Cell Phone Booster Antenna Stickers, Do they work?
For years now there have been many companies and individuals coming and going that have sold those little stickers with what looks like a metallic golden electronic circuit like drawing on them as being "antenna boosters" for cell phones.
Many of these companies/individuals will now give them away as a free bonus in a effort to induce you to purchase some other cellular phone accessory product. (remember when they used to sell on TV for $19.95?) Where it's true that when they are given away the price is low enough, and as long as you don't mind wasting your time fooling with them they will do you and your cell phone no harm, but a recent test I conducted of many of these "booster antennas" obtained from a number of different sources reveled a fatal flaw that makes it absolutely impossible for them to contribute anything toward improving the signal level on your cell phone.
There is some theory that would allow these seemingly simple devices to work as claimed. These are the principles of the resonant circuit. When a finely tuned resonant circuit is placed in close proximity to a receiver for the same frequency as the resonant circuit is tuned for, the resonant circuit tends to "draw in" the signal making it available to the receiver. A easy way to think about how this could work is to think of the tuning fork analogy. If you strike a tuning fork and place it next to another tuning fork for the same frequency both tuning forks will start emitting sound. Well these booster antennas are supposed to work in much the same manner, and there are devices that do prove the theory as far as RF radio receivers are concerned. The Select-A-Tenna for AM radios comes to mind. However in the world of radio frequency (RF) these resonant circuits must be made of conductive material to be able to resonate, and here inlays the deception of the stickers that are sold as cell phone "booster antennas".
I gathered 10 of these so called boosters from a number of different sources. Some were billed as the "New and Improved 2nd Generation Models" some were the regular version. After scratching through the surface to ensure I was making contact with the golden circuit trace (not all of the test samples I checked had the gold tone "feature" some were silver and One was copper colored) with a Ohm meter's measurement probes and I could not find a single One that registered the slightest amount of conductivity. No conductivity, no resonation, and if they wont resonant there is no possible means for them to do anything to improve the signal strength of your cell phone.
Well that's it these little stickers of non-conductive material cannot work according to any of the known laws of physics, but if you still need to be convinced ask yourself these questions.
1.) If these cheap little stickers work so well to improve a cell phones signal then why don't the cell phones manufactures use them by the boat load?
2.) If these non-conductive stickers were somehow able to defy the laws of physics and start to resonant despite being non-conductive how is it even possible for the RF to get to them when their recommended mounting position is in the virtual metal "Faraday cage" that is formed by the metal in the battery pack and the phones metal backing plate that is found under the battery of most phones?
3.) If these stickers work so well why is it that they are being given away at little to no cost instead of still commanding their former $19.95 introductory TV commercial price as word gets out about how well they work?
As I said earlier if you get One for free and you have some time to waste go ahead and try One for yourself. But if you are looking for a antenna and/or amplifier to improve your cell phones range and where it can be used, your best bet is to stick with American made products from reputable Manufactures that are sold by their approved Dealers that will guarantee your satisfaction.
Source: http://goo.gl/RGw6da
