| | |  | Unlocked Cell Phones | Home » » Wilson Electronics MobilePro Multiple-User Cell Phone Signal Booster for Car/Home | | | | | | | Description: | | Sla 12v 18ahupg 85977/d5745 sealed lead acid batteries (12v; 18 ah; ub12180). Specs: used in ups backup systems, spotlights, flashlights, exit lighting & other equipment; 12v; 18 ah; ub12180. Refurb: n. Returnable: y. Warranty: one year.... | | | Features: | |
• Booster Kit provides a signal 12 times as strong as your cell phone, improving reception and data rates
• Designed for portability and mobility; great for use in your office, car, hotel, airport, or home
• Plug & Play Kit--easy installation; everything you need is in the box!
• Compatible with all US and Canadian cellular providers (except iDen/Nextel/MIKE)
• Comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 1-year manufacturer's warranty
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 10.75 inches | | Product Width:
| 2.63 inches | | Product Height:
| 14.13 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.5 pounds | | Package Length:
| 12.1 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.7 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 72 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 72 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 60 found the following review helpful:
 Works well, simpleJul 15, 2009
By M. Quinlan
"Just a User"
I purchased the version with the 12-inch antenna to use in my home office, and got it a couple days ago. The package says it installs in a minute, and that's basically true. It took me 15 minutes because I read the instructions and had to think about where to put it, but if I did it again, I could probably actually take the items out of the package and get it in place and operating in a minute.
It works very well. My provider is AT&T, which I'm stuck with because I have an iPhone. My wife gets a great Verizon signal, but my AT&T signal ranged from no service to two bars at any given time at any place in my house. A few seconds after installing the Wilson device that changed, and now I get from 2 bars to 5 bars within my home office.
I looked at another device that claims to provide a whole-house improved signal, and perhaps it does. The problem for me is that installation seemed complicated due to the need for very wide separation between the antenna that receives the outside cell signal and the amplifier that retransmits the stronger signal, which included getting wiring through wall or ceilings etc. In the case of the Wilson device, all you need do is keep the two apart by 8 feet or so, which was better for me.
I'm not a techy but it seems that the tradeoff is that the separation requirements are lower with this Wilson device, but the rebroadcasted signal is less powerful, so the signal improvement range is not whole-house, but more room sized. Fortunately, that works fine for me.
I have three windows together set up like a bay window of sorts. I used the suction cups to mount the antenna in the upper right of that set of windows. I then ran the antenaa wire over the top of the windows to the amplifier hanging on the left. I didn't even affix the amplifier to the wall, it just hangs from the antenna cord. It's behind the curtain so it's not seen.
I placed the antenna, reached up and ran the wire over the sill, connected the amplifier to the end of the wire and plugged it in. A second later the light went green, meaning that the separation distance is OK, and my phone went from 1 bar to 4. Easy.
The packaging seems to emphasize use in cars and trucks, so I'm guessing that this is mostly used by truckers and commuters who drive through a lot of weak signal areas. But it also gives directions for installing in a home or office, which is what I did, and I can report that it works well for that purpose, at least in my situation.
43 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 It worksSep 20, 2009
By AK
I'd like to share my experience using this product which I purchased to boost my cell phone signal in my home office. First, let me say that finding a solution for my particular circumstances and needs was difficult. There appear to be many products out there starting in this price range (and going much higher) that claim to boost signal strength. From my informal research on the topic (obtained mostly by reading online USER reviews of various products), I found that user feedback on cell phone signal boosters tended to be sparsely available. And when feedback was available, it was all over the place - some people said the product they purchased worked well and others said it didn't work at all.
BACKGROUND INFO:
In my 3 story condo, my typical cell phone signal strength usually is 1 or 2 bars (out of a total of 4 bars). The best reception occurs near windows on the 3rd story. My home office is on the 1st floor which is partially below ground level. The portion that is below ground level is bounded by concrete. There are 2 very small windows in my home office located in the portion that is above ground.
PROS:
* The price is competitive with other cell signal boosters I found online.
* The product is very portable and can be mounted in your car if you travel a lot.
* The installation is very fast and easy. I didn't need to install a permanent antenna to the exterior of my condo - which is a good thing because our homeowners' association is very restrictive with that sort of thing.
* I was able to boost signal strength to 3 or 4 bars (out of a total of 4 bars) in my partially underground home office.
CONS:
* Your cell phone must be within 6 to 12 inches of the amplifier for it to provide a significant benefit.
* The signal strength appears to fade after a while. When I first turn the unit on, it appears to provide full benefit. If I come back a few minutes later, my cell signal strength is back down to 1 bar in my home office. If I reset the unit or move the antenna around, it appears to work again for a while.
SUMMARY:
The unit can work if you read the instructions and experiment a bit with the placement of the antenna. For me to get it to work, I set up a docking cradle on my desktop to recharge my phone, and I placed the amplifier within 12 inches of the phone's docking cradle. I use a bluetooth headset at all times with my cell phone so that I can free up my hands while I speak. This works out well because it allows me to leave the cell phone within 12 inches of the amplifier without restricting my movement too much within the office.
