When we are out and about in the Arkansas Outside Mobile Office, a Toyota Tacoma tricked out for adventure, we often find ourselves in areas with weak or non-existent cell phone coverage. We understand that for many, heading out into the Arkansas wilderness is an escape from the shackles of technology. Unfortunately for the AO team, we often need to remain connected so we can share these special places with readers. That’s why we were thrilled to be offered the Drive Sleek Vehicle Signal Booster Kit by weboost.
We received the booster kit from weboost back around Christmas time, but our travels have been limited as of late. A trip to a remote part of West Virginia seemed like a perfect test for the Drive Sleek. The AO team headed to an area that we knew had no signal. The booster unit is made up of three main parts: the antenna is mounted outside, the amplifier, which we hid under a seat, and the cradle which comes with a vent mount that you put your phone in. All of it is powered by a cigarette lighter adapter that also has an auxiliary USB connection. I had it installed in about 15 minutes, it could have taken a bit longer if I was concerned with wire management.
The device works with any cell phone provider or brand of phone. It is simply designed to boost what you have.
Test One
We got to West Virginia and it was a failure for us. Not a failure for weboost. If we had bothered to read all of the instructions first, we would have realized that if there is no signal to boost it doesn’t work. Our 4 nights of Winter camping happened in a National Radio Quiet Zone, who knew? So we enjoyed 5 days and 4 nights of blissfully silent phones. Jealous?
The Second Test is a Charm
Time to try a known issue back here at home, we headed to Woolly Hollow State Park near Greenbrier, Arkansas. Woolly Hollow is home to one of our favorite mountain bike trails, Enders Fault. In the past, when visiting the park to paddle board, mountain bike, hike or hang out on the beach, we’ve found that the cell phone signal for both ATT and Verizon is lacking. We are lucky to get a single bar and can barely get a text message out.
From the mountain bike trail parking lot, we tested it with both ATT and Verizon service phones (both Samsungs). Each phone gained an extra two bars. This was enough for phone calls and good data. Photos were taken and immediately loaded to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Mission complete.
Our Recommendation
Whether you travel to the four corners of the state or the country, if you need to use your phone on a regular basis or just like to know it’s capable in an emergency, the Drive Sleek is for you. Don’t expect miracles, like we learned, if it doesn’t have a signal to boost, it won’t work. You can purchase it for about $200 and there are no other costs, monthly fees, or other surprises.
We received the product at no cost, but all opinions expressed here are our own.
Here is a video to explain it further.
