Test Your Knowledge of the Handy WiFi Hotspot Booster

We recently told you why you need a WiFi booster, taught you how WiFi boosters work and extolled the benefits of WiFi boosters for travel (especially if you’re a digital nomad). Now, we’ll tell you all about WiFi hotspot boosters (also known as cell phone signal boosters or cellular repeaters) and why you need one.

WiFi hotspots are great. They take a cellular signal and transmit a data connection to WiFi enabled-devices such as laptops, tablets and more. Most people are familiar with hotspots, and at some point or another have created a hotspot on their cell phone in order to access the internet on their computer. They’re great for travel, as they allow you to work in areas without open WiFi networks. But what happens if you’re in an area of low reception and your cell pretty much refuses to transmit the hotspot signal to your laptop? Without a WiFi hotspot booster, you’d be out of luck.

WiFi hotspot signal boosters take your smartphone’s incoming 3G or 4G LTE signal and amplify it to be up to 32 times stronger. It then rebroadcasts this boosted signal, providing your connected devices with stronger, more stable internet.

Here are the top five reasons everyone needs a WiFi hotspot booster (especially if you’re a digital nomad):

5.) You Want to Work on the Train

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If you commute to work in the mornings by train, it’s nice to be able to get a bit of work done before you arrive at the office. Yes, you can use your smartphone to scan and reply to emails, but what if you need to update and send a PowerPoint presentation, or work on a Google Doc? Most trains don’t have WiFi access, which means your laptop doesn’t have any way to connect. Unless that is, you have a WiFi hotspot booster.

Yes, you can create a hotspot and connect your laptop to your smartphone, but trains tend to go through tunnels and in and out of areas with solid cellular service. This is where a WiFi hotspot booster comes in. A WiFi hotspot booster strengthens your cellular signal, meaning your laptop has better (and faster) access to data.

4.) You Need to Send a File from Your Laptop – But You Can’t Find a WiFi Network

WiFi boosters for travel are great when there’s a source of consistent WiFi nearby. They boost the signal and make it stronger, or they enable your device to locate and connect to more signals that wouldn’t have been possible without a WiFi booster. But what happens if you’re in the middle of nowhere and can’t detect a WiFi network? As long as there’s a cellular tower nearby, you’ll be okay.

WiFi hotspot boosters are ideal for people who like to work from remote places, whether it’s a cabin in the woods or an island in the Pacific. These places likely won’t have WiFi or signals nearby, but often cellular towers can be found close enough to provide a working signal. While you usually connect to the signal to some extent, it’s not always strong. It may allow you to send and download files, but chances are it won’t allow you to stream movies, music and more. This is where a WiFi hotspot booster comes in. It will take your initial connection, amplify it and enable your devices to send and receive data faster than it would have had you simply connected to the WiFi hotspot without a WiFi hotspot booster.

3.) You’re Going on a Road Trip and Your Kids Want to Watch Movies in the Car

If you were a ’90s kid, you likely remember bringing your Game Boy on road trips and being disappointed when it grew dark and you could no longer see the screen. This was just one of the many “problems” only a ’90s kid will ever fully understand. Kids nowadays have the benefit of being able to watch movies on tablets or TVs, read Kindles and more. While you can download options in advance, it’s always nice to be able to connect when you want, which is what cradle boosters and wireless-in-vehicle signal boosters enable. These WiFi hotspot boosters are ideal for cars as they hold your hotspot device while simultaneously boosting the signal.

These WiFi hotspot boosters work by sending an amplified cellular signal to all cellular devices in your car. This way, the kids will stay entertained in the backseat, your spouse can stream new music and you can take a call or two when needed – no matter how remote you may be. These boosters work by not only increasing your data speed for faster streaming, uploading and downloading, but they also boost the cellular signal for your phone and give you improved coverage.

2.) You Want to Stream Music (and More) to Your Boat

If you’re on a boat and want to connect to WiFi, you have a few options: You can either connect to the marina’s WiFi, or you can use cellular data. If you’re 10 miles or less from shore, a WiFi signal booster will typically enable you to pick up on the marina’s WiFi. If you want to go farther, however, you’ll need to use cellular data.

As you’ll likely have multiple people on the boat wanting to connect to WiFi, you’ll want to make sure you have a WiFi hotspot booster with a large, omnidirectional antenna. These work very well for large, moving areas such as boats, RVs and trucks. They also reach cellular towers much farther away than most hotspot boosters, which – if you’re out in the middle of the ocean – is pretty critical.

1.) You’re in the Mountains and Want to Watch Netflix

Mountain cabins are incredibly cozy; they’re typically small and rustic and in winter always seem to have a wood fire roaring. If you like to go on the weekends to disconnect and get away from the bustle of everyday life, perhaps you don’t want WiFi. However, you should still make sure you have a working cell phone should emergencies occur. A WiFi hotspot booster will help deliver the cellular signal to your phone.

If you’re the opposite and enjoy going to a cabin to get away from city life but still want to be connected via the internet, you’ll also need a WiFi hotspot booster. Whether the cabin isn’t used enough to justify investing in internet or is too remote to make internet access an option, there’s likely a cellular tower within reach, and a WiFi hotspot booster will amplify the service from that tower and enable it to be received by your devices for a stronger, more consistent WiFi connection.

Have you ever used a WiFi hotspot booster? Tell us where and why.