Everything You Need to Know About the Cel-Fi GO X
The Cel-Fi GO X Smart Signal Booster by Nextivity is a carrier-specific cellular repeater with carrier switching capabilities featuring industry-leading technology to improve 5G, 4G and LTE cell signal in large homes, commercial spaces, and rural areas. It has powerful amplification abilities and can provide a massive coverage area of up to 15,000 square feet to provide total connectivity. The GO X is one of our best sellers, and most beloved cell phone signal boosters.
Take advantage of our system design and installation services. Learn more or call us for a free consultation: 1-800-969-8189.
The Highest Gain of any FCC-Approved Cell Phone Signal Booster
A cell phone signal booster’s dB gain is a measurement that defines how much amplification will be applied to your existing outside signal. In other words, the more gain your system has, the stronger the broadcasted signal will be.
The Cel-Fi GO X cell booster can achieve up to +100 dB gain under optimal conditions, while its multi-carrier competition offers up to +72 dB gain. That’s a difference of +28 dB of amplification, which means that the GO X is about 1,000x more powerful. That’s because dB gain is measured on a logarithmic scale, meaning every +3dB increase in gain roughly doubles the strength.
How is this possible? Wouldn’t that amount of gain disrupt the cellular network? Is that much power even legal?
As a matter of fact, such power is very legal. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulates and approves cell phone signal boosters sold in the United States to ensure they don’t disrupt the cellular network. One of their regulations has to do with gain. Multi-carrier boosters, amplifiers that can boost multiple carriers simultaneously, can only go up to +72 dB gain, while single-carrier boosters, amplifiers that can boost one carrier at a time, are capped at +100 dB gain.
The GO X can deliver superior signal strength because it’s designed and authorized to focus all its power on boosting one carrier at a time. Its powerful amplification abilities make it a fantastic investment for people who live in rural areas where maintaining a reliable connection seems impossible, as well as those in suburban and urban areas.
Multi-Carrier Support with Carrier Switching Capabilities
Multi-carrier? Isn’t the Cel-Fi GO X carrier-specific?
The GO X works with multiple carriers – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. However, it can only amplify one carrier at a time. The Cel-Fi WAVE App – to be discussed later - allows for carrier set-up and switching.
If you ever switch carriers or just want to temporarily switch the carrier that’s being boosted:
Open the Cel-Fi WAVE App → Tap Settings → Tap Operator → Select New Carrier
Large Coverage Area
Under perfect conditions, the Cel-Fi GO X is powerful enough to cover areas up to 15,000 sq ft (additional indoor antennas may be needed).
What do we mean by perfect conditions? Perfect outside signal and zero to minimal signal obstacles like trees, hills, dense internal building materials, etc.
However, we know that if you’re looking for a signal booster, you don’t have the luxury of perfect conditions. Thus, it’s important to note that reduced in-building coverage is likely to occur in areas with weak outside signal.
|
Outdoor Signal Strength |
Estimated Boosted Indoor Coverage |
|
5 Bars |
Up to 15,000 Sq Ft |
|
3-4 Bars |
Up to 10,000 Sq Ft |
|
1-2 Bars |
Up to 5,000 Sq Ft |
|
0 Bars - Faint Signal |
Contact us! |
Know that cell phone signal bars are subjective across all cellular providers - including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. For a better estimated coverage area, it's best to measure your outside signal strength with decibel milliwatts (dBm). The strength you measure will correspond to the carrier you are using – therefore, if you have, say –100 dB on T-Mobile, that might not apply to AT&T, and so forth.
For more information on how to get dBm measurements, click here.
Indoor/Outdoor NEMA 4 Rating Design
NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, establishes standards for different types of electrical equipment enclosures. They use a rating system to define the type of environment in which an electrical enclosure can be used.
- Weather-resistant enclosure
- Designed for indoor or outdoor use
- Provides a degree of protection against water, dust, and dirt
- Electrical equipment will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure
The GO X’s design can withstand harsh weather conditions. Since it’s designed for indoor or outdoor use, you could purchase vehicle antennas and install the system on your vehicle to reduce dropped calls and improve data speeds on the go (or consider the Cel-Fi GO M). If you decide to do this, you’ll need to change the signal booster’s mode from stationary to mobile. This will reduce the system’s gain from 100 dB to 65 dB, which is the maximum gain allowed by the FCC for carrier-specific signal boosters in motion.
