| | |  | ZTE Accessories | Home » » Wireless Extenders YX-500 PCS zBoost Cell Phone Signal Booster up to 2500 Square Feet of Coverage for Home or Office (1900 MHz Phones) | | | | | | | Description: | | Works with T-Mobile, Metro PCS, Cricket, Suncom, and Sprint(not Nextel) PCS wireless phones in frequency range of 1850-1990 MHz | | | Features: | |
• Extends cellular coverage for single or multiple users in homes or offices--provides up to 2500 square feet of coverage
• Works with T-Mobile, Metro PCS, Cricket, Suncom, and Sprint (not Nextel) PCS wireless phones in frequency range of 1850-1990 MHz
• Omni-directional signal antenna receives signals from multiple cell towers
• Antenna can be installed outdoors above the roofline or indoors in the attic or near a window
• Extends phone battery life--uses less power when signal is stronger
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 5.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 2.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 7.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 4.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 14.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 11.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 54 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
 zboost 500Jul 18, 2010
We ordered this item in the hopes that it would help us with our cell phones. It works great. Easy to install, just foolow the directions. If your having trouble with lost calls, fade in and out, or not even getting a siganl, try this little gizmo. It really works.
Great When it Works...Jun 11, 2010
I bought this because I moved into a house with aluminum siding. For those that don't know, aluminum siding pretty much blocks all cellphone, radio, and wireless signals--needless to say, my house is like living in a blackhole! I was thrilled when I stumbled upon this invention. The idea seemed simple enough, but the reviews were spotty and for the price I wasn't sure if I wanted a product and only kind of works.
When I received the booster it was really easy to assemble and in minutes I had reception and then lost it. The receiver has this fabulous little green light that indicates when you have a signal and turns red when you don't. I decided it was because the antenna was too low, so I went outside and mounted it on the side of the house, just over the door frame (before it was simply sitting on the porch railing). That seemed to improve reception, but every now and then I lose reception for no reason. It also doesn't broadcast to the back end of the house, which isn't a long distance and isn't through thick walls. I live in a house that is about 60 feet long and the booster sits in the middle room. The walls are only 4" thick and have little insulation, so I know they're not the culprit behind it not broadcasting very far.
Honestly, if it could even broadcast 30 feet from the receiver I would've given it 5 stars (dropping signal on a cellphone is a way of life, it can't be 100% contributed to the booster), but for over $100 and a promise of up to 2,500 sqft, you'd think it'd at least be able to reach the other end of a 30x60 ft ranch house.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Great booster... from 1 foot away!Jun 09, 2010
I have an average of 1 to 2 bars inside my house but there were some dead spots and I wanted to improve my coverage. I found the strongest signal inside the house, set this thing up and it only worked from a foot away. I checked the manual and it said if the signal wasn't great that you would have a smaller radius of signal boost. Fair enough. So, I went into the back yard where I get up to 3 bars and again could only use the unit from 1 foot away. Finally, I temporarily attached the unit to the roofline, where my phone had 5 out of 6 bars. At 1 foot I got amazing coverage. At 2 feet I was back to what I was without it. The device is utterly useless unless you're within a dismally short range of it.
 Misrepresentation of what booster can doJun 03, 2010
PLEASE, PLEASE READ MY WHOLE ARTICLE BEFORE BUYING ANY BOOSTER SYSTEMS.
I purchased this booster some time ago, Oct 2009. Upon installation, I did not see any improvement. I contacted Wi-Ex and after a few days of bitching, they sent me a new system. The new system was a bit better but still did not do what they claim it to do. I've continued to use this booster for 8 months total now and here is my analysis.
First, they claim that this unit will cover a home of 2500 sq ft. LIE.
Second, they claim that this will reduce dropped calls... HALF A LIE
Here are the facts:
1- You will only get a boosted signal from the base unit ONLY if the receiving antenna has a strong signal. I have 2 bars in my attic, where the receiving antenna is installed, and the coverage range from the base unit is only anywhere from 2 inches to 3 feet from the base unit.
2- In my situation, the coverage area dramatically drops as soon as I'm out of the 3 foot radius of the base unit. As soon as I'm about 10 feet from the base unit, the signal will drop to zero bars on my phone (Palm Pre) and the phone will intermittently switch to Roaming. (This also occurs with an HTC Touch Pro 2 as well).
I contacted Wi-Ex and they told me that the max range of the boosted signal will be 15 feet. That's right, he said 15 feet. They why do they advertise full house coverage? And also claim a 2500 sq ft home coverage on this unit. I was also told that if my input signal is only two bars, that the output from the base unit is reduced to a lower radius/range. This is not what is advertised. As a matter of fact, while I was on the phone with the rep, he kept asking me to repeat myself because I kept breaking up. He asked me to repeat myself three times, yes, three times, and my distance to the base unit? About two feet at that time and the bar strength indication on the phone? That was at 1 bar!! Yes, 1 bar!!!
So basically, if you have full bars (a strong signal) outside of your home, then the boosted signal inside your home will be greater. I want everyone to know this. DO NOT BE MISGUIDED!!!! This system is only as good as your signal outside your home. If you have FULL strength outside your home and have no signal strength inside your --- a basement for example, then, you will have good coverage in your basement room ONLY.
Also, I wanted to troubleshoot this some more so I bought a Wilson 800/1900 booster. Identical to this Wi-Ex unit. I tried a combination of several things. I used the Wi-Ex receiver with the Wilson base and the Wilson transmitting antenna, the Wilson receiving antenna with the Wi-Ex base unit and the Wilson antenna and so forth..... and this is what I learned:
The Wilson system gives you a better coverage radius than the Wi-Ex unit. However, the Wilson unit continuously loses it's signal and the base unit's LED will switch from green to amber to red quite often! Again, neither of these units really improves your indoor signal if your outdoor signal is not at 100%. DO NOT EXPECT YOUR INDOOR RECEPTION TO BE BOOSTED THROUGHOUT YOUR ENTIRE 2500 SQ FT HOME!! This will NOT happen. These two units are misrepresented to make a sale. This is not to say that the Wilson is a better buy, it is not! The coverage radius is only increased by about 1 foot using the Wilson unit. As soon as you are out of this range, your signal will drop and switch over to Roaming as well.
Do not waste your money on either of these two systems if all you need is coverage at your computer desk. You might as well buy their lower priced units that you suction cup to your window. These will give you that same result and you don't have to climb into your attic or bore holes in your home to hang an external antenna. More importantly, they cost about $100 less.
I have disconnected both units and the signal strength at my desk is at 2 bars without a booster. (Intermittently of course but good enough and better than with the boosters in place). I of course, lose my signal in the basement, but the boosters didn't provide me with better signal strength either so for me, it's not a loss.
Note: I did abide by the distance requirements called for by each manufacture and those called for by the FCC. I only operated my cell in close proximity only to perform my tests. At no time should you operate your equipment outside the limitations set forth in the user's manuals.
 Very good solutionMar 29, 2010
We are systems integrators, and many of our clients were looking for a solution for places that due to construction characteristics will not have cellular signal within. We install this equipment and problem goes.
We recomend this equipment as the best solution we have tested
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