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First: is there something to boost?
Walk around the outside of the house, and up a ladder if you can, with your phone. If you can make a call standing on the roofline or at the edge of the yard, a booster has something to work with. If you cannot get signal anywhere outside, it does not — use WiFi calling instead.
Our guide to what a cell phone signal booster is covers how they work and why they fail. This page is about what to buy.
It has to be certified for Canada
Boosters are radio equipment, and in Canada they must be certified by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Certified boosters shut themselves down rather than interfere with the carrier network. US-only models are common on marketplaces and are not legal to run here.
The listing should say it is approved for Canada or carry an ISED number. If it does not, keep looking.
- See it on Amazon.ca
weBoost home booster — Canadian model
One of the most common home kits. Buy the version listed for Canada, and make sure it covers the bands your carriers use.
- See it on Amazon.ca
SureCall home booster — Canadian model
A multi-carrier home kit with a Canadian version. Same rule: confirm the listing says it is approved for Canada.
Directional antennas for distant towers
Most kits come with either an omnidirectional outside antenna, which hears in every direction, or a directional one, which is aimed at a single tower. On a rural property with a tower far away, directional usually wins — it hears that one tower much better.
The catch is that it only serves the carriers on that tower. If your household is on different networks on towers in different directions, an omni antenna, or two antennas, may be the better trade.
Height helps more than anything else. Getting the outside antenna up and clear of the roofline is often worth more than a more expensive kit.
Why a booster can disappoint
The usual cause is the inside and outside antennas being too close. The booster hears its own output, reduces its power to protect the network, and the coverage inside shrinks to a few feet. It looks like a weak booster. It is a mounting problem.
Separation — vertical as well as horizontal — and a roof or wall between the two antennas fixes it. On a single-storey house this is the hardest part of the install.
Rather not do it yourself? See our cell signal booster installation service.
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