Open the Cel-Fi WAVE App → Tap Settings → Tap on Booster Settings → Switch Stationary to Mobile
User-Friendly Management Platform
The Cel-Fi WAVE App (IOS | Google Play) allows you to activate, optimize, and monitor your Cel-Fi GO X from the palm of your hands.
The app allows you to:
- Register the GO X with your carrier
- Access an easy-to-follow installation guide
- Use an antenna position test tool that will help you find the best location for your outdoor antenna by testing out the signal strength
- Change the carrier that’s being amplified
- Switch from stationary mode to mobile mode
- View and change the frequency bands that are being boosted
- Access real-time diagnostic information on the GO X’s performance, such as signal strength, gain, and signal quality
- Troubleshoot the signal booster
To provide you with such detailed information, the app will connect to the signal booster via Bluetooth.
Extremely Customizable
The Cel-Fi GO X Smart Signal Booster kit offers a variety of outdoor and indoor antenna configurations for wider coverage in any situation.
Outdoor Antennas
The Cel-Fi GO X kit can be configured with any of the following wideband directional donor antennas. They only send and receive cellular signals from one direction, so you’ll have to point them in the direction of the nearest cell tower that’s powered by the carrier you want to boost. You can locate the closest cell tower by using websites like CellMapper or apps like OpenSignal (for more information, visit our article on how to find your nearest cell tower quickly and painlessly). In addition, knowing how far the cell tower is from your home or office will help you choose the best antenna.
The Long Ranger – Ultra High Gain Parabolic Antenna – Bolton Technical
The Long Ranger is the most powerful directional antenna you can get. It features up to +28 dBi gain – the highest directional antenna gain on the market. Due to the antenna's ultra high gain, its radiation pattern is extremely narrow (between 4 to 20 degrees), making it extremely directional. This allows for ultra long range, meaning the antenna can reach cell towers located over 10 miles away. The Long Ranger is ideal for rural areas with extremely poor cellular coverage, and for businesses who want the best outdoor antenna.
The Arrow LPDA – High Gain Directional Antenna – Bolton Technical
The Arrow LPDA is designed to provide superior cell service inside any building and is slightly more powerful than the Quicksilver. It will amplify your outside signal by up to 12 dBi. The antenna's higher gain makes the Arrow slightly more directional, and more direction means farther reach. It has a 30-degree radiation pattern and can reach cell towers located over 5 miles away. It’s perfect for homes and businesses in rural communities who want maximum boost and coverage but have weak outside signal.
The Quicksilver – Bolton Technical Yagi Directional Antenna
The Quicksilver tends to be the perfect antenna for most homes, offices, and commercial buildings. It’s powerful enough to provide you with enhanced signal in weak signal areas, but not too powerful where it will overload or cause oscillation issues in strong signal areas. It features up to +11 dBi gain and has a radiation pattern of 45 degrees. Its directionality and gain allow the Yagi antenna to communicate with cell towers that are over 3 miles away under perfect conditions.
Indoor Antennas
The GO X can be configured with two different types of indoor antennas – panel or dome – and can support up to 4 to provide maximum coverage of up to 15,000 sq ft. However, areas with very weak signal should consider using fewer indoor antennas. If you need help figuring out how many indoor antennas you’ll need, calls us at 1-800-470-6777.
The Indoor Board – Indoor Wall Mount Panel Cellular Antenna
The Indoor Board is a high-quality directional panel antenna designed to broadcast the boosted signal in one direction. It can be wall or ceiling mounted and does not require access to a crawlspace or attic. The signal is radiated from the front and has a radiation pattern of 60-75 degrees, so make sure the antenna is facing the area in which you want better cellular coverage. It’s great for hallways, large rooms, and areas with high ceilings.
The Cowboy – Indoor Dome Building Cellular Antenna
The Cowboy is a high-quality omni-directional antenna designed to broadcast the boosted signal in every direction. Like all dome antennas, the Cowboy is intended to be ceiling mounted and will work best in wide open spaces, but can be installed anywhere. For a proper installation, you’ll need access to a crawl space or attic. Thus, it's ideal for single-level homes with access to an attic, multi-level homes with drop ceilings, or commercial buildings with ceiling tiles.
