Cell Booster > Weboost Alternative - Surecall Fusion 3.0 RV

[DaveMatthewsBand]

I have been researching cell boosters for the past couple weeks and found this alternative to the weBoost.
Surecall has a 3 year warranty, versus Wilson's 2 year, and Surecall has a 60 day no questions asked return policy, twice as long as Wilson.
I'll post a formal review later and let you all know how it is working out for us, we're hitting the road full-time in about 5 weeks.

This unit is called the Surecall Fusion 3.0 RV
It's about the same price as the Weboost RV just $50 cheaper, but after watching a few reviews I like the design better.
I'll add a link if anyone is interested in checking it out.

Surecall Fusion 3.0 RV LINK

[mmihalek]

I’ve been looking into these also, as I’ll need to be working while I travel. I’m considering the home version of it with a yagi antenna. I’ll only be using it when I’m stationary, so thinking this would pull in signal better than the Omni antenna.


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[acadiaforever]

DMB: What's your experience so far? I used Wilson gear several lifetimes ago, so I was reading about the WEBoost, but am interested in possible alternatives.

Thanks,
-Al

[DaveMatthewsBand]

DMB: What's your experience so far?
I used Wilson gear several lifetimes ago, so I was reading about the WEBoost, but am interested in possible alternatives.

Thanks,
-Al

I've used Wilson's CB antennas in the past on other vehicles so I know they make a good product,
I just like trying new technologies and giving business to smaller emerging companies.
At any rate, up until recently we hadn't had an opportunity to use the Surecall, since I just bought it 3 weeks ago.
Our Reflection is at an RV storage place out by a military base and the cell reception is terrible.
Last weekend we were out there getting it ready to be lived in, (we're going FT in 2 weeks!)
and we decided to take a break and watch some Netflix on the TV by using my iPhone's hot spot.
Well, my iPhone is on Verizon's network, and I only had 1 bar. So we tried my wife's iPhone because hers is
on T-mobile, but she only had 1 bar as well. We couldn't get Netflix to fire up with either of our hot spots, then
I remembered I had the Surecall in the closet, still in the box, unopened, so we set it up with the exterior antenna
up front in the bedroom window, ran the coax down the hallway to the amplifier with the interior antenna sitting next to the TV and iphones.
Well, both iPhones suddenly had 3 bars each!
The simplicity is great when you think about it, from the box to setup (albeit temporarily) and working in less than 5 minutes.
Anyway, I figured it could just be a coincidence, so we turned the Surecall off. Back to 1 bar each. Turned the Surecall back on,
both iPhones flickered back and forth between 2 and 3 bars. Ok, worth the money! We connected the TV to Netflix without any issue,
and watched the first episode of that new Lost in Space flick.
I would imagine actually mounting the exterior antenna ''outside'' and up on the roof, it probably would have given us an additional bar each.
But like I said we are starting our great adventure in 2 weeks so I'll follow up later and let you guys know how well it performs in the boonies.

[Rwj5000]

I've used Wilson's CB antennas in the past on other vehicles so I know they make a good product,
I just like trying new technologies and giving business to smaller emerging companies.
At any rate, up until recently we hadn't had an opportunity to use the Surecall, since I just bought it 3 weeks ago.
Our Reflection is at an RV storage place out by a military base and the cell reception is terrible.
Last weekend we were out there getting it ready to be lived in, (we're going FT in 2 weeks!)
and we decided to take a break and watch some Netflix on the TV by using my iPhone's hot spot.
Well, my iPhone is on Verizon's network, and I only had 1 bar. So we tried my wife's iPhone because hers is
on T-mobile, but she only had 1 bar as well. We couldn't get Netflix to fire up with either of our hot spots, then
I remembered I had the Surecall in the closet, still in the box, unopened, so we set it up with the exterior antenna
up front in the bedroom window, ran the coax down the hallway to the amplifier with the interior antenna sitting next to the TV and iphones.
Well, both iPhones suddenly had 3 bars each!
The simplicity is great when you think about it, from the box to setup (albeit temporarily) and working in less than 5 minutes.
Anyway, I figured it could just be a coincidence, so we turned the Surecall off. Back to 1 bar each. Turned the Surecall back on,
both iPhones flickered back and forth between 2 and 3 bars. Ok, worth the money! We connected the TV to Netflix without any issue,
and watched the first episode of that new Lost in Space flick.
I would imagine actually mounting the exterior antenna ''outside'' and up on the roof, it probably would have given us an additional bar each.
But like I said we are starting our great adventure in 2 weeks so I'll follow up later and let you guys know how well it performs in the boonies.

Hey there DMB, just curious as you’ve been using this system a while now, what do you think?

