The zBoost SOHO boosts cell phone signals for both voice and text for all of the major cell phone providers. The zBoost cell phone booster consists of two main parts: the base unit that resides indoors and the external antenna which resides on the roof of your home. Though installation wasn't plug in and go, we are thrilled that we can now disconnect our landline and finally use our cell phones in our home.
Did you know that 18 percent of cell phone users keep their landline only because their cell phone doesn't work in their home? I was part of that 18 percent until recently. We currently pay about $60 per month to keep our landline in our home because I just can't trust that our cell phones will make or receive calls during an emergency. $60 every month adds up to be a lot of money every year.
We looked into several cell phone signal boosters and decided on trying the zBoost 545 ($229). Though the installation was more in depth (the unit is mounted on our roof) with the zBoost than with other cell phone range extenders, we knew that sometimes the easiest fix isn't the best fix.
Our external antenna is mounted on our roof, not visible from the outside of our home. It sits on our roof and a cable runs through our walls and into (and then out of) our living room wall unit.
Our base unit sits in the small shelf in our built-in wall unit, connected to the cable that runs to the roof and to the nearest outlet. We placed a large vase in front of it, and the base is not visible to guests.
Immediately after installation we didn't notice improvements to our cell signals. We restarted our cell phones and our signal (two "bars" out of five) stayed the same. However, when we placed calls, our signal strength increased to four bars and allowed us to not only place the call, but speak clearly with the people on the other end of the line. When we hung up our phones, the signal strength returned to two bars. We have found that the signal increases when we place or receive phone calls on our cell phones, and when we aren't actively using the cell signal the strength goes back down–but that doesn't interfere with our ability to make and receive calls with our cell phones.
We have friends and family with in-home cell range extenders and they have commented that they prefer ours for several reasons:
- The zBoost works with all major cell service providers, and theirs only works for their service provider.
- Coverage area is broader with zBoost. Their boosters only work for the few rooms around the antenna.
- The zBoost base unit can easily be hidden and their booster has to be visible to work best.
Pros:
- It works! We are finally at a place where we can disconnect our home phone and rely only on our cell phones!
- zBoost works with all major service providers, and all brands of mobile devices
- Coverage extends throughout the home (this model has a 2,500 sq. ft. range)
Cons:
- Installation was very involved. My husband is very handy and it took about two hours.
Final Verdict:
Though the installation will deter some from using the zBoost, I highly recommend it because the pros outweigh this one con. We will be disconnecting our landline this month and will save $720 in the next year with no landline bill.
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