Review: Smoothtalker Mobile Boosters (Mobile Cellular Booster)

Smoothtalker has been around forever making cellular boosters (they claim to have released the first digital cellular booster in North America in 2001) - but they've been slow to transition to LTE and multi-band support.

In early 2017 Smoothtalker at last launched a full lineup of completely new "6 Band" LTE boosters - ranging from cradle boosters to RV / large vehicle boosters, to full-home residential and even large commercial systems.

All the Smoothtalker boosters support a full 1W radiated output power, which they claim is more powerful than most competitive boosters - and should thus be most comparable with their closest competitor at time of release the weBoost Drive X. However, since then weBoost has released the weBoost Drive Reach with even more uplink power.

The flagship and most appropriate for RVers is the Mobile RV X6 Pro, and that is what we've focused on here.

Product Variations

RV X6 Pro

The original RV kit from Smoothtalker released in 2017.

Model: RV X6 Pro
Gain: 50dB
Max Uplink Power: 24 dBm
# of Devices Boosted Simultaneously: Multiple
LTE Bands Supported: 12 (17), 13, 5, 4, 2, 25
Exterior Antenna: Omni high-gain with 18' cable, or 14" XL Magnetic antenna. Both with female connectors.
Internal Antenna: Patch Antenna with 7' cable with female connector
Power Supply: 12v (Optional 120V supply available for $29.99)
Range of Interior Coverage: Depends on external signal.
In Motion Usage: Yes
Booster Dimensions: 4.72 x 4.25 x 1.25 inches
Warranty: 2 Year
Retail Price: $499.99

RV X6 Xtube Pro

Released in early 2021, their revised kit with a stronger and taller exterior antenna.

Model: RV X6 Xtube Pro
Gain: 50dB
Max Uplink Power: 24dBm
# of Devices Boosted Simultaneously: Multiple
LTE Bands Supported: 12 (17), 13, 5, 4, 2, 25
Exterior Antenna: RV Omni Xtube Antenna
Internal Antenna: Patch Antenna with 7' cable with female connector
Power Supply: 12v (Optional 120V supply available for $29.99)
Range of Interior Coverage: Depends on external signal
In Motion Usage: Yes
Booster Dimensions: 4.72 x 4.25 x 1.25 inches
Warranty:
Retail Price: $549.99

Trucker X6 Xtube Pro

Model: Truck X6 Xtube Pro
Gain: 50dB
Max Uplink Power: 24dBm
# of Devices Boosted Simultaneously: Multiple
LTE Bands Supported: 12 (17), 13, 5, 4, 2, 25
Exterior Antenna: Trucker Omni Xtube Antenna
Internal Antenna: Patch Antenna with 7' cable with female connector
Power Supply: 12v (Optional 120V supply available for $29.99)
Range of Interior Coverage: Depends on external signal
In Motion Usage: Yes
Booster Dimensions: 4.72 x 4.25 x 1.25 inches
Warranty:
Retail Price: $589.99

Other Smoothtalker Mobile Boosters

Here are Smoothtalker's other available mobile boosters.

Mobile CX1 23dB Extreme Power 2-band Coupling Boosters - $237.99-$299.99. Can only boost one device at a time.
Mobile CX6 23dB Extreme Power Cradle/Coupling Boosters (23dB) - $279.99-$329.99. Comparable to the weBoost Drive Sleek, though it cost substantially more. Cradle boosters can only boost one device at a time.
Mobile X6 Extreme Power Wireless Booster (50dB) - $469.99-$479.99. Boasts a range of up to 30 miles from the nearest cell tower.
Mobile Z6 Wireless Boosters (50dB) - $369.99 - Coverage up to 6 miles from the nearest cell tower.

Marine Boosters

Smoothtalker Marine Boosters

Smoothtalker also offers three 6-Band LTE marine boosters.

Model: Wave X6, Shark X6, and Mariner X6
Gain: Wave X6: 23dB; Shark X6 and Mariner X6: 50dB
Max Uplink Power: 24dBm
# of Devices Boosted Simultaneously: Wave X6: Single user; Shark X6 and Mariner X6: Multiple
LTE Bands Supported: 12 (17), 13, 5, 4, 2, 25
Exterior Antenna:
Internal Antenna:
- Wave X6: None
- Shark X6: Patch Antenna with 7' cable with female connector
- Mariner X6: Panel Antenna with F-Female connector
Power Supply: Wave X6 and Shark X6: 12v; Mariner X6: 120v
Range of Interior Coverage: Depends on external signal
In Motion Usage: Yes
Booster Dimensions:
- Wave X6: 4.56 x 2.15 x 1.25 inches
- Shark X6 and Mariner X6: 4.72 x 4.25 x 1.25 inches
Warranty: 2 years
Retail Price:
- Wave X6: $329.99
- Shark X6: $539.99
- Mariner X6: $899.99

News, Videos & Status

Smoothtalker sent us an evaluation unit of the Mobile RV X6 kit in 2017, which we have tested head-to-head in two field testing rounds.

First in early 2017 against the weBoost Drive X, Max-Amp Mobile, and HiBoost Travel 4G LTE. Members can access our raw field testing results here: Cellular Signal Enhancing Field Testing Results (Q1 2017)
In May 2017 we included it in a second around against the weBoost Drive X, Surecall Fusion2Go RV and Cel-Fi Go M. Members can access our raw field testing results here: Cellular Signal Enhancing Field Testing Results (2nd Quarter 2017)

Our detailed hands-on review and analysis of the Smoothtalker RV X6 is featured in our members-only section below, including a video overview focused on 'Optimizing Your Cellular Signal' showing all of the candidates in the early 2017 testing round in action head-to-head.

Unboxing Video

Here is our unboxing video of the SmoothTalker just after it arrived:

Alternatives to Consider

For other booster options on the market worth comparing this model to - here are our featured options:

Learn more about Cellular Boosters

HiBoost Travel 4G 2.0

$397-$450

SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 - Vehicle, RV & Fleet

$399-$449

weBoost Drive Sleek & Drive Sleek OTR

$199-$279

Cel-Fi GO

$620-1049

weBoost Destination RV Booster Kit

$649

SolidRF

$194

weBoost Drive X / 4G-X - Vehicle, OTR, and RV

$429-$449

weBoost Drive Reach - Vehicle, Fleet, RV, Overland, & OTR

$499-$549

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Further Education on Cellular Boosters A Signal Enhancing Strategy

Cellular boosters can be quite useful for boosting the signal to a smartphone to get a more solid phone call. But when it comes to enhancing cellular data performance, things get more complicated.

Because of a technology called MIMO (multiple in multiple out) that is essential to LTE and 5G data, often times the internal antennas on a smartphone or hotspot don't benefit from an amplified signal. Boosters also only cover a handful of the frequency bands the carries use for data.

But a booster can play a role in a mobile internet arsenal - as they excel during times when you are really far from a tower, or where upload speeds are important (such as video broadcasting).

For more on understanding boosters vs. MIMO - check out video: