11 Best Cell Phone Signal Boosters of 2024

We think the Cel-Fi GO X is the best cell phone signal booster for homes and offices on the market today.

While it's not exactly cheap, it's still a great value. The GO X performs better than signal boosters that cost thousands of dollars more.

Here's why: if you're in an area with weak 4G or 5G outdoors, a booster's "gain" is critical. Gain is a measure of amplification, and determines what kind of coverage area your booster will provide.

The FCC allows two classes of signal boosters to be sold in the US:

• Broadband boosters amplify the signal of every carrier equally, and are limited to 65 to 72 dB gain.
• Carrier-specific boosters amplify the signal of just one carrier at a time but can have up to 100 dB gain.

An extra 30 dB gain might not seem like much, but it actually makes a huge difference. Decibels are a "logarithmic scale" - so 35 dB is actually 3000x more amplification.

Unfortunately, carrier-specific boosters are meaningfully more challenging to build and incorporate a great deal more technology than broadband boosters. That means that they usually cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

That's where the Cel-Fi's GO X comes in: the GO X is a carrier-specific, 100 dB booster sold at consumer-level prices.

You're going to see a much bigger coverage area and much faster data rates with the GO X than with almost any booster out there, particularly if your outdoor signal is weak. This also makes the best cell phone booster for rural areas.

In partnership with OnTech Smart Services, weBoost is the first booster manufacturer to offer something unique: nationwide installs in any home.

Every weBoost Installed Home Complete package contains a unique code that allows you to reserve an install slot, often on the very next day.

When OnTech's technician arrives they'll be carrying an excellent signal meter: the Wilson Pro Cellular Network Scanner. They'll use the Network Scanner to find the best location and direction for the outdoor antenna.

The kit that's shipped to you won't include any coax cable. Instead, the technician will cut and crimp RG6 coax that they keep on their trucks. Your cable will be cut to exactly the right size, but RG6 attenuates signal more than other cables.

We love weBoost Installed's nationwide installation as an option for customers. If you can't install your own booster, the Home Complete is a great choice.

The Home Complete is a broadband amplifier that's limited by FCC rules to between 63 and 72 dB gain. Unless you have strong signal outdoors, this weBoost system won't cover your whole home or office.

If you're unhappy with the results you're seeing, you can still return the kit and get a full refund. The only caveat to be aware of is that weBoost and OnTech won't patch the holes that they've made in your walls or the exterior of your home.

The Fusion4Home is a solid budget cell phone signal booster. We specifically recommend using the version with a directional outdoor and panel indoor antenna for best results.

The Surecall amplifier boosts all 5 bands authorized by the FCC, and offers solid gain and downlink output power numbers for a broadband, multi-carrier booster in its price range.

While you'll see a meaningful increase in signal strength from your Fusion4Home while you're near the indoor antenna, the coverage area likely won't extend very far. You can only expect a larger coverage area if your signal outdoors is quite strong.

Something a little strange about the Fusion4Home is that it uses F-connectors and RG11 on the outdoor antenna end, but N-connectors on the indoor end. If you want to extend a cable or add extra antennas, make sure you get the right cables!

If you're looking to get the very best data rates possible, using MIMO antennas with a 4G or 5G hotspot or router is your best bet. MIMO antennas work even better than boosters.

Log periodic antennas are highly directional antennas with between 8 and 11 dBi gain. These log periodic antenna kits combine two antennas in a MIMO configuration and include ultra-low-loss coax cable, adapters, and a J-Mount.

Not only are MIMO antennas cheaper than boosters, but they also get you the very best data rates. We couldn't recommend them more highly.

When it comes to boosting signal in larger buildings, it's tough to beat the Cel-Fi QUATRA 4000. Between our enterprise DAS install (buildings 50k+ sq ft) and commercial design teams (buildings 10k to 50k sq ft), we've designed and installed over a hundred QUATRA systems.

