Question Will an LTE cell booster work without a sim card?

[beekgegewgio]

My goal is the improve reception to my phone. I use my phone as hotspot for my laptop. Im using Visible (Verizon network).

Most "signal boosters" are a single antenna that you setup outside with a cable that connects to a box inside your house that "boosts" the signal.

However I want to use a 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO (this is 2 or 4 antennas) for better performance.

MIMO antenna kits dont come with above booster box. All booster boxes advertised have a built in SIM slots and function as a LTE router hotspot which is not what I want or are very expensive (some are $1000). Ive been getting conflicting info, some say these LTE routers don require a SIM and can accept the MIMO antenna and boost the signal to my phone, others say they require a SIM to function.

For example: "ZBT WE826T" is less then $100 on Ebay, it does have a sim slot but I am unsure if it would work without a sim and simply amplify the antenna signal which is all I want.

Any suggested "booster boxes" that accepts 2x2 or 4x4 mimo and are affordable? Help me understand.

[abcdefghivjklmnop]

15 minutes ago, beekgegewgio said:

My goal is the improve reception to my phone. I use my phone as hotspot for my laptop. Im using Visible (Verizon network).

Most "signal boosters" are a single antenna that you setup outside with a cable that connects to a box inside your house that "boosts" the signal.

However I want to use a 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO (this is 2 or 4 antennas) for better performance.

MIMO antenna kits dont come with above booster box. All booster boxes advertised have a built in SIM slots and function as a LTE router hotspot which is not what I want or are very expensive (some are $1000). Ive been getting conflicting info, some say these LTE routers don require a SIM and can accept the MIMO antenna and boost the signal to my phone, others say they require a SIM to function.

For example: "ZBT WE826T" is less then $100 on Ebay, it does have a sim slot but I am unsure if it would work without a sim and simply amplify the antenna signal which is all I want.

Any suggested "booster boxes" that accepts 2x2 or 4x4 mimo and are affordable? Help me understand.

do you know theres a thing called wifi, if your rural and have absolutely no way of getting internet connected, then its cheaper to just get the starlink satellite and get high speeds, then connect a mesh system and boom you have coverage everywhere

[abcdefghivjklmnop]

18 minutes ago, beekgegewgio said:

My goal is the improve reception to my phone. I use my phone as hotspot for my laptop. Im using Visible (Verizon network).

Most "signal boosters" are a single antenna that you setup outside with a cable that connects to a box inside your house that "boosts" the signal.

However I want to use a 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO (this is 2 or 4 antennas) for better performance.

MIMO antenna kits dont come with above booster box. All booster boxes advertised have a built in SIM slots and function as a LTE router hotspot which is not what I want or are very expensive (some are $1000). Ive been getting conflicting info, some say these LTE routers don require a SIM and can accept the MIMO antenna and boost the signal to my phone, others say they require a SIM to function.

For example: "ZBT WE826T" is less then $100 on Ebay, it does have a sim slot but I am unsure if it would work without a sim and simply amplify the antenna signal which is all I want.

Any suggested "booster boxes" that accepts 2x2 or 4x4 mimo and are affordable? Help me understand.

you need a simcard in a router for it to amplify the signal with power, without a simcard it has nothing to amplify. it cant just catch every single 4g/5g signal and amplify it, you wouldn't have the resources to do so, and they would distort anyway. 

[Donut417]

32 minutes ago, beekgegewgio said:

MIMO antenna kits dont come with above booster box.

I think thats because these MIMO antennas are intended to be used with 4/5G Home Internet gateways and not simply boosting the signal for your phone. The fact of the matter is hotspots via your phone tend to have data limits (For example I have 4 gigs of hotspot data on my t mobile plan). Where as home internet via 4/5G may or may not have limits or have higher limits.

[kirashi]

1 hour ago, beekgegewgio said:

My goal is the improve reception to my phone. I use my phone as hotspot for my laptop. Im using Visible (Verizon network).

Most "signal boosters" are a single antenna that you setup outside with a cable that connects to a box inside your house that "boosts" the signal.

However I want to use a 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO (this is 2 or 4 antennas) for better performance.

