Product Review: zBoost zPersonal (zP) YX300

Manufacturer: Wi-Ex

Price: $169

Pros: Simple setup; affordable; could be valuable for telecommuters who work indoors, in subterranean locales, or in other places with poor cellular reception.

Cons: Somewhat awkward to move and set up due to long antenna wire; strength of boost in cellular signal is inconsistent; requires you to plug it into a wall outlet.

CIO fear factor: None. No associated security or management issues.

Bottom line: Can increase signal strength in a setting like your home office, but you may get better results one day than another. Won't buy you consistency.

Every mobile phone user knows the pain of receiving an important call in a building or home with bad cellular reception. Nobody knows that anguish better than the remote worker who has poor service in his home office or workspace. Sure, you may try plenty of tricks to boost cellular signal, but none is known to enhance productivity. There's the run-around-in-search-of-one-more-bar trick. There's hanging out the window or otherwise contorting oneself to find that perfect spot. And then there's the zBoost zPersonal (zP) YX300 cellular signal booster from Wi-Ex, which bolsters cellular signal strength within a 6-foot radius of its antenna—though that increase might not hold steady from one day to the next, in my experience.

First off: "You must have some signal where you place zBoost. It does not create signal," according to Wi-Ex. So if your home office, hotel room or workspace doesn't get any cell reception, zBoost won't change that. It's meant for spots where you have some coverage, just not great coverage, and where you can plug it into an electrical outlet.

zBoost zP YX300

Unfortunately, the gadget doesn't include an internal battery, or a way to plug it into a USB port, automobile power outlet or other alternative power supply.

I found setup to be simple. First, you stick the 4-by-5-inch zBoost box in a window via the two suction cups on its rear side. Next, affix the thin, black antenna to a surface close to where you'll be making calls, but at least 10 feet away from the zBoost box. Then connect the two with the antenna cord, plug the whole thing in, and you've got a "personal cell zone." (Wi-Ex claims the product also extends your mobile device's battery life—probably because it takes less power for a cell phone to communicate with a tower when there's good reception between the two.) You could travel with this product; the box is about the size of three CD cases stacked together, and the somewhat unwieldy antenna is a thin, 6-inch-long piece of black plastic on the end of a long cord.