Tech Tuesday - King Extend LTE/Cell Booster

I want to start off showing you a new player in LTE/Cell boosters called King Extend LTE/Cell Booster. 

They sent us their King Extend LTE/Cell signal booster kit that they state you will “maximize your ability to receive strong LTE/Cell signal and stay connected”. Well while you still need some cell signal for a booster to work, they claim you can extend your cell signal with this kit. Works with all carriers and no contracts or fees. Just buy the kit, install it and get out there. 

I installed this kit on our flagship which at one point had another brand that did not work so was kind of skeptical. 

So I drove up a local trail that I know lacks any cell coverage and started testing. At the peak there is very little to no coverage and by very little I mean, you have to walk around with your phone in the air to find that one sweet spot and then can’t move. 

That said, got to the peak and parked. Sure enough, no bars on my ATT iPhone 11. Fired up the King Booster and flipped the phone to airplane mode and back so it finds the new antenna “the King Extend booster” and boom, 3 bars with 4G service! I was back to answering emails where I couldn’t even place a call before. Will it work everywhere? No as again you do need at least some cell service or a repeater that this can find but driving back down this trail I was shocked as to how much service I was able to have as I usually tell the wife before I lose signal, “I’m going dark for roughly xx hours”. 

Let’s cover install. Install is easy for most as it’s just an inside and outside antenna and a booster that plugs into power. Is does need 110 power but most of us have that already. I chose to do the full clean install and mount the booster in the right cubby at the back of our 4R. I run the power off the OEM inverter that I can just hit the switch on up front to turn on the booster. The inside antenna is mounted in the pocket below the radio that never gets used because everything falls out of it. The outside antenna is mounted on a CBI Offroad Fab telescoping pole that is mounted to the swing out of our CBI Offroad Fab rear bumper. This allows me to lower it when not in use so I can fit into my garage. The antenna wires are long enough to mount either antenna anywhere you want as well as the booster. The booster does get warm after a while so I recommend mounting it so it has adequate air flow as is does have a circuit board so overheating can cause damage to circuits and the board.

Final thoughts, at $499 this is a better price point than the other brand out there and might not be a need for everyone but, for those who may be able to work off the grid for a bit like some of our customers and/or for some of us who want to ensure they can keep in touch with family, this is a great device.