Cell phone boosters

[Zachanadandy]

Starlink mini. Easily message in an emergency...or stream Netflix if it's raining and you're stuck in the tent. Best of both worlds.

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[BourbonRunner]

Starlink mini. Easily message in an emergency...or stream Netflix if it's raining and you're stuck in the tent. Best of both worlds.

Totally at basecamp. But if you wander off away from camp, the InReach is the easiest option until Starlink on your iPhone is a thing.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Totally at basecamp. But if you wander off away from camp, the InReach is the easiest option until Starlink on your iPhone is a thing.

Just toss the mini and a power station in a backpack

 

[BourbonRunner]

Tread Lightly, not pack lightly.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Tread Lightly, not pack lightly.

Exactly why I bought a Gladiator. I packed as lightly as I could in a Wrangler. Now that I have a truck bed the dang kitchen sink is on the pack list.

 

[CKayaks]

The group I offroad with has a mix of inReach and iPhone w/satellite. Comparable. Easier to type messages in the iPhone natively. You can connect your phone to the inReach via bluetooth, which makes message much easier. Punching in messages on an inReach is going back 20 years in tech. Slow and painful. The ability to have three preset messages in the inReach avoids that headache for common things like "I'm OK", "Back at the road", etc.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Exactly why I bought a Gladiator. I packed as lightly as I could in a Wrangler. Now that I have a truck bed the dang kitchen sink is on the pack list.

More space = more crap, lol.

Sometimes wish I had another two door to make me limit my junk on trips

Also wheeling a two door is so convenient....

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

We carry both the inReach and Starlink. I have considered a WeBoost.

Each cover a slightly different niche.

We use AT&T for cellular with iPhones. Both my wife and I can send satellite text messages through our iPhones when off-grid, however the inReach is more durable, reliable and longer battery life than the iPhones when we are backpacking. It provides security and “one touch” SOS if I fall off a mountain. It does still require clear sky for connection, but it is much easier to link up than the iPhone system and I believe uses a different satellite constellation.

Starlink is superior for high-bandwidth needs like streaming or tele-work. When we are in camp, I setup the Starlink Mini so that we can have all the communication and planning advantages of home internet. When we are on the road, I use wireless CarPlay in the Gladiator. If I lose cellular connection, I cannot connect to the Starlink and CarPlay at the same time. I have to switch to wired CarPlay to use the Starlink network connection. Not a big deal, but I need to plan for it if I am making a long run across a res or other area with no cellular.

I have considered the WeBoost because I have spent time in the east where I had only a bar of cellular and too much tree cover for Starlink. The WeBoost would allow me to run an antenna higher on the vehicle and possibly get me better reception. It is useless without any cellular reception.

Most people who are looking at a WeBoost or other cellular booster would be better served with a Starlink. It is more expensive but more reliable and can still be used in-motion with an appropriate mount.

In the end, iPhon Satellite/inReach., Starlink, and WeBoost would give me overlapping capabilities.

Do I need any of them? Not really, but they give me convenience and expand my planning/recovery options. As I get older those become more important, especially when I am in the backcountry or cross-country with the wife.

 

[ChrisNLA]

We carry both the inReach and Starlink. I have considered a WeBoost.

Each cover a slightly different niche.

We use AT&T for cellular with iPhones. Both my wife and I can send satellite text messages through our iPhones when off-grid, however the inReach is more durable, reliable and longer battery life than the iPhones when we are backpacking. It provides security and “one touch” SOS if I fall off a mountain. It does still require clear sky for connection, but it is much easier to link up than the iPhone system and I believe uses a different satellite constellation.

Starlink is superior for high-bandwidth needs like streaming or tele-work. When we are in camp, I setup the Starlink Mini so that we can have all the communication and planning advantages of home internet. When we are on the road, I use wireless CarPlay in the Gladiator. If I lose cellular connection, I cannot connect to the Starlink and CarPlay at the same time. I have to switch to wired CarPlay to use the Starlink network connection. Not a big deal, but I need to plan for it if I am making a long run across a res or other area with no cellular.

I have considered the WeBoost because I have spent time in the east where I had only a bar of cellular and too much tree cover for Starlink. The WeBoost would allow me to run an antenna higher on the vehicle and possibly get me better reception. It is useless without any cellular reception.

Most people who are looking at a WeBoost or other cellular booster would be better served with a Starlink. It is more expensive but more reliable and can still be used in-motion with an appropriate mount.