One other note... according to the instructions you must place the antenna VERTICALLY near a window if you're installing inside a building instead of a car. I could not get that to work at all. The amplifier's status light would turn amber which indicates "overload from the cell site" according to the instructions. I only got the unit to work when I installed the antenna HORIZONTALLY and away from the window.
I am disappointed by the inconsistent performance which is why I gave the product only 3 stars. I don't mind playing around with adjusting the placement of the antenna while setting up the unit. But it seems that I have to adjust the antenna's location frequently in order to get anything more than the usual 1 bar signal strength in my office. When the product works, it really works well. But I haven't figured out how to make it work consistently.
I'm going to call tech support to see if they can help me get more consistent results. If I find out anything useful from them, I'll post an update to this review.
UPDATE 12/26/2010:
One thing I found out subsequently through "experimentation" is that if I shield the antenna from the amplification unit, the signal boost appears to be more stable and lasts much longer. The cable between the antenna and amplication unit is relatively short (about 12 feet), so it's practically impossible to separate them a sufficient distance to prevent interference. So what I found that works is to place the antenna vertically near a window as described in the instructions. And then shield the antenna from the amplification unit with some big object. Basically what I did was move my big laser printer in front of the window where the antenna was installed. This seemed to block the "line of sight" between the antenna and the amplification unit and possibly reduced the interference between them. So the antenna had good "line of sight" to the cell signals outside my office window, but it was blocked from the amplification unit. After having done this, I noticed that I was getting 4 bar signal strength that consistently remained locked on. In other words, the problem I had earlier with the high signal peformance dropping out after a few minutes seemed to have been solved by this method.
31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
This works, but you must follow instructionsFeb 23, 2010
By P. MSakamoto
"boy clothes"
Summary
The MobilePro, like all cell phone "signal boosters" must be understood for what it is and isn't in order to keep expectations in line with reality. This is best accomplished by reading the instructions completely and also by reading this review as well as a post I made about a fixed point booster set up a few years ago (Wireless Extenders YX-500 PCS zBoost Cell Phone Signal Booster up to 2500 Square Feet of Coverage for Home or Office (1900 MHz Phones)). The title of that review was "Good if you follow ALL directions (and mine as well)". Taken within that context, the MobilePro does what it's supposed to do, which is help bring weak or locally blocked cell signals from a few feet away to your cell phone. Perhaps the proper name for a device like this is "signal relay" because that is what it really does. It "relays" cell phone radio signals back and forth around obstacles like the walls of home and the metal body of your car.
Pros
* It works - if you have three bars at the window of your car or office, but only two bars inside near your cell phone, you can use the MP to bring the stronger signal to your phone.
* Compact - The whole unit packs nicely into a supplied case and has both wall and car power as well as all cables and the antenna.
* Easy to set up - no menus or settings to deal with. No switches. Just plug it all in.
* Clear use instructions
* Well made and has good accessories for mounting the antenna on windows and magnetic metal. The booster unit itself can sit on your desk or be clipped to an A/C vent in your car.
Cons
* The advertising is a bit optimistic about the results. This does not create signal where there is none. As detailed in the referenced review, you are really transporting the best local signal to your phone from a few feet away. That is, if you have only one bar of signal in your area, even if you go outside and stand on a roof, you are NOT going to suddenly get a legitimate four bars using this device. Even if you hook it up and get more bars than the best local signal, it's not real because your cell phone meter will be influenced by the strength of the signal between the booster and the cell phone. I believe Wilson has designed the MP to minimize this effect, but it is still there. So, you're thinking you perhaps have three bars, when in fact you only have one "real" bar of reception.
My Experience
I used the MP in two environments. The first was in my home office. I was getting marginally acceptable reception while sitting at my desk and usually would stand near the window with my mobile (Blackberry Tour from Verizon) when an important call was in process. I then installed the MP on the inside of the window I used to stand by and then ran the long antenna cord down to my desk near my flat panel monitor. This distance is about six feet, which is in the range of the user manual recommendation. That is, the MP won't function correctly if you place the antenna too close to the MP electronics. This took all of sixty seconds or so. The MP electronics takes power from a mini-USB cord, so as long as you can supply full USB load from your PC, you can power the unit from either your PC or from the supplied AC source. After installation, including removing my phone from my nerdy belt holster and putting it right next to the MP, I was able to get the full signal available at the window on my handset all the time. Now, you might say, "Hey, did you have to put your head down next to the phone on your desk?" No, I have a bluetooth headset that I use with this setup so I don't have to move the phone. Since the range of the MP to your phone is rather limited (a couple feet), you really want to have a wireless headset since even a corded headset will be too restricting.
The result was very good. I am very happy having this thing on my desk keeping my connection good at all times. On average, it successfully brings the window signal strength to the handset, which means a full three or four bars instead of one or two bars. Now, this isn't too absolute of a measurement since "bars" aren't really a unit of measure, but in practical terms it means my calls no longer break up at all, my BB downloads emails faster and all is well.
