Wilson Electronics 801241 MobilePro Multiple-User Cell Phone Signal Booster for Car/Home

Other products by Wilson Electronics

Product Features

• Booster Kit provides a signal 12 times as strong as your cell phone, improving reception and data rates
• Designed for portability and mobility; great for use in your office, car, hotel, airport, or home
• Plug & Play Kit--easy installation; everything you need is in the box!
• Compatible with all US and Canadian cellular providers (except iDen/Nextel/MIKE)
• Comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 1-year manufacturer's warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 2.6 x 14.1 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001IBMLKM
• Item model number: 801241
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,204 in Cell Phones & Service (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Service)

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  Cell Phones & Service > Wireless Accessories > Mobile Broadband > Antennas > Boosters

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

If you experience dropped calls and poor cell phone signal quality in your car, home, or office, then the Wilson MobilePro Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit is the solution. Increasing your cell phone's power by more than 12 times, the Wilson MobilePro significantly improves the performance of your cellular and data devices by increasing the power output of your cell phone signal where you are experiencing a weak signal. Designed for portability and mobility, the MobilePro includes several power adapters, and is easily moved from your vehicle to your home, hotel, airport, or office, creating an improved cellular signal.

MobilePro Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit At a Glance: Increases cell phone signal by more than 12 times, improving reception and data rates. Designed for portability and mobility; great for use in your office, car, hotel, airport, or home. Plug & Play Kit--easy installation; everything you need is in the box. Compatible with all US and Canadian cellular providers, excluding iDEN, Nextel, and MIKE.

Setting up the MobilePro takes just minutes. View larger.

Everything you need for better reception is included in the box. View larger.

It's All About Power
The primary cause of dropped calls is low signal output power from the cell phone to the cell tower, which limits the phone's ability to communicate with the tower. A typical cell phone provides merely one-fifth of a watt of output power. To address this problem, the amplifier and the included magnet mount antenna work together to increase the phone's output power by more than 12 times over using just the phone alone.

Enjoy Premium Reception and Fewer Dropped Calls
Living or working in an area with limited cell phone coverage, which is caused by natural and man-made obstructions or by living out of range from a cell phone tower, you know how frustrating weak reception can be. By increasing the power output of your cell phone signal, the Wilson MobilePro helps eliminate most of the signal loss caused by these obstructions. It's important to note that the strongest signal is obtained when the MobilePro is within two feet of your cell phone, laptop, or data card. If you sit at a distance greater than two feet, simply set your phone next to the MobilePro booster and use a Bluetooth headset.

The MobilePro comes with several power options, including a vehicle cigarette lighter adapter, a USB power cable, and a standard five-volt AC/DC adapter. The variety of power options ensures that you'll have a boosted signal whether you're driving in your car, traveling with your laptop, or working at your desk. Included with the booster kit is a convenient carrying case that fits neatly inside a briefcase, handbag, or suitcase.

Once installed, the MobilePro can simultaneously support multiple cell phones and data cards. You'll experience fewer dropped calls, clearer call quality, and improved data rates--even with 3G technologies.

Installing the MobilePro
Installation is quick and easy; everything you need for installation in a building or car is included in the kit.

In a Building
To install, simply attach the suction-cup window bracket to the inside of the window and place the magnet mount antenna on the bracket. Connect the magnet mount antenna to the amplifier. Power the amplifier by using the included USB power cord and plugging it into a computer's USB port, or by using the standard AC adapter. Place the MobilePro within 12 inches of your phone, laptop, or data card to receive an improved signal.

In a Car
To install, simply attach the magnet mount antenna to the roof of your vehicle. Connect the cable of the magnet mount antenna to the amplifier. Mount the amplifier to the dash or other area using the supplied mounting hardware. Power the amplifier using the cigarette lighter adapter, or by plugging the USB cord into your laptop computer. Now you're ready to enjoy a stronger cell phone signal typically within two feet of the amplifier.

