Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs

  

Metro by T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS) is one of the largest prepaid wireless carriers in the USA. As a T-Mobile subsidiary and MVNO, Metro also has extensive 3G & 4G LTE network coverage across America with reach up to 99% of the population that looks to only grow due to the T-Mobile/Sprint merger.

  1. Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs Internet
  2. Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs Network
  3. Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs Device

You have more options in terms of internet access than you may have previously thought. Some companies provide free or cheap internet plans, but there are other places and ways to snag free. We go step-by-step through 2 methods to share your unlimited data with your router and home wifi network. Works w/ Native/PdaNet/Easytether & all carriers. I'm getting tired of constantly monitoring my data use to keep my bill down. When I don't monitor my data (turning data off when I don't need it ) it seems to chew up more data than when I was on Verizon with unlimited and didn't care. I'm not sure if I'm imagining that or what. The variant now makes up more than 73% of new infections, a nearly six-fold increase compared to the week before. 10H ago Omicron strains COVID-19 testing capacity. Wi-Fi Terms And Conditions - MetroPCS®.com.

However, there are times when you're just not getting reliable service leading to dropped calls, slow internet, and spotty reception.

Lucky for you, there's a simple solution: just boost your Metro cell signal.

See complete cell signal booster kits for your situation:

Home
Vehicle
Business
Commercial

The Problem: Why Your Metro Coverage Is Weak

Cell phone signals are radio waves, the AM-FM kind. And like all wind and waves, they easily go in different directions without notice. Almost anything under the sun can change, absorb, and block your Metro service. Here are top 5 examples:

  • Cell tower distance: Physical distance and power transmission distance
  • Outside interference: Trees, hills, mountains, valleys, and tall structures.
  • Building material: Metal (especially metal!), glass, concrete, brick, radiant barrier, and other conductive material (electrical or magnetic).
  • Internal building obstructions: Thick walls, plaster, drywall, and other electrical devices & clutter, etc.
  • Even weather (yup): Rain, thunderstorms, solar flares, etc.

Any combination of these problems can drastically reduce your service.

Doesn't matter if you're rural or urban area, poor cell phone signal affects us all.

The Solution: Boost Your Metro Cell Signal

Everything changes with a cell phone signal booster.

A cell phone signal booster takes any existing cell signal and amplifies up to 32X and then rebroadcasts the boosted signal into the home, office, or car.

It's simple: more bars, better service.

  • Better Coverage: Think of a signal booster like a megaphone. It takes what you have and multiplies the performance.
  • Reliable Reception: No more dropped calls, spotty service, and low quality calls.
  • Consistent Service: Fast internet data, uploads, and downloads.

Metro Signal Boosters: Your Guarantees

Our recommended signal boosters are very versatile:

  • Works for all Metro & T-Mobile cellular signal.
  • Future proof: Also boosts signal for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, DISH, US Cellular and other major carriers.
  • Works for all phones & cellular devices.
  • Complete kits, easy to install.
  • No monthly fees, no need to connect to wifi.

For homes, whether you're in a remote rural area with an off-the-grid cabin or cottage or the big city with difficult-to-get-signal buildings, our recommended cell phone boosters get the job done. They'll extend your Metro by T-Mobile network signal with low-cost options for 1-2 rooms up to 7,500 sq ft coverage depending on your model and outside signal.

Our vehicle signal boosters work for cars, sedans, RVs, and even boats.

Enterprise Metro by signal boosters cover up to 100,000+ sq ft buildings, although it takes a dedicated team of installers and planners to get the absolute best service.

Why be a servant to the cell tower? Bring the cell tower inside your home! Below are our top recommendations.

Metro Cell Phone Signal Booster For Home

The Best Metro Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home

weBoost Home MultiRoom - 470144

For midsize homes and offices with a strong outside signal or small homes with weak outside signal.

Buy Now at $569.99
  • 5G ready booster
  • Up to 5,000 sq ft of Metro coverage under best conditions
  • Up to +65 dB of gain, with 21 dBm uplink and 12 dBm downlink
  • Multiple accessories for maximum coverage and customization (sold separately)
  • Complete coverage for multiple rooms or midsize home for all carriers across multiple devices
  • Outdoor yagi antenna and indoor panel antenna configuration, with stylish fabric front

The weBoost Home MultiRoom is designed to cover several rooms, an entire floor, or a whole midsize, one-story home with Metro signal. As its name suggests, you can expect multiple rooms of coverage with the unit assuming decent outside Metro signal. Assuming flawless outside signal, you can expect up to 5,000 square feet of coverage, but in most situations you can expect 2,000-3,000 square feet of indoor Metro coverage. If you live in a rural area with very weak outdoor signal, expect significantly reduced coverage. In fact, if you’re in an area with next to no signal, this is the lowest grade signal booster you should ever consider buying.

