehicle and encounter dead spots. It really works well.

I mounted the amplifier under the driver's seat, cupholder mount for the phone, and antenna in the center of the top of the truck. The amp does pull a lot of power, so just make sure it is on a receptacle that is switched with the key.

Also, I've noticed that it has improved the signal for a front seat passenger, if the phone is close to the cradle. Doesn't work quite as well as being in the cradle, but it does help a little. I would plan on using bluetooth or another handsfree device with the phone on the cradle to get the most out of it.