Wilson Pro 70 Cellular Signal Booster review

REVIEW – A few years ago, my brother fell while in a rural forest in upstate New York. He totally shattered one of his vertebrae and spent nine months in a full-body cast recovering. When he fell, it was snowy, dark and cold. By some miracle, he located his cell phone, got a tiny signal and called for help. If he hadn’t located his phone, things could have ended much differently. Equipped with this realization, I wanted to see what Wilson’s Pro-series Cellular Boosters could do to alleviate my brother’s weak cell signal woes in his sparsely covered valley farm home.

What is it?

Wilson’s Pro-70 is a cellular signal booster and antenna pair which acts as a transceiver, amplifying signals in an area with weak coverage.

What’s in the box?

List contents – you can remove this heading and section if it doesn’t apply to your review.

  • Wilson Pro 70 Amplifier with LCD Display
  • Wilson Yagi Directional Outside Antenna
  • Wilson Panel Inside Antenna
  • 75′ Black Ultra Low Loss Cable (952375)
  • 60′ Black Ultra Low Loss Cable (952360)
  • Lightning Protector
  • 2′ Black Ultra Low Loss Cable
  • AC Power Supply
  • Installation Guide

Hardware specs

  • Band 4,5,12,13W (700, 850, 1700 and 2100MHz)
  • Max Gain 70dB
  • 50 Ohm Impedance
  • 12 volt, 3 Amp DC power
  • 15 x 6 x 8.75” booster dimensions
  • 2.78 lbs booster weight

Design and features

The kit arrived in multiple boxes inside a larger box. Everything needed (almost) for installation was included. The booster has only three connectors, one for power, one the receiving antenna and one for the home antenna.

The booster is equipped with an LCD screen and single button to toggle between cellular frequencies, checking signal strength and for issues. A single LED indicates if there are any issues or if everything is working properly.

Setup

We pulled all of the parts from their cardboard wombs and connected everything together for testing. Because my brother’s farm has several buildings, we elected to initially put the equipment in a small tractor barn. We plugged in all of the parts, plugged in the booster and waited a few seconds. Using the built-in strength meter’ we were able to get an average of 69dB of the signal across all bands. The antennas needed to be separated to keep from talking to each other, but plenty of cable is included.

Instantly, I went from no signal (no bars) to a very usable and stable signal. I was amazed because the transceiver required no tweaking, no adjustments, and no customization. It just worked – magic!

I made a few calls and visited a few web sites to verify I had gone from signal-nada, to full-speed LTE signal.

Since everything tested ok, we uncoiled the cables and mounted the antenna on a pole between the house and barn, attached the lightning protection adapter, routed the equipment and were finished.  We needed to provide a few zip-ties to secure the cables and a ground wire to connect the lightning suppressor to an existing ground rod, but other than that, everything needed is in the box. It should be noted that the sending and receiving antennas can’t be pointed at each other or the system can experience problems.

Performance

Playing the “can you hear me now” game, I walked around the property and was shocked at the area of coverage I had. Of course, there was significantly less signal inside structures, but still, enough to maintain a connection except in the furthest reaches of the house. Mind you, the equipment was placed in a building about 50 feet from the main structure. My brother and I have different carriers and both received a dramatic increase in cellular reception. Again, prior to installing, I had zero cellular signal in or near my brother’s home.

What I like

  • Almost everything needed for installation is included
  • Virtually no set-up needed other than pointing the antennas
  • Solid performance

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

In my brother’s case, a cell phone may have saved his life. I’ll never underestimate the value of a solid cellular connection. The Wilson Pro 70 Cellular Booster is a solid, easy to install remedy for weak signal areas. While it’s not a magical solution to rebroadcast LTE to your “back 40” acres of your property, when properly sized (Wilson sells many different sizes) and installed, it will alleviate many issues in home (or in my case, farm) cellular reception.

Price: $899.99
Where to buy: Wilson Amplifier Pro 70
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Wilson Amplifiers

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Wilson Pro 70 Cellular Signal Booster review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 30, 2019 at 2:03 pm.

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Should You Use Firefox Forks?

Mozilla Firefox is an open source browser which allows anyone to modify the code to create a “fork” browser. Some of the popular forks include Waterfox, Comodo Ice Dragon, Pale Moon, Basilisk, Swiftfox, and TenFourFox. These forks, however, do not carry the seal of approval of Mozilla. If your only purpose is ordinary web browsing, there is nothing wrong with these alternative browsers. After all, Chromium forks are extremely common, and Google Chrome itself is one among many “forks” based on the original Chromium Project. However, with Mozilla it is different. That is why you have to ask the following questions before proceeding with another… Read more

Elechomes UC3101 air purifier review

REVIEW – I take the air that I breathe for granted because I live in an area where the air is pretty clean. At least that’s what I thought. Can the air that you breathe seem clean but in reality, it’s not? Yes. Is there a product that can purify the air and make it better to breathe? You bet! Let’s take a look at the UC3101 air purifier from Elechomes.

What is it?

