One bar into working data

Cell boosters are widely misunderstood, which leads to disappointed buyers.

The system has three parts: an outside antenna captures weak signal, an amplifier boosts it, an inside antenna rebroadcasts to your devices.

The outside antenna is where the performance lives. Two choices:

Omnidirectional — receives from all directions, works while moving, no aiming. Lower gain. Right for driving.

Directional (yagi) — aimed at a specific tower. Substantially higher gain, meaningfully better results. Requires knowing where the tower is. Right for parked. Tower-locator apps make aiming practical.

Height matters enormously. Every foot of elevation helps. A pole-mounted antenna dramatically outperforms one at roof level.

Separation matters too. The inside and outside antennas need distance between them or the system oscillates and throttles itself down. This is the most common installation mistake — follow the manufacturer's minimum separation.