MIMO antenna kits dont come with above booster box. All booster boxes advertised have a built in SIM slots and function as a LTE router hotspot which is not what I want or are very expensive (some are $1000). Ive been getting conflicting info, some say these LTE routers don require a SIM and can accept the MIMO antenna and boost the signal to my phone, others say they require a SIM to function.

For example: "ZBT WE826T" is less then $100 on Ebay, it does have a sim slot but I am unsure if it would work without a sim and simply amplify the antenna signal which is all I want.

Any suggested "booster boxes" that accepts 2x2 or 4x4 mimo and are affordable? Help me understand.

It's been years since I've looked into cell boosters, but my understanding is that basic cell boosters don't need a SIM to work (many don't have SIM slots) as they just repeat an existing signal. Like WiFi repeaters, they can only boost / amplify the source signal, so if they can't receive a half-decent source signal, they'd just end up repeating an already weak signal.

 

If the "booster" has a SIM slot, it's technically a cellular modem, or perhaps a multi-functional device that can work as a repeater OR a cellular modem. You'd have to check the documentation of the particular model you're looking to buy to find out. For example, the "ZBT WE826T" is not a booster - it's a cellular modem that likely requires a SIM card to function.

https://techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com/wiki/ZBT_WE826

https://www.zbtlink.com/products/router/ZBT-WE826T.html

https://www.amazon.ca/Wiflyer-WE826-T2-Wireless-Support-T-Mobile/dp/B08BJ5HNK2?th=1

 

Seem you (or someone who copy pasted the exact same question / post) already got a few decent answers.  

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/will-an-lte-cell-booster-work-without-a-sim-card.3845006/

 

Also, it seems the general consensus is that cell boosters don't really work well for data connectivity.

 

[NobleGamer]

4 hours ago, beekgegewgio said:

My goal is the improve reception to my phone. I use my phone as hotspot for my laptop. Im using Visible (Verizon network).

Call reception may be increased with a "signal booster" or "repeater".

 

If you want to improve data connectivity/throughput of your phone, I agree with kirashi's on what some of the different types of options are.

 

If your end goal is internet connectivity for your laptop (and phone), then Donut's basic explanation of MIMO antennas and comparing a hotspot versus 4G/5G home internet is important:

4 hours ago, Donut417 said:

I think thats because these MIMO antennas are intended to be used with 4/5G Home Internet gateways and not simply boosting the signal for your phone. The fact of the matter is hotspots via your phone tend to have data limits (For example I have 4 gigs of hotspot data on my t mobile plan). Where as home internet via 4/5G may or may not have limits or have higher limits.

 

4/5G home internet (without or with MIMO antenna) or satellite internet may be more effective for your needs. I have a guide about getting this.

 

 

4 hours ago, abcdefghivjklmnop said:

do you know theres a thing called wifi, if your rural and have absolutely no way of getting internet connected, then its cheaper to just get the starlink satellite and get high speeds, then connect a mesh system and boom you have coverage everywhere

 

This totally depends on the amount of data OP uses, as there are many hot spot plans (though often with limited 5G data) that are cheaper than $120/mo Starlink and its $500+ install & dish kit.

 

4G/5G home internet plans for $30-$60 per month depending on carrier & availability with no up front or monthly equipment costs might be a more economical option.

[Donut417]

Just now, NobleGamer said:

4/5G home internet (without or with MIMO antenna) or satellite internet may be more effective for your needs.

My guess is they dont offer it to the OP. I mean Verizon I think only offers it thru Verizon and not on a MVNO. T Mobile doesnt offer theirs everywhere and has shit signal in rural America.

[NobleGamer]

4 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

I mean Verizon I think only offers it thru Verizon and not on a MVNO.

Correct.

 

4 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

T Mobile doesnt offer theirs everywhere and has shit signal in rural America.

I'm sure there are areas where its bad, but mileage will absolutely vary for everyone.

 

I've used TMHI for over a year at my rural home and it's definitely WAY faster and more reliable than DSL which caps out a 7mbps - I'm that rural. I know a family an hour away from me that is even more rural than I am with the same story I'm like 2 miles from a tower, whereas family is within one mile of a tower