Cell Booster Info

SureCall Cell Booster Info & Install

This video gives you the main information you need to know about cell phone boosters in general and shows how we installed ours.

6 Month Review SureCall Cell Booster

Since we are digital nomads and need cell signal to run our business remotely this item is a must. This video gives you the stats after 6 months of use. We moved this item to our Lazy Daze and it’s a must have for us personally.

* TEST RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE *

Do I need a cell phone booster?

That all depends on where you like to travel/camp at! If you tend too stick with RV parks, especially those near more populated areas, then you probably don’t need a powered cell phone booster. However, if you like to go to those remote places with hardly anyone around then you may want to consider one. We suggest that you make the decision for yourself after you have figured out your travel style and have done your own research on what is best for you.

If your hotspot / jetpack / Mifi whatever you want to call it has antenna ports then you may want to at least pick up a MIMO type antenna. They basically make your base hotspot better by adding a external antenna. The best part is they work on multiple bands unlike powered cell boosters (which the rest of this article is about). To keep it simple, a MIMO antenna is a good thing to have regardless of where you are parked (in a busy park or not). A powered cell booster is only beneficial in weak signal areas. Oh, and yes you can have both styles, you will just need to unplug one and plug in the other when needed.

What does a cell booster do?

To put it simply, it boosts a cell signal. So keep that in mind! It BOOSTS a SIGNAL… which means you have to have a signal in the first place! Cell boosters CAN’T create a signal, but they can greatly increase your signal. The style of booster you go with will determine how much of a boost you’ll receive. To keep it easy, most cell boosters can take a call dropping bad signal and turn it into a great signal. Need an example of how they work? Just think about turning on a TV, seeing you have only one channel, and you really can’t see much of it because the channel isn’t coming in well. What do you do? You flip your TV antenna on and POW it helps the TV and increases your TV experience. Cell phone boosters do sorta the same thing. The cell booster antenna on the outside of the RV finds the cell signal (which it then amplifies) and broadcasts it into your RV via the inside antenna.

Why did we choose SureCall?

The main reason is we wanted to provide information on another option available. There are plenty of videos/info out there that discuss weBoost, and many RVers see that as the only option. We have nothing wrong with weBoost, we simply want to bring attention to a different product option.

For those of you who have never heard of SureCall, they are a United States based company that has been around since 2001. They provide products for the US Military, Exxon Mobile, & heck even NASA just to name a few!

We were happy to discover that SureCall offers a year longer warranty than weBoost, and SureCall offers double the time for the money back guarantee. Not to mention they are cheaper to purchase & are even rated higher on Amazon with both products having over 500+ reviews. We also like that the SureCall’s DC power supply is an easy DC plug with a switch on it, unlike weBoost’s wire in only DC supply. Oh and the SureCall system comes with 40 feet of better quality cable (50 Ohm), whereas the weBoost provides 20 feet of standard RG-6 (75 Ohm).

We also found a study done by an independent company which shows that SureCall out preformed weBoost.

Independent Study:
https://www.signalbooster.com/pages/ckc-labs-test-of-surecall-fusion2go-3-0-versus-weboost-drive-4g-x

We plan to test the SureCall as we travel and will add our findings as we collect data.

Which cell phone booster is best?

We firmly believe that you should do your own research and figure out what is best for your family. You should look into what is important to you as a consumer and decide. The information provided here is what we gathered in our own research. From what we have found, both appear to be great additions to those going out to places others only dream of.

As far as the companies themselves go. Surecall and weBoost are both US based companies which both offer US based customer service. Surecall list themselves as being employee owned whereas weBoost is listed as a brand of Wilson Electronics.

Now lets talk about the RV boosters. For this next section we will be talking about the SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 RV & the weBoost Drive 4G-X RV.

Both cell boosters claim the following:

To work on all North American cellular carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, US Cellular, and T-Mobile.
FCC Approved
Boost signal up to 50dB maximum (FCC Allowed Maximum)
Boost voice & data speeds
Increase cell phone range
Reduce dropped / missed calls
Increase battery life in weak signal areas

Here are a few things we noticed that were different

Which outside antenna should I get? Omni or Yagi?

That depends entirely on your travel style. If you plan to sit still for a little bit, or you don’t mind setting up an antenna at every stop, then the Yagi might fit your needs. It is a directional antenna, aka you point it at the cell tower to get better signal. However, keep in mind that you can’t use it while moving.

Now on the other hand if you want to use the booster while moving and/or you don’t want to point an antenna every time you camp, then you probably want to go with a Omni style antenna.

The weBoost offers a package with the Yagi style antenna.

However, with SureCall, you would need to buy the RV Kit, then also purchase the Yagi. Although it is cheaper than the weBoost system, it does not come with a pole to mount it on. I have seen others use a 3 to 5 ft section of PVC pipe to mount the Yagi, and then some use a ratchet mount to simply raise and lower the mount.

How do I check my cell signal?

I know this might seem like a conspiracy theory LOL, but the truth is those “bars” in the top of your screen mean just about nothing. It is basically a marketing scheme. As long as your phone will make a call then carriers can make your phone say whatever they want. There is no regulation, but hey… now they can say, “We have the most bars.” Although your phone might show plenty of bars… it doesn’t mean the signal is good.

There are plenty of articles that confirm this, but here are few for reference:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/bars-on-your-smartphone
https://www.signalbooster.com/what-do-signal-bars-on-a-cell-phone-really-mean

The best thing to do is to look at the actual decibel levels of your signal. A call dropping bad cell signal is around -110dB and a great signal is -50dB. So how do you find your signal?

We don’t have an iPhone, but the newest and most recent updates to iOS (Apple/iPhone) products don’t seem to allow you to check your decibel level. Sorry

For an Android device, however, just follow the link below. If yours is different, do a simple Google search of your specific device and hopefully you will find a guide.

Directions For Android Devices: http://www.imnotlostimrving.com/android-cell-signal

Do You Have Any Install Recommendations?

The first thing we did was watch YouTube videos about the products. Both SureCall & weBoost have YouTube Channels that provide info on their products:
SureCall’s YouTube Channel
weBoost’s YouTube Channel

Lou from RV Habit has an excellent video on a SureCall system as well:
RV Habit SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 RV Install

Ray from Love Your RV has a wonderful video covering the weBoost system:
Love Your RV weBoost Drive 4G-X RV Install

If you plan to go with a Yagi style antenna, then you will want to check out Brian from RV With Tito’s video on the weBoost Connect RV 65:
RV with Tito’s weBoost Connect RV 65 Install

After you have watched a few others install the system, it should really give you a good understanding for your install. Make sure you read the instructions completely and follow the manufactures recommendations. Our install was very quick, taking less than an hour total. We already had a junction box for the wires to go into though. We suggest that you try to plan as much as you can to limit delays and roof time! If you’re adding any holes, then you will need a drill and sealant for example.

Best of Luck with your install!