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Wireless Extenders YX-510 zBoost Dual Band Cell Phone Signal Booster up to 2500 Square Feet of Coverage for Home or Office (800 MHz and 1900 MHz Phones)
 
Manufacturer: Wireless Extenders
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: $399.00
Sale Price: $292.98
Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Satisfy all your cellular phone needs with the Wireless Extenders YX510-PCS/CEL zBoost zP Wireless Booster, which works with both cellular frequencies (800 and 1900 MHz) and can extend cellular coverage up to 2500 square feet. This unit can handle signals from all the major cellular carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Alltel. The package includes everything you need: amplifier base unit, power supply, base unit antenna, low-loss SATV coaxial cable (RG6), signal antenna and mounting hardware. The omni-directional signal antenna receives signals from multiple cell towers.


Improve your cell signal with the dual-band YX510-PCS/CEL--perfect for boosting the signal of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon frequencies up to 2500 square feet.
Using a revolutionary, patent pending technology that protects the carrier network, the YX510 improves indoor cell phone coverage by capturing and repeating the outside signal, bringing it into the building and enhancing it. This process creates a "Cell Zone" in your home or office.

Click here to see a PDF overview of setting up the Wireless Booster.

The Wireless Extenders zBoost system includes:

  • Outdoor antenna (repeats the signal) can be installed outdoors above the roofline or indoors in the attic or near a window
  • Coax cable (RG6- ultra low-loss, DBS satellite) connects from the outdoor antenna to the base unit
  • Base unit: Sleekly designed, it amplifies the signal and provides oscillation detection/correction which protects the carrier network using patent-pending technology.
  • Indoor antenna connects to the base unit to repeat the signal and create "Cell Zone"--no physical connection to the phone is needed.

Installation
Choosing the best location for installation of the Signal Antenna provides the best performance and the largest area of improved signal. Determine the location that provides the strongest signal using the signal strength indicator on your cell phone. For the best reception, find the location that provides the most bars of signal strength and locate the Signal Antenna at that location.

Specifications

  • US PCS 1900 MHz band
    • Uplink: 1850 - 1910 MHz
    • Downlink: 1930 - 1990 MHz
  • US Cellular 800/850 MHz band
    • Uplink: 824 - 849 MHz
    • Downlink: 869 - 894 MHz
  • Network formats: CDMA, GSM, TDMA, AMPS, GPRS, EDGE, 1xRTT, EVDO, HSDPA
  • Total Signal Gain: 60dB (adaptive)
  • Output Power: less than 0.5 Watt EiRP (w/ included antenna)
  • Unit weight: 1 pound
  • Unit size: 5 x 7 x 2 inches
  • Power input: 100-120 VAC 60 Hz
  • Power output: 5VDC, 1.5A
  • Signal antenna cable: Outdoor rated 75 ohm DBS satellite coaxial cable, Type-F male
  • Base unit antenna: 50 ohm, TNC male
Note: If you need coverage for only one cellular carrier, check out the YX500/PCS (1900 MHz; Sprint and T-Mobile) or the YX500/CEL (800 MHz; AT&T and Verizon).

Product Details
  • Extends cellular coverage for single or multiple users in homes or offices--provides up to 2500 square feet of coverage
  • Dual-band device works with 800/1900 MHz frequencies from all major carriers--AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Alltel, Cricket, and more (not compatible with Nextel)
  • 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

Video Reviews
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Customer Reviews
Does exactly what I needed it to
 
Review Date: November 25, 2006
Reviewer: Ryan Patridge, San Diego, CA USA
In a nutshell:
The YX510 is the cheapest dual-band cellular signal repeater I found. It's easy to set up, easy to use, uses standard RG-6 cable and connectors, and it works very well out-of-the-box. Definitely recommended.

