Customer Reviews

Wireless Extenders zBoost YX610 Dual Band PCS and Cellular 800/1900 MHz 60db Amplifier Repeater Signal Booster Kit

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

 

 

Installed everything in the attic except the base unit antenna (the small square panel). I had to install an electrical outlet in the attic to power the base, but this extra step kept me from running an extra wire through the wall. The PCS antenna (the large square panel) and the 800Mhz antenna (the one that looks like a TV antenna) are both clamped to a four foot piece of 1-inch PVC pipe. The PVC pipe is mounted vertically in the highest section of the attic directly over where the base unit and the base unit antenna is located. The only thing you will have to provide is the coaxial cable to connect the two attic antennas to the base unit. The base unit antenna is mounted inconspicuously over the bookshelves in the great room and it has boosted my Sprint signal from dropped calls to five bars. It covers the entire house, although the signal drops to two bars in some of the perimeter rooms. There is not a place in my 3000 square foot house that doesn't get a signal. This is a tremendous improvement considering I had to keep my phone near a window so as not to miss or lose calls. Is it expensive? Only if you see it as something you don't really need, but considering how much my family uses their mobile phones at home I consider it a bargain.

My only real complaint is with the instructions. They do not include photographs or drawings that label each component and the order in which they should be connected together. It would have helped me greatly in visualizing how I was going to install everything before I got started.

After two months of service I am very happy with it. I will try and update this review with a report on how it holds up in the summer attic heat later this year.

One more comment: the 800MHz antenna has boosted my digital roam signal even better than the 1900MHz antenna has boosted my Sprint PCS signal. I get four or five bars throughout the entire house. This means vistors with different phone service will not miss calls either.

I purchased the zBoost yx610 directly from Amazon because of their return policy. Some of the other vendors were cheaper, but no real assurance that I could return the kit without an act of congress. Living in an area where I could only get 1/2 a bar...sometimes, I was skeptical.
The most common complaint by reviewers was the lack of instructions. I found that my only issue was identifying each piece that came in the package. Once that was done, the written instructions that came with the antenna were very clear. I found this site: [...]
It clearly labels each component in the kit.
This unit stated that it required professional installation. I chose to at least try it myself first, before paying for installation. From start to finish, this antenna and all its components were up and working in a little over 2 hours.
I live in East Tennessee, in a "hollar"...a mountain range on each side of the house. The nearest cell tower is at least 20 miles away...on the other side of the mountain. I got on the roof with my cell phone and found a place where I got 2 bars...and decided where the antenna mast (not included in the kit) would be placed. I used the pole from my old analog TV antenna.
I laid everything out on the living room floor so that I could better understand how the setup would look. The two outside antennas mounted easily (all the hardware was included) on a mast outside the house. If you use a metal pole, you must ground it. There is a grounding kit available on Amazon. I ran the cable (not included in this package) and then placed the base unit (white/orange part) in the attic. The shorter cable included in the kit goes from the base unit to the base antenna. The base antenna (white rectangle with short white cable) had to come into the house somewhere. I did not want this antenna hanging on the wall, so I drilled a hole in the ceiling...into the attic and mounted it on the ceiling (hardware is included for this also). The wire that shows was covered with plastic surface conduit. It now looks like a smoke detector.
I now have 5 bars throughout the house! So here are a couple of notes to consider:
1. If you don't buy your cable through Amazon, remember to get RG-6 coax cable. RG-6 is also referred to as satellite cable. RG-5 is for cable TV and will significantly reduce the signal from your antenna. I got mine at Radio Shack.
2. Purchase enough cable to make the run from the yagi antenna outside, to the base unit inside. No breaks or splices. Lay any extra cable loosely in the attic. I coiled mine up and secured it with a wire tie and my signal dropped by 2 bars!
3. Be mindful of the vertical distance between the outdoor antenna and the inside base unit. You must have at least a 15 feet vertical drop. If they are too close, the base unit will indicate with a flashing red light.
4. There must be 4 to 5 feet between the base unit and the base unit antenna. My base unit is in the attic, five feet from the hole I drilled in the ceiling and the base unit antenna is mounted on the ceiling in my living room.
5. Read ALL the instructions before starting!
6. I am a 54 year-old grandmother! Don't say you can't do it! I bet you can!!
As for the cost...by shutting off my other phone service, I expect it will pay for itself in less than 5 months.