Just a few of the things we've come to love about the platform:

• Allows use of ethernet cables to distribute signal instead of coax.
• Offers 100 dB gain for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile
• Unmatched scalability - up to 6 coverage units can be connected to one network unit
• Robust cloud-based monitoring and alarming allows for enterprise-grade SLAs

The QUATRA product lineup has a unique design consisting of Network Units and Coverage Units:

• A "Network Unit" transmits and receives signal from the nearest cell towers. It is connected to outdoor donor antennas via coax, and provides cloud monitoring and alarming functionality.
• Up to 6 "Coverage Units" are connected via ethernet to the Network Units, and distribute signal within the building.

This design allows for coverage to be easily expanded with additional Coverage Units, to serve buildings up to and even over 100,000 square feet in size.

If you're interested in the QUATRA 4000, reach out to us! We can provide a complete system design for your building.

There's one big reason why the weBoost Installed Office 200 makes it to our list of best signal boosters: it comes with turn-key installation in commercial spaces included.

The weBoost team has partnered with OnTech for signal booster installation. The Office 200 package includes a special code that you can use to book your install appointment online. Installation slots can often be booked as soon as the next business day. OnTech's technicians will come armed with the excellent Cell Linq Pro Signal Meter to help them get installation right.

But the Office 200 has a few limitations that hold the unit back:

• The unit only comes with an omnidirectional outdoor antenna. This means that the outdoor antenna can't be aimed at the nearest towers to optimize signal quality.
• The indoor antennas included with the Office 200 are "ultraflat" antennas. While these look aesthetically pleasing, they don't perform very well at higher frequency bands.
• The Office 200 uses the same broadband, passive boosting technology as the rest of the weBoost product line. This means that the unit's gain is limited to 70 dB, and best results will only be seen when outdoor signal is strong.
• OnTech's technicians run RG6 coax cable, which is a relatively lossy cable. Depending on the strength of the outdoor signal, you're limited in terms of the length of cable that you can run.

We recommend chatting with us prior to purchasing to help make sure that the Office 200 is the right fit for your application.

Please note: the Office 200 can only be installed in commercial buildings. If you're looking for home installation, look at the weBoost Installed | Home Complete instead.

If you're on a budget, the Wilson Pro 70 Plus is a solid choice for boosting cell signal in buildings of up to 20,000 square feet. However, you'll only achieve that coverage area in ideal conditions, with quite strong and clear outdoor cell signal.

The Pro 70 Plus is available in kits that include either dome or panel antennas. Up to four indoor antennas can be added to the system using our add-on antenna kits or by reaching out to our signal specialist via phone or live chat.

Our enterprise installation team has installed hundreds of Pro 70 Pluses in buildings across the country, and they are highly reliable devices that can work for years without any issues. While the unit hasn't been meaningful upgraded since the launch, and doesn't offer remote monitoring or alarming, the Pro 70 Plus is a reliable workhorse booster that's widely deployed.

Vehicle boosters are very different to building boosters.

When you're driving around, you move from areas with very strong signal to areas with very weak signal. It's when you're at the very edge of cell coverage and signal is the weakest that a booster makes a difference.

The reason your phone stops working at the edges of cell coverage in rural areas is that the signal from your phone can no longer reach the tower. The limiting factor is the transmit (or "uplink") power.

The cell tower's signal can easily reach your phone since towers transmit at very high power levels. But your phone is battery-operated and limited in terms of its transmit power, and the signal doesn't make it back to the tower.

That's where a booster can help. And, specifically, it's where the weBoost Drive Reach shines. It has the highest uplink power of any booster on the market at 26 dBm.

The gain of broadband vehicle boosters is limited by the FCC to 50 dB. Unfortunately, that means that in-vehicle boosters are never truly "wireless" - you'll get the best results if you keep your phone within a foot of the indoor antenna. We recommend using hands-free calling for best results.

