Question Will an LTE cell booster work without a sim card?

[ihatemymonitor]

My goal is the improve reception to my phone. The phone then acts as a hotspot for my laptop. Im using Visible (Verizon network).

Most boosters are a single antenna with a box that accepts one antenna cable input and boosts the signal.

However I want to use a 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO (this is 2 or 4 antennas) for better performance.

MIMO antennas dont come with the booster box. Boxes advertised have a built in SIM slots and function as a hotspot which is not what I want or are very expensive (some are $1000).

For example: "ZBT WE826T" is less then $100 on Ebay, it does have a sim slot but I am unsure if it would work without a sim and simply amplify the antenna signal which is all I want.

Any suggested "booster boxes" that accepts 2x2 or 4x4 mimo and are affordable?

 

[lantis3]

ZBT WE826T is a router, not a booster for smartphone. It needs either a wired WAN or wireless WAN via a sim card to make it work.

If you can't get a good signal in your area, you need a 4G or 5G signal booster, not a router.

https://www.amazon.com/Cell-Phone-Signal-Booster-Verizon/dp/B07ML28SWS probably close to your budget. You need to check what bands your smartphone and Visible (Verizon) use first.

No personal experience.

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Just checked Visible plans, https://www.visible.com/plans

$25 only give you 5Mbits/s and $45 will give you 10Mbits/s speed for hotspot function "unlimited" (50GB) data . So MIMO wifi if in over the limit condition probably won't make any difference.

 

[ihatemymonitor]

ZBT WE826T is a router, not a booster for smartphone. It needs either a wired WAN or wireless WAN via a sim card to make it work.

If you can't get a good signal in your area, you need a 4G or 5G signal booster, not a router.

https://www.amazon.com/Cell-Phone-Signal-Booster-Verizon/dp/B07ML28SWS probably close to your budget. You need to check what bands your smartphone and Visible (Verizon) use first.

No personal experience.

Im glad I got a second opinion. Some others were saying these routers can work like a signal booster and dont require a sim card causing confusion.

I may go with something like you linked because I cannot find a solution. Basically 2x2 MIMO can increase speeds by like 40% and a 4x4 MIMO like 70% so this is preferred. If I buy the single antenna like your link it may not provide enough signal. But because all the "booster boxes / routers" with MIMO connections have sim slots and like you confirm require a sim to work I dont see how I could get it to work.

 

[lantis3]

MIMO only works between MIMO router and client device that has multiple antennas.

Never heard of wireless signal booster has MIMO tech. Do not confuse 5G wireless phone with wifi tech, they are completely different. Smartphone happens to have both. One is wifi side (MIMO or not) that works with computer network. There is no MIMO on the 4/5G wireless side.

149Mbps is the top speed you can get from Visible. On wifi side wifi 4 802.11n already can reach 150Mbps without MIMO tech.

When you use your phone as hotspot for your laptop, that's also the top speed you will get in perfect condition.

https://www.visible.com/plans

What is your smartphone model and spec?

 

[lantis3]

Sorry.

Apparently I lagged behind about 5G's MIMO tech.

It does exist but still different from WiFi's MIMO tech, however.

And as you have found out, signal booster boxes with MIMO antennas are over $1000
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=5g+mimo+booster&i=electronics&s=price-desc-rank

 

[ihatemymonitor]

MIMO only works between MIMO router and client device that has multiple antennas.

Never heard of wireless signal booster has MIMO tech. Do not confuse 5G wireless phone with wifi tech, they are completely different. Smartphone happens to have both. One is wifi side (MIMO or not) that works with computer network. There is no MIMO on the 4/5G wireless side.

149Mbps is the top speed you can get from Visible. On wifi side wifi 4 802.11n already can reach 150Mbps without MIMO tech.

When you use your phone as hotspot for your laptop, that's also the top speed you will get in perfect condition.

What is your smartphone model and spec?

I have a pixel 4a (4g). TBH id be happy with ~10mbs down. Ill be in a tiny house so the range of the booster is not important.

What ive learned so far is MIMO only works with LTE routers that take a sim card and broadcasts wifi. If I am doing a signal booster to increase the reception to my phone MIMO is not possible and can only use one of those single antennas, with the kits generally running around ~100 USD.

There are sites selling signal boosters but they run close to $1000, for example this: https://www.waveform.com/products/cel-fi-go-x runs for $750. Not sure if this would equate to better performance or if the cost justifies it and if Id be better off with one of the $100 kits off amazon.

Suggestions?

 

[lantis3]

You already knew that antenna kit is different from booster box.

Booster box is for your phone and antenna kit is for hotspot router.

I just watched the following video. Since you are going to use your smartphone, your only option is booster,

Start with cheaper one, if it doesn't work, then return it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14tWiAsqfJk

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Well, Visible already prohibit putting sim card on any other devices except your phone.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0PAqqsPnRY