Best Cell Phone Boosters for Your Home, RV, or Car

Rural areas often have a weak cell signal caused by fewer cell phone towers and challenging terrain (think: forests, rolling hills, mountains, etc.). You can sometimes improve cell phone service in rural areas with a signal booster.

Cell phone signal boosters strengthen weak cell signals, thanks to an antenna that you'll mount to the outside of your home. The outside antenna communicates with an inside antenna to strengthen your cell signal inside your home or vehicle.

A signal booster isn't magic—it can't create a mobile signal out of thin air in the middle of the jungle—but if you have poor or spotty service, it might be just the ticket to clear cell phone reception.

The weBoost Home Room Cell Signal Booster improves cell phone signal coverage inside a home, cabin, or small office. It’s best for one room only, so keep it in the room you’ll need it most or opt for a bigger model. It will strengthen your mobile phone signal by up to 32 times. And it can broadcast it to multiple users and carriers—although they do all need to be within one room. 

Booster highlights:

• Boosts cell signal up to 32x
• Designed for residential use
• Multiple users
• Compatible with all cell phone carriers in the US
• Up to 60 decibels gain
• 4G LTE data

The kit includes an exterior antenna (for your roof or exterior wall), an interior antenna, and necessary cables and mounting hardware. If you need a booster that covers multiple rooms or a bigger area, check out the larger models that cover up to 7,500 sq. ft.

As long as you have at least a minimal cell phone signal at your home, you can count on the Home Cell Signal Booster to make it a bit better. And when 5G rolls out in your area, your booster will be ready since it has built-in 5G capacity.

Compatible with all major US and Canadian cell phone carriersIf you have an ample-sized cabin or a business in a rural area, the HiBoost 15K Smart Link is worth checking out. It amplifies cell phone signals in homes and offices—covering up to 15,000 sq. ft. Compatible with all major US and Canadian cell phone carriers, it boosts signals to multiple devices (and from multiple carriers) simultaneously.

Booster highlights: 

• Up to 70 decibels gain
• Catches weak signal up to 9 miles away
• Bluetooth enabled
• Suitable for office or home use
• 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE data
• Compatible with all major US and Canadian cell phone carriers

One drawback is that it may not perform well with older data formats (3G and 2G). So if your home is located in an area with an older data network, it may not be effective. (You can check your area’s data network here.) Also, installing a HiBoost 15K Smart Link is an involved process that requires reading an 19-page installation manual. (Yikes!)

A big bonus of this model is that it’s supported by an app, which makes troubleshooting and monitoring simple. You can download the app to your phone and then remotely adjust settings as needed.

Best budget booster for cars and trucks

If you're looking for a single-device cell signal booster for your truck, RV, or other vehicle, we recommend the weBoost Drive Sleek (470135). This compact cell phone booster increases your cell phone signal by up to 32 times. It’s a low-priced option (around $200) that mounts inside your vehicle and has an expandable cell phone cradle that fits most smartphones.

Booster highlights:

• Boosts your cell signal by up to 32x
• Compatible with all mobile carriers 
• Up to 23 decibels gain
• 3G/4G/LTE data

While it won't give a signal to multiple devices at the same time, it's ideal for people who travel regularly through places with bad cell coverage. The weBoost Drive Sleek is made for truckers, delivery drivers, RVers, and people who work on the road. You'll experience boosted signal strength, voice quality, and data speed.

There's a reason why this cell signal booster is trusted by first responders. It's a powerful vehicle cell signal booster that's easy to set up and works for a team of devices. 

Like many other boosters, the King Cell Phone Booster is compatible with all major US mobile phone providers. It can support multiple devices on multiple carriers, simultaneously, so it’s a good option for a construction crew or a team of archeologists.

Booster highlights:

• Boosts your cell signal by up to 32x
• Compatible with all cell phone carriers in the US 
• Supports multiple devices
• Up to 60 decibels gain
• 3G/4G/LTE data

The external antenna needs to be mounted to the vehicle. Included in the kit is all the hardware needed for mounting it on a pole, roof, or ladder. 

The only downsides we could find to the King Cell Phone Booster are the price (over $400), and that it’s not 5G ready. But since 5G cell phone service isn't likely to blanket the nation's remote areas in the next five years, it shouldn't be a deal breaker for most.

Designed specifically for RVs, the weBoost Connect RV 65 allows you to make calls, find campsites, and send messages in areas with only a weak cell phone signal. It can be installed on a motorhome or towable RV, including road haulers, horse trailers, and toy haulers. 

Booster highlights:

• Boosts your cell signal by up to 32x
• Compatible with all mobile carriers in the US
• Up to 65 decibels gain
• 3G/4G/LTE data
• 5-band cellular signal booster

It works only when the vehicle is parked, as the 25-foot telescoping mast needs to be extended while in use. Also, the antenna needs to be swiveled to point to the nearest cell tower (don’t worry, you can swivel the pole easily when standing next to your RV or trailer).

If you need a booster that can strengthen your signal inside your home or cabin in a rural area, the Cel-Fi Go X is worth checking out. It’s the most powerful signal booster available, giving you up to 100 decibel gain.

Booster highlights

• Compatible with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile (not Sprint)
• Up to 100 decibels gain
• 3G/4G/LTE data
• Coverage area: 1 floor (up to 1,500 sq. ft.) 
• Optional add-on antenna can increase coverage area up to 2 floors (3,000 sq. ft.)

Keep in mind that it requires permanent installation, so it isn’t the type of booster you can bring with you to an Airbnb. But if you have a home or business in an area with middling cell phone service (only one or two bars), the Cel-Fi Go X can boost it better than any product on the market.

It can boost only one carrier at a time—and it doesn’t work with Sprint—so if you have a group of friends visiting your cabin, you’ll have to pick your favorite, and then manually switch between carriers as needed.

We recommend the weBoost® Home Room as a good all-around solution for folks who need better bandwidth in the basement. (Got to keep those kids gaming! Otherwise they’ll come upstairs and need more pizza.)

And for road warriors who need to strengthen their mobile signal between towns, we recommend the weBoost Drive Sleek. It’s easy to install and does double duty as a cell phone signal booster and a smartphone holder. Double the pleasure, double the fun, right?

If you get dropped phone calls or text message delays in your home, you might have a dead zone, which can be resolved by a signal booster. Check cell service in and around your home. If you have a decent connection outside your place but you lose it once you come inside, a signal booster can help. But if you have no service outside your home, look into switching cell phone service providers because a booster won’t help.

If you already have cell service at your mountain home, it will likely help. Boosters are recommended for people who live far from a tower but still in the direct line of sight. If you live deep in a canyon where cell phone service isn't available, it probably won't help.

External antennas are a much cheaper option for your RV than cell phone signal boosters, but antennas will work only in areas with moderate cell phone service. If you have two or three bars already, you could try the NETGEAR 6000450 MIMO Antenna. If you have fewer bars than that, look into a cell phone booster.

You might need a signal booster if you have spotty mobile service in your home. This is evidenced by dropped calls, slow data speeds, delays in sending or receiving text messages, or poor audio quality during phone calls. Poor cell phone service can happen anywhere—even in the middle of the city—and it’s annoying. Signal boosters are also a good idea for people who live in rural areas or travel frequently via RV.