Cell Phone Signal Booster Buyers Guide

First, a little overview. A cell phone signal booster (aka cell phone repeater or amplifier) boosts your existing 2G, 3G and/or 4G LTE signal.
It is an electronic device that improves coverage and reception in poor signal areas in your home, office, vehicle, RV or boat. Company’s selling signal boosters now must be first FCC-certify the device. Signal boosters have gained popularity because the virtually eliminate dropped calls, stuck text messages, and slow internet.
A cell signal booster simply takes the outside signal coming from your tower, amplifies it, and then rebroadcasts the enhanced wireless signal to the area you direct it to. A cell phone signal booster is a permanent solution to poor voice and data signal. The booster will increase call clarity, reduce or eliminate dropped calls and increase upload and download speeds.
They increase cell phone signal strength to all types of phones (iPhone & Android) on all cell phone carriers and providers in US and Canada (Verizon, AT&T, Metro PCS, Cricket, Sprint, T-Mobile, Telus, Rogers, Bell, fido, etc.) They are one-time investments that require no special skills, extra fees or landline internet connection to install.
Fortunately, most major carriers use one of two common frequencies for their 2G and 3G networks. These frequencies, 850 MHz (cellular) and 1900 MHz (PCS), have become so common, that signal booster manufacturers created “dual-band” amplifiers that were capable of boosting both of these frequencies within the same device.
Want to know which signal boosters will work for 4G, LTE, and AWS networks? This requires a little more examination. See below for info on your network provider.
There is another important factor that needs to be considered when choosing a signal booster and that is how weak the outside signal coming to the booster is. Without getting into all the details, depending on the size of the space you want your new signal to cover, just remember the weaker the outside signal, the stronger the booster needs to be which also comes with a higher cost. Buying the right booster for your situation can be a little tricky but no worries though, AntennaHut.com is designed to point the buyer in the right direction. We have categorized boosters based on the relative strength.
Sprint
Sprint’s 2G and 3G services operate on the standard dual-band frequencies so any dual-band amplifier will work. Sprint’s 4G service is a comination of WiMax and LTE using different frequencies so if you need 4G support, it is smart to call their customer service and ask which service you’re using and what frequency it uses before proceeding.
AT&T
AT&T’s 2G, 3G, and HSPA+ 4G networks all operate on the standard dual-band frequencies so any dual-band amplifier will work. AT&T’s 4G LTE network operates on the 700 MHZ frequency on Bands 4 and 17 so if you need AT&T LTE data support. Use AntennaHut’s search tool to shop for an AT&T LTE specific booster.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile’s 2G service operates on the standard dual-band frequencies so any dual-band amplifier will work. However, their 3G and 4G HSPA+ service currently runs on the AWS frequencies (1700/2100 MHz) and needs an AWS booster. However, T-Mobile is transitioning their 3G and 4G HSPA+ service to their 1900 MHz band, which is one of the standard dual-bands, so that they can use their AWS band for their new 4G LTE service. It may be wise to call your provider for more clarity on which frequency your phone is on or will be on in the future.
MetroPCS
MetroPCS runs some 3G over 1900 MHz so a dual-band amplifier would help for that frequency. They also use the AWS frequencies (1700/2100 MHz) for some 3G and for their 4G LTE network so if you’re not sure which frequency is being used by your phone, we recommend calling the company and asking customer service which one you are using.
Verizon
Verizon’s 2G and 3G networks all operate on the standard dual-band frequencies so any dual-band amplifier will help. Verizon’s 4G LTE network operates on the 700 MHZ frequency on Band 13 so if you need Verizon LTE data support, look for a Verizon LTE specific booster.