Long version:
At my parents' suburban CT home, the location, the terrain, and the aluminum siding all add up to zero indoor cellular reception. Even outdoors, my dual-band Cingular GSM service gives me at most 1 bar...all attempts to place a call immediately fail. My siblings' Verizon service is a bit better, but still not enough for them to place calls. Up on the roof, though, I found I would get 3 bars (up to 4, if I held the phone over my head), quite sufficient for a reliable phone call. Enter the YX510. It's easy to install, though their recommended pre-installation test procedure didn't leave me optimistic--I couldn't get the base unit's "signal" light to flash green when placing a call from nearby it on the roof (which the manual said would represent a successful test). The error code I was getting from it indicated either the signal was too strong or the interior/exterior antennas were interfering with each other. Undeterred, I installed the main signal antenna (zip-tied to the top of a length of PVC pipe strapped to our old TV antenna pole, to keep it away from metallic objects, as the manual recommends). I tried another test with the base unit placed at ground level about 35 feet away, seperated by a good chunk of the house, but I still had trouble getting a reliable signal. When I finished the installation and moved the base station indoors (about 20-25 feet almost directly below the exterior signal antenna, with the roof and two floors in between), that's when its performance started really shining. Installed in the basement, the YX510 base station gives solid reception for most of the dual-level, 2600 sqft house. My cell phone shows a full five bars most of the time, for anywhere within about about 15-20 feet of the interior antenna (the signal strength slowly drops with additional distance). Once I start a call, my phone's signal strength meter immediately drops to the strength of the signal at the roof (usually 3 bars), so it's apparent that the included omnidirectional antenna cannot "amplify" the received signal. Thus, make sure you at least have a usable signal level at the point where you plan to install the exterior signal antenna, or otherwise consider getting the directional antenna upgrade for the YX510. My siblings and I now have reliable cellular service for more than half of the house, and we can all use our phones simultaneously with no problem. Very satisfied! (Note: I installed the exterior antenna using the YX012 grounding kit, but one could easily use store-bought outdoor RG-6 cable and a grounded female-to-female RG-6 connector instead of that kit.)
Helpfull hint
 
Review Date: May 18, 2008
Reviewer: R. White, Laporte PA
For those of you having problems with this unit you must remember that the indoor unit uses the same frequency to talk to the cell phone that the outdoor antenna uses to talk to the tower. If the inside unit transmits and the outside unit picks it up the inside unit will lower its power until there is no feedback loop, degrading performance. So, if you can put the inside unit someplace where it will operate at full power and not interfere with the outside antenna then you are set. Try putting the inside unit in the basement or at the opposite end of the house. Also you will never get a better signal inside than what the outside antenna gets so put the outside antenna where it gets the best possible reception. That sounds obvious but I'm sure there are some folks that put the outside unit out a window and the inside unit next to it.
Money Well Spent
 
Review Date: January 24, 2007
Reviewer: Dark Wing Duck, Oakland
This is my first review but I'm writing it because I was tentative about this product without a clear yes/no about how well it worked. It had one rave review and other lower models had mixed reviews. In my home, I have at best 1 bar on each of the two frequencies (800 & 1900 MHz) inside. Outside above near the roof, I could get 3 bars each if I stood on railing because of the residential density of the area. It took about 30 minutes to setup and now I have 4 bars on both cell phone frequencies. It might take longer if you're not used to doing this sort of thing. I decided to try this model because sometimes you get what you pay for. For a home though, the $1000 units simply aren't necessary.

Some installation required
Parts:
1. Main unit amplifier with power supply. I believe that it's a bidirectional amplifier which is important.
2. Mounting hardware for antenna and base unit.
3. Weather protected antenna.
4. Decent lenth of coax cable to connect the outdoor antenna to the base unit. It reached my roof, ran through bedroom, through a short hall and across kitchen with space length.

It's important to check that you do have a place you can mount the antenna that has a good signal to begin with. It can be another room, attic, roof, etc. and you can always buy a longer piece of coax cable if needed.
Finally on the Net
 
Review Date: January 10, 2008
Reviewer: TekHed, Dexter, MI USA
My house is a 2 story 2700sqft house. I am surrounded by 100' tall trees (acres of them) in the middle of a dead zone (travel 1/2 mile in any direction and you get cell signal).

Basically, the way it works is it turns your immediate area into a cell. Since your phone wants to attach to the strongest cell in the area, it latches on and starts working. Pretty simple. Installation, without the details, is put up the antennas - plug in the base station. No software, just mount and go.

Trial 1: Fresh out of the box I put the signal antenna in the basement window and the base station over in the rec area (20' away). I didn't hook the base station antenna up properly, so although we got almost 1 bar (from 0), it wasn't quite right. MAKE SURE THE BASE STATION ANTENNA IS FIRMLY ATTACHED. I was being too gentle and didn't screw it all the way in.

Trial 2: Signal antenna in the attic and base station on the second floor. This worked much better. I had 2 bars on the 1st & 2nd floors, but barely 1 bar in the basement. Certainly an improvement (I made an extended call from my living room and it sounded great), but not ideal. I wanted to cover the whole house, and this wasn't it. 2 bars is better than 0, so that was fine, but I wanted to cover everything. I might have covered the whole house if I put the base station on the first floor, but that would have meant penetrations to run the coax and I really didn't want to do that.

Trial 3: Bigger antennas (http://www.wi-exstore.com/MyCart/ProductListing/52/zBoost_Dual_Band_Accessories.aspx). The tricky part here is that these are directional antennas. Now, Sprint and AT&T post their tower locations online, but Verizon does not. I called them. About 15 minutes later I had my tower location and was ready to set up. Sprint was about 4.5mi due North (there's a Verizon tower there too but it is farther than the one I use). AT&T was 7mi ESE. Verizon was 3.7mi SSE. For being 3.71 miles away, that sure is a crappy signal at my house (damned trees!!! Cut 'em down, their blocking one of the Dish satellites as well).

So, armed with this knowledge I climbed up into the attic, mounted the 2 new antennas (1 for PCS and 1 for Verizon/AT&T). I pointed the Yagi antenna at the Verizon tower, but the AT&T tower is within 30 degrees, so it should pick that signal up as well. Because I'd rather not have any equipment lying around the house, I also put the base station in the attic, attached the new boosted base station antenna (10,000sqft coverage instead of 2500), mounting it to the frame of the roof so it is pointed at an angle down into the house, and began my test.

5 bars on 2nd floor, 4 on the 1st floor, and 2-3 in the basement depending on location. Overall quite a success and I can certainly recommend the technology.

Now, Amazon lists the YX610, from Wireless Extenders, at $541, but this product isn't on the Wi-Ex website. It looks like it is an all-in-one package with the boosted antennas, but if you buy the 510 from Amazon ($306) and the Boosters direct from Wi-Ex ($150) the price isn't all that different and you can try the base unit first to see if it is enough.

Oh, somebody here mentioned 25' of distance between the signal and the base station, but the docs said 15'. I've got mine probably at 25' lateral distance and 4' vertical (both are in the attic) and it works great. When I turn it on, the Signal light doesn't blink (which according to the docs means best signal), so I think I did everything correctly.

I haven't tried it outside yet, but the base station antenna is angled to point at the back yard as well - I imagine 3-4 bars there, which is just fine.

Good Luck. Hope this helps.
Amazing Signal Increase - Follow installation instructions.
 
Review Date: August 14, 2007
Reviewer: SarcoGuy, Goliad, Texas
Purchased this item form another vendor. Installed outside antenna on my metal roof following instructions in manual. Used a wooden pole to get the antenna away from the metal roof (one of the stipulations in the manual). Installed where I showed 4 bars of service from AT&T. Ran cable into central location in house and installed internal unit on a shelf. Turned unit on and allowed to complete start up. Cell phone service in house prior to installation zero to 1 bar service at best. Shut down cell phone and turned back on per instructions. Cell phone has full service 4 to 5 bars. AMAZING product. Does what is says it will do. House is approximately 2300 sq ft and cell phone service is at least 2 bars in the entire house.
Very good product
 
Review Date: January 20, 2007
Reviewer: Peter T, Wisconsin, USA
I live in a spotty cell area. We could never get a call to complete in the house, and my verizon air card did not work reliably. I had been considering a second dial up line, as we live in a rural area and cannot get dsl or cable, but bought this instead. The YX510 fixed all that. As soon as I plugged it in, all 3 of our cell phones and the verizon card worked. It was like someone dropped 3 new lines and a dsl into our house for a one-shot purchase price.

