2 Antenna Kit with support by BEFORE YOU START: 1 Text GO X to (949) 449-2290 2 Read this manual We’ll respond with a link to the Cel-Fi Wave app for iOS and Android, and connect you to a dedicated Waveform Signal Specialist who can help if you have any issues. We know, reading manuals isn’t fun. But we promise it’s worth it. We’ve helped hundreds of customers install the Cel-Fi GO X and boost their signal. We’ve compiled everything we’ve learned in this manual.
What’s In The Box Cel-Fi GO X Amplifier Outdoor Antenna & Pole Mount Hardware Universal Antenna Mount 3x 30 ft RS400 Cables 4 Indoor Antennas (but this is a 2 Antenna Kit) This bit is a little confusing: We include both 2x dome and 2x panel antennas with the 2 Antenna Kit you purchased. This is so you can use whichever type of antenna works best in your space. Once you’re done with your install, you’ll have two extra antennas you can discard.
Install manuals, who needs ‘em? Signal boosters can be finicky to set up. The Cel-Fi GO X is no exception. It will take a bit of work to get your GO X unit installed optimally. But there’s a reason that most people are willing to take the time to perform an installation, even if it takes 4 to 5 hours. The GO X is the only device on the market that provides an industry-leading 100 dB of gain. Once you get it set up and running properly, you should see a significant improvement in signal, right away.
00 Before you start It’s critical that you have at least 1 bar of usable signal outside or on the roof of the building you’re installing the GO X in. If you don’t have 1 bar, or if you’re not sure, send us a text. What do we mean by usable? Well, you need to be able to place a call and use data reliably. When running a speed test, you should have decent upload and download speeds. Cell boosters bring signal inside from outdoors.
01 Install Process Overview This is the process that we suggest using for installing your Cel-Fi GO X: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Read this manual. Ideally from start to finish so that you understand the whole process before you begin. Download the Wave app. Send an SMS with the text “GO X” to (949) 449-2290. We’ll reply with a link to the Wave app, which will let you control your GO X. Select your carrier. Your GO X is preprogrammed to Verizon.
02 A Quick Introduction to Cellular Signal One of the most common questions we get asked is: how do I get better data rates? To understand how to get the highest data rates we need to dig into the details a little. In this section we'll give you a quick primer on how cell signal works. a. Signal Bars Your phone’s signal bars attempt to give you an idea of how “good” your signal is.
b. Signal Quality (SINR) Signal quality is probably the most important measure of your cell signal. In 4G LTE networks, signal quality is called “SINR,” which stands for “Signal to Interference Plus Noise Ratio.” In general, the better the signal quality, the faster your download speeds will be. Improving this measure can have a big impact on your system’s performance. Why does signal quality drop? It's actually because cell towers interfere with each other.
d. Bands Your cell phone connects to towers on certain ‘frequency bands.” These bands are licensed to each carrier by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. Each frequency band has a certain “bandwidth” which determines it’s total data capacity. That capacity is split amongst the users who are connected to it. In general, higher frequency bands (like 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz) travel less far and penetrate building materials less well than lower frequency bands (like 700 MHz and 800 MHz).
03 Wave App and Carrier Selection First, download the Wave app and make sure the GO X is set up to boost your carrier: 1 Download the Wave app by texting “GO X” to (949) 449-2290. 2 Open the app while keeping your phone within 4 feet of the GO X to start pairing. This may take a few minutes. The app will say “searching,” “syncing data,” and finally “gathering data.” 3 Your GO X is preprogrammed to boost Verizon.
04 Understand How The Go X Works The GO X “Searches” For Signal Unlike other boosters, the GO X doesn’t blindly amplify every frequency. Instead, it searches for, and then amplifies, the best signal available for your carrier. At any given time, the GO X can amplify up to two frequency bands. In the Wave mobile app, you can watch in the “Advanced” tab as it scans the frequencies on different bands to find the best signal to amplify.
05 Positioning & Aiming the Outdoor Antenna Finding the best location for the outdoor antenna is the most important part of the install. The Goal Your aim is to find the best location and direction for the outdoor antenna that maximizes signal strength and in particular, signal quality, for the frequency bands available in your area.
Using the Antenna Position Test The Wave app has a special “Antenna Position Test” that you can find under the “Settings” tab in the “Antenna Settings” dropdown. With each location and direction you try, you can “Capture” results. Tests take about a minute each. Ideally, we want to find a location with a score of 115 or higher. If you have very weak or low-quality signal outdoors, then it may be hard to get over 100 or even 90. It’s okay if that’s the case, just find the best score you can.