It features a nice, clean look, with an indoor antenna that won't stand out amid your existing home decor.

The weBoost Home MultiRoom not only boosts Metro signal, but all major North American carriers. Should you ever change carrier, the weBoost Home MultiRoom will still work.

If you live in an extremely weak signal area, have a really big house you want to cover, or just want your booster professionally installed, consider its sister product, the weBoost Installed Home Complete.

The Best Professionally Installed Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home

weBoost Installed Home Complete - 474445

Whole-home coverage for large homes with strong outside signal or midsize homes with weak outside signal.

Buy Now at $1,299.99
  • Superior cell phone service for your entire home. 5G Ready
  • Up to 7,500 sq ft of coverage under best conditions
  • Up to +72 dB of gain, with 24 dBm uplink and 12 dBm downlink
  • Multiple accessories for maximum coverage and customization (sold separately)
  • Complete coverage for entire home for all carriers across multiple devices
  • Outdoor yagi antenna and indoor panel antenna, with stylish fabric front
  • Needs no WiFi connection or monthly fees. One time purchase.

Designed, as you might expect, to cover an entire home. The weBoost Installed Home Complete certainly has that power, fully capable of covering a large home with decent outside signal or a midsize home with weak outdoor signal. Expect up to 7,500 square feet of coverage with flawless outside signal, but a more reasonable estimate would be somewhere between 3,500 and 5,500 square feet. In addition, in order to really maximize your coverage, additional antennas are required, especially if you’re trying to cover more than one floor. If you live in a very weak signal rural area, this is your best option for decent coverage - you’ll probably be getting about 2,000 square feet from it.

There are two major considerations on whether or not to buy the weBoost Installed Home Complete . This booster works best for large residential homes, suburban or rural areas, and more. The effective coverage area will vary depending on the strength of your OUTSIDE signal, so it's important to understand – if you’re expecting 7,500 square feet of coverage but have only one bar outside your home, you won’t get it. Realistic expectations of coverage in that scenario are more like 2,500-4,000 square feet.

The other major consideration is whether or not you’d prefer to install it yourself, or have someone do it for you.

weBoost Home Complete - 470145

DIY booster for large homes.

Buy Now at $999.99

The weBoost Installed Home Complete is the only consumer booster currently on the market that allows for a complete, professional installation at no extra cost to you.

Note that the installation is only available for residential buildings in the United States.

Budget-Friendly Metro Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home

weBoost Home Studio - 470166

For small homes and office spaces for all carriers.

Buy Now at $349.99
  • 5G ready - Amplifies talk, text, and data
  • Up to 2,000 sq ft of coverage under best conditions
  • Up to +60 dB of gain
  • Works with all cellular devices across all carriers
  • Compact design, fits on any flat surface

The weBoost Home Studio is the newest addition to the weBoost home booster family and the most affordable. Not only is it compatible with Metro, but with all US carriers.

Under perfect condition, meaning a strong outside signal and minimal Metro signal interferences, the Home Studio can cover areas up to 2,000 sq ft, enough for a small home, office, apartment, dorm, or condo. If you live in an area with weak outside signal, you’ll probably get around 200-500 sq ft – enough for 1-2 rooms. Rural areas will receive much less coverage.

Great starter kit for Metro customers who have decent outside signal but struggle with a reliable connection in the rooms where it matters. If you live in a weak signal area, you probably won't see the results you want with the Home Studio and should consider an upgrade to the weBoost Home MultiRoom.

Metro Cell Phone Signal Boosters For Cars and Other Vehicles

The Best Metro Cell Phone Signal Booster for Cars

weBoost Drive Reach - 470154

Excellent for drivers in remote and urban areas.

Buy Now at $499.99
  • 5G ready - Better talk, text, and data speeds guaranteed
  • Up to +50 dB of gain - the max allowed for a mobile signal booster in North America
  • Highest uplink output of any vehicle booster
  • Works with all cellular devices across all carriers, including Metro
  • Sleek, metallic exterior designed to displace excess heat for peak performance
  • Extremely customizable: variants for any type of vehicle and setup

The weBoost Drive Reach is the most powerful vehicle booster from Wilson Electronics, and is excellent at boosting Metro by T-Mobile signal.