The Rondo – Low-Profile Dome Indoor Building Cellular Antenna
The Rondo is a low-profile omni-directional antenna, making it perfect for situations where aesthetics is important. It’s very similar to the Cowboy but slightly more powerful. The Rondo features up to +6 dBi gain, while the Cowboy features up to +5 dBi gain. The gain difference allows the Rondo to provide a slightly bigger coverage area. Like the Cowboy, it’s ideal for single-level homes with access to an attic, multi-level homes with drop ceilings, or commercial buildings with ceiling tiles.
What’s in The Box
Our Cel-Fi GO X kits include exclusive antennas and low-loss cable options not available anywhere else.
The following components are included in Cel-Fi GO X Kits:
- Cel-Fi GO X Amplifier – Boosts the signal
- Directional Outside Antenna of Choice – Picks up your existing outside signal
- Indoor Antenna(s) of Choice – Broadcast the boosted signal
- 2x 30 ft LMR 400 Coaxial Cable – High-grade cable with low signal loss for better performance
- 2 Ft Jumper Cable – Helps configure the connections
- Lightning Surge Protector – Protects signal booster system from lightning surges
- 2x SMA Female to N Male Connector Adapters – Connect to the amplifier to allow you to use high-grade LMR 400 cable
- 2- or 4-Way Splitter – Help split the boosted signal between multiple indoor antennas
- Power Supply – Feeds power to the system
Component amounts will vary based on your unique configuration. The following infographics will show you what’s included in different kits. Since the images only show kits with up to 2 indoor antennas, know that you’ll need an additional LMR 400 coax cable for each additional indoor antenna.
For information on how to install and assemble the GO X, click here.
Cel-Fi GO X Drawbacks
The Cel-Fi GO X is clearly a powerful signal booster with tons of benefits, but it does have two drawbacks.
1) Can only boost signal for one carrier at a time. The feature that makes it more powerful is also its main drawback. Even though the Cel-Fi WAVE App offers carrier switching capabilities, it may not be the best option for homes, offices, and commercial buildings needing to amplify multiple carriers simultaneously.
2) Not ideal for small homes and apartments. Because of its high amplification abilities and powerful antennas, the GO X is very attractive to many people, but it’s not for everybody. If the indoor and outdoor antennas are not adequately separated, they will interfere with each other and cause the system to oscillate. Ideally, there should be at least 50 ft of horizontal or 20 ft of vertical separation between the two antennas. If oscillation is detected, the system will reduce its gain to avoid disrupting the cellular network or shut down. When this happens, it may seem as if the cell phone signal booster does not work. It's difficult to apply sufficient distance between the two antennas in small homes and apartments.
3) Requires WAVE App registration to use. The Cel-Fi GO X requires you to access the Cel-Fi WAVE App, select your carrier, and register the booster before it will function. If you have literally no cell service and no way to connect to the internet via your phone in proximity to your booster, the Cel-Fi GO X will not work at all. What we suggest is to bring the booster to an area where you have signal, plug it in, perform the initial setup, then bring it to where you need to install it.
Buy Now
Cel-Fi GO X Smart Signal Booster SKU: CEL-FI-GO-X
Cel-Fi GO X Overview
- Boosts 5G/4G/LTE/3G Signals
- Supports 700-2100 MHz frequency bands
- Improves Talk, Text, and Data Speeds
- Works with All Cellular Devices (Androids, iPhones, Tablets, Hotspots, Cellular Routers, etc.)
- Up to 100 dB Gain
- 50 Ohm System
- Single-Carrier Booster with Carrier Switching Capabilities
- Compatible with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile
- NEMA 4 Rated Design
- Cel-Fi WAVE App helps monitor performance and troubleshoot
- Extremely customizable
Return Policy: Comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 2-year warranty.
Additional Cel-Fi GO X Information
Need Help
If you have any questions about purchasing the Cel-Fi GO X system or would like help with troubleshooting or installation, don’t hesitate to contact us today, or call us at 1-800-470-6777.
For more cell phone signal booster reviews have a look at the SureCall Flare and the weBoost Home Multiroom vs the SureCall Fusion4Home reviews.
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