Customer Reviews

Wireless Extenders zBoost YX400-P Signal Booster for Sprint and MetroPCS

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Background: I bought the zboost ONE yx-400 as a last resort. I could not get a signal in my office and Sprint's offer of an Airrave for $100 + $5/month service fee would not work for me as I can't get a security-free internet connection in my office. If I lean my phone up against my office window, 8 feet behind my desk, I can sometimes get one or two bars, but if I move the phone more than 2 feet from the window my signal drops completely. Also, I cannot get a 3g signal for data in my office.

Review: Set up of the zboost ONE was a breeze. I just plugged it in, made a call right by my window with my sprint phone, pressed the signal sync button, then moved the unit around by my office window until I found a spot about a foot from the window where it received a signal. I could never get my phone to get more than 2 bars, but the zboost one picked up a 5 bar signal about a foot from my office window.

I went from getting no bars at my desk to getting 5 full bars and a full EVDO 3g signal. Now I can make calls, surf the web, text, and even stream Sprint TV all without any problems.

The key to this device is your ability to receive some sort of signal somewhere in your office or home. If you cant get a signal anywhere around your office or home indoors or outdoors, this device probably wont work. But if you're like many office workers and can get a signal as long as you stand perfectly still by your window, this device will lock onto that signal and amplify it up to about 30-40 feet away, even to the point where you can get a full 3g EVDO 5 bar signal.

Most impressed!

Have to say first, that I bought this item because it says it works for Sprint. Improving data and phone line signal. I'm a Sprint customer and the place I live can't have good signal. I'm able to make, receive calls. Most of the time, whit interference but never drop a call. The big problem data signal is horrible and, I have a smart phone plus I use it as hot spot for my laptop. so thats why I bought signal booster and I returned because it just improved the signal for calls, excellent for phone calls. It gave me full bars but nothing for data signal. The return proses was very easy. One more thing I all ready try 3 others booster and nothing works for my place to improve data I just try this last one cause says and mention Sprint and MetroPCS.
thanks for reading my review and very sorry for the spilling. English is my second language and still learning.

This is the first and only cell booster that I have tried that lives up to it's billing. It took my sprint signal from barely 1 bar at my office to 5 bars. It seems to help reduce the battery usage on my cell phone when it's idle at my desk. This is worth it!

Just tried this unit out today and I have noticed that my bars went from being 0-1 bars to 1-full. Unfortunately, depending on where you put it, even if it boosts your signal to full bars, sometimes I still get dropped calls and when testing a call to my phone, some locations may take longer for your phone to receive a call. The signal also fluctuates during a call sometimes. The range of the boosted signal isn't 1,200 ft as advertised. It's more like 10-20 feet and directly in front of the unit. If I try sitting adjacent from the unit, I get dropped calls. Despite the downsides to the unit, it still made a HUGE difference between me being in a near dead zone in my house to now being able to make calls that actually do last longer if I stand in the right spot near the unit. Data transferring was actually greatly improved.

I actually would recommend this product if you don't mind leaving your phone near the unit to make and receive calls and if you have a blue-tooth headset as well(So you can leave your phone near the unit and still be able to walk around the immediate area without compromising the boosted signal).

I actually do like this product despite it's limitations. Although I do know this isn't for those who have no window or decent signal strength close enough to where the unit can be placed and boosted signal can reach far enough to where you want to be.

It didn't work for me. I bought for my office. I typically have only one or two bars. With this, it would jump go from zero bars to 5 bars, and back to two or three. But it didn't matter how many bars were showing, my calls still broke up.

I was very skeptical. But it does work. I live in an apartment surrounded by tv and radio towers (4 or more within 2 miles). Very little coverage from any provider is available due to interference in the .10 of mile area around me. My Sprint phone gets absolutely no bars in front of my building just like inside.
This zboost unit sorts out the tangled mess of radio waves and gives me 3-5 bars. I put it on a shelf in about the center of my apartment facing the one tower I know that is about 3 miles from me. It sees it and amplifies it just fine.
It took me a few tries to sync but that is because I have it on a rotating shelf and it is hard to hold the phone and press the button on this light weight unit at the same time when you are all thumbs. But since then it is great. Anyone with the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time should have no trouble at all. I even get a signal in the bathroom with the door closed, something that has never happened with any other cell service. (I have had Verizon, ATT, Nextel....)