A slim outside antenna picks up the signal, and an indiscreet inside antenna (usually Velcroed to a seat) broadcasts the signal inside your vehicle. For optimal results, you have to be about an arm's length from the inside antenna to benefit from the boosted signal, so it's best for your typical sedan, truck, or SUV, but will work with any vehicle.

This is the best vehicle booster no matter where you live. With its increased uplink power, it can reach cell towers that are 2x further for twice the signal strength, making it much more powerful than its competitors and a strong performer in rural areas. Plus, it does a great job at handling more noisy urban environments than other signal boosters.

Highly recommended for Metro customers.

Best Value Metro Cell Phone Singal Booster for Cars

weBoost Drive X - 475021

For drivers in urban, suburban, and some rural areas.

Buy Now at $399.99
  • Amplifies talk, text, and data - 5G ready
  • Up yo +50 dB of gain
  • Works with all cellular devices across all carriers, including Metro
  • Extremely customizable: variants for any type of vehicle and setup

The weBoost Drive X is a relatively inexpensive yet extremely reliable vehicle signal booster, ideal for Metro customers in urban, suburban, and some rural areas. It’s more powerful than the old Drive 4G but not as powerful as the Drive Reach.

With its +50 dB of gain and more range than its predecessor, it can communicate with relatively far distanced towers to provide you and your passengers with enhanced Metro by T-Mobile signals. It's an all-around performer for the city and the countryside. In weak signal areas, you and your passengers might have to be closer to the inside antenna to benefit from the amplified signal.

For those in extreme cases of poor signal, we recommend the Drive Reach, which is able to reach cell towers located much further.

Most Affordable Metro Cell Phone Signal Booster for Cars

weBoost Drive Sleek - 470135

Best for urban and suburban driving.

Buy Now at $199.99
  • 5G ready
  • Boosts talk, text, and Metro data
  • For a single smartphone
  • Cradle signal booster
  • Up to +23 dB gain
  • Works with all cellular devices across all carriers, including Metro

The weBoost Drive Sleek is about price and performance for a single Metro device.

Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs Internet

The kit includes a magnet mount antenna that can be easily installed on the roof of any vehicle and an adjustable cradle vent mount designed to hold any size smartphone or small tablet.

To benefit from the boosted signal, your cellular device has to be in the cradle. And when paired with a Bluetooth headset, it really shines for regular talk, text, and hands-free navigation.

It’s not the strongest performer in extremely remote locations. For those extreme cases, consider the Drive Reach.

Metro Cell Phone Signal Boosters For Commercial Buildings

Most Popular Metro Commercial Cell Phone Signal Booster

weBoost for Business Office 100 – 472060/473060

For small businesses and large homes with strong or weak outside signal.

Buy Now for $1,299.99
  • 5G Compatible - Boosts talk, text, and 4G/LTE/3G data
  • For commercial buildings
  • Up to 25,000 sq ft of coverage under best conditions
  • Up to +72 dB gain
  • Works with all cellular devices across all carriers
  • Expansion kits available to maximize coverage
  • Great for urban and rural areas

The weBoost for Business Office 100 is the most popular pro-grade Metro by T-Mobile signal booster for small businesses. However, Metro subscribers who live in large homes or in extremely remote areas where maintaining a reliable Metro signal seems impossible, the Office 100 has you covered. No more snail-like data speeds, dropped calls, or unsent text messages while working or relaxing in your home.

With gains up to +72 dB and enhanced output powers, the Office 100 can communicate with distant T-Mobile towers and cover buildings up to 25,000 sq ft. Maximum coverage can be achieved with perfect outside signal, zero indoor interferences, and the right antenna configuration. For the most part, however, it averages around 10,000 to 15,000 sq ft (depending on the unit’s configuration and your outside signal strength). Extremely weak signal areas will receive much less coverage.

The Office 100 is perfect for small businesses that have a strong outside signal but experience spotty Metro service throughout the building, as well as large homes and offices located in remote areas where tower distance and terrain make maintaining a Metro by T-Mobile connection extremely difficult.

FAQ

Will a Metro by Signal Booster work with my Metro phone?

Absolutely.

Whether it's an iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, or any phone, if it's working on the Metro or T-Mobile network, then a Metro signal booster will also improve reception to your phone.

Will a Metro Signal Booster also improve my mobile hotspot?

Yes without question.

Improving your incoming 3G & 4G LTE service to your Metro phone will also improve its mobile hotspot service (also called personal hotspot, WiFi hotspot, and tethering) and mobile hotspot device like Alcatel LINKZONE or other 4G routers.

What if I switch carriers in the future?

Our Metro signal boosters from Wilson Electronics (weBoost & WilsonPro) are multi-carrier systems. This means they are also compatible with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, and other major and local carriers.

They are future-proof!

What about Metro 5G service?

Yeah... about that.

The 5G standard has not been officially set by the 3GPP. Therefore carriers like Verizon and AT&T are pre-building our their 5G services by upgrading their current 4G LTE and giving it names like 5G Evolution, First on 5G, 5G+,etc.

But no, it's not the real 5G. It's pre-5G, fake 5G– it's literally 4G LTE on steroids.

The real 5G should launch by the end of 2020.

Will 5G make my Metro signal booster obsolete?

Nope.

4G LTE is still being built out across North America. If fact, 4G LTE is the backbone of the nation's wireless service. It's not going anywhere anytime soon, AND it's getting faster.

4G LTE is expected to peak in 2030-2035. So...come back in a decade and ask the same question and we might have a different answer by then.

How May We Help You?

Hook

Wilson Amplifiers is the leading provider of cell phone signal boosters. Cell phone boosters amplify 3G & 4G LTE for any phone with any carrier for home, office, or vehicle.

We seriously hate dropped calls and poor coverage, so it's our goal in life to stomp on spotty signal like the little roaches they are:

  • Free consultation (ask us anything) with our US-based customer support (sales@wilsonamplifiers.com) or call us at 1-800-568-2723.
  • Free shipping.
  • Better signal or industry-leading 90 money-back guaranteed. No questions asked.
  • We want everyone to be satisfied, so we provide lifetime technical support and a 2-year warranty for all products.

Ask us anything and we'll be glad to help.

In the interest of full disclosure, OMAAT earns a referral bonus for anyone that’s approved through some of the below links. These are the best publicly available offers (terms apply) that we have found for each product or service. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Please check out our advertiser policy for further details about our partners, and thanks for your support!

I’ve been fiercely evangelical about Project Fi since Google launched their cell phone service a few years ago. The plans have saved me a ton compared to a legacy mobile carrier, the un-throttled international coverage has been life-changing, and I adored the functionality and photo quality of my Pixel 2.

And because I’ve been so enthusiastic about the service, I think it’s important to update y’all about some recent experiences and research, along with why I am withdrawing my endorsement.

Like, 10/10 would not recommend. At all.

From a support perspective, Google Fi was not ready to expand

Project Fi recently rebranded to Google Fi, as part of an expansion that opened the platform to a few dozen more devices, including iPhones.

And I’m not sure all the components of that rapid growth were thought through.

My Pixel 3 is a little defective (or possibly a lemon). There are issues with calls dropping in locations where the Pixel 2 never had issues, the screen isn’t consistently responsive to touch feedback, the fingerprint reader is intermittent, and so forth. It happens, and I don’t feel like this is a failure of Fi — manufacturing just isn’t perfect.

Previously, whenever I had issues with my Pixel 2 or prior Fi-enabled devices, the third-party support center was phenomenal. I’ve had them help me with hardware issues, system issues, a phone that just wouldn’t connect to WiFi, or tethering that didn’t work when it was supposed to — every interaction was great, and resulted in the problem being solved.

Since November, this has not been the case. My calls and chats to support have gone nowhere, and the once-great support staff have been replaced (or supplemented) by random people using generic scripts. I’m sure the awesome trouble-shooters are still there, but the sampling I’ve seen doesn’t suggest pervasive competency.

I’m sure everything will eventually get resolved, and I have a lot of redundancy built in to my tech needs, but it’s super frustrating to have a brand-new phone not work as well as the device its replacing, and for tech support to be unhelpful about the whole thing.

Google Fi doesn’t function independently

I didn’t know this previously, because honestly — we all have better things to care about than the backend of a merchant’s payment processing systems. My Project Fi payments earned 5x points on my Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, and that was about the extent of my interest level.

Earn bonus points for phone bills with these cards:
  • Earn 5% Cash Back at office supply stores
  • Earn 5% Cash Back on internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines
  • Car Rental Coverage
  • $0
  • Earn 3x points on travel
  • Earn 3x points on shipping purchases
  • Cell Phone Protection
  • $95

Turns out, anything run by Google that takes money goes through Google Payments at some point, which is fine when things are fine, but horrible when they’re not.

If Google Payments is broken, your entire Google ecosystem is broken

My husband has been dealing with this for the past five weeks, and it’s basically a tire fire.