Wi-Ex's zBoost Dualband Cellphone Signal Booster works brilliantly if set up properly. The average signal strength as tested on 4 CDMA devices increased from 0-2 unstable bars to as many as 4 bars inside the house in a relatively weak signal area. I did not test before and after GSM signal fidelity because I did not have any devices available at the time of set up.

Wait! I didn't say, "Go buy it" yet. Let's face something- many of us are not made of money, and the price tag of the Dualband Cellphone Signal Booster isn't exactly pennies on the dollar. I searched far and wide for less expensive equipment to boost the signal available here inside the house, and I found none with a similar level of perceived credibility. Unfortunately, the price is still fairly substantial for a product I consider to be a convenience accessory for most non-business customers.

So what is my point? As far as I'm concerned, Wi-Ex's zBoost extenders were the top of the line for quality and value when I purchased mine, but I would NOT have purchased it if I wasn't using a CDMA-based internet air card for my primary Web access (I use the Net normally for a couple hours everyday but Sunday for research, fun, education, communication, and shopping- obviously). Otherwise, I would have simply dressed appropriately and talked on my cell outside if necessary. Would that have been convenient? No. Would it have been much less expensive? Yes! So while I strongly recommend Wi-Ex's extender products, if you are an at-home non-business user, first ask yourself, "How much money am I willing to pay to sit inside and talk on the phone, use the Internet, or collect new KINDLE reading material (shout-out alert!)?" If your answer falls short of this product's list price, move on, but if not, BUY THIS PRODUCT, set it up right, and prepare to be impressed. God bless.

Absolutely great. I work inside a metal building with no cell phone reception.
Installed easily with one antenna outside. Had to buy the right length
of coax cable of course to allow that. Now I get 4 or 5 bars
of signal strength. My colleague & I now get great reception.
A little expensive, but performance is great.

If you follow the directions this thing is great. I live on the fringe of the world and this antenna pulls in the signal.

This does exactly what it says. It was easy to set up. Wish I had bought this sooner. I went from no service to maybe 1 bar inside, to 3 and 4 bars inside. Just remember this only boost signal, if you have no service, it will not create signal. Worth the money.

[...]

It did very little to boost. Also, the indoor antenna is extremely directional, beaming in a very narrow cone. had to stand in one spot and within 6 feet to get my phone to work with it.

I held out high hopes for this device after reading some of the reviews. I get a very weak signal in my apartment and often drop calls. I have to go out on the balcony to get decent reception. After deciphering the unintelligible directions (come on folks, add a few pictures!!), I found that it did little to boost the signal I received in the apartment. Certainly not worth $500 to get a slight improvement and still drop calls. I'm trying to send it back to Computer Brain, but their return policy is not easy and they charge a re-stocking fee.

Haven't had a dropped call since. Sending txt messages also works perfectly now. Use to take 5 minutes to send one.

Great product and we have tested others for less amplification power. In some cases installastion is tricky and although we might have 5 bars on cellular phones outside and installed antenna at that location, situation in the place is not the same and it might be necessary to install a better antenna on the outside or the inside.
Any way, first and notably most important thing is that wherever you install the outside antenna, you must cross check that you can make a cell phone call and that signal is good. This system as it comes does not make miracles. If you detect that outside signal is weak, then proceed to change outside antenna and install a directional one which might correct situation.
If inside you get a good signal but it covers a reduced place, you can try installing a better inside type of antenna and situation might get better.