weBoost 470144 Home MultiRoom Signal Booster

The 5,000 square foot number is the best case, reached only with a strong five-bar signal outside, so for most homes the honest figure is lower. At three to four bars, around -90 dBm, plan on up to 3,500 square feet, and at one to two bars up to 1,000. Coverage tracks your outside signal because the booster amplifies what is already there rather than creating it. If your home is large or your reception is weak throughout, the Home Complete fits better and reaches up to 7,500 square feet with a strong outside signal. The only way to know your own number is a soft install, setting it in place to test before you mount it for good.

One bar outside is enough to work with, because a booster amplifies the signal you already have rather than creating it from nothing. At one bar you get up to 1,000 square feet of coverage, enough to reach the rooms nearest the inside antenna. It won't cover the whole house, but if you strategically place the inside antenna, it covers the areas where you need better signal the most. The seemingly no bars case is trickier. If you can find even one bar somewhere outside, that's something we can boost. If there's truly no signal outside, the booster has nothing to amplify, and we'll tell you that straight rather than sell you something that won't work.

It boosts your data, not just calls, because everything it amplifies rides on the same cellular signal. That means your phone's data, a hotspot, and a cellular home-internet modem along with the devices connected to it all get the stronger signal, the same way your calls do. What it can't touch is wired internet like cable or DSL, and it won't extend your Wi-Fi, since it works on cellular signal alone. Like any booster, it needs a bar or two of signal outside to amplify, because it strengthens what's already there rather than creating it from nothing.

One unit covers everyone in the house at once, so you never need one per carrier. It boosts every major US carrier at the same time, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, US Cellular and the rest, for every phone and device in range of the inside antenna, with nothing to pair, no SIM, no programming, no account changes. The one limitation is the 600 MHz band, the frequency T-Mobile leans on for a lot of rural coverage, since it is not FCC-approved for consumer boosting and only commercial systems can reach it with carrier approval. So if you are on T-Mobile out in the country, call 1-888-974-8237 and we will check your signal before you buy.

You can do it yourself, and most people do, because it's built for anyone reasonably handy and takes about one to two hours. You mount the outside antenna up high aimed at your strongest signal, run the included cable to the amplifier, and set the inside panel antenna near the rooms you want covered. The mounting hardware is in the box, and you'll drill a few holes for the outside antenna. Do a soft install first, setting things in place without drilling, to test before you commit. There's no professional install option for this model, though if you want the work done for you, the Home Complete Installed includes professional installation. Our support team has also walked thousands of folks through this install, so call 1-888-974-8237 if you get stuck.

Put the outside antenna as high as you can, on a roof, eave, or pole, pointed toward your nearest tower where the signal is strongest. The inside panel antenna goes central to the rooms you want covered, and you want as much distance between the two as you can get, both up and down and side to side. Set them too close and they interfere with each other, so the amplifier turns its power down or shuts off to protect itself, which shows up as the status light changing color. Do a soft install first, just set everything in place without drilling, so you can aim it and watch the light settle to solid green before you mount anything for good.

All three work, because the outside antenna mounts on top of the metal rather than under it, where it receives the signal instead of fighting through it. The honest part is that metal also blocks signal indoors, so coverage inside this kind of home runs a little tighter than in a comparable wood-frame house. Mount the outside antenna up high above the metal aimed at your strongest signal, center the inside antenna on the rooms you use most, and you still want at least a bar or two to amplify. A soft install lets you set it in place and confirm your coverage before you ever drill.

Yes, as long as you have some signal outside to start with, because a booster amplifies what's already there rather than creating it from nothing. The outside antenna receives the signal from the nearest tower, the amplifier boosts it, and the inside antenna broadcasts it through your home, stronger. With a strong outside signal you get up to 5,000 square feet of coverage, less as that drops. The one place it can't help is a home with no outside signal at all, since there's nothing to receive. As for worth, you pay once with no monthly fees, backed by a 90-day return window and lifetime US-based support, so if it doesn't pull its weight you send it back.

You pay once and that's the whole cost, no subscription, no contract, no monthly fee. There's no SIM card to buy, no data plan to add, and nothing changes with your carrier account. It plugs into a standard wall outlet and works on its own, so you don't need Wi-Fi or internet for it to run. If it turns out not to be right for your home, the 90-day return window has you covered, so the one payment is the only commitment you're making.