He made a purchase through the Google Store (for a Pixel 3 during the travel promotion, but it could just as easily have been an in-app purchase, or premium content on YouTube, or literally anything where Google collects the money). There were some issues with the payment (Chase declined the initial transaction as suspicious due to some other fraud I’d had on the card that same day, but Google still shipped the phone instead of flagging the payment, and obviously that’s not how the exchange of money for goods is supposed to work), and the process of getting that figured out triggered a “security check” with Google Payments.

It’s important to note, however, that the exact circumstances don’t really matter.

From what I’ve since learned, if a card in your Google Pay is stolen, or someone uses your Payments account fraudulently, or anything happens that leads to a security flag being raised, it can lead to your Google Payments account being frozen.

And that can wreak havoc on your Google life.

If you can’t use Google Payments, you can’t pay for Google Fi

This, fundamentally, is why I can’t suggest anyone use Project Fi anymore.

My husband has always paid his Google Fi bill with his Ink Plus, and has nearly three years of on-time (automatic) payments. This is the only card linked to his account, and there’s no indication that the Fi and Payments accounts “talk”. So while we were fixing the issue with the Google Store (which was on a completely different card), we didn’t give any thought to how it might impact other services.

Until Fi suspended his service for non-payment.

And his Android/Google Pay stopped working.

And his ability to make YouTube purchases ended.

Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs Network

And all in-app purchases started failing.

And he could no longer use Hangouts to make calls.

You get the picture.

Getting this fixed is actually impossible, and I say that as someone who really, truly, loves solving problems and has made a living off getting phone agents to want to help me.

We have submitted copies of his ID four times, my ID twice, multiple photos of credit cards, and various credit card statements. We’ve talked to agents and supervisors at Google Payments and Google Fi. No one is empowered to do anything, and even a well-intentioned agent doesn’t get the same answer from the “security department” twice.

I’ve since found hundreds of comments and Reddit threads from people having similar experiences, with almost zero positive conclusions.

The only suggestion of a solution we’ve been given is that he abandon both his email address and phone number of the past twenty years and start fresh.

There is no way to escalate, no timeline for resolution, and until that secret department (which consumers aren’t allowed to talk to) finishes their process with Google Payments, you can’t pay your bill. Google Fi won’t restore service or allow your number to be ported out until the bill is paid, so around and around we go.

And this is the crux of the issue for me — at the end of the day, no matter how awful AT&T or Verizon are (and we’ve all had some awful experiences), they’ll take your money. You could walk into the store with a bag of coins or a stack of sweaty dollar bills, and they’d take your money.

Is It Better To Use My Data Or Hook Up To Free Wifi Metropcs Device

So the simple fact that Google Fi can’t manage that is a deal-breaker for me. You’re either prepared to run a service business, or you’re not, and these recent experiences have reminded me that when it comes to Google (and other large tech companies) you have very little recourse when the Internet doesn’t “just work”.

And I don’t know that I feel comfortable putting an essential communication tool in the hands of a company that is taking this kind of approach.

Bottom line

To be clear, I’m not trying to get sympathy here — dealing with companies is often annoying, and that’s just part of being an adult. But when we’ve recommended a product or service to readers based on certain experiences, and circumstances change, I think it’s important to address it, especially when I haven’t otherwise had negatives to report.

It certainly hasn’t been convenient for my husband to not have phone service for weeks, but the realities of our life at this moment of time have meant it’s also not impossible. He telecommutes as well, and we spent most of the holidays together or with family, so he’s been around WiFi or with me (and able to tether off my phone) 95% of the time.

If it were me, not having a phone would be a non-starter, and I suspect the same is true for many of you. Of course if I was abroad I could buy a temporary SIM card and tether with my hotspot, or otherwise would work it out, but that shouldn’t be necessary when you are ready, able, and willing to pay a phone bill and the provider just can’t figure out how to process the payment.

Combined with the support experiences I’ve had, the deterioration of the service at Google Fi makes the platform feel very uncertain to me, and I just don’t feel comfortable recommending anyone else move over.

Beyond that, if you’re currently on Google Fi, and aren’t extremely nimble when it comes to managing your connectivity, you might want to think about moving back to a traditional carrier. You may pay a bit more, but unless you can guarantee that you will never have any issue that you might need Fi’s help with and would thus be inconvenienced by, it’s probably a worthwhile tradeoff.

Has anyone else had issues with Google Fi recently? Were you able to get them resolved?