In the end, iPhon Satellite/inReach., Starlink, and WeBoost would give me overlapping capabilities.

Do I need any of them? Not really, but they give me convenience and expand my planning/recovery options. As I get older those become more important, especially when I am in the backcountry or cross-country with the wife.

That's nice to know about Starlink and wireless Carplay. I considered getting a wireless dongle for my truck - but if that's going to pose issues connecting to my Starlink Mini then I won't worry about it.

 

[BourbonRunner]

That's nice to know about Starlink and wireless Carplay. I considered getting a wireless dongle for my truck - but if that's going to pose issues connecting to my Starlink Mini then I won't worry about it.

TBF wireless CarPlay would be great if there was a charging pad to keep the phone on let alone connectivity issues. Otherwise heavy duty data use and searching for signal will burn the battery up super fast. I ran a 90 degree flat USB C cable and it never drops off and keep the phone topped off always.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Totally at basecamp. But if you wander off away from camp, the InReach is the easiest option until Starlink on your iPhone is a thing.

I don't prescribe to the need for 24/7 connectivity. If I have a stroke driving on the freeway I'm likely dead. At least if I die in the back country I'm doing what I love not commuting to work. A fall so bad I can't move is likely to destroy the gadgets in my pocket anyway. Our property is 20 miles out a dirt road and I don't fear falling in the wash and dying to the point I need connection there either. Could it happen? Sure. People fall in the shower and die every year. Not bringing the cell phone in there "just in case" either. If the sudden emergency is so bad that neither the wife nor I can get back to the Jeep to call for help, odds are it's the end anyway. Won't miss a minute of enjoying life not venturing out into nature or worrying about what could go wrong. The only guarantee in life is that it ends, I choose not to worry about the end.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

TBF wireless CarPlay would be great if there was a charging pad to keep the phone on let alone connectivity issues. Otherwise heavy duty data use and searching for signal will burn the battery up super fast. I ran a 90 degree flat USB C cable and it never drops off and keep the phone topped off always.

I use a Tackform magsafe charger to keep the phone topped up when I am not wired. I have found the MagSafe system the most convenient when jumping in and out of the truck. Most of the time the system works great. The only time I have encountered any issues was getting gas on a res in Montana. I canceled the nav when we got out and couldn’t map a new route when we pulled back on the road. I had to fire up the starlink to grab a route.

I am still in the process of setting up the Gladiator, so I have not hard-mounted the Starlink yet. If I don’t put a rack on it, I am probably just going to mount it under the rear hard top,

 

[ChrisNLA]

I don't prescribe to the need for 24/7 connectivity. If I have a stroke driving on the freeway I'm likely dead. At least of I die in the back country I'm doing what I love not commuting to work. A fall so bad I can't move is likely to destroy the gadgets in my pocket anyway. Our property is 20 miles out a dirt road and I don't fear falling in the wash and dying to the point I need connection there either. Could it happen? Sure. People fall in the shower and die every year. Not bringing the cell phone in there "just in case" either. If the sudden emergency is so bad that neither the wife nor I can get back to the Jeep to call for help, odds are it's the end anyway. Won't miss a minute of enjoying life not venturing out into nature or worrying about what could go wrong. The only guarantee in life is that it ends, I choose not to worry about the end.

My buddies wife does quite a lot of hiking (like Appalachian trail, or other far more obscure locales) etc. and is often in an area for days at a time where she might not pass anyone (or hardly anyone) so she carries an InReach in case something happens. It's entirely plausible to break an ankle and be stuck with no cell service. Dial up the InReach (or Zoleo, or whatever).

I am fine with everyone taking their acceptable level of risk, though. In regards to communications.

I didn't need a Starlink either but if I am in a deadzone and want to doom scroll I have the ability.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

If the sudden emergency is so bad that neither the wife nor I can get back to the Jeep to call for help, odds are it's the end anyway. Won't miss a minute of enjoying life not venturing out into nature or worrying about what could go wrong. The only guarantee in life is that it ends, I choose not to worry about the end.

Different people have different outlooks. I am not risk averse, I have just survived this long by placing mitigation strategies in place. Often, I never have to use those strategies. Once in awhile, I have to use the for other people.

 

[WambliSka]

Got the top tier of Starlink for the house and they threw a Starlink Mini for free. It rocks, works everywhere. Done…

Just toss the mini and a power station in a backpack

There's an adaptor for the mini that takes DeWalt 20 V batteries. And I don't know that anyone is backpacking with a cell phone booster either...

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