We're here at CES Unveiled where Wilson Electronics unveiled the Sleek 4G, a car unit that boosts cell phone signal across all 4G carriers (except for WiMAX). There's an optional attachment for the home, perfect if you have great signal when out and about but lose it as soon as you enter your house or apartment. Appropriately, Wilson Electronics had a faraday cage set up on the showroom floor, a contraption designed to block cell phone service, and had a cell phone inside to illustrate of the Sleek 4G's power.
The Sleek 4G consists of three separate components that help amplify weak cell phone signals. First, a small antenna receives the weak 3G or 4G signal and sends it to the Sleek 4G cradle. The cradle has a built in amplifier which sends the signal to the smartphone. Then the process is repeated in reverse, sending an amplified signal back to the cell phone tower, providing a clear signal for both sides of the conversation.
When a phone was placed into the faraday cage without the Sleek 4G, we saw the signal quickly drop to a completely unusable level. Much like what happens inside many large buildings or in cars when driving through areas with weak reception. When the Sleek 4G was activated and the cage closed once again, cell phone signal remained strong, as if the cage wasn't there at all.
There is also a larger unit built specifically for the home, which has a range of one to two rooms rather than the smaller range of the Sleek 4G. But for car use or spot-signal in the home, the Sleek 4G definitely delivers and might be able to give you the extra boost to make dropped calls a thing of the past.
The Sleek 4G will be available next week and costs $199.
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