Note - setting it up is easy in the sense that all you do is plug the parts in and plug it into the wall. That part could not be easier. Getting it set up in your setting is a bit more nuanced, and may take some time to get it right. The install instructions are good, and I found that where I placed the base unit in the room, or how the tower antenna was placed made a huge difference. We've run it for about 10 days now, moving it from place to place to find the very best performance before settling on a permanent installation location. The base transmitter is not powerful enough to cover the whole advertised area unless installation is optimal, so where it is in the room, or in the house will matter. If you buy one, I'd urge you to take the time to experiment with several setups to make sure you are getting best performance.

Another issue I found is that while the cell phones work perfectly, the verizon card is more difficult. I called verizon, and learned that in my area, not only is coverage weak, but some towers have good data transmission, and some do not, so which one my card locks on will make the card performance vary, though the phones are always about the same regardless of the tower. So, I am probably going to get a directional antenna as an add on to make sure we lock to the best tower we can. Highly recommended product.
Proper Installation is everything.
 
Review Date: February 25, 2008
Reviewer: Maury B. Feuerman, West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA
Before purchasing this item I read several reviews about it. I found it interesting that people that purchased it either loved it or hated it. It either worked or it didn't. After going on line and reviewing the installation instructions I understood why so many people were not having success with the product. It's all about placement of the external antenna! This unit did not demonstrate an ability to amplify the signal allowing it to work in a location that our phones did not work by simply setting it up next to our phones. It did, however, very effectively allow us to relocate via cable the place the signal originated from. If you find a location that provides you with sufficient signal to use your phone, that's where the external antenna goes! Get it high outside a building. The internal antenna appears to work best line-of-sight inside a building.

Bottom Line, if installed properly it works very well! Hope this helps!
Works great with metal siding and roof
 
Review Date: July 13, 2007
Reviewer: Amanda H. Leonard, Anchorage, Alaska
My inlaws have this in their house. Their phones went from zero to four bars. Our Alaska cell phones worked great in their house. We are going to buy one for our house in Alaska! Love it, and pays for it self in all the dropped calls.
YX500 CEL
 
Review Date: November 2, 2007
Reviewer: John Malone, Davie, FL USA
This is going to be short and sweet. I live in a solid concrete condo. Good for huricanes, bad for signal. I would constantly drop calls or calls would fail to go through. People would also sound like they were talking through a tunnel under water. Install was easy. I think my 2yr old cousin could do it. Before I installed it my signal would fluctuate wildly between no bars and full signal. Now I stay at a steady 4-5 bars through my entire condo. Calls are clearer but a little quieter. This amplifier is worth every dollar.
I think the people complaining about signal dropping off after walking a few feet from the base unit may have gotten a defective unit. They may also not know how to place the transceiver in the correct location (away from metal object and electronic equipment.



Work Great!!! WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY
 
Review Date: July 16, 2008
Reviewer: S. Smith, Ohio
I have a basement office in an area of town where cell signals (all carriers - there's simply a shortage of towers in the area) are weak. I typically would get 1 bar on my AT&T phone, and would as often as not lose calls, and would miss the majority of incoming calls. My Sprint Mobile Broadband card would do about 450K down and 60K up with very high latency.

When I received the unit I first tried it by putting the antenna by the window and the base unit on the opposite side of the office -- about 12 feet away. As the documentation predicted the system reduced its gain and I noticed no real difference in signal at the phone.

The building is a two story with a basement. I ran the cable out the window and up the wall. There was nowhere to mount the antenna so it would be above the gutter, so it is clamped at the top and mounted just below the gutter. According to my phone there are 4-5 bars of signal there.

Inside I ran above the drop ceiling to the interior wall and mounted the base there.

This gives me about 20' of vertical and 12' feet of horizontal separation. The base unit indicates zero gain reduction in the configuration. Depending were in the office I am I get 3-5 bars of signal, with one weak corner (actually closer to the base than other areas, so there's something odd at work there) with only 1-2 bars. Not only that, I have 3-5 bars in the hallway, the bathroom across the hall, and the tenants in the two adjacent offices report much better cell phone service "suddenly" (they don't know I put in the booster.)

Here's the kicker. My Sprint Mobile Broadband card now average 800K downloads and 180K uploads, with much less latency!

OVERALL: A VERY SUCCESSFUL INSTALL

I find no negatives, and the only caveat I can give is SEPARATE THE ANTENNA FROM THE BASE as directed in the instructions.