At $200, the weBoost Drive Sleek is an excellent value. We're particularly big fans of the cradle format, which keeps your phone near the booster's antenna, even though it limits you to boosting signal for just one phone.

As we explained in our Drive Reach review above, uplink power is the critical spec when it comes to vehicle boosters. The weBoost Drive Sleek is limited to a maximum 22 dBm uplink transmit power, compared to 26 dBm for the Drive Reach. 4 dBm might not seem like a whole lot, but it actually has a big impact on real-world performance.

That being said, the Drive Sleek is less than half the price of the Reach. If you're on a budget, the Sleek is a solid performer that's worth consideration.

The weBoost Drive Reach RV is our top recommended RV booster. It's high uplink power rating (23 dBm) means that the Reach RV will allow you to connect where other boosters won't.

However, there are two caveats to be aware of:

1. The Reach RV is a broadband mobile booster and limited by the FCC to 50 dB gain. This means that it won't have much of a coverage area - you'll need to keep your phone or hotspot near the indoor antenna to connect. You may want to keep one device near the booster and use wifi to connect other devices.
2. The Reach RV comes with an omnidirectional outdoor antenna. Using a mast with a directional antenna (see our other recommendations below) may work better when your RV is stationary and parked.

We think the Reach RV is the right compromise between mobility and signal performance for most users, but if you're primarily concerned about boosting signal when your RV is parked and stationary, take a look at our next option.

Many RVs and trailers spend most of their time stationary in campgrounds. And campgrounds often don't have great cellular signal.

The weBoost Destination RV is designed specifically to provide the best signal when RVs are stationary. With a mast, directional antenna, and up to 72 dB gain, the Destination RV is designed around use in one specific location at a time.

The FCC's rules limit the gain of cellular amplifiers to 50 dB when moving, and to 72 dB when stationary. The Drive Reach operates under the second set of rules for stationary boosters. That means that each time you park your RV, you'll need to pull out the 25' extendible mast, and aim your outdoor antenna towards the nearest tower. But the included mast allows you to get above obstructions to the best cell signal available, and means for those willing to take the extra time, they'll see even better results than with our top-recommended Drive Reach.

If you want connectivity while camped in remote areas, the RV 65 is hard to beat.

The weBoost Drive Reach Marine Kit is the best cell phone booster kit for boats on the market today. We've been told time and time again that it provides the best coverage when you're off-shore.

The reason the Drive Reach Marine kit works so well on boats is that it's been designed to have the highest uplink power possible (26 dBm!). When you're at the edges of cell coverage, uplink power is what helps you stay connected for voice and data calls.

However, even though it's our top booster, the Drive Reach Marine isn't without compromises.

Like all marine kits, the Drive Reach Marine is considered by the FCC to be a broadband, "mobile" booster kit. That means it is limited to 50 dB gain. The result of this lower gain number compared to "stationary" boosters is that it won't provide much of a coverage area - just a few feet at most.

So, for best results, you'll need to keep your cell phone or hotspot near the kit's rebroadcast antenna. You may want to consider use a hotspot to rebroadcast the 4G LTE of 5G cellular signal as WiFi if you need wireless cellular coverage.

If you're looking to get the very best data rates possible, using MIMO antennas with a 4G or 5G hotspot or router is your best bet. MIMO antennas work even better than boosters.

Log periodic antennas are highly directional antennas with between 8 and 11 dBi gain. These log periodic antenna kits combine two antennas in a MIMO configuration and include ultra-low-loss coax cable, adapters, and a J-Mount.

Not only are MIMO antennas cheaper than boosters, but they also get you the very best data rates. We couldn't recommend them more highly.

This MIMO Panel Antenna Kit includes everything you need to improve signal for your 4G or 5G hotspot or router.

These antennas have slightly lower gain (8 dBi) than our log periodic antennas (11 dBi). That makes them meaningfully more forgiving: they're easier to set up and less sensitive to the exact direction of the nearest tower.