Wilson Sleek 4G-V Review, 815126 4GV Booster |
| Wednesday, 27 June 2012 | |
Wilson Sleek 4G-V Review
(Sleek 4G-V with Verizon iPhone 4S pictured and Verizon MiFi and Verizon JetPack) Within the last two years Verizon Wireless has rapidly expanded 4G LTE coverage and now covers over 200 markets with 4G LTE. The rapid expansion of 4G LTE has increased the demand for a portable 4G amplifier and Wilson Electronics has answered with the new Wilson Sleek 4G-V. The new model is a spin off of the wildly successful Wilson Sleek, which earned the number five spot on 3Gstore's Top 2011 products list. However, the new Sleek 4G-V boosts Verizon 4G LTE in addition to virtually all carriers existing 3G networks! Later this year Wilson will be releasing the Wilson Sleek 4G-A designed to amplify AT&T's 4G LTE network. Wilson Sleek 4G-V Unboxing Video: Read on to learn more about the Sleek and how it performed in 3Gstore's testing! Device Details: The Sleek 4G-V is designed to work on Verizon's 700Mhz 4G LTE frequency as well as older 800/1900Mhz cellular frequencies supporting both voice and data. This means the Sleek 4G-V is backwards compatible with Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Alltel, DataJack, Virgin Mobile and more 3G and legacy 2G networks. However, the Sleek 4G-V isn't compatible with AT&T's new 4G LTE network, and AT&T 4G LTE users would need to pickup the Sleek 4G-A instead. 
Pictured above you'll see the Sleek 4G-V includes the all in one cradle, outside 6" mini mag mount antenna and cigarette lighter adapter. Within the cradle you'll find a 1.8 Watt amplifier, which is why the Sleek 4G-V is so successful at increasing signal strength. The small form factor (2.25 x 4.25 x 2.5) makes it easy to transport between vehicles or use in your home with the optional home/office accessory kit (pictured below). The arms on the cradle are also adjustable allowing you to quickly accommodate virtually any sized phone of MiFi device, and adjust vertically - so you don't need to worry about blocking ports on your device. 
The Wilson Sleek 4G-V also features a USB port to easily charge your smartphone like the iPhone, Jetpack or MiFi portable hotspot. Wilson makes a Mini and Micro USB adapter as well as the proprietary adapter that Apple uses with the iPhone. Below you'll find a picture of the new Verizon Jetpack 4620L plugged into the Wilson Sleek 4G-V charging. Test Results: 
(Signal Strength Comparison) We conducted our testing at our warehouse in Cary, IL and used Verizon's new MiFi 4620L as our test modem. We found that without the Sleek 4G-V our MiFi averaged a signal strength of -87dB. After placing the MiFi in the Sleek 4G-V we noticed an immediate signal increase to -73dB. This lead to a dramatic 14dB increase in signal strength, which gave us better download and upload performance. Below you'll find a speedtests that we did back to back with and without the Wilson Sleek 4G-V: 
As you can see from the speedtests the Wilson Sleek 4G-V made a dramatic difference in both the download and upload performance. Without the Sleek 4G-V we were only getting 2.30Mbps download and 3.77Mbps upload. After the Sleek 4G-V was connected our download speeds drastically increased to 15Mbps and our upload also increased to 9.5Mbps! This works out to a 6.5x increase in download performance and 2.5x increase on the upload speed on the MiFi. Compatible equipment: 
(The perfect fit for your Verizon MiFi or Verizon JetPack)
Outlined
below you'll find the latest devices through both Verizon and AT&T
that support 4G LTE. If you see your device under a specific carrier you
must purchase that version of the Wilson Sleek or it won't work for 4G
LTE. If your phone or MiFi is 3G only either of the Sleek units will
work, however, we'd recommend purchasing the one designed for the
carrier you subscribe to for support when you upgrade phones. For
example, iPhone users on Verizon or Sprint will likely want to purchase
the Sleek 4G-V and AT&T users, the Sleek 4G-A
with rumors of an upcoming 4G LTE iPhone. That will cost you a few
extra dollars now, but after you upgrade to the iPhone 5, your Sleek
will be compatible.
* Requires Wilson Sleek 4G-V *AT&T 4G LTE Devices:
What we're not as fond of: The only problem with the Wilson Sleek 4G-V or 4G-A is it isn't cross compatible with both Verizon and AT&T 4G LTE. This isn't an issue on 3G because they operate on the same frequencies, but the carriers use different spectrum on 4G LTE. This alone can be confusing and it's very important to understand the difference between AT&T's 4G and 4G LTE. For information on the differences visit - 4G vs. 4G LTE. The adhesive on the mounting bracket doesn't stick well to many dashboards, it sticks best to clear surfaces. There are smaller mounts and windshield mounts available. The bottom line: If you need to boost the signal to a single phone or a MiFi in your vehicle, the Sleek 4G-V or 4G-A is going to be your new best friend. With an MSRP of just $159.95 and impressive performance, the Sleek 4G-V or 4G-A is a great choice for anyone who spends a great deal of time in their vehicle and wants to make sure they have the best possible signal. If you are planning on upgrading to a Verizo4G LTE phone (hint: iPhone 5 is rumored to have 4G LTE), purchasing this booster will allow you to use the same booster when you upgrade your phone to Verizon 4G LTE later. At 3Gstore.com, this has been one of our most successful pre-launches for a product. If interested, order soon, as we ship pre-orders and backorders in the order they are placed. The 3Gstore description will contains your ship date. Related Links:
|
|
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 June 2012 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