Compatible with Most Cell Phone Models and Providers
The Wilson MobilePro is compatible with all US and Canadian cellular providers, excluding iDEN, Nextel, and MIKE. The kit supports CDMA, TDMA, GSM, and AMPS cell phone technologies, as well as data protocols such as GPRS, 1xRTT, HSDPA, EVDO, and EDGE.

Specifications

• Frequency: 824-894 MHz / 1850-1990 MHz
• Gain: 40dB / 42dB
• Max Output Power: 500 mw
• Max RF (downlink): +8dBm
• Noise Figure: 3.5dB nominal
• Flatness: ±4dB
• Isolation: > 90dB
• Power Requirements: 5V - 8V
• Connectors: SMA Female
• Dimensions: 2 x 4.75 x 1 inches
• Weight: 3 oz

What's in the Box
MobilePro unit, 12-inch magnet-mount antenna, USB power cable, cigarette-lighter power adapter, five-volt AC/DC adapter, two convenient mounting options, and carrying case.

Reduce the incidence of dropped calls and bad reception in your car, home, and office.

Product Description

Easy-to-install, dual-band cellular amplifier with wireless connect voice & data Greatly reduces dropped calls Extends signal range & increases data range Requires no physical connection to cellular phone or data card Works with all cellular & PCS carriers Supports multiple cellular phones & data cards simultaneously Powered through notebook's USB port or vehicle cigarette lighter Includes magnetic mount cellular antenna, suction cup mounting bracket & carrying case

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works well, simple, July 15, 2009

By	M. Quinlan "Just a User" (New Hampshire, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wilson Electronics 801241 MobilePro Multiple-User Cell Phone Signal Booster for Car/Home (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I purchased the version with the 12-inch antenna to use in my home office, and got it a couple days ago. The package says it installs in a minute, and that's basically true. It took me 15 minutes because I read the instructions and had to think about where to put it, but if I did it again, I could probably actually take the items out of the package and get it in place and operating in a minute.

It works very well. My provider is AT&T, which I'm stuck with because I have an iPhone. My wife gets a great Verizon signal, but my AT&T signal ranged from no service to two bars at any given time at any place in my house. A few seconds after installing the Wilson device that changed, and now I get from 2 bars to 5 bars within my home office.

I looked at another device that claims to provide a whole-house improved signal, and perhaps it does. The problem for me is that installation seemed complicated due to the need for very wide separation between the antenna that receives the outside cell signal and the amplifier that retransmits the stronger signal, which included getting wiring through wall or ceilings etc. In the case of the Wilson device, all you need do is keep the two apart by 8 feet or so, which was better for me.

I'm not a techy but it seems that the tradeoff is that the separation requirements are lower with this Wilson device, but the rebroadcasted signal is less powerful, so the signal improvement range is not whole-house, but more room sized. Fortunately, that works fine for me.

I have three windows together set up like a bay window of sorts. I used the suction cups to mount the antenna in the upper right of that set of windows. I then ran the antenaa wire over the top of the windows to the amplifier hanging on the left. I didn't even affix the amplifier to the wall, it just hangs from the antenna cord. It's behind the curtain so it's not seen.

I placed the antenna, reached up and ran the wire over the sill, connected the amplifier to the end of the wire and plugged it in. A second later the light went green, meaning that the separation distance is OK, and my phone went from 1 bar to 4. Easy.

The packaging seems to emphasize use in cars and trucks, so I'm guessing that this is mostly used by truckers and commuters who drive through a lot of weak signal areas. But it also gives directions for installing in a home or office, which is what I did, and I can report that it works well for that purpose, at least in my situation.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This works, but you must follow instructions, February 23, 2010

By	P. MSakamoto "boy clothes" (Saratoga, California USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wilson Electronics 801241 MobilePro Multiple-User Cell Phone Signal Booster for Car/Home (Wireless Phone Accessory)

(What's this?)

