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Wi-Ex zBoost YX-510 Cell Phone Repeater
$350.00
Released January, 2006
The Pros:Can provide four bar cell service to indoor areas that normally get zero bars. Works with multiple cell networks.
The Cons:Need to be careful about how close the outside unit and inside unit are - they can interfere with each other. Suffers from blind spots in the signal. Signal will never be better than what it is outside.
The zBoost YX-510 from Wi-Ex is a 50 dB cell phone amplifier. It is designed to improve the cellular reception in your home or small office. It comes as a ready to install kit, with an internal antenna, external antenna and amplifier.
The external antenna is placed outside your house to pick up the cell phone signal from the nearest tower. This feeds the signal via a low loss cable to the amplifier unit, which boosts the signal and then re-emits it through the internal antenna. In the picture you are looking at the zBoost YX-510 amplifier unit and the internal (re-emitting) antenna, so the external (donor) antenna is also included, but not pictured.
As you can see the device is stylishly designed, especially when viewed in comparison to the competition, which appear to have taken more of a 'no-frills' approach to presentation. The zBoost YX-510 is Dual Band amplifier, which in simple terms means it is compatible with all the cellular network carriers other than Nextel, which uses different technology. As implied above, the zBoost YX-510 is a 'wireless' unit allowing you to use your cell phone wirelessly as usual. (Some cellular amplifiers actually plug directly into your phone). Due to this wireless functionality, up to 20 users can enjoy improved cell phone signal simultaneously.
The zBoost YX-510 is not as powerful as some other cellular amplifiers, notably those from Wilson Electronics, but the YX-510 is pretty much the cheapest repeater on the market which is both dual band and wireless. Expect to pay around $350.
User Reviews (1)
Pros & Cons
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1
can provide four bar cell service to indoor areas that normally get zero bars
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1
works with multiple cell networks
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1
need to be careful about how close the outside unit and inside unit are - they can interfere with each other
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1
suffers from blind spots in the signal
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1
signal will never be better than what it is outside
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1
signal degrades when line of sight between the two antennas is blocked
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1
optimal placement of the outdoor antenna takes some trial and error
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Comments (3)
jeremy:
#wi_ex_zboost_yx_510_cell_phone_repeater Works great.. takes some time with trial and error to get to work correctly .. but after u get it that area in yer basement works great.. just dont expect it to do the whole house.. seems like the further you go away the more it wants to just grab the 1-2 bars that u get from the outside tower
Jun 27, 11
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mfloyd:
#wi_ex_zboost_yx_510_cell_phone_repeater zBoost is amazing! I seriously just stopped answering calls when I was in my house and just waited until I was either at work or on my way somewhere to call people back. I tried that little sticker signal booster that you put behind your battery but of course that didn't work. My roommate and I don't have a landline because we're in school and move like every year... and didn't feel like fighting over the phone. I promise it really does work. ZBoost has really saved my sanity!
Jun 25, 07
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