By Bob Gatton
Previously I wrote about the zBoost YX500 Cell Phone Signal Booster, which is a great product for homes and offices where there is a weak cell phone signal. Boosting the signal not only improves your ability to make and receive calls, but the battery in your phone also lasts much longer. If your phone is constantly looking for a signal, the battery is more quickly exhausted.
The folks at Wi-Ex also offer a car version: the Wi-Ex - zBoost YX200 Dual-Band Car Booster. The kit includes an amplifier unit, a 12V vehicle power adapter, an external magnetic mount antenna and an internal patch antenna.
Installation is fairly straightforward:
1. Connect the power plug to the amplifier and put the power plug in the cigarette lighter socket.
2. Place the external antenna between the trunk and rear window; on trucks and SUVs, place it as far back on the roof as possible. The antenna uses a strong magnet to keep it attached to the body of the car. Run the cord from the external antenna to the amplifier; the cord is designed to withstand the pressure of being closed in a door.
3. Position the internal antenna inside the car, preferably within two or three feet of where the cell phone would be used in the car.
4. Recheck the LED on the amplifier. It should be green; if it is red or yellow, reposition the antennas.
How does it work? I use my cell phone more in my car than in my home, and I live in east Tennessee where there are a lot of mountains. If you have mountains, you'll have areas where there is a weak cell-phone signal or none at all. There are four places close to my home where calls are almost always dropped. But with the YZ200, I experienced no drops in these areas.
A few miles farther away there is a mountain ridge. On one side of the ridge, there is no cell-phone service on my carrier — and the YZ200 couldn't fix that. It amplifies a signal; it can't create one. It works very well where the signal is weak, but it cannot amplify a nonexistent signal.
Two points to keep in mind if you get one of these devices:
- The YX200 draws quite a bit of power. If you leave it plugged in when the engine is off, and the cigarette lighter socket in your vehicle does not turn off when the car is not running, the amplifier of the YX200 will be draining the battery. (The installation guide, operation manual and a tag on the power cord all have cautions about this potential problem. You have been warned.)
- It does not work with Nextel phones.
All in all, though, this is another great product from the folks at Wi-Ex.
Wi-Ex zBoost YX200 Dual-Band Car Booster
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