[DaveMatthewsBand]

Hey there DMB, just curious as you’ve been using this system a while now, what do you think?

Thanks for reminding me, I forgot to update this thread...

I ended up sending that unit back and installing a Weboost.
I also learned through my testing that "bars" do not equate to bandwidth. They seem to only correlate to a stronger connection to the nearest tower.

Routinely, my iPhone which is on an "unlimited" Verizon plan, will have 3 or 4 bars, but my download speed is significantly slower than my wife's T-mobile line which usually shows 1 or 2 bars.
I haven't noticed a huge gain in bandwidth on either unit, but the Surecall got way too hot for my comfort. The Weboost gets warm after being on all day, but never anywhere near as hot as the Surecall.

I may have had a defective unit, either way I opted to try the Weboost and that's where we stand now.
I spent $7 on a couple of PVC pipes and built an extendable antenna mount which is zip-tied to the rear ladder.

So after using the Weboost for 3 weeks across 4 states, it seems to yield only a slight improvement in download speed, and only if we are some distance from the nearest tower.
It has zero effect if we already have a solid connection, say 4 bars. Basically it will get us from 1 bar to 3 bars but not from 3 bars to 4 bars.

I'll update again in a few months.

[ACDW-Ottawa]

Here is my setup and observations for my Solitude & truck which may help some issues people are having.

There are several considerations for optimizing your signal. Section of Inside antenna, Outside Antenna (omni-directional vs Directional) and Amplifier as well las separation better indoor and outside antennas! Note: FCC limits (Same for Canada) are 65dB for stationary and 55dB for mobile units. WeBoost considers RV's to be mobile (ie motorhome).

I purchased a WeBoost Home 4G for my Solitude which comes with a 65dB amplifier and directional outside antenna. I also purchased an Atelix 5dB Omni-Directional antenna (Wilson makes a similar one but it 3X money) to permanently mount on my roof for normal usage. The directional antenna (stronger at 10.6dB) will be used when the omni antenna is insufficient. By comparison the Wilson antennas are 3.5dB for both the trucker antenna and the omni antenna included with the WeBoost Drive.

I am usually able to boost my T-Mobile phone from 1 bar to full bars (-110dB to -90dB) so that I was able to setup my phone as a hotspot to allow my TV to stream Netflix.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must place the indoor antenna far enough from the Outside antenna to not interfere with each other (referred to as "oscillations" in the manual) otherwise your signal will not be boosted. If your indoor directional antenna is pointed towards the outside antenna or too close to it, that could be the reason why your phone signal is no longer being boosted. Check the indicator lights on your amplifier to ensure they are all Green! If they are not, cycle the power to reset the amplifier.

In my Truck I use the WeBoost Drive 4G-X which has a 50dB amplifier and a small mag mount omni antenna (3.5dB) and the "Hershey bar" indoor antenna which I place directly against the cell phone for best signal.

For best data throughput, you need to be in LTE. Next best is 4G then 3G, then E. In addition, you need a good phone signal shown by the "signal bars" or better in dB (see WeBoost instructions or call them to put your phone into "field test mode" to see the signal strength in dB from cell tower). I find that I can access email with 1 bar and stream with TV with 3 bars but no less than a 4G data signal.

[mmihalek]

I was thinking of running the outside coax into the cable/satellite connections in the front storage area and then connecting the inside antenna up to the termination connector by the tv. I’m sure I’ll lose a bit of signal doing it that way, but it seems easier than running the cable through the roof somehow.


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[ChadandMel]

Not sure about the surecall but I know the weboost don’t have regular sized coax connections. They have smaller ones. I use a weboost everyday in my company truck out in the oilfield and it definitely helps a lot. I’m upgrading to the OTR antenna and will see how it does. If it’s good then I’ll be getting one for the RV as well. I’ll mount it on the ladder of the 379 and run the coax through a slide (kitchen or bedroom) and find a place to mount it up.


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[jkwilson]

Not sure about the surecall but I know the weboost don’t have regular sized coax connections. They have smaller ones. I use a weboost everyday in my company truck out in the oilfield and it definitely helps a lot. I’m upgrading to the OTR antenna and will see how it does. If it’s goo then I’ll be betting one for the RV as well. I’ll mount it on the ladder of the 379 and run the coax through a slide (kitchen or bedroom) and find a place to mount it up.


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FCC rules require most unlicensed transmitters to make it difficult for the consumer to change the antenna to one with better gain. This is to prevent someone from causing interference to other users. The method chosen by many manufacturers is to use non-standard connectors. Reverse gender, left-handed threads and completely custom connectors are a few ways they do this.