Summary
The MobilePro, like all cell phone "signal boosters" must be understood for what it is and isn't in order to keep expectations in line with reality. This is best accomplished by reading the instructions completely and also by reading this review as well as a post I made about a fixed point booster set up a few years ago (Wireless Extenders YX-500 PCS zBoost Cell Phone Signal Booster up to 2500 Square Feet of Coverage for Home or Office (1900 MHz Phones)). The title of that review was "Good if you follow ALL directions (and mine as well)". Taken within that context, the MobilePro does what it's supposed to do, which is help bring weak or locally blocked cell signals from a few feet away to your cell phone. Perhaps the proper name for a device like this is "signal relay" because that is what it really does. It "relays" cell phone radio signals back and forth around obstacles like the walls of home and the metal body of your car.

Pros
* It works - if you have three bars at the window of your car or office, but only two bars inside near your cell phone, you can use the MP to bring the stronger signal to your phone.
* Compact - The whole unit packs nicely into a supplied case and has both wall and car power as well as all cables and the antenna.
* Easy to set up - no menus or settings to deal with. No switches. Just plug it all in.
* Clear use instructions
* Well made and has good accessories for mounting the antenna on windows and magnetic metal. The booster unit itself can sit on your desk or be clipped to an A/C vent in your car.

Cons
* The advertising is a bit optimistic about the results. This does not create signal where there is none. As detailed in the referenced review, you are really transporting the best local signal to your phone from a few feet away. That is, if you have only one bar of signal in your area, even if you go outside and stand on a roof, you are NOT going to suddenly get a legitimate four bars using this device. Even if you hook it up and get more bars than the best local signal, it's not real because your cell phone meter will be influenced by the strength of the signal between the booster and the cell phone. I believe Wilson has designed the MP to minimize this effect, but it is still there. So, you're thinking you perhaps have three bars, when in fact you only have one "real" bar of reception.

My Experience
I used the MP in two environments. The first was in my home office. I was getting marginally acceptable reception while sitting at my desk and usually would stand near the window with my mobile (Blackberry Tour from Verizon) when an important call was in process. I then installed the MP on the inside of the window I used to stand by and then ran the long antenna cord down to my desk near my flat panel monitor. This distance is about six feet, which is in the range of the user manual recommendation. That is, the MP won't function correctly if you place the antenna too close to the MP electronics. This took all of sixty seconds or so. The MP electronics takes power from a mini-USB cord, so as long as you can supply full USB load from your PC, you can power the unit from either your PC or from the supplied AC source. After installation, including removing my phone from my nerdy belt holster and putting it right next to the MP, I was able to get the full signal available at the window on my handset all the time. Now, you might say, "Hey, did you have to put your head down next to the phone on your desk?" No, I have a bluetooth headset that I use with this setup so I don't have to move the phone. Since the range of the MP to your phone is rather limited (a couple feet), you really want to have a wireless headset since even a corded headset will be too restricting.

The result was very good. I am very happy having this thing on my desk keeping my connection good at all times. On average, it successfully brings the window signal strength to the handset, which means a full three or four bars instead of one or two bars. Now, this isn't too absolute of a measurement since "bars" aren't really a unit of measure, but in practical terms it means my calls no longer break up at all, my BB downloads emails faster and all is well.

The second use is in the car. I had a long "work" call that I knew I would have to carry out while traveling to a family event. Part of the route would take us through marginal signal areas on Route 152 East, which is also known as Pacheco Pass to you who are local to the SF Bay Area. I have driven this route many times, so I knew where I would normally lose a call. The antenna was attached to the right rear window of our '06 Prius while I clipped the module to the passenger front vent on the dashboard. I had someone else drive while I conversed from the passenger seat with my BT headset. Of course, this meant that I had to be careful of the antenna cord while entering or exiting the car since it was strung across the door. I think I could do better if I took some time with it, but the test was to just get it in there and get going, so there it lay. In any case, the MP once again made a marginal connection an OK connection. It turned unserviceable into serviceable. Those places where I would normally lose the signal ended up not being a problem. This is different than saying "perfect" as clarity was reduced for a little bit. However, it all worked all the way on an hour long call, so I would say "success" again. All that said, I don't know if it would usually be worth the trouble. i guess it depends on where you are going and how urgent it is for you to talk right that moment.

