Boost Your iPhone Signal

Posted in Misc | 8 comments

While there are alternatives to using AT&T as the iPhone’s wireless provider in the US, most us of are on AT&T’s network. And more than a few have found their coverage to be weaker than hoped. Personally, I was using Verizon with much more success prior to picking up my iPhone and I miss their comparably universal coverage. In my house, I guess I was amazingly lucky – Verizon covered me in every room. The best AT&T can offer me in West LA is three out of five bars when placed at a precise angle on a grey chair in my living room. Everywhere else is a dead zone.

But I’m not giving up my iPhone, so a compromise was in order. And I’ve found a way to boost reception significantly whilst using my iPhone at home. The WiEx YX545 Cell Booster acts as a small cell repeater in two pieces: a 1.3 foot antenna and a receiver/transmitter the size of a typical home router connected via the included thirty-five foot coaxial cable.

Set-up involves finding the best reception around your home…mine was in my attic, where I found a consistent five bars. Using two zip ties, I secured the antenna to a crossbeam and ran the coaxial cable about twenty feet into my office where I keep the transmitter (and use my iPhone the most). WiEx recommends placing the antenna at least fifteen feet above the transmitter, which works very well for me.

The results were immediate after plugging the transmitter in: an inconsistent two bars without the WiEx, a solid five with the booster running.

WiEx claims coverage of up to three thousand feet, but walls blunt that performance in my case. I get solid coverage throughout most of my home, but at the farthest point from my transmitter, I do drop to three bars. Since the alternative was zero before, I’m cool with it. But this unit is marketed to offices in addition to private homes and I’m cautious to endorse the three thousand foot claim.

But overall, this is a dream come true for me. I’ve been flirting with getting rid of my landline and WiEx’s booster strengthens my iPhone’s reception to a point of consistency that makes going completely wireless seem reasonable. I can’t recommend it enough.