The UC3101 is an air purifier from Elechomes which features:

  • 1 Pre-Filter and a 3-Layer composite HEPA filter that helps trap and eliminate up to 99% of airborne pollutants
  • A dust sensor and an odor sensor work together to monitor air quality and identify harmful pathogens
  • Smart Mode & Sleep Mode
  • Intelligent Timer & Child Lock: 1-8 hours for automatic working and shutdown purification
  • Up to 350 square feet coverage
  • Remote Control: allows controlling the air purifier from up to 16.4 ft. (5M) away

What’s in the box?

  • Air Purifier with filters
  • Remote control
  • User manual

Design and features

The Elechomes UC3101 air purifier is 16.5 x 8.3 x 19.3 inches and has a white plastic case with decorative vent cutouts on the front.

The sides have built-in handles that allow for easy relocation of the 18.74 pound unit.

The top surface of the UC3101 air purifier has a touch panel with 8 buttons with the following functions from left to right: Filter change notification and reset, auto mode, sleep mode, timer, particulate matter display, fan speed, negative ion function, child lock, and power toggle.

The UC3101 air purifier comes with a handheld battery-powered remote control that has the same functions so that the unit can be controlled from up to 16 feet away.

The unit comes with a pre-filter which is washable and the main HEPA filter which should be replaced once a year or after 3000 hours of use.  Currently, Amazon does not sell the replacement filters, but that’s supposed to change soon.

Installing and replacing the filters is not difficult. The front panel of the air purifier unsnaps to reveal the interior of the device.


The HEPA filter has activated carbon which reduces benzene, formaldehyde, and more and it also has an antibacterial cloth that kills most bacteria and viruses.

It fits in place with the honeycomb side of the filter facing in towards the fan.

The pre-filter is designed to trap larger pollutants like hair, lint, and more.

The pre-filter fits over the main filter and is the first line of defense against to trap all the icky stuff you should not be breathing. The UC3101 air purifier sucks in air through the filters, to clean it and then sends the clean air back into the room through a vent on the side of the unit.

Operation

To use the UC3101 Air Purifier, all you have to do is make sure the filters are installed correctly, plug in the unit and press the on/off switch on the touch panel on top.

The touch panel buttons and display have bright blue LEDs that make them easy to see even in a dimly lighted room.

The front air vent of the air purifier also lights up to provide an easy to see a visual indicator of the air quality in the room. It should be obvious that green means good air quality. The PM display on top of the unit will have a reading of between 0-75 and the fan speed will be low.

If the PM display on the top of the unit shows between 75-150, the vent light will turn yellow and the fan speed will increase to medium.

If the air quality is bad, the PM display reading will be over 150 and the fan speed will increase to high.

I’ve been having a lot of remodeling work done on my home lately and with remodeling comes a lot of dust and fumes. The Elechomes air purifier cranked into high gear after sessions of drywall sanding and even when we had some plumbing work and there were just glue fumes in the air. I was impressed that the sensors were able to detect both types of air quality problems very quickly.

The air purifier has a negative ion feature that is supposed to provide for maximum purification efficiency. I’ve tried using the unit both ways and I’ve just left that feature turned on even though I can’t tell a difference when it’s been disabled.

I have noticed that this air purifier is louder even when than other air purifiers that I’ve reviewed. This is true even when the air quality is good and the fan speed is low. When the air quality is bad and the fan speed is high, it is really loud.

Another issue is that the lighted function panel is bright. Even if you put the air purifier in sleep mode (shown above), the panel only dims slightly, which is still bright enough to light up a room and disturb your sleep. In sleep mode, the fans go to low speed but you can still hear the unit running. The unit does have a timer function that you can use to turn off the unit in 0-8 hours.

What I like

  • Easy to see air quality setting
  • Has dust and odor sensors
  • The HEPA filter should last for one year before needing to be replaced

What needs to be improved

  • Replacement filters are not yet available on Amazon
  • Fan is loud
  • Function panel lights are bright even in sleep mode

Final thoughts

The Elechomes UC3101 air purifier is an attractive appliance that will clean the air of a 350sq foot area of up to 99% of airborne pollutants. It’s easy to use and easy to maintain. The only downsides are that the fan is pretty noisy on the high-speed setting, the LEDs are bright even in sleep mode, and replacement filters are not yet available for purchase. It might sound like I have a lot of complaints, but the good side of this air purifier is that it makes the air smell better, and seem fresher after running for a short time. It’s made a big difference in the quality of the air in my home especially during the times that lots of dust and odors are being stirred up from remodeling projects.

Price: $299.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Elechomes.

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Elechomes UC3101 air purifier review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 30, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Level up your DIY game with the Shaper Tools Origin router

NEWS – Hobbists, makers, and wood crafters will want to check out the Shaper Tools Origin router. It uses computer-guided technology to make sure the shapes that you want to cutouts to be as precise as possible.

This router can cut inlays like the one you see above. Check out the video below to see how it works?

The Shaper Tools Origin router looks like an awesome tool, but the price will probably turn off all but woodworking pros. Starting at $2400, it isn’t going to be a spur of the moment purchase, but wow would it make a great father’s day gift! Head over the shapertools.com for more info on the Origin router.

