company background

Many cellular subscribers that deal with poor signal quality, either at home or on the road, are forced to purchase an amplifier to help avoid dropped calls and lackluster data rates. The process of choosing the correct equipment can be more complicated than picking out a new DVD player. Although there are several companies producing cellular amplifiers and antennas, Wilson Electronics leads the pack.

Wilson Electronics may not be a household name, however the company has helped to drive innovations in wireless technology. Instead of copying competitors and draining its coffers to fund an aggressive marketing campaign, Wilson has quietly filled its ranks with scientists and engineers who continue to develop and improve the technology.

While many American technology companies design their products on US soil and outsource the production, Wilson has kept both its engineering and manufacturing operations in the same 50,000 square foot facility located in St. George, Utah. Every single amplifier that leaves St. George has been put through 40 different operation tests for performance and standards compliance, rather than checking a prototype or single device from a larger production run.

differences between cellular amplifiers

A hasty search for a cell signal amplifier brings up a myriad of products, but most of the devices lack complete descriptions of their design and capabilities. Many products only boost the downlink signal, which may result in five bars on the cellphone meter but without the expected performance of an amplifier. While incoming text messages, calls and data are amplified, attempts to respond to voice calls or verify packet data remain unchanged.

Another primary factor relates to the downlink receiver sensitivity. Higher sensitivity equates to effective communication of weak signals from the tower to the phone or broadband modem. As our tests will show, Wilson amplifiers have the ability to support clear voice calls and fast data speeds even in areas listed as "no service" by the carrier.



Wilson amps are designed to detect oscillation (feedback) and automatically attenuate output. While this is unlikely to affect performance, other amplifiers blasting the full 3W signal right next to a cell antenna cause problems for the carrier's equipment. Wilson's equipment monitors the distance from a cell tower to avoid conflicts with the FCC. Although federal intervention is rare, the regulator has a legal right to confiscate equipment that violates regulations.

by Justin King