The second use is in the car. I had a long "work" call that I knew I would have to carry out while traveling to a family event. Part of the route would take us through marginal signal areas on Route 152 East, which is also known as Pacheco Pass to you who are local to the SF Bay Area. I have driven this route many times, so I knew where I would normally lose a call. The antenna was attached to the right rear window of our '06 Prius while I clipped the module to the passenger front vent on the dashboard. I had someone else drive while I conversed from the passenger seat with my BT headset. Of course, this meant that I had to be careful of the antenna cord while entering or exiting the car since it was strung across the door. I think I could do better if I took some time with it, but the test was to just get it in there and get going, so there it lay. In any case, the MP once again made a marginal connection an OK connection. It turned unserviceable into serviceable. Those places where I would normally lose the signal ended up not being a problem. This is different than saying "perfect" as clarity was reduced for a little bit. However, it all worked all the way on an hour long call, so I would say "success" again. All that said, I don't know if it would usually be worth the trouble. i guess it depends on where you are going and how urgent it is for you to talk right that moment.
In areas of good signal strength (e.g. consistent 3 bars or better) the MP doesn't really seem to make a difference, but then this is what I would have expected. I didn't have any sub-marginal areas of "nearly zero" bars to check out, so I can't comment. I don't think I will take the time to go find one and test it out, either.
Conclusion
If you have the need to route cell phone signals around small local obstacles as described above, this is a great deal for you. Remember, it is NOT like bigger home boosters that make it possible for you to roam around your house with your phone. You have to leave the phone next to the MP and you have to have some signal available at the antenna location. It's not magic, but it is a good portable cell relay of sorts. Just make sure you have some signal to work with, and it will work for you, too.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Very, very disappointedFeb 05, 2010
By Unity Dienes
I get almost no AT&T reception in my house and I was thrilled to receive this product to help me use my iphone. I diligently set it up according to the directions; nothing. I get the green LED light, I was careful to maintain separation of 8 feet and keep the phone near the booster, and zip. No boost to my reception at all. I tried it on the opposite side of the house as well--same story. (Although, truthfully, I really only wanted a boost in my home office--who wants to make phone calls from, say, the kids' bedroom?). I read all reviews here, unplugged, replugged, no go. I called customer service; not a help.
I was all set to love this product, so I'm quite let down that it just doesn't work for me. If I had paid money for it, I'd be mad as well as disappointed.
Since it seems to work for some people, buy it, but make sure you do so from somewhere with a good return policy, like Amazon!
36 of 46 found the following review helpful:
VERY POOR PERFORMACE AND SERVICEMay 31, 2010
By Joe P. Jarmusz Sr.
Was REALLY looking forward to this Product. Have a Summer Home in Northern Michigan where regular Cell Service (AT&T) is ALWAYS a "hit-or-miss" challenge. Upon studying the Product Reviews on the Amazon Site and ALSO the Wilson Electronics Site I felt confident that the Product would give us "just enough" boost to enable us to depend on Cell Service in case of emergency needs. I (Very) Carefuuly read the entire Owner's Manual prior to set-up and followed the installation directions dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't'. While the unit DID light-up green we received NO additional Service Dependability. NO PROBLEM I thought. On the Amazon Web Site...as well as on the Wilson Packaging...in plain and simple English...it CLEARLY STATES that "Your Satisfaction and product performace are assured with Wilson's 30-day Money-Back guarantee and 1-Year Limited Warranty".
Since then...I have...AT MY EXPENSE AND TIME...been attempting to secure authorization to return this product and exercise the "Money-Back Guarantee" contacting on NUMEROUS occassions by phone and email...1) Amazon; 2) Amazon's Vendor: "ANTOnline"; and, even the Manufacturer: Wilson Electronics but I'm NOT getting anywhere!
I even filed the "A-Z Claim" with Amazon and ANTOnline "side-stepped" the return issue calling the LACK OF PERFORMANCE a "defect" EVEN THOUGH I CLEARLY STATED IN DETAIL THAT IT WAS A "PERFORMANCE" AND NOT A PRODUCT QUALITY ISSUE!
I AM TOTALLY UPSET WITH ALL OF THE COMPANIES INVOLVED IN THIS...ESPECIALLY AMAZON!
The Service totally lacks ANY Professionlism and the Client Treatment is the WORSE I've ever experienced with Amazon!
ANTOnline stated that since I had "opened" the Packaging...they could no longer resell the Product as "New" and therefore would not accept the product for refund! How? HOW DOES ONE HOOK-UP A PRODUCT TO SEE IF IT "PERFORMS" WITHOUT OPENING THE PACKAGE???
DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT WHATSOEVER IF IT WILL "PERFORM" OR NOT!
I know from this experience...I will think twice before ordering any sort of electronics from Amazon again. I would caution everyone else to also think that way.
Wilson Electronics 801241 MobilePro Cell Phone Signal Booster for Car and Home / Office w/12' Magnet Mount Antenna ' For Multiple Users
See all 72 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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