You have to have at least 3 or more bars to the z-boost to get the distance (40 Ft.)as advertised if you are getting a one bar signal at a window (with z-boost)it does not seem to amplify it much more than 5 feet.Kinda dumb I mean if you get 1 bar on your phone and you want to amplify it shouldn't a signal booster boost it to at least 4 bars? Signal seems to fluctuate on phone from 0 bars to 3 bars using z- boost 10 ft away I do get 5 full bars if my phone is 1 foot away from z-boost.All in all it is an ok 1 room amplifier but I don't think it is the best.I bought this thinking I would get more than 1 bar on my phone so I guess it does work but not what I expected.

I bought this unit to help with the signal reaching my Virgin Mobile cel phones and broadband card. Virgin uses the Sprint network and before purchasing, I confirmed with the manufacturer that it would work. The Wi-Ex tech support person was knowledgable and easy to reach.

Setting up the unit is simple. Just put it next to a window and plug it in. Initially, you need to sync it with your cel phone, and that's done by placing a call and pressing the sync button. The green light comes on when the unit is sync'd. Each time you place a call or send data with your broadband card, the green handset light comes on to tell you that it's working.

In my home upstairs, this helps a little when the unit is in the same room as the phone. However, the signals are usually strong enough with or without the booster, so it's hard to tell any difference. In my basement, it's a different story. Without the unit, I got zero bars on my cel phone. With the booster high up in the basement window facing south, I can get about 4 bars on my phone within a 15-20 foot range from the booster. But I rarely use my phone in the basement, so I took the unit to work. I really needed a boost in my office because all of the windows are covered with a metallic film that is supposed to keep data from leaking outside the building. Unfortunately, it also keeps cel phone signals from entering the building. I get very little signal with and without the booster. But, I figure it can't hurt, so I will continue to use it at the office; maybe it helps a little. If I can squeeze it into my luggage, I plan to take it on my next business trip to see if it helps in the hotel. I would prefer that the unit be smaller (about 1/4 the size) so that it could be used for travel. It seems like it would be handy in a hotel room.

My recommendation is this: if you have a good signal at the window, but nothing away from the window, then this unit should do a good job within about a 10-15 foot radius (no walls.) Don't plan for the signal to reach throughout your house or office. A 2-piece unit would be more flexible if you have the ability to install it.

Suggested improvements:
More detailed instructions. Operation is very simple, but I would like more tips on how to get the most out of this unit. Is the antenna directional? Does it help to "re-sync" with each use? Is re-syncing necessary when I switch phones, or switch from a broadband card to a phone and back? Does this unit offer ANY benefit when using my MiFi adapter? (I can set the MiFi broadband adapter in a window and it has a greater range than the booster, so is there really any benefit to using the booster?) Should the number of bars on my phone increase when the unit is on, or just when the handset light comes on? Presumably, it's not boosting anything except when the handset light is on, but I'm not sure.

The instruction manual also fails to indicate the power consumption of the unit.

I went in with a dose of skepticism with this product. In my house, my coverage was spotty and calls would constantly drop after voice would cut in and out the whole time. You know how frustrating that is. I'd get 1 or 2 bars at most (-117dbm to -95dbm) This device immediately locked onto the host signal and provided crystal clear calls without drops. I get a -56dbm signal next to the device and a lower but usable signal all around the house. It actually manages to cover my entire 1500 sq ft place with the device located in an upstairs bedroom window. The only downside is that my phone (Samsung Epic 4g) doesn't immediately pair to the yx-400 right away, but usually hops to it when I start dialing a call.

This extender is working great for me. I've gone from EVDO barely working (-100db or worse, sometimes falling back to 1x), to getting great performance (-80 to -90db). The unit is in a window here at work about 20 feet from my desk and shows 5-6 bars of signal in that location. A few notes:

1) You must have decent signal at the YX400's location. 3+ bars like the documentation says. To get 3+ bars, look for a location with about -90db or -95db signal. My HTC Evo shows about -93db in the location I'm using for the YX400 (using Signal Status app). If you can't find a location like this, you may or may not get reasonable performance from the YX400. Something to consider before purchasing. I initially tried a location with db readings in the -100+ range with only 1-2 bars showing on the unit. It barely worked and had a fairly limited range.

2) Make sure you perform the sync operation in the final location of the YX400. I did the sync initially in one location, but when I moved it to it's current location, it performed very poorly until I sync'ed it again.

3) The YX400 is fairly directional. Ideally you want it facing you as others have noted. It also does not go through solid object too well, best performance is definitely line of site. With 3+ bars showing, line of site can easily go 20-40 feet, but that distance decreases rapidly with obstructions.