A Simple, Compact System for Opening Up the Dead Zones That Block Cellphone Signals

Cellphone carriers often crow about having fewer dropped calls than the competition, but high-rises, brick walls and plaster lead to blind spots in some homes. Wi-Ex has created a compact system for amplifying cellphone signals without the need for much high-tech mumbo-jumbo.

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The zBoost Dual-Band grabs cell signals and strengthens them inside homes and businesses, often bumping up the signal display on a phone by two or three bars. The system supports G.S.M. and C.D.M.A. phones, so it works with all systems except some Nextel phones. It is available online at www.wi-ex.com and other sites for less than 0.

Installation is fairly simple, and unless you have experience in radio engineering there is little need to tweak things. The system comes with a large outdoor antenna and a long cable. You mount the antenna to an outside wall or just stick it out a window. Then you move the receiver to your low-signal zone and plug it in.

In a test in a basement that has traditionally been a dead zone, reception improved from one or two bars to a full four bars. Cave dwellers now have one less excuse for being antisocial. JOHN BIGGS

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Nextel is a provider of integrated wireless communications services in the United States.