In areas of good signal strength (e.g. consistent 3 bars or better) the MP doesn't really seem to make a difference, but then this is what I would have expected. I didn't have any sub-marginal areas of "nearly zero" bars to check out, so I can't comment. I don't think I will take the time to go find one and test it out, either.

Conclusion
If you have the need to route cell phone signals around small local obstacles as described above, this is a great deal for you. Remember, it is NOT like bigger home boosters that make it possible for you to roam around your house with your phone. You have to leave the phone next to the MP and you have to have some signal available at the antenna location. It's not magic, but it is a good portable cell relay of sorts. Just make sure you have some signal to work with, and it will work for you, too.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It works, but its performance is inconsistent., September 20, 2009

By	AK - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wilson Electronics 801241 MobilePro Multiple-User Cell Phone Signal Booster for Car/Home (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I'd like to share my experience using this product which I purchased to boost my cell phone signal in my home office. First, let me say that finding a solution for my particular circumstances and needs was difficult. There appear to be many products out there starting in this price range (and going much higher) that claim to boost signal strength. From my informal research on the topic (obtained mostly by reading online USER reviews of various products), I found that user feedback on cell phone signal boosters tended to be sparsely available. And when feedback was available, it was all over the place - some people said the product they purchased worked well and others said it didn't work at all.

BACKGROUND INFO:

In my 3 story condo, my typical cell phone signal strength usually is 1 or 2 bars (out of a total of 4 bars). The best reception occurs near windows on the 3rd story. My home office is on the 1st floor which is partially below ground level. The portion that is below ground level is bounded by concrete. There are 2 very small windows in my home office located in the portion that is above ground.

PROS:

* The price is competitive with other cell signal boosters I found online.
* The product is very portable and can be mounted in your car if you travel a lot.
* The installation is very fast and easy. I didn't need to install a permanent antenna to the exterior of my condo - which is a good thing because our homeowners' association is very restrictive with that sort of thing.
* I was able to boost signal strength to 3 or 4 bars (out of a total of 4 bars) in my partially underground home office.

CONS:

* Your cell phone must be within 6 to 12 inches of the amplifier for it to provide a significant benefit.
* The signal strength appears to fade after a while. When I first turn the unit on, it appears to provide full benefit. If I come back a few minutes later, my cell signal strength is back down to 1 bar in my home office. If I reset the unit or move the antenna around, it appears to work again for a while.

SUMMARY:

The unit can work if you read the instructions and experiment a bit with the placement of the antenna. For me to get it to work, I set up a docking cradle on my desktop to recharge my phone, and I placed the amplifier within 12 inches of the phone's docking cradle. I use a bluetooth headset at all times with my cell phone so that I can free up my hands while I speak. This works out well because it allows me to leave the cell phone within 12 inches of the amplifier without restricting my movement too much within the office.

One other note... according to the instructions you must place the antenna VERTICALLY near a window if you're installing inside a building instead of a car. I could not get that to work at all. The amplifier's status light would turn amber which indicates "overload from the cell site" according to the instructions. I only got the unit to work when I installed the antenna HORIZONTALLY and away from the window.

I am disappointed by the inconsistent performance which is why I gave the product only 3 stars. I don't mind playing around with adjusting the placement of the antenna while setting up the unit. But it seems that I have to adjust the antenna's location frequently in order to get anything more than the usual 1 bar signal strength in my office. When the product works, it really works well. But I haven't figured out how to make it work consistently.

I'm going to call tech support to see if they can help me get more consistent results. If I find out anything useful from them, I'll post an update to this review.