Gizmodo: repeater

Meraki's Solar Powered Wi-Fi Repeater Finally Shipping in December

Jason Chen — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:08:02 EST

We first wrote about Meraki and their solar-powered Wi-Fi repeater back in mid '07, but they're finally getting ready to ship these next month. According to Cleantechnica, it's going to be $749 if you have your own solar panel, which then balloons up to $1499 for "larger units". The main idea that Meraki is going after is "getting internet access to everyone", so powering these units off of el sol is a good idea.

City planners can deploy these in parks, or really rich people can deploy these all over their multi-acre ranches so they can torrent anywhere. If Michael Jackson still had Neverland, he'd be all up in this solar action. [Meraki via Cleantechnica via Treehugger]

Wi-Ex zBoost YX300 Cellular Repeater (Verdict: Great for Itty Bitty Houses)

Brian Lam — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:42:46 EST

The Skinny: Like the big brother YX510, the YX300 is a cellular repeater. It's dual band (1900MHz and 800MHz) but it's only 1/4 the strength. I like it better.

The Verdict: If you're in a small apartment this is the one to get. Instead of huge coil of full-on coax and a outdoor-mountable antenna, this one has suction cups for easy window mounting. The repeater sits at the end of 20 feet of cable, and I actually have similar performance to the YX510 in my little apartment, likely because the window mount makes it easier to place at elevation, and the weaker signal probably avoids causing signal feedback loops. The repeater has a mere six-foot radius, but I suctioned it to a metal cabinet, giving it some directionality. I think it works fine. It brought my iPhone's reception to -64db from -82, as long as I was within range. Bigger houses will want the YX510, though.
[Repeater Store]

Save Our Signal: zBoost YX-510 Cellular Repeater Hands-On

Brian Lam — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:34:21 EDT

I'm a mile from the giant antenna in San Francisco, Sutro Tower. But my phones never really get good reception here. This repeater can create a stronger signal in your apartment's most vacant cellular airspaces. It's not bad, but maybe is a little expensive. Then again, it's a lot cheaper than finding another apartment where the wireless feng shui is naturally better.

It's a dual band, in the PCS 1900 MHz and Cellular 800 MHz bands, which covers signals of EVDO, HSDPA, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon flavors in the US. It grabs a decent signal inside or outside a window, or even better, on a roof, using a big antenna. The repeater connects to the antenna by a long piece of coax, and boosts a signal by up to 55DB. Doing a shitty install, I measured a real world gain of 10-15dB, using the iPhone's field test mode. That's good enough to clear up calls and reduce dropped connections in the ultra dead cellular zone I call my office. Not bad for $350, and now I don't have to leave my desk to take calls.

[RepeaterStore]
[Advice by Richard Baguley of WirelessInfo.com]