In Section 2 of the manual (go back and read it if you haven’t!) we explained that low signal quality happens because of “intra-cell interference.” The best way to improve signal quality is to “shield” the outdoor antenna from any other towers in the area, by putting it on the side of the building.
07 Indoor Antennas: Types & Placement Before choosing a location for your indoor antennas, you’ll need to determine which antenna type is the right fit. We include both panel and dome antennas – you can choose any two to use, and discard the other two. Panel Antennas A panel antenna has a narrower “spray” (technically called a “beamwidth”). This means that it directs signal in one direction, and not in a circle, like a dome antenna.
08 Indoor Antennas: Separation Antenna separation is critical to installing your indoor antennas. If you don’t have enough separation, the Cel-Fi GO X will throttle its gain (amplification) to avoid “oscillation.” Oscillation is a type of feedback that occurs if the gain of the system is higher than the “RF separation” between the indoor and outdoor antennas. You can improve your separation by moving your indoor antennas. Keep your outdoor antenna in the location with the best signal.
09 Assembling Your Kit Getting the parts set up Refer to the diagram to the right as needed 1. Connect the two SMA Pigtail cable adapters to the Cel-Fi GO X amplifier. 2. Note the two icons by the Cel-Fi GO X’s two SMA antenna ports: This port should be plugged into the indoor antenna(s). This port should be connected to the outdoor antenna. 3. Connect the RS400 cables to the SMA pigtail adapters and hand-tighten them. 4.
Antenna Mount & Outdoor Directional Antenna 5 ft RS200 Cable Lightning Surge Protector + 5 ft Grounding Cable Should ideally be installed outdoors, just before cable enters building. Connect the Lightning Surge Protector to the building’s ground with 10 AWG or higher grounding cable (5 ft grounding cable included).
10 Test & Install Permanently Once you’re done setting up your temporary install, it’s time to test the performance. If you mostly care about voice calls, simply place a call and walk around your home. If data rates are your primary concern, we recommend testing with the Speedtest app. If you’re on a phone, you can download the Speedtest app from here: waveform.com/speedtest If you’re using a hotspot, simply connect to it and visit speedtest.net in a browser.
11 Optional: Test Band Combinations In many areas, the GO X will only find a single band to boost. You can see this under the Advanced tab: one of the GO X’s radios will say Boosting and the other will remain Scanning. If that’s the case, there’s only a single band available for the GO X to amplify. However, in some areas, your GO X may find two bands. If that’s the case, you may be able to optimize your data rates by manually testing different bands. Here are the steps we recommend following: 1.
12 The “Advanced” Tab One of the best features of the GO X is that it actively listens and decodes the cellular signals before amplifying. You can find out more about the system's status at any given moment in the “Advanced” tab. The most important information is summarized at the top of the screen, under the "Overview" section. The information here is divided into two "radios" – the GO X's two radios are what allow it to amplify up to two bands simultaneously.
The GO X also gives a lot more diagnostic information under the "Super Channels" dropdowns for each boosted band. You typically won't need to use this information in most cases, but we've documented some of the most important numbers below. The “Send Log” button allows you send a diagnostic log from your device if our support team needs one. "Super Channel" Diagnostics Information This section lists diagnostic information on the two bands being amplified. Select a Radio to expand the details (as shown).
13 Some Final Tips - If you unplug the cable from the outdoor antenna, make sure to reset the GO X. The GO X will start scanning as soon as you unplug the cable to the outdoor antenna. To make sure it scans all frequencies, restart the unit after you reconnect the cable. - If you have extra cable, don’t coil it tightly. If you have extra cable, make sure to keep any cable loops as large as possible to minimize negative side-effects (4 ft or wider loops are best).
14 Tell Us How It Works Did your installation go great? Are you having trouble aiming your outdoor antenna? Do you think our manual could be improved? Are your data rates not quite what you were hoping? We'd love to hear from you: send us a text at (949) 449-2290. We’re not a huge, nameless corporation with lots of bureaucracy.
Need help? We’re ready and waiting. Signal boosters aren’t always easy to install. In fact, getting everything up and running can sometimes be a pain. But the end result is worth it. One of the benefits of buying from Waveform is our lifetime technical support on every system we sell. We’ve installed hundreds of these devices ourselves, and can walk you through troubleshooting and fine-tuning your installation for best results. Simply send us a text at (949) 449-2290.