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Level up your DIY game with the Shaper Tools Origin router originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 30, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Lexip Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet review

REVIEW – While I’m a HUGE fan of the Trackpoint navigation device–to the point of not buying laptops without it and having used TrackPoint-equiped keyboards for the past 25 years, navigating 2K and 4K displays using a TrackPoint is an exercise in frustration and loss of patience, and I’ve resorted to using a mouse when using my big screens. I’ve been happy with the general performance of my Logitech Anywhere MX (on my second one currently), but, after 5 years, it was starting to feel long in the tooth, so for the past year or so, I’ve been auditioning new mice for my daily-driver computer.  I haven’t found any that I like well enough to spend the money to upgrade from my trusty MX, including the new MX Anywhere 2. Each model that I tested was either just a bit off in the way it felt, way more expensive than what I wanted to spend, or worst of all, corded. So when Lexip offered the chance to upgrade my current mouse with some new shoes, I decided that I would give them a try.

What is it?

Lexip Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet are add-on upgrades for your existing mouse which provide a more precise mousing experience.

What’s in the box?

The Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet, like beer, come in a 6-pack in a colorful container. This is where the libation simile will stop.

The full-color packaging shows off the mouse feet via transparent window and cutout on the front of the package. The rear of the package provides some basic sales information in a variety of European languages, including English. Lifting the magnetic side latch allows access to the package contents which are housed in a plastic sleeved foam and cardboard holder.

The package includes

  • 6 ceramic mouse feet
  • 8 3M adhesive dots
  • 2 cleaning wipes (alcohol swabs)
  • 1 cleaning cloth
  • 2 Lexip sticker
  • Instruction booklet

Hardware specs

Each of the individual Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet is 12 mm in diameter and approximately 1.2 mm thick. The adhesive pad holding the foot to the mouse adds less than 1 mm to the overall height.

Design and features

In-depth description of the product and what it can do. This is the meat of your review. If there are additional sub-headings that you want to add in the main part of your review, use H3 titles (use the drop-down menu that is set to paragraph by default). Here are some examples that you might want to use but can remove if you don’t need them.

Setup

Installing the feet involves

  • cleaning the bottom of the mouse with one of the included wipes
  • drying in / removing lint and debris with the included cloth
  • removing one of the feet from the package
  • removing one of the adhesive dots from the sheet and adhering it to the foot
  • carefully removing the backer paper from the other side of the adhesive dot
  • placing the mouse foot on your mouse
  • repeat 2-5 times (3-6 feet / mouse)

By far the most difficult part was getting the mouse-side adhesive exposed once the dot was adhered to the feet. I had to fall back on my model decal placing skills to get the round backer paper loose from the identically sized adhesive disk.

Here is the patient waiting for pre-op

Peri-operative cleaning

Post-operative recovery

I chose to only install 4 of the 6 feet as this matched up with the number of original pads on the mouse.

Performance

I would love to provide a detailed specifications about the coefficients of static and dynamic friction, but I sadly do not have access to force gauges that have fine enough resolution to measure the movement of the mouse. However, I did perform some surrogate testing by building an a-frame and swing arm from LEGO Technic pieces and used a large novelty eraser as both the swinging weight and striker to measure how far my mouse traveled when given an impulse from test rig. The mouse was not constrained as to travel direction. Measurements were made perpendicular to the axis of the swing arm.

The raw results were not as impressive as I had hoped based on the sales material, but showed a both a practical difference and a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The increased standard deviation in the Mo42 data is due to the mouse traveling at an angle to the the perpendicular measurement axis. All distances are in cm.

OEM Mouse Pads: 21.5, 22, 22.25, 23.25, 23.5, 24,  24.5, 26    mean:   23.38   standard deviation: 1.48
Mo42 Ceramic Feet: 22, 26.5, 27, 27, 28.5, 30.25, 30.5, 31.5    mean:  27.91    standard deviation: 3.02
Student’s T Test: p = 0.003

 

From a purely subjective standpoint, I will say that the Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet feel like they have a smaller difference between the coefficient of static friction and the coefficient of dynamic friction. The practical upshot of this is that it takes less effort to get the mouse to start moving and keep it moving than it did with the OEM mouse pads. With the OEM pads, it took a bit more effort to get the mouse moving and then less to keep it moving.

The Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet also seem to provide a better “road sense.” By this I mean that I can feel the texture (including debris) of my mousing surface which I think give me better control of the mouse.

What I like

  • Easy to install
  • Upgrade any mouse to move like a more expensive mouse

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

While I’m still not 100% happy with my Logitech Anywhere MX mouse, I’m much happier with my post-upgrade mouse. I’ll probably stick with my upgraded mouse for the foreseeable future, but will, like all Gadgeteers, be on the lookout for the next cool mouse.

Price: $19.99 MSRP
Where to buy: Lexip’s US store front and Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Lexip.

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Lexip Mo42 Ceramic Glide Feet review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 30, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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